The King's School

ICT Services Newsletter...Term 4 2010 – Vol.5 No.14...National Boys’ Education ConferenceWorld First for Conference Delegates!The King’s School hosted the National Boys’ Education Conferencelast week (10-12 October 2010). This special edition newsletter is asnapshot of the Conference. Conference Booklet here: NBEC 2010Michael Eggenhuizen | Director ICTConference Theme and ProgramMembers of the Apple Australia Team: Guy, John and AlissaDelegates attending the National Boys’ Education Conference weresurprised to find that they were part of a World first. Apple iPadswere issued to all delegates attending the 3-day Spring Conference.Stephen King and Jessica Grauds (Apple Australia) were instrumentalin organising and executing the iPad side of the Conference. TheConference Committee would like to thank Apple Australia for theirwonderful support of our Conference.Conference SponsorsThe King’s School would like to thank the sponsors of the NationalBoys’ Education Conference. Conference website sponsors' page.The King’s School Theatre was used for all Keynote SpeakersThe National Boys’ Education Conference (Theme – ‘Boosting Boys’Achievements’) was by all accounts a successful exploration intogender differences, effective learning modes for boys, issues that weneed to think clearly and sensitively about as we raise boys in adigital learning milieu, and the sharing of wonderful programs thatfocus on boys’ emotional health. 380 Australian and Internationaldelegates attended keynote, parallel and concurrent speakersessions and demonstration lessons. 16 sponsors supported theevent (14 with Conference stands). Delegates were entertained byexceptionally talented students from The King’s School including: TheKong Brothers Piano Duet; The King's School and Barker Collegecombined Preparatory Choir; Jock Webb singing & Harley MaulanaBassoon solo; The King's School Choir; Austin Lee on Flute; ThePiano Trio and soloist Ryland Joyce.Published by the ICT Services Department of The King’s School Parramatta, Sydney Australia

ICT Services Newsletter...Term 4 2010 – Vol.5 No.14...Dr Michael Gurian – videolink from the USADr Michael Gurian – presented keynote via video conference from Spokane Washington.Through videolink, Dr Michael Gurianoutlined the differences betweenboys’ and girls’ brain developmentand illustrated how crucial it is forteachers to understand the malelearning style. The realisation of boys’brains turning off [relax mode] fasterthan girls’ brains caused a ripple oflaughter amongst the delegates andknowing nods from colleagues. Gurian InstituteMaggie HamiltonSpecial address by author Maggie Hamiltonstirred us to reflect on how much childhood andteenage life are changing. Boys today areunder so much pressure as childhood becomescompressed. Targeted commercialisation, suchas product placement on bibs and nappies,certainly adds to this sense of blurring of thelines between childhood and adulthood.Importantly, Hamilton encourages teachers toteach correct standards and values and in particular, discernment,in order that boys are not so easily hoodwinked.Dr Michael Carr-GreggDr Michael Carr-Gregg complemented Hamilton’s address throughhis unpacking of parenting values and theshifting focus of modern parenting. Hesees too many examples of parentssurrendering their authority to their childrenand too many parents confused aboutwhere to draw the line between being their son’s friend and / orparent. Bullying, and in particularly cyber-bullying, is growing inschools and current figures raises alarm. It appears that manyparents have avoided developing a ‘digital spine’, allowing theirchildren access to social media at all hours, with no regard to theaccumulative effects, such as sleep deprivation.Dr Adam CoxDr Adam Cox’s research on locating significance /purpose in boys clearly tells us that boys want to beheroes. They want to be recognised for theirefforts, to make a difference and to have realpurpose in the work they undertake. He warnsagainst the emphasis on academic achievement atthe expense of holistic education. As he notes, boyswant happiness in their life more than anything.Dr Timothy HawkesTwo challenges were presented by Dr Tim Hawkes.Firstly, define the well-educated boy, design aprogram to achieve this and consider how tomeasure the outcomes. Second, work towardsgaining control of our teaching, away fromacademic boards, to enable us to achieve the resultwe want. Training in Leadership SeriesDr Jeffrey WilhelmThe final keynote speaker, Dr Jeffrey Wilhelm,argued strongly about motivating and engagingboys to read. His dynamic presentation onfrontloading clearly illustrated how to engageboys’ creativity, and as Gurian pointed out, toswitch on the spatial objects part of their brain!Dr Wilhelm, in support of Dr Hawkes’ concernabout how boys are being educated,emphasised that boys learn best when whattheir learning is immediate and functional. Heaccented how boys like to repeat what they know as an illustrationof their competence. Through his research, he listed a number oftraits that represent the ideal teacher, and if only one of these wasshown by the teacher, the boys would be hooked:• show a personal interest / knowledge of the boy• show that you care / in or out of the classroom• passionate, enthusiastic, know your material• support/give feedbackGourmet Conference FoodConference delegates were impressed with the excellent food and quality of serviceprovided throughout the Conference - a big thank you to Julie Wright and her team.Combined Schools’ Preparatory ChoirThe King's School & Barker College combined Preparatory ChoirThank YouThe above keynote summaries were written by Tony Rocks and DrLinda Gibson-Langford. Our parallel and concurrent speakers anddemonstration lessons earned accolades from so many delegates.Our sponsors added to the quality of this Conference and withoutThe King’s School community backing us, we would not have enjoyedsuch a stellar professional learning opportunity. The ConferenceCommittee would like to thank everyone for their support.Published by the ICT Services Department of The King’s School Parramatta, Sydney Australia