Genazzano announced winner of Innovative Schools Award 2019

Genazzano FCJ College are pleased to announce they are a recipient of the Innovative Schools award for 2019. This award, supported by The Educator, recognises the collaborative work between Genazzano FCJ College and the Genazzano Institute of Learning and Brain Sciences.

Since its launch in 2017, the Genazzano Institute have focussed on inspiring better teaching and learning.

With the assistance of Dr Jared Cooney Horvath, a ground-breaking professional learning program was developed for Genazzano teachers. The aim of the program is to work collaboratively to understand and apply key principles from neuroscience, psychology and education in the classroom, and to evaluate the work with action-research projects. Since the commencement, over 150 projects have been completed by teachers.

The Explain the Brain initiative focuses on promoting neuroscience to teens across Australia, each year concentrating on a different topic. The competition continues to receive an amazing number of entries from students in Years 7 to 12, with each student creating an infographic or video to ‘explain the brain’.

Learning and Brain Sciences Captains have been appointed within the Genazzano student body, assisting with the promotion of brain awareness. Students have the opportunity to join the Brain Science Club, attend lunchtime seminars run by the senior students or take part in student research projects and competitions.

In August 2019, in collaboration with the Australian College of Educators, the Institute hosted ‘The Science of Learning: Education with the Brain in Mind’. With Genazzano teachers in attendance, and many external delegates travelling from interstate, our educators heard from world experts in psychology, education and neuroscience.

In 2020, the Institute will launch a campaign to promote neurodiversity in education and to develop individual student-learning profiles. Plans are also in place to establish a Brain Technology Centre – a learning hub for employing technology for optimal learning, and a centre for research excellence. 

We look forward to celebrating this wonderful achievement with our staff and students, and continuing to provide our community with the best opportunities for understanding brain function and health, for improved learning and living. For more information, visit the Genazzano Institute website www.geninstitute.vic.edu.au/