Show Notes:

This week on The Staffroom we were lucky to chat with education expert, Dan Haesler from Sydney, Australia.

With over 14,000 followers on Twitter, Dan is well-known across the Asia-Pacific region for his dynamic, energetic and passionate Keynote speeches on authentic classroom engagement, growth mindset and well-being. In this episode, Dan also speaks about his book #SchoolOfThought, a collection of blog-posts and essays which offer thought-provoking ideas and real-life insight into his experiences with students. We genuinely enjoyed chatting with Dan, finding his words open and honest and his ideas captivating.

Here’s a break-down of our chat complete with time-stamps:

• What does Dan believe real (authentic) engagement actually looks like in schools? (3:50)
• What tips and advice can Dan offer to teachers who want to authentically engage their students in the classroom? (5:16)
• What kind of learning does Dan believe has a real sense of purpose and creates the conditions for authentic engagement? (9:00)
• Why is Dan an advocate for Phillip Schlechty’s ‘continuum of engagement’ and what are the main steps? (10:20)
• How does Dan believe we can pull-up ‘retreatist’, ‘passive’ and ‘ritualistic’ learners to higher levels of authentic engagement? (16:18)
• Why is Dan passionate about Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset? (18:40)
• What are the five things Dan thinks teachers need in order to instil a growth mindset and build resilience in students? (20:54)
• What does Dan think are the main barriers within our schools and communities that have a negative impact on mindset? (26:48)
• Why is mental health and well-being so important to Dan? Why does he think anxiety is so common in students today? (28:30)
• How does Dan believe we can improve well-being in schools and in school communities? (34:13)

We hope you enjoy this episode of The Staffroom and find Dan’s words as inspirational as we did. As always, we have a lot to take away from our chat – we discuss some top takeaways at the end of the episode. Like us, I know you will have a lot to think about.

Go purchase a copy of Dan’s excellent book, #SchoolOfThoughtwhich is available internationally on Amazon and can be ordered in Australia from Dan’s website, danhaesler.com. All profits from the book go to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation who work in remote areas of Australia delivering books to hard-to-reach children. We wish Dan all the best for 2018 and the growing success of his business Cut Through Coaching and Consulting.

Until next time!

Jamie, Michael and Tessa

Twitter:

@XpatEducator

@Michael_Royall

@tessa_johnson2