From purpose, to priorities, to teaching practice.
Make a difference to learning in your priority area during 2026 by being a part of Leading Learning.
Focus areas for 2026
We are offering three specific focus areas in Semester 1 2026. You choose the one that matches your priority.
📚 Leading Learning: Whole School
Focussed on whole-school teaching and learning priorities such as: literacy, numeracy, curriculum planning, staff development, instructional or pedagogical models, codifying teaching practices, effective assessment and feedback, scaffolding learning, activating prior knowledge, learning objectives, guided and independent practice. Read more specifically about Leading Learning: Whole School
🧠Leading Learning: Metacognition
Focussed on increasing the independence and agency of students by building metacognition, including priorities such as: supporting student agency, building student independence, enabling life-long learning, developing a shared understanding of metacognition, building metacognitive knowledge, self-monitoring strategies, effective reflection, organising knowledge, high-utility study strategies. Read more specifically about Leading Learning: Metacognition
🔬 Leading Learning: Science
Focussed on teaching and learning in the science domain, including priorities such as: overcoming misconceptions, practical science that supports learning, building scientific knowledge, effective dialogue and discussion, feedback, curriculum planning. Read more specifically about Leading Learning: Science
What Leading Learning is about
This program is laser focussed on learning. Other things are needed as well for everyone to flourish in a school – but other programs are the place to go if your focus is wellbeing, behaviour, leading people, managing finances. This is about leading learning and teaching.
It is designed to increase the impact of your leadership. If you are interested in the best way to draw together evidence from research, practice and context to make a difference – you are in the right place!
Who the program is for
This program is for educators taking a leading role in learning and teaching in their context.
You work… in any primary or secondary school across Australia.
You are… in a leadership role such as:
- Principal, Assistant Principal, Deputy Principal, Head of School, Campus Principal
- Leading Teacher, Head Teacher, Learning Specialist, Teacher Leader
- Literacy Leader, Numeracy Leader
- Learning Area Leader, Domain Leader, Team Leader
You have… a specific priority or focus such as:
- Learning & teaching, literacy, numeracy, curriculum, assessment, pedagogy & practice, staff development, coaching, instructional models, professional learning communities. Leading Learning: Whole School is perfect for you.
- Metacognition, student-agency, independent learning or study skills. Leading Learning: Metacognition is perfect for you.
- Science learning, STEM learning or similar. Leading Learning: Science is perfect for you.
What you will gain
- Strategies for connecting to purpose, identifying priorities, and elevating practice with precision
- Deeper understanding of the keys to impact on learning in your focus area
- Curated evidence-informed resources specific to your focus area
- Examples of practice and case studies
- Practical tools that you can apply immediately in your role
- Connection with peers from around Australia with similar priorities
Alignment with school and system priorities
This program supports you to align your efforts to the strategic priorities of your school and system.
This program fully aligns to system initiatives including:
- Victorian Teaching & Learning Model 2.0 (VTLM 2.0)
- MACS Vision for Instruction
- Sandhurst Diocese Magnify
- NSW DoE Explicit Teaching Model
- Tasmanian Government Pedagogical Framework
Evidence-informed
Leading Learning is evidence-informed throughout
This program is designed to draw together best available and most relevant evidence from research, practice and context. Across the program you will apply your professional expertise, experience and judgement to translate evidence into practice.
Key sources for evidence-informed practice include Evidence for Learning (E4L), the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Australian Educational Research Organisation (AERO), such as:
Program design
Session 1: Introduction and onboarding
Get set up for success in this program.
You are welcome (and encouraged) to bring one or two colleagues to this online session where we’ll unpack the what, why and how of the program. Attending with a senior leader from your setting can help to align your efforts with strategic priorities.
Session 2: Knowing your why
Understand how your why impacts both what you do and how you do it – and what that means for leading learning.
We will unpack and connect: system priorities, school context, personal beliefs and values.
Session 3: Prioritising what to focus on
Explore evidence-informed possibilities, reflect on the current state of play in your school, and prioritise to identify your focus.
You will engage with relevant evidence-informed resources such as the Evidence for Learning Toolkit and Guidance Reports to identify possibilities that could have a positive impact on learning in your context. You’ll then be supported to reflect on current practice in your school.
Session 4: Translating into practice in your context
Unpack the nuance and detail of translating possibilities into practice.
You will engage with key factors for success such as: Do we understand the core components of the idea we are putting into practice? What existing examples can we draw on? Have we veered off course and created lethal mutations? How can we adapt this to suit our context?
Sessions 5: Check in and support (optional)
Access additional support as needed and maintain your momentum.
You will have the option to choose to attend an informal 30-minute check-in session. These sessions are optional. A number of times will be offered – choose one that works best for you.
Sessions 6 & 7: Practice focus sessions
Take a deep dive into areas of practice that are particularly relevant to your priority.
You will have an option to choose two sessions from a selection which will be curated to align with the priorities of the cohort.
Potential teaching focussed session topics include:
- Worked examples
- Checking for understanding
- Teaching modelling using think aloud’s
- Addressing misconceptions
- Interleaving and spacing
Potential leadership and implementation focussed session topics include:
- Impactful instructional models
- Codifying teaching practices
- Sequencing, planning and chunking
- Sustaining and scaling effective practice
- Monitoring and evaluation
Sessions 8: Check in and support (optional)
Access additional support as needed and maintain your momentum.
You will have the option to choose to attend an informal 30-minute check-in session. These sessions are optional. A number of times will be offered – choose one that works best for you.
Session 9: Reflection, share-back and next steps
Reflect on your progress and learn from others.
You will be supported to reflect on what you have done and what you learnt. Sharing with and hearing from others in your focus area, you’ll deepen your learning about translating possibilities into practice. We’ll conclude the series with time for you to plan your next steps.
Practical details
Cost:
- Early Bird $990 plus GST per person
- Full Price $1200 plus GST per person
Time:
- 14 hours of professional learning
Duration:
- Across 5 months from March to July 2026
Format:
You choose what works best for you:
- completely-online (national)
- online and face-to-face (Melbourne)
Schedule:
| Session 1 Introduction and onboarding | 30 minutes, starting at 10am or 4pm |
| Session 2 Knowing your why | 2 hours, starting at 10am or 1pm |
| Sessions 3 and 4 Prioritising what to focus on Translating into practice in you context | Choose between in-person (full day in central Melbourne) or online (two mornings) |
| Session 5 Check in and support (optional) | 45 minutes, starting at 10am or 4pm |
| Session 6 Practice focus sessions | 1 hour, starting at 9am or 3.45pm |
| Session 7 Check in and support (optional) | 45 minutes, starting at 10am or 4pm |
| Session 8 Practice focus sessions | 1 hour, starting at 9am or 3.45pm |
| Session 9 Reflection, share-back and next steps | 2 hours, starting at 9am or 3pm |
Semester 1 2026 registration now closed (limited places remain in Leading Learning: Science)
Register your interest for future programs
FAQ
If you have questions – we have answers! And if you can’t find you answer below, please get in touch.
What is the time commitment?
The total duration of the professional learning sessions is 14 hours. The time you need is set aside in the sessions. You may spend extra time going deeper, but that is not required.
Is there homework?
The program does not include ‘homework’, with time set aside in the sessions to do the work needed. You may spend extra time going deeper, but that is not required.
What time zone are the sessions run in?
All sessions run in the current time zone for Melbourne, Australia (AEST or AEDT depending on if Daylight Savings is in effect).
Do have to be in a formal leadership role to participate?
No, that is not required, but it is likely. This program is suited to anyone wishing to take a leading role in learning in their context, now or in the future. You can focus your efforts within the program on an area of practice where you are currently able to play a leading role – which can range from whole school leadership to leading your own teaching.