Narangba teachers go back to school

21 January 2011

Teaching and learning ... Narangba Valley State High School principal Ross Mackay is flanked by Dr Judy Smeed and Professor Wendy Patton of the QUT Faculty of Education.

It has been a case of back to the classroom early for 27 teachers from one school who began studying their Masters of Education degree with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in 2011.

Narangba Valley State High School, in Brisbane's north, will be a hive of research activity as 27 teachers work on their research masters degree with QUT on site at the school.

This is almost a third of the school's teaching population of 108.

The teachers will not only be gaining postgraduate qualifications - they will be focusing on education projects which will directly benefit the school.

The high school was working with QUT Faculty of Education lecturer Dr Judy Smeed when the need to increase their postgraduate qualifications became apparent.

'My work with the school focused on improving student outcomes, and something which comes up constantly as an important contributing factor in this area is the qualifications of teachers,' Dr Smeed said.

'Few teachers at the school had postgraduate qualifications, but the desire was there, especially for research degrees which directly benefit the school. The staff and the principal are all so committed and the impact on the school will be incredible.'

Dr Smeed suggested the idea to QUT's Faculty of Education, and it was agreed to provide lectures and resources to teachers who wished to study a research masters.

Narangba Valley State High School principal Ross Mackay said when he put the idea to teachers, he was hoping 12 or 14 might wish to be involved - but incredibly, 27 had signed on.

'I was blown away,' he said. 'It is fantastic for us to be able to carry out research which will then show us the right way to go to benefit our students. QUT are being extremely supportive, providing resources and lecturers who will travel to the school for some of the subjects in the masters degree.'

The avalanche of interest means next year there will be 27 research projects going on in the school at the same time. 'You can imagine in two years' time when these projects start to be finalised and conclusions drawn, it will bring about some significant changes - it is so exciting,' Mr Mackay said.

Topics being researched include nutrition and performance, efficacy of alternative programs for children at risk, the connection between academic and musical ability and single gender classes.

'We are always looking for ways to ensure students have the best start in life possible, and this will help improve their outcomes, increase their career options when they leave, and give us a formal, evidence-based process for change," he said.

Executive Dean for QUT's Faculty of Education, Dr Wendy Patton said she was delighted to support the cohort's involvement in the research masters course.

'This is a really exciting way to engage with schools and have staff develop research skills, and to my knowledge it has never been done with such a large cohort from one place before,' she said.

'The school will benefit, the teachers will benefit from such strong professional development, and it will raise the esteem with which these teachers are held within the community. It is also an important engagement activity for the faculty.'