Project-Based Learning — New Tech Network Australia: Innovative Thinking in Education

Evidence-Based Explicit Instruction for Cognitive Engagement and Skills for Success in Life

As Hattie (2009) explains, when teachers adopt explicit teaching practices they clearly show students what to do and how to do it. The teacher decides on the learning intentions and success criteria and makes them transparent to students, demonstrating them by modelling. The teacher checks for understanding, and at the end of each lesson revisits what was covered and ties it all together.

When teachers intentionally focus on the I do, We do, You do model of explicit instruction, teacher clarity improves and student learning gains are evident.

It’s here: Design Thinking with NTNAU

A year in the making, and after several years running this program in schools, we are now thrilled to officially launch NTNAU Design Thinking.

Aligned with the General Capabilities of the Australian Curriculum, this fully resourced semester-long course is suitable to run for students of any age. Designed for the modern student, this course takes the load off teacher preparation time and maximises student collaboration, critical thinking and communication skills.

New Tech School Tour - Texas April 2023

This April, we had the great pleasure of taking fourteen Australian educational leaders to Dallas, Texas to visit six New Tech schools that are at the forefront of educational reform. These leaders had the opportunity to network with educators, principals and experts from all over the USA, gaining insight into the most recent practices and developments in project-based learning, school leadership, and educational innovation.

We were welcomed into schools by students and teachers alike, had some incredible hands-on learning experiences and learnt so much from what we saw. It’s hard to narrow it down, but here are our key observations below. Why not join us on our next trip?

Join us on a tour of New Tech Schools in Texas 2023

Get out of the box and see school transformation in action with a tour of New Tech Schools, Texas in 2023. With a series of workshops to compliment your learning, take a deep dive into the world of the New Tech model of student-centred learning and reimagine what’s possible at your school.

Are we thinking about learning in the same way?

In the course of my work, I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to consistently think with and learn from some inspiring educators in schools and districts that are tackling innovative work. And that work is hard too. Increasingly, I wonder if one thing that makes that work hard is that we are thinking about and/or acting on different understandings of “learning”?

Design a PBL Project in a Day - 4th June 2021

This online, one day course is for anyone that needs a refresher in Project Design or to hit the ground running with Project-Based Learning, this workshop provides a step-by-step guide to 'speed-creating' a project in just one day. Improve an existing project or come with nothing more than curriculum dot points. You'll be guided through the process by experienced practitioners, receive feedback through Critical Friends and leave feeling inspired and confident to roll out your project.

Project-Based Learning 101 - 2 Day Course Coming Soon!

Are you ready to rethink teaching and learning?

Would you like a more collaborative classroom where students are engaged in authentic, real world learning using critical thinking and taking the reins over their own learning?

With over 25 years experience in helping schools become more student-centred, improve student outcomes and develop as learning communities, we’re excited to be opening our doors to teachers across Australia to share the New Tech model: a student-centred approach to Project-Based Learning.

Virtual Workshop: Supporting Diverse Learning Needs in the PBL Classroom

As a teacher, when you receive your class list and see the many varied learning needs of the students in your care for the year, it can be pretty daunting. Especially when project-based learning is the primary mode of instruction. In addition to the usual requirements for differentiation for often vastly varied literacy levels and academic abilities, PBL throws up some distinct challenges for teachers (and the students themselves!). The requirement to work as a team can typically be daunting to many students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, the noise levels of an active classroom can also be distracting. Meanwhile, students with anxiety may struggle with standing up and presenting to the class or other experts.

Join us to understand how students with diverse learning needs can be supported by teachers to thrive in the PBL classroom and become confident, active members of their team.

Graduate Certificate in Project and Problem-Based Learning - Enrol Now!

At New Tech Network Australia, we are committed to revolutionising teacher professional development. Starting in 2021, we’re excited to announce our brand new Graduate Certificate in Project and Problem-Based Learning. Project and Problem-Based Learning teachers across Australia will finally be able to get the recognition they deserve for their unique skills in curriculum design and student-centred learning from Term 3 2021 onwards. The twelve month course will be online and self-paced , designed with busy teachers in mind.

What actually is Project-Based Learning or PBL anyway?

Project-Based Learning is a student-centred approach to learning that provides students with a real-world context for their learning and enables teachers to think more creatively about the syllabus and how it might be learned.

In the traditional unit, teachers will often lead a series of lectures, activities and quizzes before some form of assessment or end of unit test, followed by a fun project at the end. Project-Based Learning makes the project front and centre and is what drives the learning throughout the unit of work. The schools in our Network report that their students are more engaged, active participants in their work, they report improved academic results in Year 12, and ex-students report being snapped up by top universities and enterprises due to their experience in Project-Based Learning.

FREE Virtual Workshop: Inclusive, Equitable Classrooms

With people around the world taking to the streets to protest racial inequality, the Black Lives Matter movement is a hot topic amongst many of the young people we teach. A light has been shone once again on Aboriginal deaths in custody and our students watched with horror, as we did, the brutal restraint of George Floyd and far too many other African Americans in the US.

In divided and uncertain times, it’s the classroom teacher that will so often be at the coal face of these discussions: fielding questions, privy to our students inner thoughts and acting as a key contributor as they shape their opinions and view of the world. It’s an important time for self-reflection and some fantastic tools exist for helping us check for subconscious-bias in our relationships with students. Following a summer of self-reflection with our partners at NTAC in the US, we’ve

PD and EventsEmily LiccioniOctober 22, 2020Project-Based Learning, Progressive education

Join Us for Beyond NTAC 2020

Imagining Beyond

The current moment has required the education community to reflect on what we value, and to ponder the significance of what falls outside those bounds. The response to COVID-19 has forced students, families, and educators to take action outside the traditional school experience. This has put a spotlight on the role of K-12 education, whose past entails policies, procedures, and teaching practices that don’t meet the needs of students in today’s world, and often catalyses inequities that harm learning and development.

As we persist through this crisis, we must resist the urge to put the pieces of an obsolete past back together again. We must imagine beyond, and see this moment as an opportunity to put what we value at the core of our practice…

Virtual Workshop: Collaboration... Now?

At New Tech Network Australia, we focus on outcomes that matter. Not only do our schools report improved academic success at Year 12, but NTNAU graduates emerge from their schooling as effective communicators, critical thinkers and agents of their own learning. In addition, the fostering and assessment of collaborative skills has always been a key focus for teachers across our network. However, as our students return post COVID-19, how can we ensure we also return to a student-centred learning environment with collaboration at its heart?

Need-To-Know: How do I keep the learning student-centred in my online classroom?

After teaching shifted online in response to the global coronavirus pandemic, we reached out to our schools to find out how we could help. In a survey of around one thousand teachers across our Network, how to keep the learning student-centred online came up time and time again.

Virtual Workshop: Student Agency (Online & Beyond)

We know you're working hard right now. In fact, teachers across the Network are telling us they've never worked harder. We know you've had to be very resilient and develop a Growth Mindset to many things in recent weeks and we salute you.

With teachers taking the reins to bring the best learning opportunities they can to their students we thought a discussion about Fostering Student Agency (online and beyond) would be timely.

Apprentissage par project? Pourquoi pas!

Project-Based Learning puts the ‘why’ into every teachers’ favourite question: “why are we doing this, Miss?“

Before Project Based Learning, I often struggled to answer this question (other than “it’s on your exam”). Why should a group of teenagers more interested in almost anything other than ‘past participles’ or ‘adjectival agreements’ commit to learning this when so often a visit to the country of the language they’re learning is something that may never eventuate?

This week we’ll be diving into the unique challenges of language teaching in the project-based learning classroom

PD and EventsBradley ScanlonMarch 8, 2020Project-Based Learning, Professional Learning

New to the Network: Kingdom Culture Christian School

We’re so excited to welcome to the Network Kingdom Culture Christian School in Arncliffe, NSW. This rapidly growing K-10 Christian School was founded by educational futurist and business consultant, Ben Irawan. In their own words they are developing the skills and talents of their students “to be exemplary leaders of integrity and character. The school adopts 21st Century learning methods such as blended learning & project based learning. It is a self paced, student centred learning…

Network Schools, NewsEmily LiccioniDecember 4, 2019PBL, Project-Based Learning, Progressive education

Keeping it Real with Project-Based Learning

Crafting projects that address real-world problems, that encourage students to work with and present to meaningful external partners and that make learning RELEVANT to the lives of the many students we teach is no mean feat. With our upcoming Virtual Workshop on ‘Authenticity in PBL’, we thought some of you might be interested in this articl

Powerful Professional Development Gains Accreditation by NSW Education Authority

The NTN Model of PBL and Student-Centred Learning, which started over 20 years ago in Napa, California, has landed in Australia! With over 46 hours of powerful professional development that is now also accredited by the NSW Education Standards Authority. We offer both Proficient and Lead Teacher level courses with many more accredited hours to come.

2019 School and Student Success Report

New Tech Network is proud to present the 2019 School and Student Success Report. This annual endeavour highlights new and updated research, provides evidence about the NTN model and project-based learning, and showcases the power of Network schools, leaders, and teachers.

See the results for yourself.