industry & reform
Last year ’ s teaching award winners . Picture : Supplied .
Celebrating excellence
Australia ’ s top educators to be recognised at teaching awards
By Emilie Lauer
A handful of the nation ’ s most inspirational and hardworking educators will be recognised at the 2023 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards this year .
The program , which has run since 2016 , will award 12 teachers working in schools across Australia with $ 40,000 to go towards a strategic project , including $ 25,000 for their school .
This year ’ s winners will participate in a 12-month Teaching Fellowship program .
Chief of Schools Plus , Rosemary Conn , said the fellowship gives teachers an opportunity to learn through peer sharing , which is vital given the current challenges facing our education system .
Ms Conn spoke with Education Review about the upcoming CBA awards and what qualities make a great teacher .
ER : Tell us a little bit about this year ’ s teaching awards . The awards are about recognising some amazing teachers from across the country .
So , it ’ s an opportunity for any teacher or school principal to apply for one of 12 fellowships and that gives them access to funding for themselves and their school , a professional learning experience over the course of the year and even a study tour as well . We have 12 teaching fellowships on offer and then this year , we ’ re also offering 10 early career teacher scholarships . So , 10 teachers within the first five years of their profession will be recognised for some of the incredible work they ’ re doing at the start of their career , and they ’ ll receive the opportunity to participate in a professional learning programme as well .
The awards have been ongoing since 2016 . How did this programme come about ? Why is it important ? The Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards really was an idea that was created to see how we could recognise and shine a spotlight on the critical role that teachers play within our school community and knowing that teachers are the single most important factor that helps determine whether a child is successful in school and throughout their schooling career . They play such an important role for us as a nation , and we wanted to basically set up a programme that really recognised the importance of their role within school communities and that ’ s how the teaching awards started . Schools Plus , which is the organisation that manages the teaching awards , was lucky enough to partner with Commonwealth Bank as sponsors of the awards and some of our great other donors who come on board to make sure that we can bring the teaching awards to life .
Teaching can be an incredibly diverse career .
What are some of the top qualities you are looking for in this year ’ s nominees ? One of the things that is fundamental is how these teachers are excelling at really shifting the outcomes of the students within their classrooms . So , what is the contribution that that teacher is making to every child that is within their care , looking at how they improve their academic outcomes , but also thinking about how important it is and the role that teachers play in wellbeing and ensuring that kids are engaged and motivated in what they ’ re
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