Yard Duty: The Art and Science of Modern Schooling

As the school year in Australia closes, Michael and Will reflect on the conversations that made up season 1 of Yard Duty. They discuss their favourite episodes and the insights that stuck with them throughout season 1. Thanks to all of our listeners. We'll be back with more Yard Duty in early 2026!

Like it or not, your students judge you the same waythey judge brands, by how engaging, trustworthy, and relevant you are.In this episode of Yard Duty, Michael outlines why he thinks teachers should think deeply about their brand. Not their colour palette or logo, but the way in which they show up for their students. In an age where attention is currency, teachers whounderstand brand psychology have an advantage in classroom management and student engagement.

In today's episode we return to the topic of complexity in schools. Michael argues that in schools, the way we understand and try to solve problems is often at odds with the right approach. This leads to wasted effort, solving the wrong problems and more complication in schools. He claims that this is why schools are busy all the time. We discuss an alternative approach schools can take. The Cynefin framework, developed by Dave Snowden helps you identify and work with the various problems, situations and systems in a complex system like a school.Will's not convinced. Will Michael bring him around to his way of thinking? To get a good understanding of the Cynefin Framework, see: https://untools.co/cynefin-framework/

If students don’t know why they’re learning, they’ll stop caring. In this episode, we unpack why purpose (and not performance) is be the key to re-engaging young people.The episode is a vibe check on the system. Will argues that the real crisis in education isn’t about literacy or attendance, but purpose. What if the reason students are zoning out isn’t because they’re lazy… but because school makes no sense to them?

Today Michael relates an epiphany he had while listening to the CEO of the Tasmanian Jack Jumpers explain their mission. He argues that school's are in the emotion business too. Why? Because from the classroom, to the car park and in the staff room, a school is full of emotions. The discussion unpacks what the research tells us about emotions. Michael provides some intriguing insights on how emotions work. We discuss how teachers and school leaders (and anyone really) can we manage their own emotions better. The episode is full of ideas around what leaders, teachers and staff do to cope better in an emotional environment like a school.

What's the difference between fairness and equity ineducation? This is question Will walks us through in this episode. Straight up: we’re two white, middle class males discussing concepts of equity and equality. We understand that we come from a privileged position not enjoyed by others. But we feel it’s an important issue to discuss. We attempt to untangle the difference between equity and equality in modern schools. We look at this through three lenses within a school: assessment, resourcing and discipline. It’s an episode that might be polarising for some. Butdifficult conversations are always worthwhile!

Are we giving our young teachers enough time to master their craft? Or are we setting them up to fail? In this episode, Michael argues that teaching is a craft. Why does this matter? Because since Adam Smith’s theoriesin the 18th century, the craftsperson has been viewed as outdated. For early career teachers, this plays out in the time they're afforded to master the craft. This episode discusses why we should take the long view on teacher training and development. We discuss how chaos and complication gets in the way of good teaching and give some pointers on teacher development within schools. We also talk about the community shift that needs to occur around the teaching profession. Not all good teachers are born that way. Some need take time to master theirskills. Teaching’s not just a job, but a craft that requires time and patience to master.

A strong school culture isn't just a 'vibe', it's a strategic asset. In this episode of Yard Duty we explore culture. How do schools build (or rebuild) a culture that supports learning, inclusion, and wellbeing? What's more important, strategy or culture? We go deep into the importance of psychological safety and the role compliance plays in culture. We explore culture in three layers: through artifacts, espoused values and underlying assumptions. We discuss the merits of cultural audits and when and why you might need 're-culturing' in your school. Culture really does eat strategy for breakfast. But only if it’s well-fed.

What happens when we stop talking at students and start listening to them?It turns out, they’ve got a lot to say. And often, they’re right.Today we discuss student voice and student agency. We go deeper than just talking about student councils or end-of-term feedback forms. We discuss how we might rethink school culture to treat young people as partners in the work. Will provides a guide for teachers and school leaders for building student agency and voice.

Today we talk about schools as complex systems. Michael tries to convince Will that every school has the conditions that are inherent in a complex system: numerosity of interactions, disorder, feedback and non-equilibrium (a fancy way of saying nothing stays still). Michael argues that disorder as something leaders can't, and shouldn't, always try to fix. It's a feature, not a bug. When things don’t go exactly to plan, people adjust, experiment, and learn. The become more resilient. This is the space where innovation happens.In complex systems, leadership isn’t always about control. Whether you’re leading the school or your own classroom, it’s about recognising patterns, noticing relationships, and adjusting the conditions that shape behaviour.

If you can’t measure it, it doesn’t matter. Right?But what happens when what matters most, who teachers are, how they show up, the relationships they build, doesn’t fit on a dashboard?Today, we’re asking: who gets to define what makes a good teacher? Because teachers are more than the metrics used to measure them. How can we protect teacher wellbeing and identity in an age of dashboards, targets, and rankings?

There’s a famous study from Harvard that suggests 90% of strategies fail. In today’s episode we explore school strategy to help you avoid this fate. We unpack what strategy is in its simplest form. Michael outlines five reoccurring strategy mistakes schools make, regardless of sector, size and background. Avoiding these mistakes helps your strategy stick. This may be the difference between a great strategy and one that ends up on the cutting room floor.Link to the strategy in a minute video from Donald Maclean and Strategy Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXwVy2ikLds&t=7s