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NSW Deputy Secretary Educational Services Georgina Harrison

As Deputy Secretary, Educational Services, Georgina leads a division focused on the learning and wellbeing of our students. The division delivers the policies, support and services that NSW public schools need to improve student outcomes. The division works closely with School Operations and Performance to ensure that system support is integrated with the daily business of teaching and school leadership. Georgina has 15 years’ experience in public policy across three jurisdictions, and is passionate about translating policy into impact for the community.

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From Isolation to Full Inclusion: The Evolution of Special Education Services in the United States

A historical analysis of the changing educational and social environments encountered by students with exceptional learning needs over the past half century. Perspective offered through the lens of a special educator who is also the parent of four daughters who were recipients of a special education.

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Lived Experience

Karni Liddell’s journey to become one of Australia’s most successful Paralympians began a lot differently than most elite athletes, as she was born with a neuro-muscular wasting disease and her parents were told that their first-born child wouldn’t walk, crawl or live past her teenage years.

Karni is the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Queensland Ambassador, she sat on the United Nations Women’s board (Queensland Charter), is a member of the Queensland Premier’s Domestic and Family Violence Council, is a radio broadcaster, a presenter for Channel 7 and is the the Patron of the International Day of People with a Disability, as well as being an Ambassador for Kids Help Line, Muscular Dystrophy Queensland and Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association.

Karni broke her first World Record at the age of 14 and went on to medal at every Paralympics she competed since. She regards being captain of the Number 1 team at the Sydney 2000 Games her greatest achievement.

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The extraordinary promise and potential challenges of planning for student diversity
Grand Lodge (L1)
Patrick Kelly
ACARA, ACT

Using PLCs to drive whole school improvement in specialist settings
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Jackie Haines, Anne Hume, Julie Brown
Department of Education, VIC

Leading learning for high potential and gifted students with disability
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Bohdan Balla-Gow, Sue Vasilevska, Catherine Wormald, Wilma Vialle
High Potential and Gifted Education - Learning and Teaching Directorate, NSW

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Building Teacher Capacity of Research and Evidence Based Practice

A vital component of improving academic student outcomes is high-quality teacher professional development (PD; McLeskey et al., 2014), involving strong focus on learner (e.g., teacher, teacher assistant) development within the classroom and the learning community (McLeskey, 2011). Due to complex support needs of students with disability, it can be challenging for teachers to implement research and evidence-based practice individualised for their learners, yet still implemented with fidelity.

One key quality of learner-centered professional development is the identification of teacher needs that are consistent with their beliefs, values, and knowledge (Polly et al., 2011). Sustainability of teacher-directed learning must include building teacher’s capacity for growth-minded continuous improvement (Shurr et al., 2014).

Research demonstrates that learner-centered PD, often includes the use of coaching and mentoring to support educators as they use evidence-based practice to support their classrooms (Jimenez & Barron, 2019). Allowing teachers to self-identify their own professional learning goals provides opportunity for teacher “buy-in” and increased implementation fidelity of research and evidence-based practice. Research has also shown that teachers who participate in a rigorous ongoing mentoring/coaching program show significant growth in implementation of fidelity, sustainability, and generalization of their identified professional learning goals. As part of the coaching/mentoring cycle, teachers often demonstrate greater approximation of identification of future goals appropriate for their current teaching capacity. Additionally, teachers who are supported to identify and implement their own learning goals demonstrate greater leadership skills to self-monitor (finding evidence-based resources to support learning, self-questioning, and teacher-leadership within their school to support peers).

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Lived Experience: My Life in Short

Australian voice-over artist Lofty Fulton knows what it's like to have the odds stacked against him: Born with achondroplasia, which is a form of dwarfism, his grandmother thought he should be locked away from the world. At school, he suffered years of relentless bullying, believing the lie he would never be loved or good enough. At 15, Lofty's voice broke, giving him a unique gift that paved the way for his future.

LOFTY: My Life in Short is a deeply personal memoir that Lofty tells with vulnerability, courage and humour. Lofty unpacks the events of his traumatic childhood, public bigotry, a failed marriage, the highs and lows of a successful radio career and his struggles with crippling general anxiety disorder, clinical depression and a serious gambling addiction.

Lofty's story is a combination of light and shade; a reflection on what it means to be human, to search for meaning and purpose. From brokenness to breakthrough, Lofty has slayed many of his inner demons, rising to become one of Australia's most sought after and recognisable voices.

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Understand knowing and learning and the disability is less disabling

This presentation examines disability from a learning – teaching perspective. Australian classrooms have students with a range of disabilities. All teaching makes assumptions about how students learn. The extent to which these assumptions match how any student actually learns determines the success of the teaching.

One of the biggest potential barriers to successful learning by students with disabilities is the quality of the pedagogy. This includes the teaching and formative assessment procedures implemented, the differentiation of the curriculum, the classroom culture and climate. The barrier is lowered when teacher decision-making is referenced on an appropriate model of learning.

The presentation will describe a contemporary synergistic model of learning that teachers can use to identify how students with disabilities learn, to plan teaching, to unpack the assumptions their teaching makes about learning and to differentiate their teaching.

The model has explicit implications for effective school leadership at all levels of a school’s activity, from the whole school policy level, to its work in instructional and pedagogic leadership for students who have disabilities, to its role in leading the understanding of and advocacy for these students.

A disability is a characteristic or attribute of an individual. The extent to which this attribute is disabling in the classroom context is determined by the strategic professional knowledge and activity of teachers and school leaders. An explicit knowing and learning framework enhances this knowledge.

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Since entering parliament in 2011, Sarah has served on numerous committees and as Parliamentary Secretary for Regional and Rural Health and Western NSW.

In 2017 she was appointed the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Assistant Minister for Education.

Sarah was born and raised in Gunnedah and has spent most of her life living in North-West New South Wales. She continues to live in Gunnedah with her husband Anthony and their daughters Annabelle and Matilda.

Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts majoring in politics, international relations and sociology from the University of New South Wales. Prior to entering Parliament Sarah worked for former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson in Gunnedah and for the Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton, in Moree.

Sarah served as President of the Federal Young Nationals from 2009-2011 and as State Chairman of the NSW Young Nationals from 2008 to 2011, stepping down from both roles upon her election to Parliament.

Sarah is an active supporter of local community organisations and has been involved with a range of local charities including the Moree Arts Council, the Moree Blood Bank Committee, Gunnedah Family and Children's Services and Gunnedah Paediatric and Maternity Support (PRAMS).

Sarah's experiences as a working mother, her regional background and her community mindedness has given her a thorough understanding and appreciation for the issues affecting communities right across NSW, and in particular a connection with the regional and rural people she represents.

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Lived Experience: Michael Milton

Michael Milton is one of Australia's best-known athletes. His four-gold-medal haul at the Salt Lake Winter Paralympic Games endeared him to a sport-loving nation and earned him the title of Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.

In April 2003 Michael tried something new: speed skiing, the drag racing of alpine sport. On the steepest slope in the world he clocked over 193km/hr, smashing a 16-year-old world record and becoming the fastest skier with a disability.

Every year after that he bettered his own world record until, in April 2006, he clocked a staggering 213.65km/hr to also become the fastest Australian skier ever.

Milton then pursued a new sport: cycling. After six months of intense training, he not only won a gold medal in the 3000m Individual Pursuit at the Australian Track Cycling Championships in February 2007 but also broke the Australian record.

His dream to make the Australian team and compete at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games was sidelined when he was diagnosed with Oesophagael Cancer in July 2007. He then made an amazing comeback from this serious illness to record times at the 2008 Australian Track Cycling Championships comparable to his results in the same events 12 months before.

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How do we include all teachers and students to create the best learning experiences?

The panel will include Richard Michael Gargiulo and Bree Jimenez and will cover areas of the above topic including how school leaders can support and champion inclusion, what are some of the barriers to inclusion and a celebration of things we are already doing right.

Decision making for students with disabilities in schools : Implications for innovation
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Jennifer Stephenson
Macquarie University, NSW

Review of best practice in managing challenging behaviours in schools
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Jacinta Evans
Community Services Directorate, ACT Government

Expanding impacts through building student capacities in a special needs environment
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Joan Ocampo
Henbury School, NT

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Leading change for Twice Exceptional students
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Estee Stephenson
St Andrew's Cathedral School, NSW

Personalised post-school transition planning for students with disability
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Susanne Andrews, Chris Drimal
NSW Department of Education, Learning and Wellbeing Directorate, Disability Learning and Support, NSW

A whole-school approach to planning and implementing professional learning
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Jane Stott, Jenny Harrison
Disability, Learning and Support NSW Department of Education, NSW

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Inclusion is a Feeling, Not a Place

We hear a lot about the importance of inclusive education and the right of a child to be educated in their neighbourhood school. However merely being ‘present’ is not the same as being ‘included’. In order to provide quality education we require quality teachers who understand the importance of equity and inclusion. I truly believe as teachers we have the opportunity to make a difference and have a positive and lasting impact on the students we teach, which ultimately feeds the society we live in. Using the lens of the experiences of Deaf and hard of hearing students, this presentation will focus on how we can become inclusive communities where all students not only communicate with others and feel they truly belong, but also develop confidence, self-belief, real friendships and an understanding of diversity.

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