Passion & Learning – Passion Toolkit

The Passion Toolkit offers a simple but powerful tool for schools to ensure that all children are known and their interests employed in driving quality education for each of them. 

The toolkit is an important asset for preventing student disengagement. A survey of Australian schools, commissioned by the Australian Learning Lecture which showed that many schools did not know the individual interests of their students. 

Further research showed that passion can drive and develop deep learning, and help to change the paradigm from one of success and failure to one where growth and motivation are celebrated.

The Passion Toolkit is a step-by-step approach to assist students to identify and know their passions, and for teachers to better know their students and develop the joy of learning. 

The toolkit has been extensively piloted firstly with 19 inspirational teachers and then with six schools in Victoria. Those schools were Western Port Secondary College, Mount Alexander College, Bentleigh Secondary College, Eltham High School, Kingswood College and Portland Secondary College.

The Australian Council for Educational Research undertook the evaluation of the Passion Toolkit trial. 

Collaborators

Two panels of leading Australian and international educators, policy leaders and academics were established by the Australian Learning Lecture to advise on the development and pilot phase of the Passion Profile and Passion Toolkit.

International panel:

• Charles Fadel, global education thought leader and Founder of the Center for Curriculum Redesign
• Professor Yong Zhao, Foundation Distinguished Professor in the School of Education at the University of Kansas, professorial fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy, Victoria University and Global Chair at the University of Bath, UK; 
• Dr Judy Halbert and Dr Linda Kaser, co-leaders of Networks of Inquiry and Innovation and the Aboriginal Enhancement Schools Network in British Colombia, Canada.

Australian panel:

• Enterprise Professor Sandra Milligan, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne
• Rob Randall, CEO, ACARA (until February 2019)
• Christine Cawsey, Principal, Rooty Hill High School NSW
• Viv White, Co-founder and Managing Director, Big Picture Australia
• Jennie Vine, Assistant Principal/Head of Senior School, Wooranna Park Primary School
• Lauren Sayer, Director of Learning Technologies – Senior School, Haileybury
• Matt Deeble, Social Ventures Australia
• Josh Machin, former Manager, Policy at the Business Council of Australia.

This important trial and evaluation of the Passion Toolkit was generously supported by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.