About RelationalEd

RelationalEd began in a shared classroom.

Danika Cottingham (BA, PDPP, GradDip, MEd)
Thomas Diesch (BSc, BEd, GradDip, MEd)

 

Ten years ago, we met as high school teachers—one rooted in math and science, the other in humanities. What brought us together wasn’t just pedagogy; it was a shared discomfort with the status quo. We were disillusioned by the factory model of schooling, frustrated by disengagement, and unsatisfied with the shallow promise of “best practices” that ignored complexity, agency, and the living realities of learners. Amid the noise of timetables and test scores, we started asking different questions—and we haven’t stopped since.

Over the years, our relationship evolved into a shared inquiry: What could education become if it were rooted in relationship, rather than routine? Drawing from diverse disciplines, relational assessment models, and holistic growth mindsets, we’ve explored everything from blended learning designs to community-centered pedagogy. Our work has been shaped by a deep interrogation of colonial legacies in education and a commitment to practicing approaches that are attentive to Indigenous ways of knowing, cultural multiplicity, learner dignity, and the sacred messiness of transformation.

 

At RelationalEd, we don’t offer quick fixes.


We walk with schools, districts, and educators who are ready to pause, reflect, and reimagine. Whether it’s rethinking school structures, timetables, course delivery, or redesigning assessment practices that honour observation, conversation, and authentic contribution—we meet you where you are, and move with you toward what’s possible. We believe that transformation doesn’t begin with strategy. It begins with relationship.