John Edwards

John Edwards has always been fascinated with the beauty of the human mind. He began his working life as a research metallurgist. He has worked as a teacher and department head in schools; in state, national and international curriculum development roles; and has written textbooks for schools. Through his extensive university career he has been one of the leading research grant recipients in cognitive science in Australia.

John’s research began in his own classrooms which led to publications in the areas of the direct teaching of thinking and what are children thinking whilst teachers are teaching. He has explored areas including: how people think; what tests really test; ways to measure the intellectual demand of learning; how to generate successful change in organisations; innovation and creativity; leadership; internally-driven transformation of schools; and creating productive feedback environments. He worked on a major project using Piaget’s clinical method to reveal how South-East Asian children develop science and mathematics concepts.

John is Managing Director of Edwards Explorations, an Australia-based company concerned with exploring and developing human potential. He has worked inside many leading Australian and international companies, and sporting organizations, to research and deliver powerful cultures of learning. He has dedicated a large part of his life to the work that forms the basis of this book; helping school communities create the schools they know are right for their children.

Dr Edwards is one of the few international researchers to turn his research into award-winning practice in education, in business and industry, and in high performance sport.