Meet the accomplished education experts who will be facilitating two days of insightful, inspiring learning.
Associate Professor Helen Adam’s research addresses the role and importance of quality inclusive literature in the social and emotional and educational wellbeing of the child, with a particular focus on the importance of authentic representations and inclusion of cultural diversity in children’s literature. Helen’s work has a particular focus on promoting socially just and equitable education through the promotion of the publication and use of authentically diverse and inclusive literature as one way to break down barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding in society. Her work is published in internationally renowned research journals. Helen has served as a judge for the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year Awards and is frequently called on for expert comment in the media and as a presenter to diverse audiences of educators and academics. She is the author of PETAA reference text Transforming Practice: Transforming Lives Through Diverse Children's Literature. She is also a PETAA Board Director.
Imogene is an experienced school leader, teacher and researcher with a passion for developing students' knowledge about language so that they may understand how text and image work together to make meaning and become sophisticated meaning-makers themselves. She is interested in the affordances of dialogic pedagogy in the classroom and how rich, meaningful dialogic interactions can be carefully scaffolded in order to build important metalinguistic understandings, even in the very first years of schooling, in the context of quality literature and play. Although not currently in a classroom-based role, Imogene is never far from a picture book, and will find ways to sneak into classrooms and share her love of reading with students whenever the opportunity arises!
Professor Anne Castles is an ARC Australian Laureate Fellow based at the Australian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy (ACAL) at the Australian Catholic University. Her research focuses on learning to read and dyslexia. She has a particular interest in variability within the reading-impaired population, and in the causes of different types of dyslexia, including genetic, cognitive, and language factors. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and serves on the Editorial Boards of several journals including Scientific Studies of Reading, and the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. She served as President of Learning Difficulties Australia from 2017-18.
Professor Cremin is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences,(AcSS) the Royal Society of the Arts (RSA) and the English Association (EA). Additionally, she is a Trustee of the UK Literacy Association (UKLA), a Board member of the Reading Agency, a DfE expert on reading for pleasure, a member of the ESRC Peer Review College, and chair of the Advisory Group for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Fund for the Arts. Previously she has served as President of the UK Reading Association and the UKLA, as a Director of the Cambridge Primary Review Trust (CPRT) and a Trustee of the Poetry Archive and SES. She has also served as a visiting Professor at Edge Hill University, a Board Member of BookTrust and as editor of the Journal Literacy and co-editor of the journal Thinking Skills and Creativity. Teresa has been a practising primary teacher, a staff development co-ordinator in a local authority, and has worked extensively in Higher Education both with initial teacher education students and with practising professionals. Currently her work mainly focuses on research and knowledge exchange, although she is also involved in teaching and consultancy, leadership and management.
Megan Daley is the author of the bestselling book Raising Readers (UQP, 2019) as well as Teacher, Teacher (Affirm Press, 2023) and The Beehive (Walker Books, 2024). Megan is a Teacher Librarian and early years educator and has been awarded the Australian Teacher Librarian of the Year and the Queensland Teacher Librarian of the Year, as well as the national Dromkeen Librarian’s Award. A former national vice-president of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, Megan is also a regular literary judge, curator of 2023 Brisbane Writers Festival Word Play program, a workshop presenter, the creator of the popular website Children's Books Daily and co-creator of the Your Kid's Next Read podcast. Find out more at www.megandaley.com.au
Therese has over 30 years’ experience as an educator in NSW primary schools, teaching all grades K-6 across rural and metropolitan settings, predominantly in schools of socio-economic disadvantage. She has held a range of leadership roles in schools for the last 20 years, with responsibility for leading teacher professional learning, particularly in aspects of literacy. Therese enjoys the opportunities she finds in her work to build the capacity of teachers across a range of schools, continuously striving for excellence in improving student outcomes.
Anabella Gonzalez is an Instructional Reading Coach at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Cabramatta. She is an experienced teacher and school leader, having worked for Sydney Catholic Schools for 18 years. Anabella has a strong commitment to supporting teachers in developing and improving their classroom practices and using data to positively impact student reading outcomes. Through her role as Instructional Specialist, Anabella has employed the work of Jim Knight’s Impact Cycle to engage teachers in rounds of Instructional Coaching to significantly influence school wide improvement and change. She is passionate about fostering and strengthening a strong culture of collaboration, underpinned by foundations of relational trust. As part of the school’s leadership team, Anabella has designed and implemented effective school structures and processes that have proved critical to the success of the school’s improvement journey. She has a Bachelor of Education, a Bachelor of Applied Communications Studies and is currently completing a Master of Religious Education.
.
Aaron Johnston is an Assistant Principal Curriculum & Instruction from Central Coast, NSW. He has worked in a range of K-6 roles and across several schools over the past 16 years; this is Aaron’s 10th year in a school leadership position. Aaron shares his passion and expertise online through his social media channel “Mr J’s Learning Space” as well as hosting Teacher Takeaway Podcast and facilitating a number of online groups and forums to support teachers and leaders in education. In 2023, he was selected as a highly commended finalist in the Schools Plus CommBank Teaching Award in recognition of his work leading school improvement and supporting the teaching profession.
Dr Noella Mackenzie is an Associate Professor (Adjunct) at Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Independent Education Consultant. She is an experienced primary and tertiary educator and researcher with a passion for literacy teaching and learning. Noella worked in school education in three Australian States: teacher (K-6), teacher leader, consultant, and special education coordinator. She began her academic career in 2004, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students at CSU. Noella’s research and writing has always been informed by her work with classroom teachers. She continues to work with teachers in classrooms on a regular basis. Noella has worked in both California and Canada, been on study trips to Finland, Scotland and New Zealand, and has presented key notes at conferences as far afield as Iceland. Her work has been published in professional and research journals and she has co-edited three books on literacy teaching and learning.
Lenore Parodi is a highly qualified EAL/D literacy teacher with a wide range of educational experience, including teaching K-12 across Independent, State and Catholic sectors, TAFE and other private adult education colleges in NSW and overseas. She has a heart for developing collaborative culture within learning communities and mentoring early career teachers; fostering literacy teaching capacity by incorporating current research into creative, engaging programs that develop language skills and differentiate for all learners. Lenore is particularly interested in applying the research of Hattie, Fisher and Frey, in developing assessment capable students through making their learning journey visible and its effects on language learners, especially in low socioeconomic communities. She is currently EAL/D coordinator and curriculum leader of Writing at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Cabramatta. Lenore holds a Masters in Applied Linguistics and a Bachelor of Education with a TESOL major.
Vita is an Assistant Principal at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Cabramatta. She is an experienced teacher and school leader, having worked for Sydney Catholic Schools for 33 years. Vita is deeply committed to school improvement and has worked as an Instructional Coach in Reading, supporting teachers to develop strong classroom practices and utilise student data to ensure growth for all students. Based on the work of Tepper and Flynn, Vita has utilised the practice of feeding teacher’s practice forward to facilitate class and school improvement. As part of the school Leadership Team, Vita has been instrumental in developing data driven practices and adult learning opportunities that have contributed to school improvement. Vita has a Graduate Certificate in Education - Leadership and Management and a Bachelor of Education.
Simmone is a lecturer and researcher in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Western Australia. She has over 25 years of experience working in a range of research, training, and program development roles, primarily in the field of literacy. Simmone has led the development of whole class and small group early literacy and reading programs that have achieved national scale and has worked with schools and teachers across Australia to help them bridge the gap between research and practice in reading instruction. As part of her doctoral research, Simmone investigated the role of text in the development of beginning reading in children with English as an additional language. Her current research focusses on language and literacy development in pre-school settings and effective reading instruction, assessment, and intervention in the early years of school.
Tamara Reads (she/her) is a PhD student and sessional academic at Curtin University. Her PhD research examines the impact of Premier’s Reading Challenge programs on student reading engagement and literacy achievement. Her teaching and research interests are in the areas of literacy and literature, with particular focus on creative approaches to teaching literacy, embedding literature across the curriculum, and the link between reading for pleasure and wellbeing. She is an advocate for diverse and authentic representation in fiction, and champions the promotion of inclusive and engaging environments in classroom practice. Tamara has 20 years’ experience in Education in a range of settings, having worked as an early childhood worker, high school English teacher and teacher librarian, and serving for five years as Premier’s Programs Officer, overseeing the NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge. She is passionate about reading for pleasure, and delights in connecting readers to the stories that will inspire them – Tamara believes that by sharing stories we can develop the kind of empathy and understanding that will make the world a better place for all.
Sally is Australia’s highest-selling female author and has written over 100 books for children and young adults, many of them award-winning, including the popular Billie B Brown and Hey Jack! series, and the Polly and Buster trilogy. More recently, Sally has collaborated with Chris Kennett to create the School of Monsters series for beginning readers and Eliza Hull to co-write Come Over To My House, illustrated by Daniel Gray-Barnett, exploring the lives of families who live with disabilities. Sally has mentored many emerging writers over the last twenty-five years and taught Writing for Children at RMIT University, the CAE and Writers Victoria. In 2022, Sally published a book for parents and educators, titled Wild Things: How We Learn to Read and What Can Happen If We Don’t with the aim of creating awareness around neurodivergency and learning difficulties and how they may be best supported at home and in the classroom.
Emily Rodda is one of Australia's best-known children's authors. Her first book, Something Special, was published in 1984. Since then, she has written over 100 books for children, including the award-winning Rowan of Rin series and the outstandingly successful Deltora Quest series, which has been translated into 30 languages. Her latest endeavour, Landovel, is a three-part epic fantasy to be published in October 2024. She has also written mysteries for adults under her real name, Jennifer Rowe. For many years she combined writing with raising four children and continuing a busy career first with Angus & Robertson Publishers and then as editor of the Australian Women's Weekly. She finally committed herself to full-time writing in 1994. Her books have received many Children's Choice awards, and she has won the Children's Book Council of Australia's Book of the Year (Younger Readers) Award a record six times. In 2019 she was awarded the highest honour in the Australia Day Honours list, Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).
Karen's passion for enabling agency through literacy has guided her time as a classroom teacher and led her to complement her M.Teach with a M.Ed (Literacy Education) from the University of Melbourne. She has worked in initial teacher education and finds joy in sharing her enthusiasm for literacy teaching with other educators. Karen also holds qualifications in Medical Science from the University of Canberra as well as a M.Info.Sci (Children’s Librarianship) from CSU. She looks forward to supporting teachers to translate quality research and theory into authentic and meaningful classroom learning experiences for all students.
Tina Roworth is the Principal of Red Hill Public School in Wagga and has been a public school educator for 35 years. For the past 18 years she has held various leaderships positions both in schools and in consultative roles in the areas of literacy, numeracy, and learning. She developed a passion for supporting leaders in their journey to school excellence when first working as a facilitator for National Partnerships in 2009 and as a member of the NSW Ministerial Advisory Group for Literacy and Numeracy. She noticed how schools differed from each other in their attitudes to learning and how this invariably led to very different student results, so soon after began writing HOW2Learn. HOW2Learn allowed schools to consider ways in which to centralise learning in all decision making and to support students to become learners for life. Tina mentored leadership teams in over 160 public schools across south and west NSW through high impact professional learning and in school support but was desperate to return to her roots. Tina became a principal in 2017 and relished the opportunity to embed these ideas into effective practice. Two schools as principal and a pandemic later, her school is hitting its strides by using whole school assessment data to drive decision making and reading achievement.
Timothy Shanahan is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago where he was Founding Director of the UIC Center for Literacy. Previously, he was director of reading for the Chicago Public Schools. He is author/editor of more than 200 publications on literacy education. His research emphasises the connections between reading and writing, literacy in the disciplines, and improvement of reading achievement. Tim is past president of the International Literacy Association. He served as a member of the Advisory Board of the National Institute for Literacy under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and he helped lead the National Reading Panel, convened at the request of Congress to evaluate research on the teaching reading, a major influence on reading education. He chaired two other federal research review panels: the National Literacy Panel for Language Minority Children and Youth, and the National Early Literacy Panel, and helped write the Common Core State Standards. He was inducted to the Reading Hall of Fame in 2007, and is a former first-grade teacher. He is the creator of PETAA course Unpacking the science of reading.
Cal Simunovic is leading school improvement as an instructional and curriculum leader at Red Hill Public School in Wagga. She has been a dedicated public school educator for 15 years, during which she has held various leadership roles in literacy and numeracy. Cal primarily focuses on helping teachers grow their repertoire of effective teaching practices. She has supported many teachers to analyse and use assessment data more effectively to improve student outcomes. Cal's enthusiasm for teaching and developing others has been instrumental in driving whole school impact.
Denise has been involved in the teaching of English and language and literacy as a classroom teacher and as a literacy consultant across several schools. She is currently a school instructional leader, supporting teachers to develop a coherent program in language and literacy in English, and across other learning areas, developing whole school literacy policy and implementation. She has extensive experience in low socio-economic schools with high EAL/D and ATSI cohorts. Denise also works with her regional education team in supporting quality professional development in English and literacy across the curriculum, and serves on the PETAA Ambassador committee in South Australia. She is a Director on the PETAA Board.
Lotte ten Hacken is an experienced educator and teacher librarian who is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland (UQ). Her research explores the use of picturebooks as a stimulus for dialogue in order to foster intercultural understanding. Lotte works as a teacher librarian in Brisbane and teaches English curriculum to Master of Teaching students at UQ. She is currently a literary judge for the CBCA book of the year awards.
Samantha Turnbull is a writer and podcast producer for the children’s department of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She has produced podcasts including Fierce Girls, News Time, Dino Dome and Animal Sound Safari, and written several children’s books published by Allen & Unwin and Five Mile. She has a Masters of Teaching (Primary) and a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism), and works as a tutor in Digital Media at Southern Cross University.