As part of Climate Action Week Sydney 2025, the Australian Museum invites students in Years 7-10 to the Student Climate Leadership Forum—a FREE full-day program of talks and hands-on workshops to kick-start student-led climate initiatives.
 
Date: Thursday, 13 March 2025
Time: 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Location: Australian Museum, Sydney
Cost: Free
 
Your students will:
- Hear from experts on practical, realistic steps to build climate resilience.
- Be inspired by real-world examples of local climate action.
- Participate in interactive workshops to develop school sustainability initiatives.
- Receive guidance from Museum educators to create a tailored, actionable climate plan for your school.
 
Gather a team of up to eight students and one teacher and join us in shaping a sustainable future. Students will leave with a structured climate action plan to implement back at school.
 
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to empower young leaders and drive meaningful change.
 
Register now to secure your free spot - places are limited: 
​https://australian.museum/event/climate-action-week-student-leaders/
 
Brought to you by the Sydney Science Trail and the Australian Museum's Climate Solutions Centre, with the support of Climate Action Week Sydney.
#youthforclimate #climatechangeaction #climateaction #climateactivist

Note: This post is at the request, and on behalf of the Australian Museum, Sydney.

James Heafey and I presented a session on Ecosystem Restoration - Engaging students in Geography through ecosystem restoration projects, at the recent Australian Geography Teachers Association conference. As it turned out, this was a really relevant topic for the conference - there was a sand dune restoration project not even a kilometre from one of the hotels I stayed in, and while in Kakadu I flew over the Ranger Uranium mine, currently undergoing rehabilitation. Does the Ranger example even count as ecosystem restoration? I think not, but it is worth including it in the discussion, and asking some questions...

This presentation has built on the work of a number of Geography and Science teachers over the last few years who have worked on some of these projects.

​Click the image below to view the full presentation.

Currently in Sydney there are a range of ecosystem restoration projects underway that are having regular successes, regularly receive positive media attention, and are winning awards. Seabirds to Seascapes is a three-year project, led by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). It aims to bring important ecosystems and marine wildlife back to the harbour.

Seabirds to Seascapes consistes of three main projects:
Project Restore – restoration of Sydney Harbour seascapes through installing Living Seawalls and replanting sea grasses and kelp.
Penguin census – counting little penguins and monitoring breeding colonies and their foraging behaviours along the NSW coast.
Seal survey – monitoring Australian and New Zealand fur seal populations in New South Wales.

It involves a range of government organisations, research institutions and community groups including: DCCEEW's National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Biodiversity, Conservation and Science Division (BCS), Science, Economics and Insights (SEI), Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS - University of Technology Sydney, Macquarie University, the University of NSW and the University of Sydney), Taronga Conservation Society  (penguin count and seal census), CSIRO, Marine conservation groups and Gamay Rangers. 

Beyond Sydney and the Seabirds to Seascapes projects, there are a wide range of organisations involved in ecosystem restoration projects, many which have been operating over a long period and which already provide opportunities for schools and student involvement. Landcare and Greening Australia are the obvious examples, and tree planting is an activity students have been involved with for many years. WetlandCare Australia, and OzFish are involved in a range of projects.

New York Harbour School and the Billion Oyster Project

In. exploring ways that schools might be able to get involved in the ecosystem restoration projects occurring in Sydney, I came across the New York Harbour School and Billion Oyster Project.

The New York Harbour School connects the school - located on an island in the NY harbour on Governors Island, with learning - both theoretical and practical, about ecosystem restoration. Students are introduced to the of study of aquaculture, marine biology research, marine policy and advocacy, marine systems technology, ocean engineering, professional diving, and vessel operations in addition to their traditional high school coursework.

Billion Oyster Project is restoring oyster reefs to New York Harbor in collaboration with New York City communities. Oyster reefs provide habitat for hundreds of species, and can protect our city from storm damage — softening the blow of large waves, reducing flooding, and preventing erosion along the shorelines. Field stations are restoration sites where  Billion Oyster Project, or our partner organizations, host regular field days utilizing an oyster installation. They are targeted for long-term community and student engagement with an emphasis on local involvement.
​
- Billion Oyster Project website

The New York Harbour School and Billion Oyster Project provide an example of student involvement in an ecosystem restoration project that is driving the learning of the whole school. This isn't a realistic expectation for most of us, and most schools, but what can we achieve in a normal mainstream school, with limited time and limited budget?

Schools Foreshore Project

Read about student involvement in the Balmain Foreshore Project: 
Balmain Foreshore Project - Introduction
Gardening Below the Surface - Operation Posidonia
Balmain Foreshore Project - Trial Activities
Balmain Foreshore Project - Implementation
Balmain Foreshore Project - Living Seawalls
​Balmain Foreshore Project - Living Seawalls: Pre-Installation Biodiversity Survey
Balmain Foreshore Project - Launch and 2023 Reflection
​Balmain Foreshore Project - Bush care, Year 9 2024

Click the image below to view the Balmain Foreshore Project section of the presentation.

Below are the Year 9 and 10 student worksheets. Click the download button to view them full size.

View the Balmain Foreshore Project website here:
sites.google.com/education.nsw.gov.au/balmain-foreshore-project/home

​Work is now underway to introduce a Hunters Hill Foreshore Project, based at Hunters Hill High school. Initial meetings have taken place and funding is currently being sought. This project will focus on mangroves, and the installation of Living Seawalls, but will link the project with the new Senior Geography syllabus implementation.

​Virtual reality headsets are around $1000 each, so it is probably not realistic for schools or classes to have multiple headsets for student use that only get used every so often. For cheaper student access, there are templates for the folding cardboard headsets available online, and these can be used with students own phones (assuming permission is granted outside of the phone ban). 

As excursions are becoming more difficult to organise (risk assessments, bookings, costs, WHS requirements, clashes in school calendars, etc, etc) it is great to find varied experiences for students that allow them to be exposed to different environments and activities within their classroom. A best case scenario is a situation where virtual activities like these, can be used in conjunction with outdoor, real fieldwork experiences to enhance

Our Geographical Secrets – Ian Morris

Ian was the first Science teacher in Arnhem Land, where he began as a 19 year old, working with the local community on an island off Arnhem Land coast. Ian spoke about information he had been taught over many years from David Burrumarra, a senior Yolnu mentor, about the social and cultural impacts of historical sea level rise off the coast of Arnhem land. 

Sahul refers to the combined Pleistocene landmass of Australia and New Guinea. 
The Pleistocene was a time when sea levels were lower, and an extensive area of the northwest of Australia was exposed. This area included an inland sea and large freshwater lake. There were fluctuating sea levels, and two periods of rapid sea level rise, resulting in the rapid drowning of around half of the Northwest Shelf, transformed coastlines, and offshore island geographies. The changing sea levels and changing landscapes affected migration patterns – when sea levels were low, people could travel more easily. The gap between Timor and Sahul was reduced down to 90 metres. The period of the last rapid sea level rise around 4000 years ago when it reached our present sea level, was the topic of much of Ian’s presentation. The physical sea level rise, and the drowning of habitable areas had very obvious social impacts and cultural changes for local communities – physical displacement, social upheaval and a change of diet. 

Historical knowledge of these changes in sea level is found in oral history of over thousands of years old. Ian worked with and learnt from the Warramiri people, who shared some of their oral history with him and their association with the ‘Freshwater Ocean’. The clan group was pushed off the coastal plains, off traditional country into other peoples' country, and had to live off the coastline as they didn’t have hunting rights. This also occurred for many other clan groups. The clan group told of how they lived on the shores of a freshwater island east of Elcho Island, and that saltwater inundation forced them to move inland, westward and to higher ground. Oral accounts describe that in some locations the water rose so quickly there was no time for preparation. The new sites they moved into were equivalent to “refugee camps”. This was the result of sea level rise from the last glacial melt.

Changes to sea levels in the region is also recorded in detail in a variety of other ways, for example species found in rock art of the Warramiri in caves and overhangs of the Arnhem coastline include stingrays, surgeonfish, whale, octopus and clams. Shell middens also provide evidence of occupation in particular sites – some 4000-8000 years BP and up to 9 metres deep. Work is being done to date the middens as some of the older parts are disintegrating.

As the sea level rose, freshwater creeks became tidal forests, mangrove seeds floated further inland and took root, and as the saltwater moved further inland, marine life followed – particularly sharks and stingrays (best eaten when they are “fat” with swollen livers – an excellent source of omega three oil). Mangroves are an important location for finding food and species like mangrove worms, and shellfish kept communities alive and were an important source of protein. 

Cycads were an important food source (once detoxified). There is also evidence of communities planting food - wild tomatoes, portulacca, toothache tree, bush potatoes, bush peanuts, black plum, wild almonds, as well as finger sop (fruit brought here by the Macassins from Indonesia).

Sea level changes caused enormous social upheaval, and there is also evidence of conflict in locations where communities were forced into higher ground along new coastlines. Most community groups along the coastlines would have lost their entire territory and been pushed into neighbouring communities’ land. Evidence of conflict between groups is seen in battle scenes in rock art in some of these areas, and in their mythology.

Slowly social stability returned as their children married out into mainland clans. ​

The Australian Geography Teachers Conference was held in Darwin this year. This biennial conference rotates around each state, and if you are a Geography teacher, is worth the investment to attend. The event usually includes a series of lectures and workshops, field trips and a couple of social events including a conference dinner. 

The welcome event was a viewing of "Wilding" at the Deckchair Cinema. Unfortunately, I was still on my way back from Kakadu, so I missed this event, but heard it was excellent.

There were a range of presentations and workshops at the conference. 

Here are a few other posts detailing a few of these:

• Historic sea level rise and Warramiri people - 2024 AGTA Conference Darwin
• Kakadu - 2024 AGTA Conference, Darwin
• Forest Learning - 2024 AGTA Conference, Darwin
• Ecosystem Restoration - Engaging students in Geography through ecosystem restoration projects - 2024 AGTA Conference Darwin

The Conference Dinner on Thursday night was held at Crocosaurus Cove. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about the location. Crocosaurus is a tourist site in the middle of Darwin that houses a number of large crocodiles and where you can swim in a translucent cage with one. That experience is definitely not for me, but there were a couple of people from the conference that went for it. We were able to pat a little crocodile on entry which was pretty cool. The food was seriously amazing - literally the best steak I have ever eaten, and the entree was amazing as well. At the Conference Dinner at each AGTA Conference, awards are given out for resources released in the previous two years, and the Dom Biddle Friend of Geography Award for outstanding service to Australian Geography - won this conference by Debbie Claridge from Tasmania.

I’ve had an amazing week in Darwin for the 2024 Australia Geography Teachers Association conference. I highly recommend attending the national conferences for Geography teachers at all levels of experience. The 2026 conference location should be announced soon.

​Prior to the conference I visited Kakadu National Park for the first time in 25 years. Still amazing. As part of the tour we visited Nourlangie, Yellow River, Ubirr, Cahill’s Crossing and Arnhem Land, and were lucky enough to do a quick flight over the park. What a privilege.

Below is a gallery of photos of some of the Aboriginal artwork seen at Ubirr and Nourlangie. There are some sites which are open to tourists and which we can view and photograph, and other sites which are off limits to visitors and/or which tourists are not allowed to photograph. All of the photos below are at sites open to the public and which we were allowed to photograph. 

Some of these sites provide locational and environmental information, and many have spiritual, historical and social meaning and are used to record and pass on information. There is a lot of signage at these sites to provide the publicly available explanations of the rock art, some information about Aboriginal names for places, concepts and objects.. My favourite site was at Ubirr where there was an immense rock shelf with a huge amount of intricate paintings. 

As well as the amazing cultural experiences, Kakadu also has a huge range of animal life to see. The crocodiles are pretty awe-inspiring, but there is also so much bird life around. Below is a series of photos - some on the Yellow river, and then East Alligator River near Cahill's Crossing and further upstream near Arnhem land, which we traversed on the Guluyambi Cultural Cruise. This cruise was led by an Aboriginal guide who shared information about local mythology, culture, traditional uses of plants and animals and ecology.

The birdlife on the Yellow River cruise was really varied - my favourite was the Jabiru - a bird that looks like it is straight out of Alice in Wonderland, and grows to 140cm tall.

I remember using Kakadu as a case study as a beginning teacher, but I don't think I have used it that many times since then. It would really make a great case study in a range of different topics, and provides an excellent opportunity to incorporate authentic and meaningful information about Aboriginal culture and perspectives in a way that fits so naturally with concepts around environmental management, physical characteristics of environments and human use and ingenuity.

Principals and Senior Executive teams should aim to build strong working relationships with teacher unions rather than seeing them as a threat to their authority. At the core of this relationship is reciprocal respect and mutual understanding of the various awards and determinations that dictate teachers' and support staff's basic entitlements. Apart from the legal requirement to follow awards, there are a range of other benefits to a productive relationship with the teachers unions.

Leaders and unions can work together to advocate for better funding, resourcing and policies. In doing so, the needs of leaders - taking into account all the accountability, departmental and legal requirements that they have to meet; and school teachers and support staff - taking into account competing demands and the realities of working at the coal face; can be taken into account. This creates policies and practices which reflect a broader understanding of the reality of schools at various levels.

Honouring the basic rights of teachers as outlined by awards and determinations, creates a culture where teachers feel respected, trust is built and workplaces are generally happier. Staff morale is important in ensuring people work well together, are happy to do extra-curriculum activities and are willing to put their hand up for leadership positions and participate in whole school teams. If teachers feel like they have unreasonable workloads, or feel that they are not being treated respectfully they will withhold their labour outside of the basic expectations.

Principals are under pressure to make funds stretch to meet a huge number of competing demands, and the temptation can be to just expect teachers to do more and more. At the same time, teacher burnout is a significant issue, with over 70% of teachers in a recent survey by Black Dog Institute reporting experiencing burnout. Working collaboratively with unions can ensure that teacher burnout can be minimised, reducing leave taken for mental health management and creating more stable staffing.

The same Black Dog Institute survey mentioned above indicates that nearly half of teachers are considering leaving the profession. Teacher retention in individual schools can also be an issue, and instability as a result of teacher retention issues can impact on student learning. Managing teacher workloads and expectations on staff is something that can be collaboratively managed with a productive relationship between Senior Executive and unions.

In short, both principals and unions should be focused on the wellbeing and health of teachers. Better care for teachers will result in better outcomes for students.

I have chosen to step away from my role as Deputy Principal until the end of 2025 to explore a range of passion projects and programs. In the past couple of weeks I have been reflecting on various leadership roles within schools and this is the first of a number of posts on the theme of leadership.

.One of the first lessons I was taught in my role was about the power of visible leadership. A visible leader is someone who has presence, is involved, is impactful, and guides the school. Visible leadership is not about a central figure getting attention or boosting their ego, It is about a person or small team being obvious leaders that motivate, engage and embody the culture of the school.

Here are a few practical ideas for visible leadership:

Regular communication
Senior leaders should know what is happening in their school and communicate with staff about key projects, initiatives, events and organisation regularly. There may be other staff members who provide the specific details, but the principal needs to be across what is happening and at least provide basic detail. Staff need to see that you know what's happening in your school and that there is some sort of overarching understanding of the school. This could be in the form of a regular email or post in the school software. If you don't know what is going on and can't communicate it clearly and succinctly,  you can't expect your staff to.

Attend whole school team meetings regularly
In most schools, whole school teams meetings are used to achieve the strategic directions of a school, by dividing up larger objectives into smaller achievable milestones. It is important that teams have clear objectives for the year and term and are not just meeting to report back on operational matters. Meetings between Senior Executive members and team leaders should happen early in the year to work develop goals and align them with the school plan.

Team meetings like whole school literacy, wellbeing, etc take up a lot of time for teachers involved. It is important that staff see leaders at some of these team meetings, not only to get guidance on the desired whole school direction that the Senior Executive wants a team to take, but also to demonstrate and model that the team is important and that school leaders value the activities enough to give up their time too. At the same time, it is important to provide some space for team leaders to ensure they have the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership of the team, have some autonomy and feel like they have your trust. It's a bit of a fine balance.

Open door policy
Principals and deputies are required to undertake some work related to very delicate and sensitive issues, and sometimes need to work on very detailed and important documents. That said, the period from 9-3 is not likely to be the right time to work on those things, if possible. Ideally the most intense, heavy thinking work should be done before or after school when there are less interruptions, and in the time when school is operating, you should be accessible for your staff. Expect many and varied interruptions for a whole range of reasons, be open to prioritising other peoples' needs, and understand that other people may not be able to do their work without your input. This is not always going to be possible. There will be times when you need to concentrate and work on things in isolation during school hours, and there are also times when you need to close the door to get a moment to yourself, This is fine, but the overall principle should be that you are there for your staff to support them in addressing their needs so they can do their work.

Be a lifelong learner
School leaders that demonstrate that they are always seeking knowledge, updating their skills and taking risks in their learning, will develop a culture in their staff that values professional learning and sees its purpose in the school's progress. Principals can shape whole staff discussions and learning by integrating professional readings and latest research as part of normal practice, Personally leading aspects of whole staff learning rather than relying on other staff to do it, also demonstrates to staff that they still know how to teach after being out of the classroom for a while, and that they are involved in direction of staff training in a hands-on way. 

Event attendance
Senior Executive members should attend all school events (or as many as possible). If staff are expected to attend events, school leaders should be there, should do some of the leg work setting up and should help with lock up. Again, this is all about modelling expected behaviours to staff, ensuring they know that you understand  and appreciate their efforts and hard work, that you know about and are involved in the activities that are happening within the school, It is about modelling the culture that you want to see in your staff - don't expect others to do something you aren't willing to do. 

Walk around the playground at recess and lunch
At recess and lunch, get away from your computer and your desk and walk around to each playground. This seems like a low-order, repetitive, time-consuming task, but is really important. This means that every student will see you everyday. They will know who you are, they might have a conversation with you, and they will hear you talking to students about your expectations. They will know that at any time you could just walk by. This is not intended to be a disciplinarian walking around like a Sargeant Major, just an extra person out and about talking to students and teachers and being present. It builds students' familiarity with you, and helps staff feel supported.

Being in the playground allows you to have general, friendly conversations with members of staff on duty and get to know them better. Ask them about their weekend, their holiday plans, how their day is going....whatever. Ideally, the conversation should be non-work related - it is lunchtime afterall.  However, if teachers have had a difficult lesson, they might want to talk to you about it. You can give them ideas for classroom management, provide a bit of extra information about a student, talk through behaviour processes, or just listen.

This year saw the third year of implementing the Balmain Foreshore Project. In 2022 and 2023, the project was implemented with Year 10 students, and this year the project was expanded into Year 9. Again, it saw the Geography and Science teachers of an Enrichment class working together to provide an alternate, extension program. The Year 10 program involves a focus on mangroves and the intertidal zone to study the Environmental Change and Management topic in Geography, and the Chemistry topic in Science (mainly learnig about water testing). This year the Year 9 Science class was studying a topic called Ecosystems - a combination of a number of syllabus topics, and Biomes in Geography. This seemed like it was a pretty natural fit. 

For 2024, the decision was made to extend the project to Year 9 and to take a different but complementary approach to examining the foreshore by examining bushcare sites along the foreshore. A section of the school grounds, adjacent to the site where the Living Seawalls were installed the previous year, has a bushcare site maintained by volunteers. Less than a 2km walk away, is another bushcare site located at Callan Park. Students carried out a comparison study between the two sites.

The Balmain Foreshore Project allows students to undertake a set of tests, and fieldwork activities which address investigation and inquiry skills requirements in both Geography and Science. The similarities and connections between the Geographic Inquiry process and a Scientific Investigation was explained, and links between the Science and Geography content was discussed with students. Students were asked to develop a series of inquiry questions to guide their investigation into the two bush care sites. They were also asked to identify appropriate fieldwork they could undertake to carry out their investigation.

Students were introduced to the two bush cares sites - one on school grounds, and another a couple of kilometres away in a local park. Information was provided about soils, vegetation, fauna and comparable, nearby sites in close to their natural state.

Students undertook some basic fieldwork to become familiar with the two sites - an environmental perception form and field sketch. They also undertook abiotic testing of the two sites - air temperature, soil temperature, humidity, light intensity, wind speed and direction, soil texture, soil parent material, soil moisture/colour and leaf litter depth.

At each site, student choose three plants on which to undertake Specific plant studies. This included a small drawing to the tree shape, an estimation of the tree height, trunk circumference, the flower shape and colour, a drawing and description of the leaf shape and colour, a description of the bark texture and colour and drawing of a seed pod.

Students were required to take a series of photographs recording the types of trees and plants found at each location. These photos were then uploaded into a shared Google folder for identification.

A bird field guide and associated tally sheet were used to enable students to complete a bird biodiversity study.

Following the fieldwork activities, students were required to plan, write, film, narrate a video documentary to present their findings. In the process of completing their documentaries several groups of students also undertook filmed interviews with members of the public.

The project culminated in a class debate:
Urbanisation is a threat to sustainable biomes. Should there be limitations on urban land uses on the Iron Cove foreshore to prioritise environmental conservation?
 

Most faculties are engaged in some way with curriculum reform. Some have syllabuses currently being implemented, some are familiarising and getting ready for implementation, and some are engaging with drafts and providing feedback. There are a range of professional learning resources available for staff in management positions regarding change management in relation to implementing curriculum reform and managing staff through this period. This post will take a look at this issue from a perspective of managing interpersonal relationships, different management styles, stages in career and levels of motivation.

Head Teachers
Head Teachers are tasked with the job of motivating and coordinating staff in developing quality teaching and learning programs, incorporating school and system objectives and building staff capacity. Some Head Teachers will be really enthusiastic about the idea of curriculum reform, some may be less so. For most head teachers that have been in the role for more the 6 or 7 years, chances are they have already led curriculum reform before (the last round of syllabus changes began implementation in 2015, with the final subjects still being implemented when the current curriculum reform was announced). Whether you are a Head Teacher or a teacher it is important to get an understanding of the role of the Head Teacher and how their approach can influence this process. 

Explore the perspectives of the three hypothetical Head Teachers below. None of these is ideal -
Head Teacher 1 wants to keep everything as is and just make a few tweaks to existing programs. He probably isn't going to engage all that much and will only encourage the most necessary changes to existing programs. He will validate longer-term teachers in the faculty by not "reinventing the wheel" and recognising hard work of the past, but may miss opportunities to incorporate new and engaging case studies or projects, or innovative practices. 
Head Teacher 2 is super keen, he's looking closely at the syllabus changes, his new programs are probably going to be good, but he is not bringing his staff on the journey with him, and they probably aren't going to enjoy teaching with the new programs because there is no buy in. As a new Head Teacher, he also hasn't tried to draw on the existing expertise in his faculty, and it appears that he is disregarding past work of the faculty.
Head Teacher 3 has a collaborative approach, is engaged in the proces of curriculum reform and has a strong understanding of all the things needed in a quality teaching and learning program. She is wanting to ensure the teaching and learning programs are rigorous and address the needs of the students. However, she may be trying to do too much early on in the process and may burn out her staff. She risks making her staff feel overwhelmed by the scope of the project.

As Head Teacher, how do you ensure that you are positive, collaborative, value the opinions your staff, respect past work, encourage rigour, but don't overwhelm the faculty?


Teachers and Head Teachers
Building Staff Capacity
In any faculty, there are staff with a range of expertise and skills. Curriculum Reform provides an excellent opportunity for staff of all stages to gain professional experience that is of benefit for them. 

Experienced staff may be in a position to mentor other teachers in programming. They may be tempted to go ahead and do a lot of the programming themselves, but they should be looking to expand their leadership, collaboration and mentoring skills in the process. This may involve teaching other staff about school-specific programming conventions, sharing expertise about syllabus interpretation or content knowledge, or guiding staff to existing faculty resources that may be useful.

Out of subject teachers may be keen to expand their knowledge and experiences by engaging in programming for new subjects within the faculty - e.g. a Commerce/Business Studies teacher programming for Legal Studies. This helps to create a faculty with a broader skill set, and keeps the staff member engaged and interested because they have the opportunity to try something new. It can also build stronger relationships between staff working together and learning from each other.

Beginning teachers may bring new ideas and perspectives to programming, and may have a skillset that the more experienced staff member doesn't have - e.g. technology skills or relevant industry experience. The beginning teacher will benefit from engaging with the more experienced staff members to learn about the process of programming within the school including programming scaffolds, school priorities (e.g. there might be particular approaches to literacy, or a conceptual framework that the school incorporates in their programs) and school resources.

What do each of these people bring to the faculty? How can we facilitate them working together?

It is important that the staff can work together as a team, and it might be useful to find a way to add some social aspects to the programming sessions so that it feels less like a chore, and to continue to build strong interpersonal relationships in the faculty - afternoon tea, dinner or a a faculty social event afterwards.

​Self reflection: How do you see yourself? What do you bring to the table? What is your view of collaborative programming?

Honestly, I find collaborative planning hard. I know what I like, I know what I think works well, and I just want to sit down and get the job done. However, I also know that people won't want to teach a program that they've had no say in, or mostly represents one person's cultural perspective or interests. "Easy" does not always mean "best" - for you, the faculty or the students. The best programs incorporate a range of different perspectives.

Decisions to consider early:
- What resources are you going to draw on? Digital platforms? New text books? Resources from professional associations? Videos and documentaries? Existing resources?
- How will programming be divided up in your faculty? How will you ensure that the load is shared but the workload is manageable?
- How will the faculty both make use of existing expertise in the faculty and develop the knowledge and skills of more junior staff?
- How will you find the time? 
- Do you have a timeline that you are working to? Does it provide flexibility to take into account busy periods - exams, reports, school events, etc. ?

Staff wellbeing
A key consideration in this process is going to be looking after staff wellbeing - ensuring faculty relationships are stable and professional, ensuring some people aren't taking on too much of the load, ensuring people feel their opinion is valued, and managing the overall workload of the faculty is manageable. During periods where the faculty has multiple subjects requiring new programs, some meetings or extra initiatives may need to be cut back to accomodate. Keep in mind that keeping the faculty functioning well is more important than a series of perfect documents with no one to teach them.