ISV Teacher Fellowship Program
We are delighted that two of our teaching staff have been selected to be part of Independent Schools Victoria’s (ISV) Teacher Fellowship Program.
Emily Mars who wears many hats at Tintern including STEAM Teacher (Prep – Year 6), Library Teacher (Prep to Year 2), Cultures of Thinking (JS and ELC Coordinator), Professional Growth Partnership (PGP) coach and VIT mentor, together with Alex Pitcher Secondary Teacher (English and History) have both received Fellowships.
This Fellowship presents an invaluable opportunity to explore innovative approaches to reporting and assessment, ensuring they reflect best practices in student learning and development.
The application process was stringent and required Emily and Alex to outline how their involvement could enhance reporting and assessment processes, ensuring they supported student agency, meaningful feedback, and deep learning.
This initiative aligns with Cultures of Thinking principles, particularly in creating a culture where students actively engage in assessment as a learning process rather than a passive outcome.
On being selected for the Fellowship, Emily commented that ‘providing students with greater voice in feedback not only enhances their metacognitive skills but also fosters intrinsic motivation and a deeper understanding of their learning goals’.
Alex told us that he decided to apply for the ISV Teacher Fellowship Program after several professional conversations upon returning from long-service leave, commenting that he was ‘looking for a challenge that could push him and help him learn some skills for the next step in his teaching career.’ After only two organised sessions, the Fellowship is promising to be an invigorating opportunity for Alex and Emily to network with teachers across the state.
Jason McManus, Deputy Principal acknowledges the strategic value to the School with participation in the Fellowship, commenting ‘as part of our Forward Strategy, Tintern has some big-ticket strategic goals for learning. With Emily focussing on growing our Cultures of Thinking and Alex initiatives at Year 9, their work will help contribute towards realising our strategic goals for learning.’
