Scotch College

Focus on ... Syd Boydell

Scotch faces the facts

This edition of Great Scot focuses on Dr Syd Boydell, who has taught at Scotch, apart from a five-year break, since 1976.

Syd came to Scotch after a stint lecturing physics at Melbourne University. In 1978 he took a year’s study leave in the UK, where he looked at physics teaching and outdoor education. He left Scotch in 1983 to teach at St Michael’s Grammar School, and returned in 1988. In 1997 he spent a year on exchange at Eton.

Currently combining his physics teaching duties with managing the Professional Development and Training program for the school’s staff, Syd has also taken on the relatively new role of overseeing the research and development aspects of the school in his role as Director of Educational Research and Development.

Great Scot (GS): How has the school changed since 1976?

Syd Boydell: The school is very different today. The pastoral care is much better and the herd mentality does not dominate as it used to. The curriculum offered at the school is broader – design and the performing arts are just two examples. The relationship between the staff and the students has also changed significantly. It is a much calmer and less confrontational style; a more cooperative relationship exists today.

GS: How has the Scotch student changed?

Syd Boydell (SB): Today’s student is much more supported. Parents are more involved in their children’s education. The relationship between the parent and child is also different – it is not as adversarial as it once was. Today’s parents are likely to be more involved in the management of the educational process. For example, fathers today are usually much more involved than just in Saturday sport, as once was the case. With this support network, some students can tend to take less responsibility for their own schooling, relying on the structure around them. Sometimes they are quicker to blame others for poor outcomes.

Today’s students, as we know, are likely to have the fluency with technology that their parents simply do not have. This presents challenges for school and home, but they are challenges worth facing and responding to.

The influence of television on students over time can perhaps best illustrate these differences. In the 1970s, television wasn’t embraced as a teaching tool, and as a result students weren’t encouraged to be critical users; they were more like sponges. Today’s students are encouraged to be analytical and critical when using any media.

GS: Describe your current role.

SB: About one-third of my time is spent teaching physics, and I am currently in my sixteenth year of involvement with the orienteering program. I am also the Safety Officer for outdoor activities. As well as overseeing the Professional Development and Training program for Senior School staff, I also manage the school’s Educational Research Development program. This role was introduced in 1996.

Through the program, research or evidence-based decision-making has become more usual in the School. Decisions based on anecdote and/or opinion are becoming less usual.

Since 1996 we have evaluated our laptop program and our team teaching approach in Years 7 and 8, looked critically at the school culture, investigated student attitudes, tracked the incidence of bullying, introduced and evaluated a new curriculum structure in Years 9 and 10, surveyed home internet connectivity, reviewed the English, drama and design technology departments, and surveyed attitudes to schooling outcomes, as well as other smaller projects.

GS: What are you currently researching?

SB: We are currently undertaking an academic profiling project, managed by Bruce Brown, where the potential and performance of boys is systematically tracked from Year 7 to Year 12. As a result of this program it is hoped to provide the appropriate level of individual encouragement and advice to every student at the School.

The library is also undergoing a major review, where usage aspects are being researched to help steer its future direction. The School, in partnership with other schools, received an Australian Research Council grant to investigate plagiarism at the secondary school level, and this investigation is proceeding. An example of this plagiarism is a common practice of ‘slabbing’ assignments from the internet – downloading slabs of information from websites and using them virtually unaltered in written assignments.

GS: Can you provide some examples of how research and development-based research has affected Scotch?

SB: In 1996 the school introduced team teaching in Year 7. This is where three teachers are grouped with a particular Year 7 class and teach all their core studies – English, maths, science, drama, IT, geography, history and often Christian education, as well as providing coordinated pastoral care.

The system was introduced as a result of a suggestion emanating from a research committee involving staff with some parent input. This scheme was evaluated once introduced, and it became apparent that it was appropriate for learning in Year 8 as well, and the program was introduced there accordingly. The benefits of the approach have included a better focus on ‘learning how to learn’, more integration of knowledge, and much better pastoral care.

The School has also been researching and evaluating bullying across the student body. Since 1994 students, staff and parents have been surveyed. Students are asked about their relationships with their peers, using the well-established Rigby questionnaire.

The results have demonstrated significant improvement across nearly every measure, and the School intends to continue this monitoring process.

Last year we researched internet usage at home, and found that acceptance of broadband technology was increasing at homes by 20% annually. It was apparent that the staff needed to be educated about this change, that Internet supply needed to be adjusted and that the scale of on-line resources needed to be addressed – for example the downloading and storage of images and podcasts of important lessons.

GS: How do you see your role developing in the future?

SB: I certainly see that we will collect more data from all stakeholders – in particular parents – by expanding the on-line community with more regular use of on-line surveys and questionnaires.

GS: How does the current Scotch student benefit from your endeavours?

SB: The feedback and perception of all stakeholders (over 20 surveys were conducted last year) is digested, and all feedback is treated confidentially and seriously. This includes students evaluating the teaching and learning effectiveness of classes. This gives direct feedback to teachers, and they work with their heads of departments to improve areas of concern.

Every evaluation leads to recommendations to the Senior School committee, most of which are accepted and acted on. We hope this approach improves the program for students.

Tim Shearer