Minnis Journals

For Education Leaders

Insightful Thinking

Inquisitiveness and insightfulness are crucial and fundamental for solving problems, being innovative and exercising enterprise. The questioning mind of a reformer/innovator will want to know why. It will not merely accept something that doesn’t make sense even though it may be in an academic textbook, rulebook, company manual, or government regulation. The possession of savvy inquisitiveness, guided by an insightful questioning mind, helps you to recognise when rational intuitive thought is required and when a little counter-intuitive or divergent thinking will come in handy. Read more

Teaching Grammar for Writing and Reading in the 21st Century

Good writers are needed throughout most dimensions of workplace activity as well as in schools, colleges and universities. The widespread use of laptops and tablets for workplace report writing has brought about the need for most professional, clerical and management personnel to be writers. But there is a problem posed by the “correct” yet soulless sludge produced under the narrow tutelage of ChatGPT, Grammarly and Word grammarcheck. Read more

The Teenager’s Brain Puts them at Risk of Harm

Schoolies teenager, Jude Lane jumped off a roof and was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion. Following this near-tragic event, Mr Lane was remorseful as he admitted to ‘trying to be funny’ and wanting to ‘get attention’.
Mr Lane cannot be judged or blamed. He, like other teenagers, has not developed the neurological maturity to put the breaks on these impulsive urges to engage in high-risk behaviour. Read more

Writing in a Post AI World

It took about a week for humans to break ChatGPT, with teasing the AI into doing silly, sometimes unsettling things becoming the new viral, online activity.
The technology should press humans to find way to exceed the AI and play to their strengths and humanness in writing colourful creative work and the arrival of the AI chatbot also offers opportunities to engage with the question of what writing is really for.
Read more

Tests. Exams. Effort. Failures. Perseverance. Resilience. The Brain. Success. Part 1

Unpredictable life events, can, at times, be extremely harsh, difficult and challenging.
With this being the case, one could therefore argue that life requires the individual to have a wide range of indomitable extrinsic and intrinsic set of mental and emotional skills and capacities; for the purpose of being able to successfully deal with the vast complexities that exist in the realm of life.
Read more

Getting the Right Leader for Your School

There is little doubt that the most critically important decision a School Board makes is the appointment of a new Principal.
Boards are largely made up of voluntary individuals who have a love and passion for the school they serve. However, they may be nervous about appointing a Principal and may not have the experience they feel they need to get it right so it has become common to engage the services of a external agency. Read more

Wicked Education Kit Released

If you are interested in live theatre productions, Wicked is great example of what works on stage, winning over 100 major awards including the Grammy, the Olivier Award, six Helpmann Awards, three Tony Awards® and six Drama Desk Awards.
The musical has played in 16 countries around the world and by the time of its first performance in Sydney, Wicked will have become the 4th longest running show in Broadway history. Read more