The Flinders Discovery Institute enables
Matthew Flinders Anglican College to build a strong culture of collaboration and innovation with leading innovators, tertiary educators and researchers.
The Institute will share research initiatives, insights and data to enhance policy and practice within and beyond Flinders.
Learn more about the Flinders Discovery Institute from Dr Louise McCuaig, Head of the Institute.
The Flinders Discovery Institute brings together students, staff, parents and a diverse range of researchers and experts to:
- Drive innovation
- Conduct research
- Inspire learning
- Build resourcing
Institute activities are informed by the FIRE principles of:
- Institute activities are informed by the FIRE principles of:
- Futures-oriented vision
- Inspiring curiosity
- Research investment
- Engaging communities
Research initiatives, insights and data will be shared to enhance policy and practice within and beyond Flinders.
Innovation
The Institute enables the College to provide resources to devise, nurture and scale innovative responses to life and learning challenges.
Strategies to drive innovation include:
- collaborating with experts
- facilitating immersion programs and residencies for researchers and PhD scholars
- summarising contemporary research and findings
- promoting think-tanks and blue-sky workshops.
Current Innovation Projects at Flinders
- Student motivation and engagement
- Year to RISE (Year 9 curriculum)
- English - Excellence in Writing Skills Project
- Science - Metacognition in Science education
- Health and Physical Education - Pain Education in Schools
- Design and Technologies: Pathways to manufacturing excellence in Australia with the Flinders Powered by Design conference
Research
Research projects conducted through the Flinders Discovery Institute aim to achieve three objectives:
- Generate robust and valid evidence detailing the impact of innovative programs and projects implemented at Flinders
- Provide new knowledge, skills and expertise about hot topics and contemporary issues underpinning research projects
- Embrace opportunities to inform policy and practice in Australian schools and schooling.
Current Research Projects at Flinders
Year to RISE Program: Understanding Student Engagement (2023 - 2025)
Research Team: Australian Catholic University - Institute for Positive Psychology and Education
Lead Researcher: Professor Johnmarshall Reeve
Impact of curriculum innovation on the learning wellbeing of middle years students (2023 - 2024)
Research Team: University of Sunshine Coast - LAUNCH Grant
Lead Researcher: Professor Merrilyn Goos
Teacher-led pain science education in schools (2023 - Secondary Health and Physical Education Department Initiative)
Doctoral Study: Mrs Rebecca Fechner, Paediatric Physiotherapist and University of Technology, Sydney Doctoral Student
Supervisor: Dr Joshua Pate - Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy and Pain Researcher at University of Technology, Sydney
Inspire
Our Inspiring Futures... (IF) program comprises a suite of events conducted by the Flinders Discovery Institute targeting the needs and interests of Senior School students.
The IF program mitigates the impediment that "you cannot be what you cannot see", by providing opportunities for students to interact with high-performing role models within the context of a purposeful, experiential event.
IF... events more broadly aim to:
- Inspire students’ pursuit of excellence within and beyond Flinders
- Connect young people with inspiring role models who can share their career journeys and strategies to overcome barriers to success
- Enhance young people’s skills to be leaders of, and advocates for, awareness and change within and beyond Flinders
- Promote and celebrate the achievements of world-class innovators, practitioners and researchers
Current Inspiring Futures... (IF) Events at Flinders
Flinders Inspiring Women in Science and Health (I-WiSH) conference - This annual event identifies, empowers and nurtures a pipeline of talented women and girls in/to Health-Related Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (HeR-STEM) careers.
Leading Men at Flinders- This program seeks to identify, inspire and nurture young men to become ethical leaders enacting positive masculinity, courage and integrity.
Flinders Youth Game Changers - In collaboration with the University of Queensland this program builds students' capacity to inform and lead the legacies emerging within the context of the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Leave Well Seminar Series - Year 12 students at Flinders are provided with key information, support and resources to ensure they leave Flinders well and transition successfully into their future pathways.
Latest news from the Flinders Discovery Institute
- Flinders Hosts Fouth Conference to Inspire More Girls in STEM
NOTE: To view a short two-minute video of last year’s I-WiSH 2023 highlights, click here. An annual conference initiated at a leading Sunshine Coast school in 2021 has expandedRead More - Flinders Discovery Institute (FDI) launched to build research capacity in Australian schools
Matthew Flinders Anglican College officially launched its new research institute, the Flinders Discovery Institute (FDI), on Thursday, 12 October on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. The launch event was part ofRead More - Flinders I-WiSH Conference for Girls in Health and STEM to Celebrate National Science Week
It was declared “The best Flinders I-WiSH yet!” to celebrate National Science Week (NSW). On Tuesday, 15 August, Matthew Flinders Anglican College on the Sunshine Coast wrapped up its thirdRead More
Publications
I-WiSH INSPIRING WOMEN IN SCIENCE:
2023 EVENT REPORT
Dr Louise McCuaig | 2023
UQ YOUTH GAME CHANGERS:
2023 EVENT REPORT
Dr Louise McCuaig | 2023
MORE INFORMATION
For more information, contact the Head of the Flinders Discovery Institute, Dr Louise McCuaig via email lmccuaig@mfac.edu.au
