Phillip Bell

Phillip Bell

VCE Computing, VCE Physics

When did you start working Alia?

2008

Tell us about something interesting you did in class this year?

Students created their own FM transmitter and receivers.

What do you enjoy about teaching your subjects?

Every lesson is a surprise. Students take in the concepts in Computing and Science and develop their own incredible ideas and questions. Science throws us so many unanswered questions and it’s always a delight to try and figure out how the universe around us works.

What do you like about working at Alia?

At Alia, teachers are given the freedom to be creative and inspiring educators and in my case mentors for senior students trying to make sense of their place in the world and the relevance of the challenges we give them. Whilst I am bound by the curriculum set out by the VCAA for VCE students, how I deliver the content is entirely my choice. I get to practice my profession as a professional educator.

What do you get up to with your time outside school?

Outside of school my fingers are in many pies. On weekends I teach a new constructivist method of teaching mathematics and science that I have developed after 10 years of research. The exciting denouement to this work is teaching and learning methodologies that keep primary students excited about STEM subjects.

What else do you have to say?

Alia is a school that provides a space of many and varied experiences for students. When students are given ownership of their learning and lived experiences they tend to appreciate their value. This is evidenced by astonishing enthusiasm displayed by our students in particular projects and situations. It is never lost on Alia parents, staff and students — the prodigious outcomes in maturity, generosity and social conscience that the Alia model inspires.