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Holly Wedd: teaching that adds up for the 21st century

Holly Millican in classroom teaching

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Published
9 October 2024

In today’s education environment, award-winning teacher Holly Wedd says flexibility has never been more necessary.

In today’s education environment, award-winning teacher Holly Wedd says flexibility has never been more necessary.

“If we are teaching the generations of the future, what we teach and how we teach cannot be stuck in the past,” says Holly, Southern Cross University's 2019 Young Alumnus of the Year and now Head Teacher (Mathematics) at Orara High School in Coffs Harbour.

“Today’s students have grown up during a time of exponential change across all areas of society. With the rise of computer technology, the online world, social justice, gender equity, identity and other developments, today’s young people have different influences, different attitudes, different expectations and different demands. 

“These all come together at school, in the classroom. For education to keep pace and to be relevant and engaging, it must respond to the generation it is teaching.”

Again, flexibility is paramount, just as it was a few years ago when Holly decided on Southern Cross University for her teaching degree.

“I chose Southern Cross University because I could study on campus or online,” she says. “That was ideal for me because I worked full-time throughout my degree. Being able to do a double degree in Primary and Secondary teaching was another plus.”

“Just the word ‘mathematics’ is enough to make some people shudder. I think what appeals to me the most is that maths always has the answer. It adds up.”

Holly_Millican

The desire to teach began with family. Born in England, the Millicans emigrated to Australia and eventually settled in Coffs Harbour. Holly’s parents raised her to value teaching and learning. Still, it was hardly a conventional childhood.

“For years, we travelled between the US and Australia, following the winters because my parents worked in the ski fields,” says Holly.

“Here in Coffs Harbour, on Saturdays I taught people to ice skate at the rink at the Big Banana. I am still a skier and skater, but I loved that teaching element. There is something so special about sharing knowledge and seeing it put into action. 

“Those Saturdays inspired my thoughts of teaching as a career. In small ways and big ways, teaching makes a difference in the world.”

Holly is certainly making a difference in her own teaching career, especially in mathematics.

“Just the word ‘mathematics’ is enough to make some people shudder,” she says, smiling. “For me, when I was a student, maths made sense to me, although I still worked hard. 

“I think what appeals to me the most is that maths always has the answer. It adds up.”

After completing her degree in 2017, Holly launched her career teaching mathematics at South Grafton High School. Her innovative approach quickly made its mark, relying less on textbook-based rote teaching and learning and more on activities, interaction and engagement.

Duly inspired, and while still in the early stages of her career, Holly devised a mathematics enrichment program to help struggling students. She also produced a series of videos, published through the Australian Council for Educational Research, which demonstrated the fun and wonder of the subject. The response was positive – and telling.

“Maths has had such a bad rap over time,” says Holly. “The criticism was loud and clear – too difficult, too dry, and maths teaching too trapped in the textbook.

“I saw the untapped potential of maths and I thought others might see it too if it were taught differently and more creatively. A more modern take. I also thought it would have a positive impact on students, not just in how they learned, but in their willingness to learn.”

The accolades Holly has received since are irrefutable evidence of the success of her approach to mathematics and education more broadly.

Holly Millican
Holly Wedd

In 2019, she was named Young Alumnus of the Year at Southern Cross University’s inaugural Impact Awards. The same year brought international attention via a Learning Edge Teaching Practice Award at Google HQ in Sydney – a joint initiative between the NSW Department of Education and Teachers Mutual Bank in partnership with YouTube and Google.

In 2020, Holly won the Teachers Guild of NSW Early Career Award (Secondary School) and in 2021 she was named the Rising Star of the Year at the prestigious Australian Education Awards. In 2022, she received a prestigious Commonwealth Early Career Teacher Fellowship.

While all this was happening, Holly also returned to Southern Cross University to complete a Master of Education, specialising in Student Wellbeing and School Leadership.

Since her appointment as Head Teacher (Mathematics) at Orara High School in Coffs Harbour in 2022, Holly has continued to energise the mathematics program for staff and students. Integrating the latest research, strategies and creative thinking has further relegated the traditional textbook.

“You cannot, or at least should not, reduce maths to numbers on a page,” says Holly. “Maths is everywhere in life. It is a language all on its own and a beautiful one. Its contribution to real life is all-encompassing and it is so important to convey that through education.

“As teachers, we are teaching the TikTok generation. The Instagram generation. A new generation for which the old ways of teaching no longer fit the bill. Or at least not the entire bill.”

“For example, young people are often criticised and dismissed for having a short attention span. That does not mean they are not thinking, right? They are simply thinking differently, befitting this time, their interests and their environment.

“Understanding that, and applying that to all areas of teaching, is one of the keys to effective and engaging modern education.”

Media contact

content@scu.edu.au