John Joseph M Ed B Ed Dip T

Testimonial from Bryan Hughes

21 June 2007

John Joseph, affectionately known as “the brain man’, is one of the very few Educational Consultants I have heard that is able to captivate his audience but also presents with the credibility of actually getting his hands dirty in the classroom doing action research projects with schools and teaching students in the ‘classroom’. He presents knowledge about the brain through hands-on practical activities like cutting up a brain, designing a brain out of plasticine, looking at incredible graphics and listening to real life stories allowing for a very wide range of learning styles to be connected to real life experiences.
John has journeyed to Katherine in the Northern Territory three times over the last 12 months working with students, parents and teachers in our urban town, remote schools and school of the air. Each visit he has left us wanting to know more and with a new level of understanding of ‘how the brain works’ and thus an increased capacity to achieve the core business of education – the teaching and learning of ALL kids in our classroom.
I recommend John to you as someone who will make a significant impact to your learning and I look forward to working with him in the future.

Bryan Hughes
Principal
Clyde Fenton School
Katherine
Ph 08 89721122
Fax 08 89723067
bryan.hughes@ntschools.net
NT DEET

John Joseph has an inspiring story to tell. He left school at age 14 to undertake an apprenticeship in the trade of solid plastering. John worked in the family business for eleven years before returning to formal education where he graduated from the University of South Australia with a Masters Degree in Science and Mathematics Education. He taught across junior primary, primary and high school year levels and eventually lectured at teacher-education universities. John also held a system position as Project Officer-Retraining with the Department of Education and Children’s Services in South Australia. In this position, John worked with a colleague to construct teacher training and re-training initiatives for people undergoing significant change to their workplace or duties. A consistent theme within this target group was high workplace stress and low coping strategies.

John’s vast experience with young people with challenging behaviour and poor attachments to school underpins his desire to formulate change. His thinking about education results from the rich interplay between his coalface experiences, his own schooling, his systemic experience, the years of lecturing at universities, his prolific reading of current research and the face -to-face interactions he has undertaken over the past decade.

Between 1997 and 2008, John Joseph presented keynote addresses, conferences and workshops sessions to more than a quarter of a million people representing more than 3,000 schools across 16 countries. Week after week, he facilitates full-day workshops for student groups where he challenges young people to learn about learning, behaviour and emotions. John uses stunning computer-generated graphics and actual brain dissections to engage kids. He has facilitated the dissections of more than 100, 000 sheep brains! Little wonder that people refer to him as “The Brain Man!

 
Academic and Trade Qualifications
Master of Education, (Mathematics and Science Education) University of South Australia, 1994
Bachelor of Education, (Middle Childhood) SACAE Underdale, 1984
Diploma of Teaching, (Middle Childhood) SACAE Underdale, 1983
Solid Plasterer: (apprenticeship 1969 – 1973)
 
Countries of Paid Speaking and Training Experience
Australia, Malaysia, South Africa, Tonga, New Zealand, India, China, Japan, Turkey, Germany, The Netherlands, Thailand, UAE, Korea, Hong Kong, Wales
 
Professional Experience
Jan 1998 – Present: Director, Focus Education Australia Pty Ltd     Director, Mind Webs Pty Ltd
Jan 1996– Dec 1997: Project Officer: Retraining, Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE) South Australia
·         Manage state-wide retraining/in service training needs for 22,000 employees
·         Conduct training needs analysis and implementation across DETE system
·         Design and deliver on-the-job in-service/retraining programs according to systematic needs
·         Produce educational support materials for teachers’ professional training
Feb 1992– Dec 1995: Lecturer, School of Education, University of South Australia

Course Coordinator, Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary),
1983 – 1992: Teacher, Reception (5-year-olds) – to Year 12; General Classroom Teaching, Social Science,   General Science, Biology, Environmental Studies, Mathematics, Photography
 
Focus Education Consultancies – January 1998 – 2008
·         Over 1,400 part or full-day workshops and seminars across all Australian states and 15 other countries for more than 220,000 education and parent delegates
·         Over 400 workshops for more than 100,000 student delegates
·         Over 100 corporate seminars for more than 5,000 delegates
·         Educational papers and ministerial briefings for Education Departments in South Australia, Victoria and ACT
·         over 200 Conference Keynote Addresses for principals’ associations, subject associations, Independent, Lutheran and Catholic schooling systems across the world
 
Corporate clients include: Australian Federal Court and Supreme Court Judges, Boeing Australia, SENTIS, Adelaide Children’s Hospital, Spina Bifida Association, Edwards Marshall (accountants) Gibson Green (accountants) Relationships Australia, AUSNet (Real Estate) Stoma Nurses Association, S. Kidman, Mr Rentals, Crippled Children’s Association, Focus Events, Acquired Brain Injury Association of Australia, Department of Health, Disabilities Services, The Executive Connection (40+ TEC groups comprising more than 600 company CEO’s across Australia)
Major Keynote addresses and Conferences in 2007:
Combined Isolated Schools, Katherine (275 delegates))
Combined Catholic Colleges, Brisbane (175 delegates)
Special Educators Conference, Darwin (85 delegates)
Independent and Catholic School Combined Annual Conference, Darwin (136 delegates)
Middle Years Relationship and Integration Conference, Darwin (150 delegates)
International Baccalaureate Organisation, Istanbul, Turkey (370 delegates)
School of Isolated and Distance Education, Perth (125 delegates)
Seventh Day Adventist Annual Conference, Melbourne (170 delegates)
Annual ACT Principals’ Conference, Canberra (80 delegates)
Yooralla’s Society for Disabilities, Melbourne (183 delegates)
Junior School Heads’ Association of Australia, Sydney (154 delegates)
Western Sydney Primary Principals’ Association Annual Conference, Sydney (71 delegates)
Anglican Church Ministers’ Annual Conference, Adelaide (171 delegates)
Special Educators’ Conference, Darwin (61 delegates)
Leadership Conference – Transforming Schools, Canberra (68 delegates)
Catholic Education Office Annual Conference, Perth (350 delegates)
Boys in Education, Hunter Valley (156 delegates)
Muster Cluster Annual Conference on Student Learning, Gympie (612 delegates)
Western Sydney Principals’’ Association Combined Annual Conference (262 delegates)
Hong Kong International School Staff Conference, Hong Kong (102 delegates)
KORCOS and DoDDS Annual Conference, Korea (890 delegates)
Tools for a Backpack – Conference for Educators from the Middle East, Dubai (700 educators)
School Culture and Pathways to Manhood, Melbourne (255 delegates)
Mind Your Brain, Atlantic College, Wales (340 delegates)
Student Welfare Consultants, Central Coast NSW, 85 delegates
 
 
Major Statistics for 2007:
207 paid speaking engagements
27,200 combined delegates
Facilitated conferences for 139 schools
Facilitated conferences for 16 individual corporate events
Worked in 6 countries
 
Major Products by John Joseph:
*Joseph, John (2004)  Model Brain (High quality 8-piece kit including life-size skull with removable cranium and beautifully illustrated full-colour booklet). Housed in a strong aluminium case. Adelaide, Focus Education.
*Joseph, John (2004)  Plastic moulds for building and painting model plaster brains. (Available in class sets). Adelaide, Focus Education Australia.
*Joseph, John (2008)  Mind Your Brain on DVD (Teacher level with accompanying workshop notes and teacher guide, all of John’s remarkable brain images. For classroom use ONLY). Adelaide, Focus Education
*Joseph, John (2007)  What’s Your Style? Discover Your Learning Styles on CD Rom Version 2.2. Adelaide, Focus Education Australia
*Joseph, John  (2002)  Brainy Parents – Brainy Kids 2nd Edition.  Adelaide, Focus Education Australia.
*Joseph, John (2001)  Journey into the Vulnerable Brain. Adelaide, Focus Education Australia.
*Joseph, John (2006 2nd Edition)  Learning in the Emotional Rooms: How to Create Classrooms that are Uplifting for the Spirit.  Adelaide, Focus Education Australia.
*Joseph, John  (2006)  Learning in the Emotional Rooms – A1 POSTER. Focus Education Australia.
*Joseph, John  (2006)  Your Amazing Brain – A1 POSTER. Focus Education Australia.
*Joseph, John  (2008)  Information Processing Model – A1 POSTER. Focus Education Australia.