Another Australian teacher becomes a top ten finalist in $1 million Global Teacher Prize – podcast

Well, it’s official. An Australian teacher has once again been named in the top ten in the $1 million Global Teacher Prize, supported by Schools Plus and the Varkey Foundation.

The latest news puts Rebecca West, deputy principal and instructional leader at Sydney's Bonnyrigg Public School in good company, joining other dedicated and amazing educators including Eddie Woo and Yasodai Selvakumaran.

In this interview with Education Review, West talks not about the process of reaching the finals, but also about the qualities of great teachers and other topical issues in education such as teacher shortages and the importance of ongoing professional learning and evidence-based practice.

Rebecca says it's difficult to define what a great teacher is as it depends on different contexts and styles. The teacher of 19 years stated that a "great teacher" need not only be measured on their students' academic outcomes, saying that growth in students' emotional intelligence and behaviour is important as well.

Rebecca also discusses how teacher shortages are not just an Australian phenomenon, and how "the pay needs to match the work" teachers do.