Brett Dascombe
Wavell State High School, QLD
Yuggera, Jagera/Turrbal
Teaching Fellow
In high school, students want and need to understand where their studies might lead beyond the classroom and into the future. Brett Dascombe, a geography teacher at Wavell State High School in Brisbane, is helping to prepare his students for university and exciting future careers through the use of cutting-edge technology.
Brett’s use of industry standard geospatial technology in his classroom has led to outstanding academic results and created opportunities for his students to graduate with great 21st century skills to go on and study areas like environmental engineering, urban planning, environmental management and epidemiology.
Brett’s students consistently perform well above State average and are regularly invited to present at industry conferences, including EduDrone, Geography Teachers Association of Queensland and the Surveyor’s Trust Luncheon, where they showcase their work in front of educators, industry leaders and government ministers. Beyond this, many are highly sought after by universities and industry; with some entering university early or offered highly sought after internships.
Brett’s students are not the only ones benefiting from his expertise. Brett has presented at several national and international conferences and delivered geospatial technology professional development to over 120 teachers. He regularly provides guidance and shares best practice and resources across Australia, and he is currently working on a project with his students, industry and the Queensland Department of Education International to take geospatial technologies to a secondary school in Nauru.
Brett describes himself as a ‘guide on the side’ not the ‘sage on the stage’, however he has been recognised by the 2021 TeachX Award for Innovation, the 2022 Education Queensland Showcase Excellence in Teaching Award.