The National Voice for All Primary School Principals

2010 APPA Conference - Perth

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The opening ceremony of the conference is at 4.00pm on Tuesday 21 September.The conference will close after lunch on Friday, 24 September.

The report from the conference will be published here during the week after the conference.

The report will consist of:

  • session notes of the keynote addresses.These are published further down this website page. They are linked from the "Session notes" after each of the presenters. We recommend that the notes are read in conjunction with the relevant presentation file.
  • audio recordings - these are mp3 files. To play them online, click on the green arrow under the presenter's name. To download them to listen offline, right-click on a Windows PC and select `Save As ... and then save the file to a folder on your hard drive. 
  • presentation files. 
  • photographs taken around the conference. Click here to go to the gallery of 104 photographs taken by John Hodgkinson. Click here to go to the gallery of 188 photographs taken by Fotoworks.

 

Keynote Addresses:

 
 
 
  • Leadership Matters - Peter Baines, Detective Inspector. Session notes.
 
 
 
  • Lead and Coach with Ease - Steve Gray, Business Development Specialist. Audio recording.
 
 

Concurrent Presentations:

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Session 1: Opening Address - Colin Barnett, Premier of W.A.

  • "Each generation’s greatest responsibility is to educate the next generation."
  • What should we be looking for in our education system?
    • quality in every respect
    • excellence
    • choice for everyone in every aspect
    • equality of opportunity so that the young people achieve to their highest potential.
  • We don’t yet have that in every place, but we are always striving to achieve that.
  • National curriculum is being developed. It will be in place in the near future. It is supported by all states, and it will succeed if it is not overly prescriptive.
  • Greater emphasis on earliest years is good – programs, what is learned, child care, learning from birth.
  • Greater emphasis on the ways that schools are managed. Principals are central to that. One defining feature is the quality of the leadership in the school – differentiates between schools. Professional development of principals is essential.
  • W.A. has introduced a radical approach to schooling. W.A. has 800 government schools with 250,000 students. Challenges are always different in different areas.
  • Distance and isolation are major issues in WA. Huge distances – huge infrastructure costs and huge time costs. Have to be innovative in getting around it.
  • The independent public schools provide local communities with a greater level of autonomy.There are  34 now and an extra 64 next year.
  • We will end up with a system of government schools, not a government school system.
  • The school leadership in those schools group have capacity to "hire and fire". They have a one-line budget; they have curriculum choice. Results are a bit early but encouraging. Not all the same type of school chose to go into the scheme. Some have formed clusters of schools in an area.
  • It has raised the status of principals in the local community.
  • Greater community and parent involvement in the schools. Local community have learned the complexity of schools and the role of the school leader, and that has surprised them.
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Session 2: PALL: A National Pilot Project - Neil Dempster

  • The PALL Pilot is an action research project to improve children’s literacy in low SES communities. These are difficult schools, and they still have difficulty with literacy.
  • It rests on :
    • A Leadership for learning Blueprint for Principals. Actions they need to take. Framework produced.
    • 5 professional development stimulus modules to enhance knowledge about leadership, learning to read and intervention action.
    • A mentoring model of support through Literacy Achievement Advisers. Most important.
  • All literacy projects since 1977 show clear gains for teachers and their students, but they show that the improvements don’t last – they are not sustainable. Once the funds finish, the gains are lost.
  • We needed to find ways to make the gains enduring and sustainable. So this project provided no additional funds to schools (unlike all other projects). It focused on principals because they were under-represented in other projects.
  • 60 schools in the project, representative of the APPA membership.
  • PALL Management Group – 7 people. See slide 3. 7 Literacy Achievement Advisers.
  • The project consists of 5 modules.
  • Module 1: Understanding Leadership:
    • To provide principals with knowledge and understanding of a research-based leadership for learning framework.
    • To enable them to collect and discuss evidence about key domains of leadership for learning in their schools – self-reflection about the match between their practices and the research evidence. Drew on a range of research evidence and international projects, including the Best Evidence Synthesis Project from NZ (Viviane Robinson).
  • Module 2: Learning to Read:
    • To enhance Principals’ understanding of what research shows are the key components in learning to read – the ‘big six’.
    • To prepare Principals to undertake an ‘audit’ of the literacy practices in their schools and to discuss evidence of the ‘big six’ in action.
  • The ‘Big Six’:
    • Oral language experience
    • Phonological awareness and in particular, phonemic awareness
    • Letter/sound knowledge
    • Vocabulary
    • Fluency
    • Comprehension
  • The 'Big 6' – 5 from the literature, plus we added oral language (these are the topics for the videos on this website - click here to open the page where you can watch the reading intervention videos). Tools to help Principals observe classroom actions.
  • Module 3: Using Evidence:
    • To develop further Principals’ understanding of the link between data, teaching and learning strategies and improvements in reading.
    • To extend Principals’ knowledge of a range of assessment strategies including those to identify struggling readers.
  • This module shows the significance of evidence. Sound school-based evidence needs to be used to help principals re-professionalise the staff conversations about teaching and achievement. Also about assessment strategies to learn about the struggling kids.
  • Module 4: Planning Interventions:
    • To expand Principals’ knowledge and understanding of the nature of effective interventions, and in reading in particular.
    • To provide Principals with the tools to undertake intervention planning using ‘wave theory’ in their schools.
  • What are effective interventions? Which ones are sustainable in the area of reading? Research shows the things that need to be done to get traction on the problems.
  • Module 5: Evaluating Interventions:
    • To enable Principals to lead the design, planning, implementation and use of evaluation data on literacy intervention action.
  • Used the research on running successful in-school evaluations, e.g. from Scotland. 3 steps that principals must take – purpose, process and use. Provided templates to plan the evaluation and to put it into practice.
  • Each module takes a one-day seminar.
  • Leadership for Learning Framework – showed the diagram (see slide 9). Shows that the clear purpose that school leaders need to see in their work is that they are the guardians and leaders of the school’s moral purpose, which is to make kids’ lives better through learning. What is fair, right, just and good figures prominently in the work of all people in the school = never giving up on any of the kids. There has to be a strong evidence base for practices in the school – used with a generic strategy that principals use with their teachers = disciplined dialogue (different term used by other writers). Starts with evidence of the kids’ learning and achievement – links back to the teacher’s pedagogy.
  • 5 research-based domains from the research. Most significant is professional development – not just providing professional development, but active involvement in the professional development by everyone = teachers + whole leadership team, including the principal. 
  • Leadership one = shared leadership. 3 times as much purchase on links between leadership actions and student achievement than when principals work on their own.
  • Conditions for learning – without a well-supported, ordered calm environment, kids won’t learn. Social and emotional conditions as well as the physical environment.
  • The most difficult dimension is the community support one. The OECD report is clear that high engagement schools achieve best.
  • The Big 6 in literacy. #1 – oral language experience – critical across the years of primary school for everyone. Added as part of this project. The gap is established before the kid starts school.
  • Leadership for Learning:
    • Rests on an understanding that it is only through improved learning that student performance is enhanced over time.
    • Requires leaders’ continuous attention to each of the domains in the Leadership for Learning Blue Print.
  • There are other frameworks – Ontario 13 indicators for effective leadership or Robinson’s work in NZCER (reference 1, reference 2, reference 3).
  • Not a blueprint for all actions for the school leader – it is a framework for learning.
  • Slides on the research (slide 12 on). There is a strong evidence base. You have to have shared accountability if you share leadership.
  • Disciplined dialogue. Have to look at what the evidence tells about getting outcomes / improvement.
  • Developing a shared moral purpose. Thought to be done better in the Catholic schools, but looking at the values tied with the improvement of learning, this is not being done regularly – values related to spiritual and moral aspects are done better.
  • Participate actively in professional development. Need to work with teachers in professional learning. Have to learn to analyse data - not everyone knows how to do this already.
  • Sharing leadership. Has to be done systematically across the school. Russell Bishop NZ – must have buy-in by the teachers to get enduring commitment to change. Teachers must learn that they can make a difference to the kids’ learning and achievement.
  • Connecting with parents, etc. Can be hard to do this in low SES communities. Are trying many different things in various schools. In the UK, use local football club people to help the kids to start with.
  • Planning curriculum. PALL participant schools are committed to maintaining the top focus for the school to be on reading for 3 years, 1 after the project. Hope that it will be embedded by then. Will have to be revisited, but might be other focus issues by then. Research shows that schools need to have as few priorities as possible to get the greatest outcome.
  • Enhancing conditions for learning. No extra resources for the program participants; they get only the modules and the help from the Advisers. They have to work with the resources already in the schools. Have to apply resources to the “softer” side of the environment – social and emotional support. Celebrate success for teachers and kids, especially early. Set some goals with clear capacity for achievement quickly.
  • Follow-up tasks for principals and Advisers. See slides 20-24.
  • Module 1: Develop a school profile – they get it in a way that they can see how they match up against the other 59 schools. Develop a personal leadership profile – same benchmarking. Judging school strengths using the Leadership for Learning Blueprint – what the teachers think about how the school is working on the 5 dimensions of the blueprint. What are we seeing for the evidence, and why is that the way it is?
  • Module 2: Literacy Practices Guide – on the APPA website. Use evidence to share good practice and identify areas for improvement.
  • Module 3: reading assessment tools already available. Gathering evidence from the Literacy Practices Guides.
  • Module 4: plan for literacy interventions using Wave ‘theory’ (wave 1 = whole-school program; wave 2 = for at-risk kids; wave 3 = for struggling kids – enduring actions / withdrawal programs) and a basic planning schedule. 1 page summary for use in Module 5.
  • Module 5: 2-phase evaluation of the intervention actions. Chart kids’ learning and achievement and see the influence of the blueprint dimensions on practice. 
  • Seeing changes in teaching and learning across the school. Need to find out what that influence of the blueprint has been. There are different focus issues in each of the schools.
  • Research on interventions lines up exactly with the research on indicators for good learning. See the table showing Intervention Touchstones and Blueprint Dimensions on slide 25.
  • Conclusions:
    • The role of the Advisers is showing up early in the project to be critical to the success of the support for principals in these low SES schools.
    • The materials that have been produced show as being very strong support for their work in schools.
    • Intervention processes are being rated highly.
    • Principals say that they now know more and that they can engage with their teachers better.
  • "It’s not about blaming the victim" - "…the task to be accomplished is not to revise, and amend, and repair deficient children, but to alter and transform the atmosphere and operations of the schools to which we commit these children. Only by changing the nature of the educational experience can we change the product. To continue to define the difficulty as inherent in the raw material, the children, is plainly to blame the victim and to acquiesce in the continuation of educational inequality." Ryan (1976, pp. 61−62).
  • We can not continue to blame the kids that walk through the gate.
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Session 3: Positive Psychology Goes to School - Dr Suzy Green

  • Flourishing individuals have a ratio of 3 positive emotions to negative. High performing teams have a 5:1 ratio of positive interactions.
  • Train your brain to focus on what is going well – natural instinct is to focus on the negative.
  • Her background is in clinical psychology. She found that she could not do that all day every day - it was all about treatment. Better to focus on promotion of good mental health.
  • View your work as a calling = better overall life and work satisfaction.
  • Her strengths = zest, curiosity, creativity, love of learning and hope.
  • Other strengths = Connector, Bounceback, Prevention, Rapport Builder, Resilience, Persuasion, Legacy.
  • Positive psychology = strength-based psychology.
  • What is Positive Psychology?
    • It is "the scientific study of optimal functioning." (Gable & Haidt, in Review of General Psychology, 2005)
    • "Positive Psychology works to promote optimal functioning across the full range of human functioning, from disorder and distress to health and fulfilment" (Linley & Joseph, Positive Psychology in Practice, 2004)
  • Fairness, equity and justice – 3 important character strengths of teachers in her experience.
  • Australia is a world leader in coaching and positive psychology in research and practice.
  • Her work has been about application of Positive Psychology through coaching.
  • Scientific study of optimal functioning – Gable & Haidt, 2005.
  • Martin Seligman was one of the original developers of the concept of Positive Psychology.
  • Positive Psychology works to promote optimal functioning across the full range of human functioning, from disorder and distress to health and fulfillment (Linley and Joseph, 2004).
  • It is for everyone.
  • What is Positive Education? See slides 5 and 6. She is passionate about it for staff, not just for students.
  • Positive Education utilises the research base from the field of Positive Psychology to enhance the optimal functioning of students, teachers, staff and the whole school. It involves the application of Positive Psychology research on topics such as wisdom, mental fitness, virtues & strengths, mindfulness, flow, positive emotions, purpose and meaning + much more….
  • Coaching = applied Positive Psychology. The research shows that Positive Psychology sustains the changes in the long term.
  • Over 20 years of research shows that setting and striving for personally-meaningful goals is highly correlated with well-being.
  • Some points of clarification about Positive Education:
    • The terms “happiness” and “well-being” are still being used interchangeably. We need to talk about well-being, not about happiness.
    • Seligman states happiness is “too worn and weary a term to be of much scientific use”.
    • Fredrickson says it is “semantically messy”.
    • We need to clarify for those in education interested in PP that it is for “optimal functioning”.
    • It is about feeling good & about doing good!
  • The Science of Wellbeing – book - extracts at Google Books.
  • Why do we need it? 
    • For reduction of mental illness; poor mental health can impede academic & social success.
    • For increasing well-being and optimal functioning; better learning & more creative thinking.
    • For creating virtuous citizens and a virtuous society!
    • Schools have immense influence on the development of youth.
    • The primary focus is on the acquisition of fundamental academic skills.
    • Positive Psychology can directly influence academic outcomes through the development of intrapersonal and interpersonal strengths (of students & staff!).
    • Many programs are focused on preventing pathology rather than building health, e.g. The School Psychologist’s role is primarily reactive not proactive.
  • Programs that aim at reducing depression are different from programs that increase well-being. We need both.
  • Australian Positive Psychology Association – symposium in April 2009. Click here to open the page where you can download the presentations. PP in Education Symposium. Holding it again in 2011.
  • Australian schools adopting – mindmap diagram on slide 13. Each school is doing it differently. Many are implementing just one initiative, rather than a whole-school embedded “program”.
  • Examples on slide 14: Gratitude (write down 5 things you are grateful for once a month – research shows the benefits), kindness (random acts of kindness), hope (goal setting and finding pathways to goals; coaching; = high levels of well-being), optimism (Seligman - Learned Optimism programs at Geelong Grammar; cognitive behavioural coaching; challenges ANTS = automatic negative thoughts – negative or irrational thinking), and strengths (big area in Positive Psychology; “Celebrating Strengths” book). You can take an online "test" about learned optimism - click here.
  • Positive Psychology Intervention – Norrish PhD – see slide 15.
  • Authentic Happiness website – Martin Seligman is the Director – has an online inventory. Pleasurable, engaged and meaningful – 3 roads to the good life. Many people are strong in one and not another. You need to be strong in meaning, because it has the biggest impact. Depression = a sense of hopelessness and a lack of meaning. Adolescents are usually high on pleasure and very low on meaning / purpose.
  • Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology are complementary:
    • Positive Psychology: scientific research to better understand human flourishing.
    • Coaching Psychology: a framework for change to apply PP research to everyday life.
    • Complementary Partners in the creation of flourishing individuals, groups, organisations, communities!
  • Why do we need coaching? Paper by Olivero.
  • Coaching is the transfer of training / knowledge. Can be lost, if you don’t think how it will apply to you personally and how you can apply it in your life.
  • Coaching is about assisted self-regulation. 24 character strengths – one is about the ability to stay on task and regulate your emotions and behaviours. Most people are not all that great at doing it. Coaching helps to build your strength.
  • What the research tells us about coaching:
    • Significant decreases in Depression (normal).
    • Significant increases in Hope (shown to predict goal attainment & well-being).
    • Significant increases in Cognitive Hardiness (resilience).
  • Positive Education Research. Example of her program at a Sydney independent school - see slide 21.
  • Developmental Coaching for High School Teachers – in press, in the Consulting Psychology Journal.
  • Many people don’t have a space in their lives where they can talk about their stresses and take a solution-based approach to changing their lives.
  • Coaching program – see slide 22. Involves 360 degree feedback program. Then 10 sessions with a coach. 360 degree feedback can be very confronting to people. Most people avoid giving feedback to others. But if we don’t get feedback, how can we know what to change?
  • Google “stress in teachers” – huge number of references. Need more professional development for teachers, BUT not just in technical skills. We often get promoted on the technical skills, but we need good people skills to be successful.
  • We need training, and then we need the coaching to transfer that training.
  • Teaching, living and embedding Positive Psychology - Seligman's suggestions.
  • Teaching Positive Psychology:
    • • There is a place for stand-alone Positive Psychology courses.
    • Not “happiness classes” if we want to be taken seriously!
    • It’s about “mental fitness” or “optimal functioning” or “well-being”.
    • Training for teachers first, then students.
    • Include Parents!!
  • Hope to change the term from Positive Psychology to just Psychology. Will give more balance to treatment / prevention.
  • Living Positive Psychology:
    • WWW: What went well?
    • Mindfulness in all schools! For students and for teachers!
    • A shared language of strengths - VIA known to all - seeing the best in others!
    • A coaching culture - bringing out the best in others!
  • What went well? The 24 character strengths need to be known by everyone, then we can put a language around it.
  • Positive Education It’s for the students! Yes, but more so for the teachers! High rates of stress and burnout! Teachers are role-models. If they’re not flourishing, what is the impact on the students?
  • The future? Key questions:
    • How can Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology be used in an integrative approach for a individualised, holistic school-based intervention?
    • How can we enhance the transfer of training?
    • How can we make the implicit explicit and the explicit implicit?
  • Development of  an Applied Positive Psychology strategy to support the overall school strategy. How to create sustained change. Training. Set up a working party committed to doing it. Creation of a strategic plan over 3-5 years – individualised, multi-initiative strategy across all areas of the school.
  • Gave an example of a draft strategic plan – complex diagram. Identify the positive core and discuss that.
  • Implicit instruction. Behaviours, use of language, values and beliefs, attitudes, quality of feedback (intention is to help you). High stakes conversations – start with heart.
  • Wish list .. see slides 38-39. It includes training for everyone in Positive Psychology. Coaching training. Strengths assessment of all students and staff. Use your champions. Create a coaching culture. VIA assessment is free and online - you need to register (for no cost) at their website.
  • Organisational psychology has plenty of information.
  • First steps:
    • Immerse yourself in the literature.
    • Attend conferences & workshops.
    • Talk to other schools.
    • Engage experts and work collaboratively.
    • Training in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology.
    • Create a Positive Psychology Working Party (champions).
    • Make a start!
  • You can contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Session 4: Leadership Matters - Peter Baines

  • He was working in the Australian Federal Police - in their forensic science branch. His special expertise was in victim identification.
  • Note: He told the story of his experiences in Thailand during the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. The notes below show only the aspects of leadership and related matters that he spoke about.
  • Unique challenges require unique solutions.
  • Just having hope is not a plan.
  • In Thailand, over 5000 people died in the Boxing Day tsunami. It was the biggest victim identification project ever.
  • Teamwork is about achieving what one person alone finds impossible. In that situation, teamwork has to be almost instant. Also needs leadership and aims. And coordination among the lead agencies.
  • He now works on building disaster response capacity.
  • 2 types of leadership:
    • positional - look at the org chart for your organisation chart; and
    • leadership without authority.
  • True leaders are identified by their actions and reactions.
  • Leaders are present where the challenges are being faced. Gives you credibility with the team members – they know that you understand the challenges that they face. Example – Mayor Rudi Giuliani in the post-9/11 in New York – was at Ground Zero immediately. Vs President Bush’s slow move to New Orleans after the floods.
  • Clarity of purpose. Organisations are good at seeing the mission and value statement. They are good if the people understand why that direction has been chosen.
  • You do not understand what is really important to you until your resolve is tested.
  • You must be absolutely clear why you do what you do. It is then easier to make the hard decisions.
  • Looking for answers. As leaders, we don’t have to have all the answers. Ask for help. Set up networks of people whom you can go to for help.
  • Much of the energy of a leader is about managing things for the teams. Need to understand what their challenges are and what their needs are.
  • Bring back the passion. If you have a process in place, and you don’t value the contribution of every person, the outcomes will be decreased. Find out what they are passionate about, and you buy into that with integrity and honesty.
  • People are not motivated by money.
  • Leadership matters for every one of us – teacher and principals and us as individuals in our lives away from the job.
  • Crisis is the testing ground for leadership.
  • Hands Across the Water – the charity that he founded – built an orphanage. No donations are spent on administration – those costs are met by the Directors.
  • Results matter, not excuses.
  • Don’t let other people impose their limitations on you.
  • If you want long-term results, you have to commit long-term.
  • They grow, so we do as well.
  • Courage is in making hard decisions. And then living with the outcomes.
  • Have respect for those who have made the hard decisions.
  • He showed a plan of the next building. Not often is the roof the most appealing part. Been designed to hold 1000 on the roof – tsunami refuge area – gives the people peace of mind.
  • You can do what has already been done, or you can do something different.
  • For each, the journey is very different.
  • You do professional development, but how often do you feed your soul?
  • "You only get one go. Seriously, you only get one go."
  • "Enjoy what you do, or change what you do."
  • peterbaines.com.au
  • Suthasinee Foundation – for kids with HIV.
  • "Never miss an opportunity to give your kids a hug and tell someone dear to you that you love them"

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Session 5: Instructional Leadership in a Time of Instructional Revolution - Spencer Kagan

  • His website with free materials.
  • The aim of his materials is to increase engagement in classrooms.
  • When we have full engagement, everything changes – increased learning, social skills, attendance, decreased discipline. Putting these things in place is pretty easy.
  • One of your role is to be instructional leader. Focus on the how of teaching, not the what.
  • Often have students interacting, have to have a ‘quiet’ signal, e.g. raise the hand.
  • Exercise: Turn to one other person at the table and put your hands together. Pairs only. Talk about what you have learned at the conference so far? What do you hope to learn?
  • Are you more alert when you use the ‘quiet’ signal. Helps us to focus attention, so achievement increases.
  • Marco Iacoboni – "Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others" – neuroscience. From a book review: "What accounts for our remarkable ability to get inside another person's head--to know what he or she is thinking and feeling? Marco Iacoboni, a leading neuroscientist, explains the groundbreaking research into mirror neurons, the "smart cells" in our brain that allow us to understand others. From imitation to morality, from political affiliations to consumer choices, mirror neurons are relevant to myriad aspects of social cognition." Video 1. Video 2.
  • Paired discussion is not a good way to increase learning. It will increase the achievement gap by the end of the year. if you pair a high achiever with a low achiever, who will achieve more? All have learned, but they have learned at a different rate.
  • Exercise: This time, do a timed pair-share. Need an A and a B person. A 45 second exercise. Listener does a “complete this sentence: …” Say “I enjoy listening to you because …” and then complete the sentence. Second half of the exercise is to reverse roles. This time, use a copycat gambit: “You are simply, incredibly fascinating to listen to.” It feels great even if you are certain they are lying! This reduces the gap at the end of the school year – everyone is engaged. Takes 2 minutes to give everyone in the class a chance to verbalise, and everyone is engaged. Takes an hour the traditional way, and most kids are bored for 59 minutes.
  • Engaged students retain the information and like the information. Reduces the achievement gap, but it also reduces equity.
  • Time pair-share is one of 200 structures that are part of the Kagan training materials. 40 years ago, personality psychologists and behavioural psychologists were at war. They disagreed on what determines behaviour. We can show now that how you structure the situation determines the behaviour.
  • Cooperative learning gets everyone engaged. Asking questions of the class in a traditional way gets answers from the high achievers and the low achievers tune out.
  • Exercise: Rally Robin. Name one adjective about the person in the photo, and then the other person does it, and so on. Takes much less time to get everyone responding, and gets everyone thinking of other responses. Do you call on one or on everyone?
  • Teachers have a choice at every moment – can be the traditional teacher or can use simple structures to get everyone engaged.
  • Traditional way = teacher asks a question, high achievers raise their hand and make noise to be called on. Others with their hands up lower their hands and make disappointed noise – so have 20 tuned out plus 9 disappointed ones.
  • Use it or lose it. Norman Doidge’s book – "The Brain That Changes Itself"– if the neurones are not firing, they get lost.  Neurones that fire together wire together. Video 1.
  • 1984 – Goodlad study of 100 classrooms showed that for 70% of the time teachers talked and students listened passively. 90% of the classes lacked intense student engagement.
  • 2007 – studied 2500 classrooms. For 90% of the time teachers talked. 90% of the classes lacked intense student engagement.
  • We have a better way of structuring things. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" – Einstein.
  • Group work/discussion is not cooperative learning. The high achiever still take over. Need to structure the situation so that everyone is engaged.
  • "Of all classroom grouping strategies, cooperative learning may be the most flexible and powerful." (Marzano, 2003)
  • Coaching – lots of seminar work is lost back in the classroom – have to go into the room and do coaching. Traditional coaching methods don’t work. Old model: Pre-conference, then  observation, the post-conference with feedback. Don’t know if anything had changed.
  • Needs to be active in-the-moment coaching. Use just one structure and do the whole pre-observe-post activity. It is not about the quality of the coaching but the level of increased accountability put on the teacher.
  • Uses observation forms to give feedback to the teacher.
  • Essential elements for success: change = support (positive interdependence) + pressure (individual accountability – observe the classrooms).
  • Structures have an embedded curriculum – not just learning but learning how to work together. So also have better social skills – how can we work together rather than who is the alpha person?

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Session 6: Early Years Pedagogy and Instructional Leadership: Time for Transformation - Collette Tayler

  • Her work is abut expanding the early childhood frame – bringing more science into the way we care for and raise and educate young children.
  • Personal learning  - see slide 2. Shows the 2 pathways in OECD countries – one focus on high quality programs (have had great results over 30-40 years; Nordic countries) and one on high quantity programs (places and costs and places; access high priority; Australia – trying to get enough service on the ground in a mixed market model). Korea – holding programs for parents at work because of great employment growth – low quality, high quantity – high reputational risk. Still in Australia, 40% on average of workers in early care in Australia have no qualifications. It is "an occupation trying to be a profession without a professional practice."
  • Learning from birth - slide 3. Early experiences have the biggest impact on children’s long-term outcomes. "CERI: Understanding the Brain: The Birth of a Learning Science" - download the report from the linked page. "After two decades of pioneering work in brain research, the education community has started to realise that “understanding the brain” can help to open new pathways to improve educational research, policies and practice. This report synthesises progress on the braininformed approach to learning, and uses this to address key issues for the education community."
  • Higher skill levels functions build on lower levels functions. The brain can rebuild the nerve architecture. Capacity for change is highest earlier in life – decreases over time. Neuroplasticity – definition.
  • Instructional leaders seeking to improve children’s social and academic achievements in early school years must go far beyond the classroom. Expand the frame of reference. Learning is an agenda for us from birth.
  • The quality of the program matters.
  • In 2004, they looked at first phase of the Queensland program in some of the trial sites. Age cohort was 2000 kids in 39 sites all over the state – mixture of the traditional program and new play-based program and Year 1. 4 types of results – see slides 5 to 7. It is very hard work to engineer a program that is positive for everyone – kids are very diverse. For the bottom quartile of kids (especially Indigenous, Pacific and TSI, Asian), traditional programs took them backwards in numeracy over the year. Language slide 7 – the dosage makes a difference – preschool was sessional; preparatory was whole-week.
  • Effect of quality … slide 8. Quality and length of the program has an effect on achievement. Low quality on the left with low duration. )EPPE Study, England. Year 6 performance.)
  • Prosocial behaviour slide 9. Learning threshold condition - younotice it when it is not there in a kid. Size of effect is greatest in a high quality program.
  • Antisocial behaviour slide 10. They have to learn not to aggress; it is not built into them. High quality programs lead to the greatest effects.
  • Quality and program duration count - slide 11. 40 years longitudinal in the case of the Abecedarian study.
  • Number of days in a quality preschool as well as number of hours each day will make a difference in the size of the effect on the kid. Not enough to get quantity; they must have quality assured programs as well.   
  • Australia has a lot to learn about duration. We have a 15 hour guarantee for 4 year olds. Overseas, 100% of 2 to 3 years age are in high quality kindergarten programs. Only 29% of Queenslanders are in a kindergarten program. Almost full participation in Vic and WA. For disadvantaged kids, length of time made a difference as well – some kids need more time.
  • How do we get inside the quality of the program? Can measure outcomes. Can measure short and medium and long term benefits. Currently focus on measurable things like the structural input variables. But it is what we do in the program that is most important.
  • 7 national standards – slide 14. Educational program and practice is the first and most important.
  • Elements of the early years framework - slide 15. 
    • Emphasis on the planned or intentional aspects of the curriculum.
    • Repertoire of pedagogical practices, including ‘intentional teaching’
  • What are we gathering about what we do inside the program? Analyse that as a network. Need to embed all three strands from  birth: child-directed play and learning + guided play and learning + adult-led learning.
  • Slide 16 brings an educational lens across ECEC 0-8 - 3 strands. For data warehouse establishment. Allows providing evidence to support case for more resources for early years.
  • Australia is the 2nd lowest in OECD spending on early childhood.
  • "E4KIDS: questions about change over time". We want a robust evidence base for Australian culture – currently have to use overseas studies. What does not being in a program mean for those kids? For 2.5 to 4.5 year olds – currently half in Queensland and half in Victoria. See slide 18 with information about the sample used for the study. Stratified random sample of the kids. Control group of 350 kids not in a program at all.
  • Slide 19 shows the basic analytic model. Use background contexts and ECEC programs as the basis and then measure outcomes over time. Measure against a set of hypotheses about program components, family participation and the engagement of specific groups.
  • John Hattie’s work on Visible Learning (reference 1, reference 2) – contributions to achievement – greater than 0.4 effect size. See slide 21 for the list of contributors to the effects from the child, preschool, home, school and teacher. Data collection: direct assessment of kids and programs – see slide 22.
  • Questionnaires: parent, directors, teachers, care givers - slide 23.
  • Inside the pedagogy: 2 sub-scales. ECERS-R – 7 sub-scales and ECERS-E – 4 sub-scales. See slide 24.
  • CLASS – Classroom Assessment Scoring System (slide 25) – emotional support (regard for child perspectives – kid-friendly), classroom organisation, and instructional support (concept development, quality of feedback, language modelling, literacy focus – all over the place with no clear pattern) – each has 3 or 4 sub-elements. Have trained observers who look at each element and its characteristics – collect quantitative data = what is going on in the classroom.
  • Master of EC Teaching - slide 26.
  • Learning to see without judging. Get into what we do and say.
  • Essentially:
    • Moving from inference & judgment (know, understand, feel) to recording the evidence (do, say, make write, draw).
    • Learning network analysis for revealing the cause-effect relationships within teaching and learning events.
    • Specific design for improving learning outcomes.
    • Transparency – letting go of ‘practice as a matter of individual taste5. Learning focused from birth.
  • "Professionals are people who share a common practice, not people whose practices are determined by taste and style." Elmore, 2009.
  • She is about a transforming EC profession. An education concept mixed with leadership models that collect evidence of everyday learning & teaching to:
    • increase the positive effects of program on children;
    • improve social & academic achievement; and
    • make the curriculum & pedagogy transparent.
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Session 7: The Why Generation - Bernard Salt

  • These are the children of the Baby Boomers and the later generation – now in primary schools. Over the next 10 years, it will be very different from the last 10 years. Major ethnic shifts as well as other demographics.
  • Top 10 fastest growing places in Australia (slide 5) – Brisbane (21,000 each year extra), Gold Coast (15,643), Moreton Bay, Wyndham (western Melbourne, Victoria), Sunshine Coast, Wanneroo (WA), Casey (S E Melbourne), Ipswich, Melton (W Melbourne), Blacktown(NSW).
  • Why? western Melbourne = affordability – current times. Gold Coast = lifestyle – past times.
  • Ethnic composition (slide 6): Top 5 fastest growing 'tribes': China - 166,000 (professions), India (entrepreneurs), NZ, UK, South Africa. Replacing Greeks and Italians of earlier times = Anglo-Mediterranean fusion of lifestyle and values. Will our lifestyle change to a more Asian one over the next decades – need awareness of cultural subtleties.
  • Contracting 'tribes' – Italy, Poland, Greece, Malta, Hungary.
  • What has the Australian nation done with the continent over the past 25 years. Depopulated the rural/inland areas and moved to the coastal areas (slide 7). Has implications for building schools.
  • "Never look forward 10 years without first looking back 10 years." (slide 8) 2.5 million extra people in the past 10 years. Great growth in the aging Baby Boomers. Has changed consumer demand. Real estate changes. Shift towards the 50+ population.
  • Next 10 years: an extra 3 million people in Australia. There are now 70,000 more babies being born each year than in 2000 = huge extra demand for things for kids – transport, sport, etc. Larger numbers now in the 25-34 age groups – 'studentification' of the population. Schools now have an outsourced parenting role – 1 kid, 2 parents, 4 grandparents.
  • Early active retirement – grandparent generation to the student population. Coming out of the workforce – educated, spare time, articulate – first ones like this = potential for strong volunteerism for primary schools.
  • Population forecasts from Department of Aging:
  • Top 10 fastest growing in next 10 years – where to put housing and schools: Gold Coast (14,000 extra in 0-4 age = several hundred extra teachers). Ipswich, Brisbane, Wanneroo, Wyndham, Melton, Casey, Blacktown, Camden, Cardinia.
  • Major growth in the aged 85+ population = much more aged care needed. Gold Coast, Brisbane, Maroochy, Hornsby, Wollongong. Sutherland Shire, Greater Geelong, Caboolture, Caloundra, Stirling.
  • Changes in life expectancy have led to changes in the 'stages' of our lives. Graph on slide 9.
  • Life expectancy in Australia in 1928 was 63, and people had to wait until they were 65 to get the old age pension. At that time, a person was a child until 14. then an adult. No such thing as a teenager. Old at 51 or 52 at that time, in both looks and dress.
  • By 1968, life expectancy was 71, and that was 6 years in retirement. Teenage phase was invented then. We became old much later in life.
  • By 2008, life expectancy was now 82 = 17 years in retirement. The most common age for retirement is now 58, so retirement is even longer = 2 decades. Must change your thinking. So we now enter the work force later because of training, education and lifestyle.
  • Changes to stages of life. Teen = transition phase between kid and adult. 2010 – 82 years (most common age for retiring = 58 = 27 years in retirement). So we are now extending the working life – but organising our work around our life, not the other way around.
  • Adolescence was also invented – we have enlarged the teen period to age 29 or 30. Change from Neighbours to Secret Life of Us, Friends, etc.
  • Average age at first marriage = 29 now (21 in 1970s). Lifestyle choice. Delayed commitments. Average age of first confinement = 321 – more educated, richer, settled, demanding, etc.
  • We are now seeing people start to make the transition to retirement from their late 40s.
  • Many now have a portfolio style of lifestyle in 50s.
  • Will move to more part-time workers after age 65 in next 10 years – not enough tax money to support pensions at level to what we expect.
  • Who is Gen Y? Slide 10.
    • Shaped by their parents’ experiences. (remember Corey Worthington.)
    • Born 1976-1991 to rich and indulgent parents; guilty parents because they both work.
    • Bought material things.
    • Raised in an era of prosperity. No memory of high interest rates.
    • Live in the present because have never known hardship.
    • Safety net of indulgent parents.
    • Hard to retain them in the workplace.
    • Often single kids in the family.
    • Never known waiting their turn, hand-me-down clothes, deference.
    • Less fazed by authority – always had a one-on-one with authority. Negotiated their actions with one person – especially if their parents divorced.
    • No hierarchy fear.
    • Baby Boomers = deferential to the boss. Gen Y = tell the boss how to run the company.
    • Hard to manage Gen Y – they are fearless and risk takers.
    • Gen Y uses a new language with respect to work. No “contracts” – they have employment “deals”. No “bosses” – they defer to mentors, coaches who are interested in their welfare = tribal relationships. You can build on this – their loyalty is to their colleagues, not to the boss.
    • Gen Y will be the disappointed generation.
    • Will be in the middle of a recession – tight labour market.
    • Not a prosperous middle age = the opposite of their grandparents. Tougher to go from prosperity as a kid to hardship later in life than the other way around.
    • Their grandparents valued concepts – frugality, going without, sacrifice. If you do that today, you are a loser – grab what you can.
  • So Gen Y is attractive to have in the workforce, but they are impossible to manage. Great volunteers, but need the social cachet of sexy places such as archaeological digs in Africa.
  • Income earnings peak in age late 40s - slide 11. 4 quarters in life related to incomes: dependence (on parents); development (no extra money apart from setting up life); peak income; lifestyle (retirement, grandparents); departure (bonus time - past life expectancy age).
  • Outlook for strong growth in school-age population over the next 30 years (slide 12). How to manage that and deliver it to the right places will be an issue for society.
  • 40-60 age. Spending peaked in the Australian market in the past 20 years. Very different prospect – drop in the next 20-30 years. Mining boom; etc.
  • 60-80 age. Huge early active retirement group. Medical technology industries would be a good investment.
  • Demographic fault line in the population graph in Australia - happens about now - slide 16. In the 15-64 age groups. They are the ones who buy consumer goods, pay tax, have kids, take out loans. Have geared our economy and education system around the growth of the taxation base – 150-200K per year over the past 60 years.
  • Trajectory to ‘low road’ of 28 million population. Fault line at 2011 – loss of skills (e.g. teachers). More leaving workforce than entering workforce.
  • ‘High road’ to 35 million. Need 180,000 migrants each year to hold up the tax base to provide for increase in social services for the aged population.
  • Jobs in the teaching industry are on the rise - slide 17. 127,000 primary teachers in 2006 census – 13% growth in 5 years – workforce grew 10%. 1 in 165 people in Australia is a primary school teacher.
  • Age and gender distribution of primary teachers at 2006 census – age profile graph - slide 18. 30% over 50 4 years ago – where do you get the new ones from? Need skilled migrants – someone else has paid for their youth and training, and they pay tax for another 40 years.
  • The Dubai Effect. Rise of a new hemisphere = East Asia. Shanghai + Hong Kong + Singapore + Sydney. Worldwide, 30% of a great city’s population come from elsewhere. Tokyo – only 1% from outside Japan.
  • Dubai = safe haven in a troubled world up to the GFC. Used to be Switzerland for Europe. Will be Australia’s role for new Asia – we will provide services to east Asia – education services, commodities.
  • GFC has prompted the rise of the "moral consumer" - slide 20. New psychographic paradigm. New wowserism. New taboos. Anti-smoking, anti-corporate excess, anti-obesity, anti-alcoholism. Rise of moral taxes, e.g. on fast food. New type of celebrity = Paris Hilton to 2008 era. Now could be a new global celebrity that encapsulates inner, true value = Susan Boyle (plain, middle-aged, talented). New set of values driving consumer behaviour.
  • Great Australian Man Drought - graph on slide 21. We have used NZ as a human capital mine for years, and now other countries are doing it to Australia.
  • Baby Boomers get off on how far you can catapult your kids out of the country. We want them back by the age of 30, settled, so that they can pay Australian taxes for the next 30 years.

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Session 8: From the Classroom to the Boardroom - Wendy McCarthy

  • “Education is the only game in town.”
  • She talked about the journey she made from the classroom and why education has been so important to her.
  • "Education is one of the few things that you can acquire that no one can take away from you."
  • Started school at the age of 3 in western NSW – small Anglican grammar school. Then moved and went to a one-teacher school. Learned about reading. She was the only one in her class, so she got used to coming first. Big shock when a new girl came to the school and came first! When she went to high school, that was her first contact with Maths. She had "a rather unstructured education program in primary school."
  • But she still got "a fantastic education". Then she went to the University of New England on a teacher’s college scholarship. She was the first person in her family to go to university. Teachers pushed her to apply for scholarships. Aunt went guarantee. "My father was Irish."
  • Started teaching and loved it. Thought that she would be there for the rest of her life – until she got married (the rule in those days was that married women could not be teachers). That’s what girls did. So she did get married, and her bond was waived. Culture said that married women did not work. Being a teacher was secondary to being a married woman.
  • She moved to London and worked in a comprehensive school.
  • Then went to the USA.
  • "Every place had its own education revolution."
  • The three principals she worked with were all different.
  • The first was tough and authoritarian. Trying to be the perfect school. Second (in England) – "we don’t say no to our girls. We want them to be leaders." The school population was 35% West Indian, 20% Cypriot, and the rest were moved there from the East End. Kept trying to give them positive reinforcement. It worked.
  • She then worked in Arkansas (husband worked in Pittsburgh) in a classy Catholic girls school – Mother Superior was principal – first time (after Kennedys) that Catholics became fashionable. Asked to teach American History – had done it a bit at school – "but there is our American History, and there is theirs." She was told that she would be the only lay teacher and "we don’t show our knees here." Had to buy new clothes. Principal was the most inspirational leader she has met. Had no green card, but she was told that "God will provide." Asked to tell the girls about what you do in married life. Said that she would not listen. Time of Vietnam – brother conscripted in the first ballot. Asked to bring husband in for dinner, with her husband, to meet friends of the nuns – they ran a halfway house for conscientious objectors to Canada. Sent her to the marches. Gave her the chance to see both sides of American politics – balanced sort of leadership.
  • Saddens her that the status of teachers is low now. Would love to run a campaign to tell people how wonderful teaching is. In Japan (her son), teachers are respected, not here.
  • They came back to Australia, where she became pregnant. Principal told her that would not be good to teach. She was put on as a relief teacher. Single and female with a career, or married and casual at that time.
  • That was too hard, so she set up Women’s Electoral Lobby and started that activity. Still looking at education in its various forms.
  • Wanted to change the way that people perceived women and giving women the means to take charge of their own lives.
  • Gift of the feminist movement of the 70s was the ability for women to get an education to university level.
  • Got her first board position.
  • Worked in community education.
  • Found that higher people were "the same as the rest of us, sometimes not as good."
  • Became the Director of the Higher Education Board – 18 men and her – they were not impressed. Eventually found a way of working together. There are ways of effecting the changes you want. "We must be the change that we want to see." (Gandhi). Did not ever want her husband and kids to feel left out.
  • She said that she has been rewarded for being a change agent. Many feel self-censorship because they are frightened to speak out. Finding your voice is a gift that starts in the early classrooms – to help them find their voice – encourage dissent in a respectful way – engage in respectful discourse.
  • Went on the ABC Board – asked by Senator John Button. Then asked to be the Chairman of the ABC the next day. Ended up as the Deputy Chair under Ken Myer. Asked herself what she knew about it. Button later told her that she had a voice, an authentic Australian voice. It was great for the 8 years. "The ABC is the most important cultural artifact in Australia." She and the other 2 women on the Board had an agenda, including child care, no discrimination against women in jobs.
  • No woman had read the news on the ABC until 1982. Until the 1960s male news readers wore dinner suits!
  • Then she went to the Bicentennial Authority. Passion for helping people find out what it is to be Australian.
  • Then she went to the CEO of the National Trust. Caring about things Australian.
  • Then she to the Heritage Commission and found the treasures, e.g. New Norcia.
  • Now she has an "eclectic portfolio" (Charles Handy’s term).
  • She set up her own business - coaching and mentoring.
  • PLAN – child-focused aid agency / child rights. 66 countries. Became the Vice-Chair. Community-based organisation. Child sponsorship organisation.
  • 75% of the world’s poor are women, and their children go with them.
  • She is on the Board of Circus Oz - takes Australia to the world in an entertaining way. Opened the Edinburgh Festival in 2009.
  • She is on the Board of Headspace – mental health.
  • She is the Director of GoodStart – the old ABC Learning company. That used to be Eddie Groves’ company – now a not-for-profit organisation. Some unfinished business for her.
  • She started a mentoring business. Started by working with 2 young women in Citigroup. They told her: "I want someone whose shoes I can walk in." (Atticus Finch). Found a couple of senior women. Out of that now has 150 working as mentors with her all around Australia. Nearly all her clients are banks.
  • How do we get a balance in our life? How to negotiate that? OK to work long hours under high pressure until about age 31, then realise that there are other things in life that they need to do soon.
  • Some years ago, the brightest brains went into financial services (for the money), not into teaching or even the law. Now they need to find out what sort of person they really want to be. That is her current goal. Systems have to change to deliver services. Health and education systems are very inflexible, especially for women.
  • "Everyone needs a mentor."
  • "Leadership is everyone’s business. Not just the Principal or the Subject Master. Today’s leader is tomorrow’s follower and vice versa."
  • We are always looking for the next ‘there’. Gertrude Stein: “I thought that I want to be there, but when I got there, I didn’t know what ‘there’ was.”
  • “You are growing the next generation.”

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In celebrating the annual National Conference of the Australian Primary Principals’ Association (APPA) in Perth, Western Australia, we invite you to join in this outstanding occasion.

Registrations are now open! Click here to go to the registration website.

This is Perth! Click here to play the movie!

All sponsorship packages have been sold! Thank you to all our sponsors! Would you like to help sponsor the conference and be able to talk with principals from across Australia? If so, please click here to download a Sponsorship Prospectus (PDF file - updated on 9 July 2010).

The APPA Conference has become the most highly regarded national conference to Australian educational leaders. It has continued to remain one of the most prestigious and largest educational conferences across the nation and is an event you as a School Leader definitely should not miss - especially in Western Australia.

In 2010, the APPA National Conference will be held at the Burswood Entertainment Complex from 21 to 24 September. When this conference was last hosted in Perth, it attracted a record 820 Principals and Deputy Principals representing Catholic, Independent and Public schools from across Australia and New Zealand. As we move rapidly towards our 2010 Conference, we anticipate equal or greater success and even higher participation rates.

To enable a maximum number of delegates to attend to ensure a successful high level conference, registration costs will be kept to a minimum. 1, 2 and 3 day packages will be offered, with discounts being offered for members of State Associations, Earlybird Registrations and multiple registrations from the same school. Registration includes all morning teas and lunches, tickets to the Welcome Reception, Friday breakfast and a seated lunch on Friday.

Click here to download all the information on this website page in a PDF file.

You can find the conference website by clicking here.

APPA NATIONAL CONFERENCE – PERTH – 2010

‘BALANCING PRIMARY LEADERSHIP’

About the Conference
The theme chosen for the 2010 conference is ‘Balancing Primary Leadership’ and has been developed with the view of equipping delegates with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead schools at a time when the challenges facing school leaders appear to be numerous (and increasing) in all schools. How does a school leader balance the academic, social/emotional and pastoral challenges presented by staffs, students and school leaders themselves? Making the important decisions in relation to having every student a ‘successful student’ is more than just managing the finances and physical resources. Becoming a more effective leader is a key focus of the three days and balancing the roles of management, leadership and health and well-being will be central to the conference.

Where is it?
The Conference will be conducted at the fabulous Burswood Entertainment Complex, will open on Tuesday 21 September and will continue through to Friday 24 September with a world class program throughout the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Social Program
To keep registration costs to a minimum, we have separated out most of the Social Functions so that delegates can decide what they prefer to attend. However, we are sure that when you see what we have planned, you will certainly want to attend. Tickets to the Welcome Reception on Tuesday are included in all registrations. Our Gala Dinner tickets will include Pre-Dinner drinks, a fantastic 3 course meal complete with beverages and entertainment from the ‘The Blues Brothers’ tribute band. So bring your sunnies, we will supply the hats, and we’ll all have a great time.

Preliminary Program
The committee is made up of representatives from each of the Public, Catholic and Independent sectors and is currently finalising a highly professional and exciting program. 

Each day will include Keynote and Concurrent presentations and each presentation has been carefully scrutinised to ensure that it meets one of Curriculum, Leadership, Social and Emotional and/or Pastoral Care aspects. The Concurrent presentations will give delegates the opportunity of many choices. This program ensures that there is something for everyone.

The Conference opening on Tuesday 21 September will include a Welcome Reception which will be a celebration of Western Australian food and wines. We will continue through to Friday 24 September with outstanding national and international speakers and will conclude with a seated 2 course lunch and celebration with the highly regarded, very funny and much loved, Anh Do.  

The Program at a Glance
Tuesday 21 September
Registration for delegates will commence at 10.00am and continue through the day. During the morning associations will conduct their Annual General Meetings. Official proceedings will commence at 4 00pm with the Conference Opening, followed by the Welcome Reception.

Wednesday 22 September
Registration for delegates will commence at 7.30am and continue through the day. The conference program will include Keynote and Concurrent presentations giving delegates the opportunity to choose which sessions they prefer to attend. Social events for Wednesday evening are almost complete – these will be a separate registration cost to the Conference Registration, enabling those who prefer to have free time to do so.

Thursday 23 September
The conference program will reflect Wednesday’s and will again provide many opportunities for delegates. The Gala Dinner will be held on Thursday night. The theme for the night is ‘The Blues Brothers’ and will include pre dinner drinks, a 3 course meal including beverages and entertainment. Bring your sunnies, we will provide the hats for what promises to be a great fun evening!

Friday 24 September
The conference program will open with Breakfast and will include a Keynote Speaker. The remainder of the day will reflect the previous conference days again with Keynote and Concurrent presentations and will conclude with lunch with Anh Do and the Closing Ceremony.

Burswood Accommodation
The Burswood has many styles of accommodation which are very conveniently all on the same site as the Conference. We have negotiated specially reduced rates at both the Holiday Inn and the Intercontinental. Although we have reserved a block of rooms in each venue, we encourage you to book early as closer to the conference dates, availability will be limited. Just click on the link to your choice of hotel.

Following the Conference – Where to go and what to see
For those delegates not rushing to Victoria for the AFL Grand Final (remember to book your flights early so that you don’t have to pay a premium) there are simply endless opportunities to explore our beautiful Western Australia. September is the best month to view our stunning wildflowers – you can see them in their very natural habitat 2 minutes from the city in Kings Park. You may wish to travel a little to the north towards Geraldton, or to the south where you will see just as beautiful a show. The Tulip Festival is also on during September.

If you’re keen on visiting our wineries or chocolate farms, you can either venture into our beautiful Margaret River region or into the nearby Swan Valley. There are tours offered through the Margaret River region which cover a number of wineries and will drop you back at your accommodation which allows you to enjoy our wines without driving.

Rottnest Island is always worth a visit – for a day or two or a week (you will need to book in advance if you want a chalet). This is one place you can relax and enjoy our fantastic spring weather.

So don’t rush home – stay awhile and enjoy WA!