Workshop 1

Sustainability

Preparing Now for What's Next. How to thrive in an age of disruption.
Michael McQueen (Keynote Presenter)

ABSTRACT:
Every business and industry today is facing a perfect storm of disruption and upheaval. In the face of the changes ahead, agility and adaptability will be more important than ever. The future success and survival of your organization will rest on the ability to anticipate, prepare for and pre-empt disruption.

In this fast-paced & compelling workshop presentation, audiences discover:
- The 3 forms that disruption will take in the coming decade with a specific focus on the technology impacts of AI, robotics and augmented reality
- The role millennials and gen z will play in redefining industry norms and consumer expectations
- The common culture and mindset traps that will set any organization on a collision course with obsolescence
– and how to avoid them
- Proven and practical strategies for staying one step ahead of change and remaining relevant.

Delegates will leave this presentation with a clear action plan for navigating disruption and emerging stronger than ever.

Leadership
Partnering with Students in School Leadership
Joe Wright (Fraser Coast Anglican College, Qld)

Faced with declining enrolments we undertook a number of initiatives to deepen student connection and sense of belonging to the school community.  Key to this strategy was moving from a largely tokenistic leadership model to one that offers genuine student voice in decisions that impact students and the future direction of the school.

Students have a seat at the table and an equal voice to staff in making decisions that impact the student experience.  Key committees are now equally represented by students and staff.  For example, students now comprise half of the Uniform Committee and have been instrumental in updating the College’s designs on sports shirts for the first time in 20 years (which included changing to another uniform provider), introducing more options for girls, rebranding House logos (including choosing a designer to work with), reviewing uniform and presentation policies.  Students also sit on any group that makes decisions that impact the student experience at the College.

Decisions that were only ever made by senior staff now involve authentic student voice.  E.g. the College was looking to spend $150k on a middle years playground / seating area.  The first meeting for this project involved the landscape architects and the Student Council (no staff). 

In 2020 the College wanted to move from a horizontal to a vertical tutor structure.  The student body largely opposed this move and through forums the leadership team changed the originally proposed model to a successful structure that has been embraced by students.

Students provide feedback to teachers.  Most significantly, when we needed to appoint a new Head of Secondary, the Student Council selected one student from each year level to form a committee that interviewed each candidate and provided input into the final decision.

As the Principal, I have had to place great trust in the student leadership body, sometimes against my instincts.  They have really taken me out of my comfort zone yet I have not been disappointed.  The two key benefits of this model is firstly, I have made better decisions as Principal and, secondly, I have grown as a leader throughout the process.

Leadership
Is there still a place for female-only leadership development conferences and courses?
Toni Riordan (St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School, Qld)

The Aspiring Women Leaders’ Conference has always been about empowerment.

St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School has convened the national Aspiring Women Leaders’ Conference since 2006. A generation of female leaders in Australian schools has grown into leadership, attending the conference as middle leaders and are now ‘reaching back’ to delegates as volunteer presenters, workshop facilitators, panelists, and mock interviewers.

The Aspiring Conference was founded on Karen Spiller OAM CF’s Churchill Fellowship research into factors that impact on the leadership aspirations of women in education. It suggests that women are reluctant to put themselves forward for leadership positions unless identified and sponsored by others and encouraged to take part in leadership preparation programs. The conference provides relevant training and preparatory experiences in leadership. As Principals and other senior leaders are often the most effective mentors and facilitators of leadership learning, the conference has traditionally drawn upon the experiences of practising leaders in schools.

The Aspiring Conference has helped women, through the support of other females who have ‘come before them’ to understand the system and ‘play it’ for the benefit of their careers.

But here we are in 2023 and we know that gender equality is not just a women’s issue; it’s economic and societal, and it affects us all. We also know that effective leadership practice now requires diversity, inclusion, and adaptive behaviours.

Journalist, author and former ‘Corporate Woman’ columnist for the Australian Financial Review, Catherine Fox asserts that the structures holding back women are part of a system that is deeply rooted in a male way of being. Fox believes fixing the system requires men to step up beside women as equal partners in change.

This workshop will invite participants to join a ‘talking circle’, after background information and current research is shared. A facilitated conversation will lead the group to consider ‘what if’ gender balance in educational leadership nurtured men who have a deep understanding of female leaders, and thus not only empowered women’s career aspirations but built better workplaces, and better schools too. As the Principal, I have had to place great trust in the student leadership body, sometimes against my instincts.  They have really taken me out of my comfort zone yet I have not been disappointed.  The two key benefits of this model is firstly, I have made better decisions as Principal and, secondly, I have grown as a leader throughout the process.

Wellbeing
Student agency and voice boosts wellbeing
Karen Yager (The Hills Grammar School, NSW)

The last two years of COVID and the uncertainty triggered by this pandemic have impacted on the wellbeing of young people. The Education Council (2020) reports that young people are becoming increasingly anxious about their futures. Our young people know that they are inheriting global challenges, such as climate change, international conflict, and health epidemics. The Human Rights Commission (2020) report that 29 percent of young people experienced mental health issues. The 2022 Save the Children report asserts that one in three young people have experienced lasting negative mental health and wellbeing effects.

The rate of change in society and the workplace is such that all we can say for certain is the future will be very different. With so much uncertainty and challenges, student wellbeing in the last two years has been compromised. Schools must find ways to enable young people to cope with this uncertainty and experience greater hope and optimism. According to Jan Owen (2022), for young people to flourish and experience wellbeing, they need to experience mastery, agency, and purpose. Shinde et al (2021) assert that student wellbeing can be improved if students believe that the school enables them to have a voice and greater agency.

This workshop will share the ways that we are moving towards achieving this and the successes. We have invited students from across the school to join a range of teams such as the ECEC Children’s Council, the Strategic Planning Team, the Hills Education passport for the Future team, the Library team, the Project Planet team, Tech Crew, and the Wellbeing team. The students have an authentic and valued say in what we are doing across ECEC to year 12. We have introduced alternative credentialing that uses micro-credentials to validate their passions, interest, and achievements beyond school.

Wellbeing
Depression and anxiety in teenagers – the perspective of a School Principal.
Dr John Collier (Shore School, NSW)