The Early Stages Theatre brings together two powerful streams of learning:
Whether you’re shaping foundational experiences for young learners or building confidence and capability as a new teacher, this theatre offers targeted, practical sessions designed to meet you where you are. Attendees can choose the sessions most relevant to their role and career stage, gaining valuable insights, classroom-ready strategies and inspiration to support both student outcomes and professional growth. Each session in the below program is clearly categorised as either Early Learning or Early Careers to make it easy to find what’s right for you.
Through a mix of evidence-based strategies, real classroom insights and forward-thinking ideas, sessions will equip educators with the tools they need to nurture young minds while building strong, sustainable careers in education.
Registration to attend the Early Stages sessions are free. Customise your PD and attend as many sessions as you like. All sessions are eligible for PD hours.
*Program subject to change
9.15 – 9.45am
Sam Butterfield, Director of Teaching and Learning, Hume Anglican Grammar
Early Careers
Authentic teaching. Finding your voice, to deliver what works.
In my early years of teaching, my mentor looked over everything I was doing and asked, “Can you manage all this?” Knowing there were only four weeks left until the holidays, I confidently replied, “Yes.” He paused, then clarified: “Can you manage all this for the next four decades?” I realised I could not.
Wanting to be a teacher who changes the trajectory of young lives is a truly noble—and achievable—goal. This session cuts through the noise to explore what really matters in teaching. We’ll explore how to teach in a way which is both effective and enjoyable, for you and your students, while helping you gain clarity and confidence in your impact. We’ll balance core pedagogical principles with strategies to help you find your unique voice and authentic teaching style, making your practice not only sustainable for the long-haul, but deeply fulfilling.
10.00 – 10.30am
Danni, Early Learning Environment Design Consultant, TIANHE520 PTY LTD
Early Learning
Designing Safe Learning Environments: Rethinking Early Childhood Furniture for Safety and Development
How can furniture design actively support safer, more engaging, and developmentally appropriate learning environments for young children? This session explores how well-designed early childhood furniture can enhance learning and safety in early education settings, while also supporting hygienic environments. Moving beyond basic functionality, it highlights how thoughtful furniture design supports children’s independence, engagement, and overall development.
The session will demonstrate how integrated safety features, such as finger protection, can be seamlessly incorporated into furniture design without compromising usability or aesthetics. It will also briefly address considerations for maintaining clean and hygienic learning environments to support children’s safety and wellbeing.
Participants will gain practical insights into selecting and using furniture to create effective, developmentally appropriate, safe, and supportive learning environments. This session is suitable for educators, school leaders, and early childhood professionals seeking to improve classroom design and learning outcomes.
10.45 – 11.15am
Nicola Andrews Senior Research Fellow, and Kat McGill, Research Fellow, Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)
Early Learning
Why screening is different: early numeracy, early flags, and what makes a good screener
Early numeracy difficulties can be surprisingly hard to detect in everyday classroom practice. Young learners often develop unevenly, compensate with surface strategies, or appear to be coping until foundational gaps begin to constrain later learning. This session explores why early identification matters, and why screening plays a fundamentally different role from formative or summative classroom assessment in the early years.
Rather than functioning as teaching tools or detailed diagnostics, screeners are designed to flag potential risk early, enabling timely, well‑targeted teaching and support before difficulties become entrenched. Drawing on research into early mathematics development, the session examines why timing is critical in early numeracy, and how screening complements — but does not replace — high‑quality classroom assessment.
The presentation concludes by unpacking the core principles that underpin effective early years screeners, including efficiency, a strong conceptual focus, developmental appropriateness for young learners, and the value of hybrid approaches for assessing key numeracy concepts. These ideas are illustrated through examples from the PAT Early Numeracy Screener, highlighting how well‑designed screening supports earlier action and stronger learning trajectories.
11.45 – 12.15pm
Alice Vigors, Principal, Tumut Public School
Early Careers
Learning the ropes as an early career teacher
Sharing the key things I have learnt along the way that I wish I knew as an early career teacher from setting classroom routines to learning walls, learning environments to student agency and behaviour management.
12.45 – 1.15pm
Rebecca Ferraro, Service-Learning Coordinator, Catholic Regional College North Keilor
Early Careers
Beating the statistics
The transition from university life to full-time teaching can feel overwhelming. Suddenly, you are not only responsible for your own wellbeing, but also entrusted with the growth, learning, and care of other families’ children, all while navigating new systems and expectations.
Rebecca shares practical strategies and personal stories from her own journey as an early career teacher and now emerging leader. Topics will include managing workload, setting realistic expectations, and balancing the emotional demands of the profession. Drawing on experiences from working in three different schools, Rebecca will provide insights into navigating school cultures, building strong professional relationships, and seeking support before burnout strikes. Participants will leave this session with:
This session offers an honest and practical look at what it takes not just to survive the first years of teaching, but to lay the foundations for a long and fulfilling career, ultimately beating those statistics.
1.45 – 2.15pm
Grant Jones, School of Education, Associate Lecturer (W.I.L), Program Lead, Subject Coordinator
Early Careers
Exploring tips and tricks to help master the art of teaching
Starting out in your teaching career can be daunting, overwhelming and exciting all at the same time. In this presentation, Grant will present a range of tips and tricks that he explores with preservice and early career teachers in his role as an Associate Lecturer Work Integrated Learning. He will explore the idea of early career teachers as worker learners and how it is ok not to know everything in the classroom and that it is ok to seek help. Delegates will walk away with a range of practical tips and tricks that will make your life easier in the classroom.
2.30 – 3.45pm
Kritz and Bianca Sciessere, Co-Founders, The Big Sister Experience
Early Careers
Beyond the Curriculum
This session is designed specifically for graduate and early-career teachers (0–3 years). This heart-led workshop goes beyond traditional curriculum training to equip new educators with the emotional intelligence, relational strategies, and trauma-informed mindset essential for thriving in today’s classrooms. Grounded in the lived experience approach of The Big Sister Experience, participants will explore topics such as student behaviour through a trauma lens, teacher and student wellbeing, inclusive and culturally responsive classrooms, and tools to prevent burnout. With an emphasis on authenticity over perfection, this powerful session supports participants to lead with confidence, connection, and care. Teachers leave with practical tools, a renewed sense of purpose, and a supportive graduate network, plus post-session resources to continue their growth beyond the day.
*Program subject to change
9.15 – 9.45am
Helen Masters, Education Manager, cool.org
Early Careers
Putting Joy in Teaching with Hope and Action
Slide decks feeling stale? Looking to bring more spark, joy and hope into your classroom? This practical workshop explores how to weave real-world topics that matter to your students into your curriculum, without adding to your workload. Using the Cool.org Hope & Act Framework, we’ll dive into how to tackle tough topics through hope, empower genuine student action, and do it all while meeting your curriculum and reporting requirements.
10.00 – 10.30am
Phillip Kamay, Deputy Principal – Staff, Marcellin College
Early Careers
Thrive, Don’t Just Survive
Step into the classroom with confidence! Join behaviour and classroom management expert Phil Kamay for a dynamic session designed to empower early career teachers. Learn how to turn challenging behaviours into positive learning opportunities, manage stress before it manages you, and build a thriving classroom culture where both you and your students flourish.
Leave equipped with strategies that empower you to feel calm, confident, and in control – today, tomorrow, and beyond.
10.45 – 11.15am
Sarah Louise Nelson, Associate Lecturer Education, Melbourne Polytechnic and Nicole Talarico, Education Consultant
Early Learning
Professional Love as a Non‑Negotiable Lens for Safety in ECEC
Professional love is increasingly recognised as essential to safe, inclusive, and relational early learning environments. This session explores the strong alignment between professional love and child safety within the Australian ECEC context.
Through theory and practice, participants will examine how decentring adult perspectives and centring children’s rights, voices and wellbeing supports authentic relational safety—particularly for children who are marginalised or vulnerable. The session will unpack the non‑negotiables of safe practice, show how relational pedagogy strengthens professional accountability, and invite reflection on building cultures of trust and care. Educators will be challenged to reimagine child safety through a lens of connection, reciprocity, and professional responsibility.
11.45 – 12.15pm
Linda Blakis, Professional Practice Manager, Victorian Institute of Teaching
Early Careers
Supporting Early Career Teacher Practice
This session explores how regulation can actively support early career teachers as they build confidence and capability in their first years of practice. While regulation is often seen as a compliance requirement, we’ll reframe it as a positive tool that strengthens teaching, supports public trust and promotes consistency across all education settings.
The session will focus on how the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers provide clear expectations and a shared language that helps teachers understand their strengths, reflect on their progress and plan meaningful professional learning. We’ll discuss practical ways the Standards can guide induction, mentoring and feedback conversations, and how employers and leaders can use them to create supportive learning environments.
Designed for early career teachers from early childhood through to senior secondary – as well as employers and senior leaders – we hope to highlight how regulation can empower teachers, not limit them, and contribute to ongoing professional growth.
12.45 – 1.15pm
Luc Norton-Smith, Director of Curriculum – Middle School, St. Patricks’ College
Early Careers
From Surviving to Thriving: Building Pedagogical Confidence with Explicit Teaching and Daily Reviews
Starting out in teaching can feel overwhelming – juggling planning, behaviour, and assessment while still trying to find your own identity as an educator. This session introduces practical, research-informed strategies to help early career teachers thrive rather than just survive.
Through real classroom examples and stories from leading change in the middle years, the session will show how embedding a low-variance, collaborative approach to curriculum and pedagogy supports both student outcomes and teacher wellbeing. Attendees will leave with:
This session is designed to empower new teachers with a clear, sustainable approach to teaching that lays the foundation for a rewarding and lasting career.
1.45 – 2.15pm
Aditya Panchakshari, Educational Leader, Wingate Avenue Children’s Co-op
Early Learning
The Magic of Movement: Bringing Children’s Self-Portraits to Life with Digital Animation
Self-portrait projects have always been a cornerstone of identity-building in early childhood—but what happens when a child’s self-image leaps off the paper? In this session, we explore how animation technology can transform static 2D drawings into “living” artwork that dances, jumps, and moves. Witness the pure magic of a child seeing their own creation come to life, and learn how to use simple, open-source tools to bridge the gap between art and identity. Discover how a touch of intentionality can turn technology into a meaningful extension of a child’s self-awareness.
2.30 – 3.00pm
Kerry Neill, Director, Triballink Pty Ltd
Early Learning
Cultural Support and Resources in Early Learning Settings
The Triballink Early Years Cultural Support Program provides ongoing guidance for educators to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in meaningful and culturally respectful ways across their service. Triballink provides face to face and online support for educators to explore practical strategies aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the National Quality Standard (NQS), strengthening children’s sense of Belonging, Being and Becoming. Kerry will bring his didgeridoo and make this session very engaging and respectful, whilst giving a brief overview of what Triballink is able to provide.
3.15 – 3.45pm
Michelle Heath, Director of Early Learning, Trinity College
Early Learning
The Power of Playful Literacy: Strengthening Educator Confidence & Efficacy to Uplift Literacy Practice in the Early Years
Transform everyday interactions into meaningful literacy opportunities through practical, research-informed strategies. Aligned to EYLF v2.0 and the A.C, this workshop supports K–2 Educators to connect play-based learning with intentional teaching to support foundational literacy skills. Participants will leave with practical examples and renewed confidence to design literacy-rich environments and learning experiences that foster and develop curiosity, language, and communication.
Drawing on a successful Early Childhood Literacy Project implemented across multiple preschool sites, that focused on intentional, evidence-based , joyful literacy practices, participants will engage in interactive activities demonstrating how to build educator confidence, capacity, and consistency in teaching foundational literacy skills — particularly phonological awareness, vocabulary, and print knowledge. The workshop will also unpack how collaborative professional learning, coaching, and reflection can enhance educator efficacy and ensure consistent, high-impact literacy practice across early years settings.
