I am the Head of Program - Teaching and Learning, and APEX (Academic Program of Excellence) Coordinator at Calamvale Community College, a large, culturally diverse P-12 College on Brisbane's southside. My role is critical to supporting the College's major change journey, moving to a conceptualisation of teaching and learning which reflects the ethos of International Baccalaureate programs. Our College is currently a candidate school for the PYP (Primary Years Program - Prep to Year 6) and the IBDP (Diploma Program - Years 11 & 12). Developing the pedagogical understandings and skills of our Junior Secondary teachers is essential to creating a seamless pathway between these programs and the focus of my role. I am a member of the College's P-12 Pedagogy Team, and the P-12 Transitions team, with a focus on my area of passion, Junior Secondary learning, engagement and well-being.

The enactment of my leadership is underpinned by the belief that the teacher is the single most influential factor in a student's learning. My vision is to create a culture of adaptive expertise in our teachers, where they view themselves as autonomous, collegial professionals, possess a clear sense of purpose and a drive for pedagogical and curriculum mastery. Through my Masters studies, I have cultivated an evidence-based research approach to support the achievement of my vision.

Much of my role has focused on pedagogical innovation across the school. It has evolved over time in response to the long-term strategic goals of the College. The role has encompassed collaboratively leading the development of inquiry units in our Primary School, as the College became an IB PYP (Primary Years Program), and then shifting in focus to our Secondary school. In this role I have collaboratively led research projects in Junior Secondary. The first involved inquiry-based teaching and learning in a pilot program, with a strong focus on the development of 21st century skills, which has informed a P-12 developmental approach to teaching these skills. The second focused on developing adaptive expertise in teachers through an innovative coaching process, aimed at sustained pedagogical change. This project also highlighted a need for an explicit and shared approach to classroom culture in Junior Secondary. At the commencement of 2018, a Junior Secondary classroom culture project was initiated under my leadership, utilising the Richness Framework to shape year level meetings, with the aim of optimising learning, engagement and well-being for every student.

Our College has also sought to implement an inquiry approach to professional learning, and this is reflected in our approach to supporting our beginning teachers. In collaboration with the Primary School Principal, a process aimed at maximising the protective factors for beginning teachers has been developed and documented. It is coupled with a Class One Note, allowing for easy recording of evidence, and 24/7 collaboration between beginning teachers across the College and their instructional leaders.

In the next 18 months, I will lead the implementation of our adaptive expertise coaching model and the introduction of Inquiry pedagogy in Junior Secondary. This is a journey I seek to share as a recipient of the New Voices in Educational Leadership Scholarship.