Talking Engagement with Principal Anne Grayson

In this episode, Amy talks with Anne Grayson, Principal of Robe Primary School in South Australia's Limestone Coast region. The conversation covers the school's journey in bringing to life their "Learning to learn, learning for life" vision.

How it started: The school was introduced to Amy's research through a network partnership. Staff were immediately inspired, particularly by the distinction between compliance and genuine engagement — recognising that busy-looking classrooms aren't necessarily engaged ones.

The "Learning to Learn, Learning for Life" framework: Anne brought together three ideas — the Engagement Continuum, the Learning Pit, and brain science/trauma-informed practice (Berry Street training) — into a unified school-wide approach. Staff were given autonomy to "bend and fold" the framework to their contexts, which generated strong buy-in with no pushback.

Key insights discussed:

• Behavior issues often decrease when students are genuinely cognitively engaged
• Evidence of impact doesn't have to be numerical — rich qualitative data and student voice are equally valid
• The continuum must be put into learners' hands, not just used as a teacher management tool
• The school uses "notice, name, narrate, and nudge" to build their authentic learning language

Student impact stories: Children as young as 5 are using the language of learning authentically — including one student who independently identified being "in the pit" during learning, chose a strategy to get unstuck, and celebrated moving out of it, all in just seven weeks into the school year.

Top tips for schools:

1. Take the risk — you don't need all the answers to start
2. Give staff the license to experiment without judgment
3. Make it inclusive — visuals and language consistent across every learning space
4. Approach it with curiosity, not a problem-fixing mindset

Want to learn more?

Join us in The Engagement Hub, our online community for educators interested in supporting engagement and empowering learners. You can connect with Amy and many of our guests there.

Thanks for listening!

Talking Engagement with Valentine Public School

Guests: Dana Fisher (Stage 2 Assistant Principal) and Casey Duck (Year 5 Teacher) from Valentine Public School, NSW

In this episode, Amy talks with Assistant Principal, Dana Fisher, and Year 5 teacher, Casey Duck, about their journey of improving engagement at Valentine Public School.

Key Topics:

• The Problem: Despite having well-behaved, compliant students, staff recognized that most learners were passive — doing the right things but not truly engaged. Students themselves believed that being quiet and following rules equated to being a good learner.
• The Journey: Beginning in 2021 with a school-wide deep dive, and accelerating in 2023 through instructional rounds with Steph Salazar, the school discovered Amy's engagement continuum.
• The Light Bulb Moment: Seeing engagement as a student-centered continuum shifted teacher mindset from "what am I doing wrong?" to "what could students do to move their engagement up?" This reframed engagement as a shared responsibility.
• Implementation: The school adapted the continuum into child-friendly language, embedded it consistently K-6, and connected it to their reporting system (linking engagement levels to effort marks). Their librarian and Early Stage 1 AP helped ensure consistent language across all settings.
• The Video: Students from the acting ensemble created a video dramatizing each engagement level, which was shared with families via Facebook (600+ views) to help parents understand the continuum alongside school reports.
• Impact: Students now use engagement language organically — setting engagement goals, self-identifying their level, and connecting engagement to learning progress. One student even referenced engagement in her personal learning plan goals.
• Top Tips for Other Schools:
  
  1. Take it slow — introduce gradually, check in with staff regularly
• Consistency across K-6 — same expectations and language school-wide
• "Built in, not bolted on" — small, mindful tweaks to daily practice rather than adding extra tasks

• Amy's Story: Amy shared how her interest began in a "responsible thinking classroom" at a secondary school 20+ years ago, leading to her PhD research and creating the engagement continuum based on teacher and student interviews.
• Practical Strategies Discussed: Desk continuums with colored counter check-ins, engagement goal-setting at lesson starts, "going for green/going for gold" linked to participating vs. investing/driving, and role-playing engagement levels.

Want to learn more?

Join us in The Engagement Hub, our online community for educators interested in supporting engagement and empowering learners. You can connect with Amy and many of our guests there.

Thanks for listening!

In this episode, host Amy Berry talks with Stephanie Salazar, an instructional leadership consultant, coach, and former assistant principal who founded Sanctuaries of Learning. Stephanie works with school leaders and teachers across Australia to strengthen coaching practices, teaching, and student engagement.

Key Discussion Points:

The Engagement Problem Stephanie shares insights from her work facilitating instructional rounds across 25 schools in New South Wales. Despite focusing on various teaching improvements (feedback, learning intentions, questioning), she found that challenges always traced back to a fundamental issue: most schools equated engagement with compliance and behavioral management rather than genuine learning investment.

Discovering the Engagement Continuum After encountering Amy's engagement continuum, Stephanie found it resonated immediately with educators. The framework provides clear, student-friendly language that helps everyone—teachers, students, parents, and leaders—develop a shared understanding of what engagement truly means beyond surface-level compliance behaviors.

Real Impact in Schools The conversation highlights powerful examples from schools using the engagement continuum:

• Faulconbridge Public School increased student belonging from 39% to 71% over three years and won a NSW State Award
• Valentine Public School created a video with their students demonstrating and explaining the engagement continuum for their school community
• Schools developed new definitions of engagement emphasizing student agency, curiosity, and active participation rather than compliance

Practical Implementation Strategies Stephanie emphasizes starting with teachers themselves as learners, asking them to reflect on their own engagement experiences. She advocates for:

• Piloting with willing early adopters who are motivated and can lead the way for others
• Making small tweaks to existing initiatives rather than complete overhauls
• Using creative approaches like drama activities to explore the continuum with staff and students
• Capturing shifts in beliefs and attitudes as evidence of impact

The Teacher-Student Partnership While students need to develop self-regulation skills, teachers play a crucial co-regulatory role. The continuum helps teachers design lessons from students' perspectives and opens conversations about how both teachers and students can work together to enhance engagement.

The episode concludes with Stephanie's top tips: see lessons from students' perspectives, check in genuinely about engagement, and reflect on your own professional engagement as a teacher.

Want to learn more?

Join us in The Engagement Hub, our online community for educators interested in supporting engagement and empowering learners. You can connect with Amy and many of our guests there.

Thanks for listening!