BEd(Victoria College)

Michael joined the School last year following nine years at Christian Brothers College Fremantle, where he was Head of Science for the last six years, and five years teaching at a variety of schools in London. Before Michael embarked on his teaching career, he was a full-time athlete for four years and was a member of a training squad with the Victorian Institute of Sport as a road cyclist.

As Head of Science at Christ Church, Michael co-ordinates all the learning and teaching within the Science Department, which includes 14 teachers and four lab technicians and covers the subjects of Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Human Biology.

Michael teaches Year 12 Biology as well as Year 8 and 9 Science. “Science is a fantastic subject to teach because it is so relevant to our everyday lives,” Michael said. Biology is his specialty. “I love physics and chemistry but biology is where my real interest lies.”

Michael puts his love of biology partly down to the great teachers he had at school. He loved biology at school and then went on to study Environmental Science at Victoria College in Melbourne, while also studying a Diploma of Education.

Michael said science was such an important part of the school curriculum and here at Christ Church he was extremely impressed with the number of boys who were doing sciences, particularly physics and chemistry. “The boys have high aspirations and they see chemistry and physics as stepping stones to lots of university courses.”

Aside from acceptance into university, Michael said that science was extremely important for the whole learning process and for understanding everyday life. “I hope that our students don’t just learn scientific concepts, but understand the applications of science to improve society and the quality of life… and the scientific process with the idea that we learn from each other and build on our knowledge to make things better.”

Michael said he loved the fun and quirkiness of science. “The boys are fascinated by how things work and science gives them lots of answers,” he said. “The practical side is a great part of science as a subject. The boys love the pracs.” And Michael loves teaching pracs, as well as taking the boys out for field work. “It’s great to take the kids out of the classroom.”