Kambala Institute of 

Teaching Excellence

Growing our School-Wide Culture of Thinking

Last week, we welcomed back our Academic in Residence Dr Ron Ritchhart. Dr Ritchhart, a distinguished thinker and educator from Project Zero (Harvard Graduate School of Education) always brings to us invaluable insights and updates into education research; it is always wonderful to hear him reflect and share his knowledge with our teachers, acquired in most instances from his colleagues at Harvard University, his own research and work on global research projects. We are incredibly fortunate to have the rare opportunity to work so closely with Dr Ritchhart - an experience that educators worldwide often dream of!

Dr Ritchhart’s recent workshops centred around the mindset “Learning Occurs at the Point of Challenge.” Learning about the research behind this concept deepens our understanding of how students engage with complex ideas, emphasising that learning happens when learning tasks are purposeful, contextualized, challenging and self-differentiated (Ritchhart, 2023). 

Our KITE scholarship recipients who attended in Project Zero Classroom in June (Boston) had the opportunity to meet with our Principal to discuss their experiences and the impact of their professional learning experience. This type of dialogue is instrumental in connecting insights with our ongoing efforts to build a culture of thinking within our school. The shared knowledge and innovative practices gained from Project Zero Classroom integrate with the approaches Dr Ritchhart advocates, creating a cohesive whole-school professional learning focus for our teachers. 

Ms Samantha Gooch

Executive Director KITE