In The Classroom

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with Grant Lewis, an experienced primary educator, curriculum and data specialist who is passionate about teacher agency, curriculum mapping and data literacy. Drawing on his classroom and leadership experience, Grant shares practical insights from his work supporting schools through curriculum design and growth coaching. Join Grant and Catriona as they unpack the...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with Patty McGee as they explore how grammar instruction can shift from rules and worksheets to curiosity, experimentation and meaningful application in writing. Patty McGee is an educator, author and international consultant based in New Jersey, USA. With more than 30 years of experience in education, Patty began her career as a classroom teacher before working as...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with Andrew Taylor as they explore the role of coaching in schools and how professional learning can build stronger teachers and more reflective classrooms. With more than 40 years of experience across the Victorian and Queensland education systems, Andrew has worked as a teacher, cluster educator, school leader and school improvement specialist. Over the past 20 y...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with Doug Lemov, one of the most influential educators of our time and the author of Teach Like a Champion . Doug Lemov is a former teacher and school principal, and a leading voice in education. He is the author of Teach Like a Champion , which has sold more than one million copies and been translated into over a dozen languages. This episode is a practical explor...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with Associate Professor Melissa Fanshawe as they explore what inclusive education looks like in classrooms, and how teachers can design learning that supports every student. Melissa is an Associate Professor of Education at UniSQ with more than 25 years of experience in Queensland schools. Her work focuses on access, inclusion and participation, specialising in su...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with Louise Brown, an experienced History teacher with over 20 years in the classroom across the UK and Australia. Louise is the Head of the Sociocultural Faculty at St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School in Brisbane and President of the Queensland History Teachers' Association. She is passionate about teaching and learning, creating conditions in her classroom where...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with Professor Nicole Mockler as they discuss the intensification of teachers' work, time poverty and complex educational change. Nicole is a Professor of Education at the University of Sydney whose research explores teacher professional identity, education policy, and media representations of teachers. Her work sheds light on the stories told about teachers and te...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with experienced English and Drama teacher, Melanie Ralph. With 17 years in the classroom and more than 1000 subscribers, Mel has supported countless teachers and students through her YouTube videos, booklets and practical resources via Bare Bones Teaching. She is a passionate, reflective, and self-directed educator whose work and influence reaches beyond her own c...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with early career primary teacher, David Chessell. After more than a decade in trade and business, David made the courageous leap into teaching during the pandemic and discovered his passion for teaching. Join us as David shares what it’s like to enter the classroom as a career changer, and how relationships, care, and trust form the foundation of great teaching. I...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with Professor Danny Liu to explore AI, assessment, and the future of learning. Danny is a molecular biologist by training, programmer by night, researcher and faculty developer by day, and educator at heart. Danny is a Professor of Educational Technologies at the University of Sydney where he co-chairs the University's AI in Education working group and leads the C...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with education leader, author, and entrepreneur Dave Faulkner . From becoming a principal at just 24, to co-founding Education Changemakers , and now serving as Senior Vice President of Learning Services at Go1 , Dave has spent over two decades driving innovation and impact across the education sector. He’s also the author of two bestselling books: Edupreneur: Unle...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with educator, author, and principal, Steven Trotter! Steven has been a teacher, principal, and system leader in the Victorian education system for over two decades. He’s the author of The Art of Skimming Stones , a book that offers an intentional, people-focused model for sustaining improvement in schools—without burning people out in the process. This conversatio...

Join Catriona Vo in conversation with educator, author, and leadership coach Gavin Grift! Gavin is a respected educator, author, and founder of Grift Education. With a career spanning over 30 years, Gavin has worn many hats: classroom teacher, deputy principal, educational consultant, and author of titles like Emerge: The Five Most Common Challenges Faced by Middle Leaders and How to Overcome Them...

Join Catriona Vo as she sits down with Dr Bree Hurn to explore language and literacy in the classroom. Dr Bree Hurn is an experienced teacher who now works as a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. Bree’s research interest combines language, literacy, and teacher professional learning, and she enjoys working with pre-service and practising teachers throughout Austra...

Join Catriona Vo as she sits down with Eddie Woo! Eddie Woo is Australia’s most beloved math educator and the mastermind behind Wootube ! 🚀 Eddie is a mathematics teacher at Cherrybrook Technology High School with over 15 years of teaching experience. He’s known for his engaging mathematics lessons shared through his YouTube channel, which has over 1.8 million subscribers . Eddie is passionate ab...

In this episode of In the Classroom , Dr. Julie Arnold, Lecturer in Education at Queensland University of Technology, joins us to explore how assessment for learning can empower teacher practice and student agency in schools. Her research focuses on accessible assessment practices in secondary English and Mathematics, as well as reflective teaching inquiry for equity, diversity, and inclusion in h...

In this episode of In the Classroom , Julia Lippold, an EAL specialist teacher, joins us to discuss ways to support EAL/D learners in mainstream classrooms and key strategies for scaffolding language for multilingual students. 🌏📚 🏆 In 2022, Julia was recognised as one of The Educator’s Most Influential Educators for leading the EAL program at Lauriston Girls’ School and championing EAL educatio...

In this episode of In the Classroom , we're joined by Professor Sarah Prestridge ! Sarah has dedicated over 30 years to transforming the field of Educational Technologies . In 2025, she was named Australia's top scholar in the field of Teaching and Teacher Education in the Australian's Top 250 Researchers List . From tinkering with simulation software in her Year 6 classroom in the early '90s to l...

In this episode of In the Classroom, Dr. Ellen Larsen joins us to share her journey from classroom teacher to researcher, unpacking her passion for mentoring and empowering educators. Here’s what you can expect from this episode: ✨ Mentoring vs. Coaching 🔥 Building Intellectual Virtues 🧠 Connecting Research and Practice Dr. Ellen Larsen is Associate Head of Professional Engagement and Senior Le...

Join us in this episode as we sit down with Sue Webb, an educator passionate about teacher wellbeing. In this episode, Sue shares practical strategies for teachers to identify burnout, sustainable work practices and how to find balance in an overwhelming profession. What can you expect from our episode? We chat about: 🌟 Sustainable Work Practices 🌱 Proactive Strategies for Teacher Wellbeing 💪 H...

In this episode, we sit down with Paul Matthews—a teacher, AI consultant, and CEO/co-founder of My TeacherAide. Together, we talk about the pain points of AI, how teachers can overcome hesitancies towards new technologies and the ways in which AI can help us have a bigger impact in our classrooms. Paul is a Tasmanian high school teacher and the co-founder and CEO of an innovative AI powered tool f...

Join us as we sit down with Dr Janelle Wills and talk about student engagement! In this episode, we’re diving deep into strategies for engaging learners, what makes up learning intentions & success criteria, and self-determination theory to bring you fresh ideas for the classroom. Dr Janelle Wills is an experienced educator with over 40 years of teaching and leadership roles in Australian educatio...

In this episode, we explore the transformative power of drama in education with Jodie Whitehurst. Jodie shares her journey of embracing drama and language in the ISS Fellowship to insights gained from VicTESOL professional development sessions. We address misconceptions about drama and strategies like role-play, warm-ups, and multimodal techniques to build students’ confidence. We unpack the proce...