Dr Briony Schroor is the Domain Leader for English at Nossal High School, Victoria’s first fully academically selective coeducational government high school, and one of only four academically selective high schools in the state. Briony has a PhD in Classical Greek Literature and she is an avid reader who enjoys engaging with all sorts of texts. Briony joined Nossal High School as a teacher of English and Literature in 2014. She has extensive teaching experience in Australia and England. Briony very much values the discussion of texts within her domain, and in the school community more broadly.
Show notes
(coming soon)
This episode was produced by Jonathan Raz.
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Episode 8: Xanthi Rice & Terri Hibbert
Xanthi Rice has been a teacher for more than 20 years, with extensive experience in classroom practice, leadership, and system-level support. She worked with the Wimmera South West School Improvement Team as a DSSI (Differentiated Support for School Improvement) Teaching Partner for three years, partnering closely with schools across the region to strengthen and transform their approaches to literacy instruction. In this role, she led professional learning, facilitated communities of practice, supported curriculum planning, developed documentation, and designed units of work that build teacher capacity and improve student outcomes. With the team she developed a F-2 community of practice that lead to a bigger initiative, the Literacy Learning Community, that involved over 70 schools across the area as they worked to develop high quality literacy practices across their schools. Xanthi has also served as Acting Principal and a leading teacher at Donald Primary School, where she applied her expertise in both instructional leadership and school operations. Most recently, she has been seconded to the Department’s Phonics Lesson Plans Unit, to develop the Phonics Plus program—an initiative designed to provide high-quality, evidence-based systematic synthetic phonics resources for Victorian schools. She has been writing lesson plans, supporting resources and developing professional learning series for teachers, school leaders, area and regional workforce as they support the implementation of Phonics Plus. Through these experiences, Xanthi has developed a deep understanding of literacy pedagogy, change leadership, and collaborative professional learning, with a commitment to supporting teachers and leaders to deliver the best outcomes for students.
Terri Hibbert began her career in education after completing a Bachelor of Science in Disability Studies at Deakin University and a Graduate Diploma of Education at Monash University. Since then, she has taught across Victoria, NSW, and internationally in London, gaining a rich perspective on diverse teaching contexts. Terri's journey led her to Warrnambool East Primary School, where she holds her substantive position. Along the way, she’s been inspired by exceptional leaders and colleagues, motivating her to take on roles such as Teaching Partner and now EIL. These experiences have deepened her passion for instructional coaching and her commitment to driving literacy outcomes.
Show notes
(to be added shortly)
This episode was produced by Jonathan Raz.
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Episode 7: Stephanie Le Lievre
Stephanie Le Lievre is Principal of Serpentine Primary School in Western Australia. She’s also a Commonwealth Bank Schools Plus Fellow and the co-director of Science of Teaching and Learning Australia (SOTLA). Steph has been a Deputy Principal, and Literacy Leader, and she’s worked in rural and remote communities. Steph has left her mark wherever she’s been. She’s done an enormous amount to close the research to practice gap and continues to advocate for curriculum, assessment, and teaching reforms, as well as teacher and leader workload reductions. You may know Steph from Reading Science in Schools (the former online educator community), or as the project lead for the Syntax Project, working alongside Rebecca Glasson, Christina Guy, and Jasmyn Hall. The Syntax Project is now of course housed at Ochre Education and widely used across schools. Steph has also been very generous in sharing the work she’s done at her school, including publishing novel studies and knowledge units, and leadership and reporting documentation.
Show notes
(to be added shortly)
This episode was produced by Jonathan Raz.
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Episode 6: Michelle Winch & Ingrid Sjolund
Michelle Winch completed degrees in biomedical science and biotechnology before moving into education through the Teach for Australia program. While at Colac Secondary College, she earned a Master of Teaching and later a Master of Instructional Leadership at the University of Melbourne. She has held various teaching and leadership roles in mathematics, literacy, and science, and now leads teaching and learning across the school. Michelle is currently working with the Curriculum and Teaching Practice Division on the Victorian Lesson Plans project. She is committed to ensuring all students access high-quality instruction and sees curriculum design and implementation as the foundation of consistent, purposeful, and impactful teaching.
Ingrid Sjolund worked in academic publishing for a number of years before she began her career in education. She has held a number of middle leadership roles, including Head of English and Humanities, and Learning Specialist for Literacy Improvement. As an English and History teacher, Ingrid sees narrative as a powerful influence when it comes to improving student knowledge and learning. As a leader, Ingrid is committed to supporting teachers to refine and improve their practice for their students’ – and their own – benefit.
Show notes
(to be added shortly)
This episode was produced by Jonathan Rav.
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Episode 5: Emma Castelow
Emma Castelow is an Assistant Principal at Lara Lake Primary School, in the northern suburbs of Geelong. As an experienced teacher and leader, Emma has worked across various primary school contexts as well as for the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, and in a regional role for the Department of Education as an Education Improvement Leader. In her role as Assistant Principal, Emma leads teaching and learning across the school and she is passionate about school improvement and ensuring every student has the opportunity to receive a high quality education.
Show notes
Insights into de-implementation https://evidenceforlearning.org.au/support-for-implementation/school-planning-and-recovery/de-implementation
De-implementation: Doing less to achieve more https://snacks.pepsmccrea.com/p/de-implementation
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills https://dibels.uoregon.edu/materials
Sounds-Write https://sounds-write.co.uk/
Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction
Responsive Teaching with Bron Ryrie Jones
Running the Room
The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading
Simon Sinek's Golden Circle
This episode was produced by Jonathan Rav.
I have had a diverse career across primary, secondary and tertiary education. While I have focused on English and literacy predominantly, I have also worked in roles focused on student wellbeing, disability funding and supports, and school engagement and attainment. I’ve also worked in child and adolescent psychiatry and as a lecturer and researcher. Working across roles and sectors has caused me to think critically, creatively and reflectively about how we design and deliver educational experiences in our schools, particularly the systems, structures and processes that may allow us to have the most impact.I recently left my Head of English role at a public school. It was one of the most rewarding, stimulating, demanding and difficult roles I’ve had. I now work with systems, schools, leaders, and teachers to develop ambitious and rigorous practices in English and literacy. I’ve met so many incredible English and literacy leaders over the last couple of decades. I think it’s one of the toughest, most complex portfolios to hold, and I wanted to provide a platform for great leaders to share their work. This is a podcast about the nitty gritty of leadership in English and literacy. I will interview a range of guests with diverse perspectives, experiences and roles.
Australia