Australia’s Best Teachers: Experienced approach creates enthusiasm in younger learners

It’s ‘lights, camera, action, go’ as Barmera Primary School science and digi-tech teacher Leighton Pearce takes to the classroom every day.

Leighton Pearce’s different approach to the classroom is what has won him many fans at Barmera Primary School.

Mr Pearce, 55, made a career change into teaching five years ago after starting his working life in agriculture and horticulture. He completed a Master of Education online while working as a school services officer to finally pursue his lifelong interest in education.

He has brought his life experience in many ways to his role as science and technology teacher, from the way he arranges his classroom to his teaching style in which he seeks improvement in himself as well as his students.

“I haven’t been in many classrooms throughout my life so I just use my logic of what would work, and then as things don’t work, I change bits and pieces,” he said.

“I’m constantly monitoring my performance and the students’ feelings and attitudes towards the lesson, which allows me to continually improve.

“What I’m trying to do at the end of each day is make the next day better than the day before.”

Barmera Primary School science and digi-tech teacher Leighton Pearce. Picture: Supplied

As a specialist teacher, Mr Pearce teaches all the school’s 140 students across the week and describes each lesson like a performance, which he adapts to the age group.

“It’s like ‘Lights, camera, action, go’ – every 50 minutes you’re getting a new audience and you’re performing for that audience, so I’m changing my persona and character to fit into those lessons and always trying to build on the relationships,” he said.

He enforces structure in his classroom, where students have allocated seats and must care for materials and equipment appropriately. However, his subject matter means his classroom has many fun things others do not, including tadpoles, frogs, turtles and insects.

“Most learning is hands on so the kids get to have a play, rather than just doing a worksheet or having me sitting at the front and lecturing them,” he said.

“They all leave happy with smiles on their faces, pumped up and ready for the next lesson. I guess my passion rubs off on them.

“They’re pretty keen to come to my lessons, which I’m grateful for because I want to make the classroom a fun place to work and to learn.”

Mr Pearce said he enjoyed his students’ “A-ha!” moments when they understood the content.

“I really do like the positive parent contact that I receive as well – parents going out of their way to give me positive feedback,” he said.

“I also like it when the students tell me that what they’re learning in science or technology, they’re actually using at home.”

Follow our Australia’s Best Teachers advocacy series, in partnership with Officeworks, Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools, Education Perfect and BigAss Fans, via this link.