The Edu Salon

Deborah Netolicky talks with Dr Jill Berry about leading in schools, including principalship and ‘making the leap’ to being a school head. Jill taught for thirty years in six different schools, both state and independent, and was a head for the last ten years of her time in schools. She has also taught at GCSE and A-Level in the evenings for several years. Since then, Jill completed a doctorate th...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Professor Rachel Lofthouse about mentoring and coaching in education. Rachel is Professor of Teacher Education in the Carnegie School of Education at Leeds Beckett University, and the Director of CollectiveED: The Centre for Mentoring, Coaching and Professional Learning. She has been an educator for more than 30 years, including as a Geography teacher, a teacher educat...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Professor Pat Thomson about school leadership and arts-rich education. Pat is a Professor of Education at the University of Nottingham; the University of South Australia, and Deakin University. She is on a number of editorial boards, is Convenor of the Centre for Research in Arts, Creativity and Literacy, and is author of the academic writing blog ‘patter’ which is arc...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Professor Pasi Sahlberg about reinventing schooling and from where we might draw our inspiration to make schooling better for students. Pasi is a Finnish educator and author whose work spans teaching, teacher education, policy making and advising schools and education system leaders around the world. He served as a senior education specialist at the World Bank in Washi...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Amy Green about wellbeing of individuals and in workplaces, especially for staff in schools. Amy is a past teacher and school leader, and a speaker, facilitator, coach and author of ‘Teacher Wellbeing: A real conversation for teachers and leaders’. As founder of The Wellness Strategy--with a background in teaching, leadership, human behaviour and positive psychology--A...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Lauren Sayer about innovation, curriculum, teaching, neurodivergence and change. Lauren is currently Director of Curriculum at the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). Previously, she served as the Executive Director of Research and Innovation at Melbourne Girls Grammar, and founded the Melbourne Girls Grammar Institute, a global educational community...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Dr Jim Knight about instructional coaching, trust, credibility, humility and mutually humanising conversations. Jim is Founder and Senior Partner of Instructional Coaching Group (ICG), a research associate at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. He has spent more than two decades studying professional learning and instructional coaching. Jim earned...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Kevin Richardson about the joys of principalship, school change, and engaging students as change makers in schools built for the future. Kevin has been a Principal at Immanuel College since 2002. Prior to this he helped established the internationally acclaimed Technology School of the Future and held senior executive positions in the WA, NSW, and SA Education Departme...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Dr Helen Kelly about educator wellbeing and burnout. Helen is a school wellbeing expert, author, consultant, speaker and researcher. She led international schools in Asia and Europe, until she retired from her work as a principal in 2020. She has been conducting research in the field of educator wellbeing for almost a decade. Prior to becoming an educator, she spent te...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Chris Munro about coaching, mentoring and cultures of intentional professional conversation. Chris is an educator first and foremost, with extensive experience in supporting and leading the development of teachers and school leaders drawn from more than 30 years in schools in Australia and Scotland, in Initial Teacher Education, and as a coach and facilitator. Chris fo...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Summer Howarth about learning design, teaching, student voice, and really partnering with young people in the work of education. Summer spends her days championing teachers and positioning students as partners in learning. She is a key figure behind some of Australia’s most forward-thinking learning and innovation strategies for education systems including positioning...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Professor Michael Fullan about what does and should drive education, what educators might consider in their work, and the ways in which practitioners can influence systems. Michael is the Global Leadership Director of New Pedagogies for Deep Learning, and a worldwide authority on education reform. He is former Dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, of...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Dr Rania Sawalhi about pracademia, education in Qatar, Islamic-based leadership, women in educational leadership, psychological support for students, and humanity in education. Rania has more than 20 years of experience in K-12 and higher education, and has worked as teacher, vice principal, principal of an international school, strategic manager, researcher, and lectu...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Professor Alma Harris about leadership, networks, the teaching profession, and education policy. Alma is a Professor Emeritus at Swansea University, specialising in Education Policy and School Improvement. She has held Professorial posts at the University of Warwick, University College London, the University of Malaya, and the University of Bath. In 2009-2012, she was...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Professor Andy Hargreaves about identity, wellbeing, student engagement, education research, and influence in education. Andy is Director of Chenine (Change, Engagement and Innovation in Education) at the University of Ottawa, Emeritus Professor at Boston College, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is a member of the National Academy of Education, former Presi...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Beth Blackwood AM about leading schools, principalship, and the complexity of education. Beth is the CEO of AHISA (the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia) and serves on the Boards of AITSL (the Australian Institute for Teaching, Learning and School Leadership) and the Australian Council on Children and the Media. She has been a teacher, deputy pri...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Jen Buchanan about education that is global, future-focused and human-centred. Jen is a teacher, leader and educator with a vision to make schools better, and a strong advocate for student agency. She has worked in progressive schools around the world including Green School (Bali), Think Global School (USA), and more recently Preshil School in Melbourne. Currently a co...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Cameron Paterson about learning, thinking, teaching, and schooling. Cameron is Director of Learning at Wesley College, Melbourne. Prior to this he was the Director of Learning and Teaching at Shore School, Sydney. Outside school, he works with Harvard’s Project Zero as an online course instructor and as part of the faculty at the annual Project Zero Classroom. He has t...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Associate Professor Kevin Lowe about Aboriginal education research and practice in Australia, including the role and power of curriculum, the ‘making of teachers’, the importance of listening to the voices of Indigenous people and engaging community. Kevin is a Gubbi Gubbi man from southeast Queensland. He is a Scientia Associate Professor and Indigenous Fellow at the...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Professor Ellie Drago-Severson about adult learning and leading adult learners, through the lens of developmental psychology. Ellie is Professor of Education Leadership, and Adult Learning and Leadership, at Teachers College, Columbia University. A developmental psychologist, Ellie teaches, conducts research, and consults to schools and districts, school and district l...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Jiang Xueqin about creativity, agency, and empowerment in the context of China’s education system. Jiang is a Beijing-based school leader, educator, and writer who for the past fifteen years has promoted the teaching of creativity in the Chinese public school system. He has written two books about his work: ‘Creative China’ (2014) and ‘Schools for the Soul’ (2021). Jia...

Deborah Netolicky talks to Tracey Ezard about leadership, collaboration, learning, and developing psychologically-safe organisational cultures. Tracey has a background in teaching and educational leadership in the Victorian state system; business management and HR in fine dining restaurants; and project management in the automotive industry. She has been running her own speaking and consulting pra...

Deborah Netolicky talks to Dr Trista Hollweck about mentoring, coaching, teacher agency, wellbeing, play, and community. Trista is a pracademic who integrates the worlds of research, policy, and practice. She is a former teacher, vice-principal, and school district consultant. She is Director of the ARC Education Program that brings together Ministers and professional leaders from seven countries...

Deborah Netolicky talks to Dr Paul Campbell about teaching, leading, pracademia, and collaboration. Paul is Vice Principal of ESF Sha Tin Junior School in Hong Kong, with responsibility for learning, teaching, and assessment, professional learning, quality assurance, and child protection and safeguarding. Paul is also on a partial secondment to the ESF Centre for Research where he leads the 'Seeds...

Deborah Netolicky talks with Professor Dylan Wiliam about his important work in formative assessment, as well as how classrooms and schools can create cultures of continuous improvement for all. Dylan is Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at University College London. In a varied career, he has taught in inner-city schools, directed a large-scale testing program, served a number of roles...