Wombat Education organises student conferences for Dr. Peter Vardy, Vice Principal of Heythrop College, University of London from 1999-2011. Beware of imitations! Teachers bring their students back year after year for a reason!
An inspirational one-day event in May 2018 entitled What is Truth for senior students the leaders of tomorrow’s world.
Wombat Education will run a series of PD conferences, touring several Australian cities in May 2018 and the theme is Bible Matters.
Dr Peter Vardy’s “Bespoke Conferences” have proven extremely popular in the UK and have recently expanded to cover international schools across Europe and and in Australia…
Ethics, Philosophy and Religion; our conferences also support Gifted Education. Dr Peter Vardy extends and enriches the normal secondary curriculum, combining academic rigour and the latest research with outstanding teaching, quality resources and a focus on critical thinking. His events provide senior and gifted students with a foretaste of university that has been demonstrated to re-enthuse, inspiring young people with what lies beyond Year 12 and helping them think about what sort of adult they want to become.
“the BEST excursion we have ever been on” Year 11 girls, PLC Pymble
Wombat Education also runs teacher professional-development conferences and organizes bespoke student or teacher-training workshops for individual schools and diocese. Our PD sessions focus on subject knowledge – whether in Studies of Religion, Ethics, Philosophy or the Philosophy of Education – and they all provide teachers with the latest research, enabling them to plan truly effective lessons to support sustained learning. We always treat teachers as adults and as professionals with active academic interests; we promise never to dumb down or use sugar-paper!
“one of the best ethics sessions I have attended in really supporting teachers with ways they can develop these concepts in the classroom…” Anne, Lutheran Education
All our events come with rich, extensive supporting notes and resources for each participant, extending and enriching their knowledge and understanding and suggesting a wealth of activities that may be done to consolidate learning later on. Conference resources may include DVDs, printed books or booklets, e-books, videos and podcasts or editable PowerPoints and worksheets to download and use in class. Wombat also sells some books and resources either individually or in sets.
“Dr Vardy’s capacity to take students from the adolescent worldview and invite them into the meaningful world mediated by great minds and irresistible questions of human living is matched by no-one I have encountered in education… he expects and receives attentive minds who open up to the intellectual and moral questions that exist in the lives of those present. I always feel that I am receiving a personal tutorial.” Geoff, Director of Mission, VIC
Designed to extend and enrich learning, teachers bring their students year after year for a reason! Every one knows that their students will keep on talking about the events for months and that they can rely on our PD to make sure that their lessons are based on solid, up-to-date academic content as well as being engaging and imaginative. Our 2017 student event A Grand Design: Science Ethics & Religion in Dialogue is over and students and teachers were thoroughly impressed as usual. Find out more about hosting or organizing a bespoke event in your school in 2018?
“Thanks to you and to Peter and Charlotte for your assistance and wonderful presentations over the years. I’m certainly richer for many of the experiences….” Carol, Teacher, QLD
Wendy Rowe trades as Wombat Education and has been organising student and teacher conferences from her home in rural New South Wales since 2007. Previously, she lived and worked in France, in the financial world.
Wombat Education aims to help schools and teachers improve the standard of their offering in the broad areas of Philosophy, Ethics and Religious and Values Education. Wombat events stand for academic rigour and aim to show the relevance and importance of these areas for education and for society as a whole.
Wendy believes that all young people should be able to reflect on the “big questions” that affect us all as human beings, whether relating to God, truth and reality or how to live well. Taking a day out of normal school and focusing on these questions intensively through intense, immersive sessions seems to really work, with many young people remembering the day as a highlight of their senior studies.
"Thanks so much for yesterday's Brisbane conference. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and my students got a lot out of it too. I was surprised at how well they coped with the fast-paced, uni-level information. Please pass on my thanks to Peter, too. It was a rare opportunity for me to sit under such great teaching." Ruth, Director of Christian Education, QLD
Wendy is committed to keeping prices for Wombat’s events low, to ensure that nobody is prevented from participating because of price.
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