Vanessa Dennis, Western Port Secondary College
leading teacher
Vanessa Dennis exemplifies professionalism and innovation, working tirelessly to improve the practice of all teachers and staff, and developing whole-school approaches to improve engagement, wellbeing, and learning of students.
Key initiatives Dennis has introduced in the past 12 months include:
- the development of the student voice team, for gathering genuine student feedback on learning, including ICT, space design and use, feedback, and goal setting
- developing and implementing professional learning communities in a high school setting
- developing and leading a focus on building students’ learning dispositions, based on the work of Guy Claxton and Carol Dweck, that focuses on students' metacognition and “learning-to-learn” skills, and includes both intensive programs as part of Grade 6 to Year 7 transition, as well as sessions for students across year levels