Why we need to talk about character
All leading schools seek more for their students than just good grades.
Cultivating character, developing leadership, and caring for student wellbeing are central to an education worth having.
Yet amidst the busyness of schools and the complexity of issues school leaders face, it can be hard to engage deeply in the big questions with trusted experts, and connect with other leaders to share best practice.
Engaging with some of the finest scholars and practitioners in philosophy, psychology, theology and leadership from Australia and overseas, in a small enough setting to go deep with them and other delegates, the Character Leaders in Education National Symposium provides a unique professional learning opportunity for schools and school leaders.
We are grateful for the support and leadership offered by the Institute for Ethics and Society at The University of Notre Dame in collaboration with The Scots College, Sydney.
The National Symposium builds on conversations over several years with leading educators around Australia and worldwide. These conversations reflect a common sense of the need for a more effective approach to forming young people of character, shaping schools of character, and becoming more characterful leaders themselves.
Cultivating character, developing leadership, and caring for student wellbeing are central to an education worth having.
Yet amidst the busyness of schools and the complexity of issues school leaders face, it can be hard to engage deeply in the big questions with trusted experts, and connect with other leaders to share best practice.
Engaging with some of the finest scholars and practitioners in philosophy, psychology, theology and leadership from Australia and overseas, in a small enough setting to go deep with them and other delegates, the Character Leaders in Education National Symposium provides a unique professional learning opportunity for schools and school leaders.
We are grateful for the support and leadership offered by the Institute for Ethics and Society at The University of Notre Dame in collaboration with The Scots College, Sydney.
The National Symposium builds on conversations over several years with leading educators around Australia and worldwide. These conversations reflect a common sense of the need for a more effective approach to forming young people of character, shaping schools of character, and becoming more characterful leaders themselves.
About Character Leaders in Education
Character Leaders in Education is a supportive network that provides a community of knowledge, practice and formation in the character of leaders and in successive generations of character leaders.
Character Leaders in Education is characterised by a common commitment to:
Character Leaders in Education is a fellowship of leading thinkers and practitioners in character education, convened by:
Dr Hugh Chilton
Director of Research and Professional Learning, The Scots College
Dr Annette Pierdziwol
Assistant Director, Institute for Ethics & Society; Associate Dean Research, Faculty of Education, Philosophy & Theology, The University of Notre Dame Australia
Dr Philip SA Cummins
Managing Partner, a School for tomorrow.; Associate Professor of Education and Enterprise, Alphacrucis College
Dr Rob Loe
Senior Fellow, The Relationships Foundation; Executive Officer VIC/TAS, Christian Schools Australia
Character Leaders in Education is characterised by a common commitment to:
- An honest space for open conversation and professional intimacy among character leaders in education
- The primacy and urgency of forming the next generations of character leaders in schools
- Leadership which sees character formation as central to the experience of school:
- A life of purpose: measuring the development of character in school and beyond
- Character apprenticeship: connecting character with care through designed relationships for character development in the community of inquiry and practice in schools
- The character of leaders and leaders of character: fostering character leaders in education
- The quest to develop and share expertise in character leadership in schools
Character Leaders in Education is a fellowship of leading thinkers and practitioners in character education, convened by:
Dr Hugh Chilton
Director of Research and Professional Learning, The Scots College
Dr Annette Pierdziwol
Assistant Director, Institute for Ethics & Society; Associate Dean Research, Faculty of Education, Philosophy & Theology, The University of Notre Dame Australia
Dr Philip SA Cummins
Managing Partner, a School for tomorrow.; Associate Professor of Education and Enterprise, Alphacrucis College
Dr Rob Loe
Senior Fellow, The Relationships Foundation; Executive Officer VIC/TAS, Christian Schools Australia