- Ray has worked for nearly 40 years as an educator working with students with behaviour and learning needs. He has uti... moreRay has worked for nearly 40 years as an educator working with students with behaviour and learning needs. He has utilised a variety of settings and approaches including the use of digital technologies, alternative education, experiential education and adventure therapy that have utilised theoretical models and approached based on general systems theory, solution focussed intervention, cognitive restructuring and constructivism to build an number of practical and effective programs.
These included working as a general teacher in secondary school (1978 – 1988), a behaviour and attendance teacher (1988 – 1989), Head Teacher of the South Coast Wilderness Enhanced Program in NSW (1989 – 1998), Principal/Director of the REAL School in Maine, USA (1998 – 2003) and Head Teacher of the Campbelltown Suspension Centre in south-west Sydney (2006 – 2016).
He has written and presented numerous workshops, papers and articles for teachers, parents, school administrators and counsellors across Australia, the USA and Europe. Currently he is lecturing and coordinating courses at the University of Wollongong in the area of teacher training, post-graduate qualifications and special education.edit
Link to PhD thesis which looks at the ways digital technology can be used to motivate disengaged students and develops the principles and a practical model for teachers to use in their classroom.
With the increasing availability of technology as a tool for engagement and learning, a better understanding of the dynamics around which this process occurs is crucial if teachers are to successfully utilise the power of this tool. This... more
With the increasing availability of technology as a tool for engagement and learning, a better understanding of the dynamics around which this process occurs is crucial if teachers are to successfully utilise the power of this tool. This paper examines the research behind the use of technology in education and draws together these findings and the experiences of project-based research in the classroom to create a framework of principles and a practical model for the design of learning avtivities that utilise technology to increase the engagement of students with a range of behavioural and social needs.
Research Interests:
Abstract Connections between student motivation and the use of technology in education has been suggested and discussed in the past. This paper investigates the components of technology strategies that produce motivation with students... more
Abstract Connections between student motivation and the use of technology in education has been suggested and discussed in the past. This paper investigates the components of technology strategies that produce motivation with students having a range of ...
