Professional learning calendar
Courses for education and social work professionals
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View our wide range of short courses, workshops and conferences, which are delivered online, at your school or workplace, or on campus at the University of Sydney.
As a leading NESA Recognised Provider, we are committed to providing quality professional learning opportunities for the education community.
Mode of delivery: self-paced online Professional Learning
Further details: Visit the webpage
Course enquiries: Contact nina.goodwin@sydney.edu.au
Cost: $330 per module
Description: The Centre for Educational Measurement and Assessment, in the Sydney School of Education and Social Work, has developed a suite of fully online PL modules focusing on Assessment Literacy for Teachers. Any number of modules may be studied, in any order. Each module can be completed in 4–6 hours and provides Teacher Professional Development, addressing Proficient Teacher Standard Descriptors from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. The modules have been designed for primary and secondary teachers and will soon be complemented by a suite of modules on Data Literacy, which are currently being designed by the Centre Director, Professor Jim Tognolini. As well, the centre is planning to develop modules for teachers in middle and senior leadership roles. The Assessment Literacy modules support teachers’ engagement with, and understanding of, assessment and the use of data to inform teaching and learning. After successfully completing all six modules, teachers will be eligible to undertake an extension assessment module for an additional fee. Successful completion of the complete program is equivalent to the University of Sydney postgraduate unit of study Assessment Literacy for School Teachers (EDPZ6011); your statement of completion may be used to apply for credit toward a Master of Education program.
The modules in this series are not individual higher-education awards and not qualifications recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework.
Dates: Arranged on consultation.
Venue: Provided by the requesting school
Presenters: Bronwyn Reid O’Connor and Ben Zunica
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 539kB)
Seminar enquiries: Contact nina.goodwin@sydney.edu.au
Cost: $1000 plus GST per seminar
Description: Math anxiety can arise for students at any stage of their learning. This anxiety can affect a young learner’s ability to achieve their mathematical potential, negatively impacting many subject areas, so it’s crucial to identify affected students as early as possible. The Maths Anxiety Seminar for Schools will be beneficial for teachers and parents/caregivers in supporting students to achieve their potential in mathematics. Participants will learn to identify signs of maths anxiety and how it might present in students in a variety of settings. The seminar will give participants some diagnostic clues about what to look for in student attitude, testing, classwork and homework in mathematics to help detect maths anxiety in young learners. Recommended resources and practical strategies for addressing and relieving maths anxiety will be shared, with opportunities for questions and discussion with colleagues and the presenters. Completing Maths Anxiety Seminar for Schools will contribute one hour of NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Accredited PD in the priority area of Student/Child Mental Health, addressing Standard Descriptor(s) 1.1.2 from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.
Dates: Modules will be offered and delivered on demand upon enquiry.
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenter: Deb Talbot
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 265KB) or visit the webpage
Course enquiries: Contact rachel.payne@sydney.edu.au
Cost: $770 per module
Description: The Action Research modules have been designed to meet the needs of teachers seeking to learn about and conduct their own action research project in their local context. They are professional learning for teachers seeking to maintain the level of Proficient Teacher as described in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, as well as for teachers who wish to build an evidence base before applying to be recognised at the Highly Accomplished level. The Highly Accomplished Teacher level requires that teachers assemble evidence that they can support and assist less experienced colleagues with all aspects of professional knowledge, practice and professional engagement. Compiling evidence of these skills is a component of this course. Each module will provide 20 hours of professional development at the Highly Accomplished Teacher level, comprising 5 x two-hour workshops plus 10 hours of project time developing a portfolio and conducting a professional learning project. The module requires that participants must attend all online synchronous sessions and successfully complete all assigned tasks. Completion of Action Research Module 1 is a prerequisite for enrolment in Action Research Module 2.
Dates: Modules will be offered and delivered on demand upon enquiry.
Venue: Online by Zoom or in school
Presenter: Kathy Rushton
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 450kB) or visit the webpage
Course enquiries: Contact rachel.payne@sydney.edu.au
Cost: $770 per module
Description: Develop the skills to teach grammar in a way that allows your students to gain an understanding of the basics and learn practical ways to implement their knowledge. The focus of Conversations About Texts is on teaching grammar in the context of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts in primary school and the middle years. During the workshops, you will explore the teaching of texts as the context in which grammar is taught to support meaning. Knowledge about grammar is only useful if students use it to read and write and recognise how authors, including themselves, can use language to make meaning. Presenter Kathy Rushton has worked as a TESOL teacher and consultant in classrooms and recognises a growing need in the teaching of grammar to support implementation. At the same time, the course presents participants with the opportunity to review their own grammatical knowledge or address grammar for the first time.
Professional learning for facilitators
Dates (all Thursdays and Fridays, Feb–Jul 2025, 9 am to 4 pm)
Intensive 1: February 13 & 14
Intensive 2: April 10 & 11
Intensive 3: May 15 & 16
Intensive 4: June 19 & 20
Times: Intensive workshops – 9 am to 4 pm (four x 2-day blocks) | Supervisory sessions – 40-60 minutes each (10 given and eight received)
Venue: Compulsory intensive workshops (eight days) in Camperdown (Sydney University) plus additional online training and resources. Supervisory sessions venues/times/modes negotiable.
Academic lead: Michael Anderson
Presenters: Geoff Broughton and Mary Ann Hunter
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 313KB) or visit the webpage
Cost: $6600
Description: Reflective Supervision provides one-on-one professional and confidential conversations (peer and group reflective supervision also exist) over several sessions to support leaders in education, including school principals and executive members, as they navigate their professional roles. The sessions encourage supervisees to understand and respond reflectively to challenges and opportunities for their leadership practice.
Advocacy in action
Date: Friday, 8 March 2024
Times: 9 am–3 pm
Venue: Online by Zoom
Academic convenors: Victoria Rawlings and Kellie Burns
Additional speakers: A full list of speakers and their biographies and topics is available from the conference webpage
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 560kB) or visit the webpage
Cost: $330
Description: Develop your knowledge and understanding of gender and sexuality diversity at school, including in the lives of students, teachers and parents. Explore ways that you and your school can actively build inclusion and well-being.
Schools are dynamic, complex environments, where all sorts of identities and ideas come together. In this conference, we focus on how gender and sexuality diversity are important to acknowledge and cater for in school and other educational spaces. Engaging with research from medicine and educational studies, participants will build knowledge about what these terms mean, explore the ways that schools can intentionally or unintentionally marginalise diversity, and consider strategies for enhancing their school cultures to be inclusive of all students.
Introductory Workshop
Date: Friday, 5 April 2024
Time: 9 am–3 pm
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenters: Presentations delivered by Aboriginal Studies Association executive and academic experts.
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 754kB)
Cost: $330 (including GST)
Description: Aboriginal education is a challenge for many schools because leaders and teachers typically have little educational or personal experience in this area. Despite a commitment to implementing respectful Aboriginal programs, many feel vulnerable and are not sure where to start. This course will address those fears by covering key basics such as:
A key determinant of Aboriginal student success is teacher knowledge and understanding of their local Aboriginal community’s socio-cultural and historical context and the impact this has on students. Current research (2019) indicates that schools that collaborate with their Aboriginal families and community achieve better outcomes for Aboriginal students in a range of areas. Participants will have opportunities to share and work on their current units of work or programs with other like-minded participants, exchange new ideas and build critical networks for themselves and their school.
Nurturing the profession
Date: Tuesday, 12 April 2024
Time: 9 am–4 pm
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenter: Jia Ying Neoh
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 507kB)
Cost: $330
Description: This one-day workshop introduces in-service teachers to the research-based continuum of mentoring – from mentoring-as-supervision to mentoring-as-collaborative professional learning. Effective mentoring to support the professional learning of both the experienced and the novice teacher requires an understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges presented by mentoring philosophies and practices. This workshop is designed to provide opportunities to expand participants’ knowledge of mentoring as they engage with research and link it to mentoring practice. It provides a foundation that participants can use to develop their own mentoring and the mentoring practice of their colleagues. This workshop will offer valuable insights to strengthen your mentoring journey.
Mindfulness practices for teacher and student wellbeing
Date: Monday, 29 April 2024
Time: 9 am–11.30 am or 1 pm–3.30 pm
Venue: Onsite, whole-school delivery
Presenter: Remy Low
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 429kB)
Cost: $2200 [Onsite, whole-school delivery]
Description: Schools are stressful places. For teachers and educational leaders, the day-to-day pressures are manifold: busy timetables, demanding classrooms, communications with colleagues and carers, critical incidents, and high-stakes decision-making – not to mention broader life concerns such as health, finances, and relationships. Add to this the stresses that students face academically and socially, and the result is a hectic environment where emotions are heightened, and energy is drained. Amidst all this, it is unsurprising that the wellbeing of staff and students can be low.
In this workshop, we will explore a holistic, contextual way of understanding well-being as consisting of biological, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions based on recent research. We will consider the effects of stress on these dimensions of well-being, and then experiment with mindfulness practices that can alleviate stress in each of these dimensions. Participants will have ample opportunity to try out a variety of evidence-informed approaches and discuss ways to adapt them to their unique workplaces and classrooms in a supportive environment.
Develop your leadership skills in your central role as a middle leader and support teachers and students in your school in pedagogy and wellbeing.
Date: Wednesday, 5 June 2024
Time: 9 am–4 pm
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenters: Christine Grice and Fiona Davies
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 375kB)
Cost: $330
Description: Middle leaders in schools have the capacity to directly influence pedagogical approaches and practises that enhance student outcomes whilst supporting the well-being of students and colleagues. At the same time, the role of middle leaders in schools is not always certain or consistent. Presenters Christine Grice and Fiona Davies have worked alongside middle leaders and recognise a growing need to connect middle leadership and pedagogy with well-being for the benefit of student outcomes. At the same time, they are aware that there are enablers and constraints in schools for developing these leadership skills in order for middle leaders to play a central role in leading pedagogy and well-being effectively.
Date: Friday, 7 June 2024
Time: 9.30 am–3.30 pm
Venue: Education Building, The University of Sydney
Presenter: Mary Jo McVeigh
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 433kB)
Cost: $330
Description: Children bring their lived experience with them into their classrooms: the emotions, reactions and, sometimes, trauma, from their homes and communities, as well as wider society. “Complex trauma” in children results from repeated exposure to traumatic events over weeks, months, or years. Examples include sexual, physical, and psychological abuse, as well as experiencing or witnessing domestic and family violence or neglect. Research shows that children most often disclose traumas to school friends or teachers and that the classroom consequences of complex trauma can profoundly affect children’s behaviour and learning.
In this workshop, teachers will learn how to support students experiencing trauma by adopting strategies that allow them to respond ‘in the moment’, and which, collectively, create a “trauma-informed classroom” that benefits all their students. The information and discussions in this workshop will be valuable for any teacher from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Teachers will learn to:
Date: Monday, 24 June 2024
Time: 9 am–4 pm
Venue: Hybrid (In-person and online by Zoom)
Academic convenor: David Evans, Professor of Special Education, The University of Sydney
Keynote presenter: Aaron Lanou, Educational Consultant, Aaron Lanou Consulting, LLC, US
Additional presenters: A full list of speakers and their biographies and topics will be made available from the conference webpage
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 433KB), visit the webpage, or download the conference program (pdf, 44kB)
Description: This annual conference focuses on issues and developments in the provision of quality education for students K–12, in particular, for students for whom teachers are providing adjustments.
Presentations and workshops will be given by teachers, consultants, community-based personnel and academics, from metropolitan and rural locations in NSW, interstate and overseas.
Participants may attend the conference as a stand-alone event or as part of the Educational Studies (Learning Support) Program, which comprises attendance at the conference, as well as the SLC Masterclass on Tuesday, June 25, and five additional workshops held on Thursday evenings (4:30 – 7:30 pm) in Semester Two 2024.
Date: Tuesday, 25 June 2024
Time: 9 am–3 pm
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenter: Aaron Lanou, Educational Consultant, Aaron Lanou Consulting, LLC, US
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 433KB)
Cost: $330
Registration: Register
Description: Executive Functioning (EF) is a set of skills that help us work towards completing a goal. Students with a range of needs and different diagnoses often have EF challenges. In inclusive classrooms, EF supports can help every student learn and feel successful.
In this Masterclass we will define and explore executive functioning, the set of cognitive skills that act together to help someone achieve a goal. We will examine what is required in order to plan, start, sustain, cope, and monitor while engaging in tasks; the challenges students may face in the process; and how to support them. We will review multiple examples of executive functioning classroom strategies in six categories: Priming, Timing, Lists, Scales, Systems, and Reflection. We’ll also discuss the executive functioning skill profiles of teachers and the implications for understanding our own strengths and needs.
For those students in your classroom whose backpacks are exploding, who have a hard time finding their pencils, getting started on work, staying focused, and finishing up—executive functioning supports can be the missing link to helping every student achieve school success.
Dates and Times: June 24 & 25 (SLC both days) + 5 evening workshops 4.30–7.30 pm (August 1, 15 & September 5, 12, 26)
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenter: Professor David Evans
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 444kB), or visit the webpage
Cost: $1500
Registration: Register via the conference webpage
Description: These workshops will examine in detail the theories, policies and practices that promote quality literacy and numeracy learning outcomes for students identified as experiencing difficulties learning in a mainstream classroom environment, across a range of Key Learning Areas.
Specific focus will be placed on teachers working as part of teams to promote individualised programs and processes that assist students with additional learning needs to achieve collaboratively established learning outcomes. Workshop activities and individual learning tasks will promote the integration of theory and practice across a range of settings including early childhood, primary and secondary.
Date: Thursday, 26 September 2024
Time: 9.30 am–3.30 pm
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenter: Mary Jo McVeigh
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 434kB)
Cost: $330
Description: Children bring their lived experience with them into their classrooms: the emotions, reactions and, sometimes, trauma, from their homes and communities, as well as wider society. “Complex trauma” in children results from repeated exposure to traumatic events over weeks, months, or years. Examples include sexual, physical, and psychological abuse, as well as experiencing or witnessing domestic and family violence or neglect. Research shows that children most often disclose traumas to school friends or teachers and that the classroom consequences of complex trauma can profoundly affect children’s behaviour and learning.
In this workshop, teachers will learn how to support students experiencing trauma by adopting strategies that allow them to respond ‘in the moment’, and which, collectively, create a “trauma-informed classroom” that benefits all their students. The information and discussions in this workshop will be valuable for any teacher from Kindergarten to Year 12.
Teachers will learn to:
Date: Thursday, 24 October 2024
Time: 9.30 am – 3.30 pm
Venue: Education Building A35, Manning Rd, The University of Sydney
Presenter: Mary Jo McVeigh
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 450kB)
Cost: $330
Description: This in-person workshop invites participants to build on their conversational style when talking to parents and carers. It is underpinned by the work of educationalists Gilligan and Nodding’s paradigm of the ‘ethic of care.’ Participants will be introduced to an ethic-informed conversational style designed to promote confidence and skills in turning complex interactions into opportunities for communication to deepen the working relationship between schools, parents and carers.
The information and discussions in this workshop will be valuable for all teachers, school leaders and principals from Kindergarten to Year 12.
This workshop will enable you to:
Develop your leadership skills in your central role as a middle leader and support teachers and students in your school in pedagogy and wellbeing.
Date: Wednesday, 6 November 2024
Time: 9 am–4 pm
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenters: Christine Grice and Fiona Davies
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 375kB)
Cost: $330
Description: Middle leaders in schools have the capacity to directly influence pedagogical approaches and practises that enhance student outcomes whilst supporting the well-being of students and colleagues. At the same time, the role of middle leaders in schools is not always certain or consistent. Presenters Christine Grice and Fiona Davies have worked alongside middle leaders and recognise a growing need to connect middle leadership and pedagogy with well-being for the benefit of student outcomes. At the same time, they are aware that there are enablers and constraints in schools for developing these leadership skills in order for middle leaders to play a central role in leading pedagogy and well-being effectively.
Hosted by the Sydney School of Education and Social Work
Date: Monday 25 - Wednesday 27 November 2024
Time: 9 am-5 pm
Venue: Abercrombie Business School, The University of Sydney, Australia
Academic convenor: Associate Professor Paul Ginns
Keynote speakers: Professor John Sweller, University of New South Wales; Professor Andrew J. Martin, University of New South Wales; Professor Peter Reimann, the University of Sydney
Additional speakers: A full list of speakers, their biographies and topics will be made available from the conference webpage shortly.
Further details: Download the flyer or visit the webpage to learn more
Cost: General rate: Early bird to Friday 18 October $550 | General rate: From Saturday 19 October $650 | Student Rate: $330
Register: Please register via the conference webpage
Description: Over the past four decades, Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) has achieved a large body of research by scholars around the world. As a result, CLT has grown and expanded significantly, becoming a leading theory in the field of learning and instruction. As researchers increasingly combine it with other theories of learning and instruction, CLT has evolved into an interdisciplinary theory. The conference will reflect this growing diversity of topics and research directions.
Dates: May 3, 10 & 14 (course delivery over 3 sessions)
Time: 9.30 am–12.30 pm
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenter: Mary Jo McVeigh
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 573kB)
Cost: $455
Description: This nine-hour program (delivered over three half-day workshops) is directly relevant to all human service workers aiming to develop their skills in the provision of supervision that promotes the ongoing development of professional skills and knowledge.
The online workshops present a model of critically reflective professional practice supervision. It invites participants to consider supervision processes, strategies and skills that are critical to effective professional practice and growth in a range of practice settings.
At the completion of this course you will be able to:
Dates: October 25, November 1 & 8 (course delivery over 3 sessions)
Time: 9:30 am–12:30 pm
Venue: Online by Zoom
Presenter: Mary Jo McVeigh
Further details: Download the flyer (pdf, 574kB)
Cost: $455
Description: This nine-hour program (delivered over three half-day workshops) is directly relevant to all human service workers aiming to develop their skills in the provision of supervision that promotes the ongoing development of professional skills and knowledge.
The online workshops present a model of critically reflective professional practice supervision. It invites participants to consider supervision processes, strategies and skills that are critical to effective professional practice and growth in a range of practice settings.
At the completion of this course you will be able to:
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Manual Address : Professional Learning Sydney School of Education and Social Work Education Building A35 The University of Sydney NSW 2006
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