It’s refreshing to start something new, isn’t it! We’re launching this brand new Rodin Educational Consultancy website because we want to inspire motivated teachers, like you, to create thinking classrooms using simple thinking strategies and tools to empower your students to be vibrant thinkers for life.
Firstly, I want to ask: As a teacher, do you recognise the vital and positive role you play in your students’ lives?
And do you still feel inspired to make a positive difference – the way you did when you first decided you wanted to be a teacher?
If not, you’re not alone. So many brilliant teachers I meet in my travels as an education consultant admit that they have lost their mojo for teaching, or that they’re struggling to see the positive impact they’re having day-to-day on their students. We all know that teaching passion often gets buried by the weight of admin, paperwork, extra-curricular activities, behaviour management and meetings.
My mission is to support teachers to find their teaching passion. I want every motivated teacher to feel they have the power and the tools to create their thinking classroom. The simple thinking strategies I share on this website and in my book, e-books and digital are proven to help you plan lessons and assignments in minutes and bring the fun, energy and engagement back into your classrooms, every day.
And the best bit you’ll soon realise is that when you use these thinking strategies regularly in your classrooms, you enable your students to gain confidence with these strategies too. Soon enough, your students begin to proactively and independently use these thinking strategies with ease and confidence to tackle new tasks and assessment. That’s how you nurture thinkers for life.
I believe that as teachers (just as parents) we sometimes forget that we are empowering young people to think – not just for this lesson, or for this assignment – but for life. Teaching may not always bring immediate results for our students, but if we stay true to our values and encourage and celebrate thinking then we will help children to build confidence and succeed in life.
I’ve been a teacher for 47 years now, the past 25 years as an education consultant, working in hundreds of school classrooms, staff rooms, uni lecture theatres and conferences across Australia and New Zealand. People often ask me how I maintain my passion and love for teaching after so long in the classroom and on the road. Where on earth do you find the energy?, they ask.
The answer is, I find energy amidst every lesson. I love to teach because every new lesson and workshop is a fresh opportunity to affect positive change. Whether I’m teaching students or working with fellow educators, I appreciate that the lower and higher-order thinking strategies I share have the potential to spark something in a child or teacher that may give them a new zest and confidence for learning and thinking.
My book for teachers and trainers, Reflections on Classroom Thinking Strategies, shares my practical experience using thinking strategies in countless classrooms over my teaching career. The last few copies of the 10th edition are available in the shop here at a discount, while the 11th edition is in the final stages of print, due for release mid-year. Teachers who use this book are astounded at how simple the strategies are to follow and how they appeal to all students, across year levels, subjects and capabilities.
We look forward to supporting you in creating your thinking classroom. To learn more about our work with educators and students, please visit our ABOUT US page.
And please share your stories of teaching triumph and also ask questions so we can keep the conversation going. You can email us or visit us at Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
The goal is to inspire you – the motivated teacher – to enjoy your classrooms and to empower your students to think cognitively, creatively, cooperatively and with confidence.
Welcome to our new website!
Eric Frangenheim
Rodin Educational Consultancy
Based in Queensland, Australia
