Box Hill Senior Secondary College’s Warren Dawson settles into new role
Developing skills and confidence in technology will help students have self-reliant careers, but traditional areas of study will remain important, the new executive principal of a leading eastern suburbs school says.
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Developing skills and confidence in the ever-changing world of technology will help students forge a self-reliant career, but traditional areas of study remain as important as ever, the new executive principal of a leading eastern suburbs school says.
Effective collaboration and adopting an entrepreneurial mindset will be vital but strong literacy and numeracy skills will still be crucial, according to Box Hill Senior Secondary College’s Warren Dawson.
“There is a need to balance. Just because you use technology or leverage technology doesn’t mean you stop focusing on literacy and numeracy,” he said.
“For example, web editors work within technology but the IT skill set and the literacy skill set are equally important and complementary.”
Mr Dawson said with technology changing at a rate like never before, empowering students to understand their skills would always be evolving was important.
“And then it’s actually the capacity to teach skills like collaboration and teamwork that will help them be able to work in a modern society,” he said.
As he settles into the role at the college, Mr Dawson is keen to add a number of academic advancement programs.
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“That’ll probably include looking at an industry-based program where we do a range of things through science, engineering, arts and maths — areas of need across the entire education system,” he said.
Mr Dawson also said the school had “highly regarded” sports programs and that would potentially be added to.
Mr Dawson is one of about 40 executive principals across the state who have a broader focus on a local area as well as a school.
He has previously served at three schools as principal.