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The Art of Teaching Podcast: Important conversations with the best minds in education and leadership.
248 Episodes
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Natalie is a passionate and enthusiastic teacher who shares her journey and key takeaways from a career in education spanning decades. Having taught across a wide range of year levels, she reflects on the insights, strategies and practical tools she has gathered along the way. In this conversation, we explore what experience really teaches you about the craft of teaching. Whether you’re early in your career or a seasoned educator, Natalie’s hope is that teachers feel supported, inspired and genuinely valued in the work they do every day.
Next is a conversation I recently had with Casey Ellis, a global leader in cybersecurity and the founder of Bugcrowd.
Casey has spent his career thinking deeply about risk, trust and what happens when you invite smart, curious people into complex systems. Through Bugcrowd, he helped pioneer crowdsourced security, connecting organisations with ethical hackers from around the world to find problems before they become crises.
In this conversation, we explore leadership under uncertainty, the ethics of technology, and what education, schools, and systems can learn from the way cybersecurity approaches prevention, responsibility, and human behaviour. It’s a thoughtful discussion about vigilance without paranoia, openness without naivety, and why good systems always start with people.
I think you’ll find this one stretches your thinking well beyond cybersecurity and straight into the heart of leadership and learning.
I’m joined today by Dr Vanessa Urch Druskat, a leading organisational psychologist whose work has reshaped how we think about emotional intelligence in teams.
Together, we explore what helps groups think clearly, collaborate well and stay steady under pressure. We talk about trust, shared norms and the often invisible emotional work that underpins strong teaching teams and healthy school cultures.
It’s a grounded, practical and quietly powerful conversation for anyone who leads, teaches or works closely with others.
Here is a link to her resources: https://www.vanessadruskat.com/about
Today it is my great pleasure to share a snippet of a conversation that I recently had with Ian Timbrell. He is a former teacher who now spends his time ensuring that no student has to go through the challenges that he faced at school. We all want schools to be places where students are seen and valued and we all want schools that are more diverse and inclusive for all people. I won’t give too much away here, but I encourage you to listen, really listen, as he shares his journey. He is incredibly brave and it was wonderful to speak with him. Please take the time to listen to the whole conversation - the link is below:
https://theartofteaching.podbean.com/e/ian-timbrell-his-mission-to-create-more-inclusive-schools-the-power-of-diversity-and-his-experience-at-school/
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It was a delight to speak again with Amy Green. This is our second interview and I think that you will enjoy it. For those that are not aware
Amy is the founder of The Wellness Strategy, a published author, speaker, facilitator, and coach, and a leader in improving workplace culture and wellbeing in schools and organisations.
As a past teacher and school leader, Amy is determined to change the way we view well-being to support our everyday and workplace needs. With a background in teaching and leadership and having studied human behaviour and positive psychology, Amy brings to the wellbeing space a fresh approach to what can be a sensitive topic.
I hope that you enjoy this chat with the brilliant Amy Green
You can connect with me here:
🖐️ About
💻 Podcast Website
Connect:
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Today, I have the pleasure of sharing the second part of a conversation with the amazing Stephanie McConnell, the founding Principal of Lindfield Learning Village. She is the founder of Lindfield Learning Village. In this second part of our conversation, we deeply explored curriculum mapping, professional learning and leadership development.
We talked about why we should always assume best intent, why we must reimagine leadership and how to create a village with low floors, wide walls and high ceilings.
I am in awe of her kindness, generosity and openness.
I hope you get as much out of this discussion as I did.
Here is the first conversation that I had with her:
Stephanie McConnell: Lindfield Learning Village, changing educational landscapes and why we must question everything.
I’m joined today by Professor Viviane Robinson, one of the most influential thinkers in educational leadership. This is the second time that I have the privilege of speaking with her.
Viviane is the author of Student-Centred Leadership, a book that has quietly but powerfully reshaped how school leaders around the world think about their work. At its heart is a deceptively simple question: What leaders do, day to day, that genuinely makes a difference to students.
In this upcoming conversation, we explore what student-centred leadership really demands in practice. Not the slogans or surface-level frameworks, but the hard choices, the relational work, and the moments where leaders have to keep learning at the centre, even when the pressure is on. We discuss trust, instructional leadership, goal setting, and why well-intentioned leaders can sometimes stray from the very students they aim to serve.
It’s a thoughtful, challenging, and deeply practical conversation for anyone leading in schools or considering a leadership role. One to sit with, reflect on, and return to as you think about impact and purpose in your own leadership work.
Today’s guest is Olli-Pekka Heinonen, one of the significant voices in global education and a leader who has spent decades shaping how the world thinks about learning.
Olli-Pekka is the Director General of the International Baccalaureate, guiding a worldwide community of schools committed to developing curious, capable and principled young people. Before stepping into this global role, he served as Finland’s Minister of Education and Culture and later as State Secretary, playing a key part in the evolution of Finland’s internationally respected education system.
He is also the author of Learning as if Life Depended on It, a powerful reflection on why education must help us see the world anew. Drawing on Finnish heritage, statesmanship and a deep understanding of global challenges, Olli-Pekka explores what it means to move beyond being overtrained and undereducated, and why learning is central to the future of humanity itself.
In this conversation, we explore leadership, identity, global responsibility, and what it truly means to educate for a world that is changing faster than any curriculum ever could.
It’s thoughtful, expansive, and quietly urgent. A conversation that reminds us why this work matters so much.
Today on The Art of Teaching, I’m joined by Katharine Birbalsingh, one of the most talked-about and uncompromising voices in education. As headteacher of Michaela Community School, Katharine has challenged long-held assumptions about behaviour, curriculum and equity, advocating for high expectations, explicit teaching and a knowledge-rich education for every child. In this conversation, we explore school culture, discipline, leadership and what it really takes to create classrooms where all students can thrive.
Today I'm joined by Tim Bullard, a leader whose career spans law, public policy and large-scale education reform. Tim began his professional life as a lawyer before moving into senior policy roles in Australia and the United Kingdom. Over more than a decade with the Department of Premier and Cabinet in Tasmania, he played a key role in major national reforms, including the development of Child and Family Learning Centres and the negotiations around the Gonski schools funding agreement. In 2016, Tim joined the Tasmanian Department of Education and later became Secretary of the Department for Education, Children and Young People, where he led the integration of education, child safety and youth justice into a single values-based system focused on ensuring every child and young person is known, safe, well and learning. Most recently, Tim has been appointed CEO of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, @aitsleduau, commencing October 2024. It’s a thoughtful conversation about leadership at scale, the complexity of education systems, and what it takes to build structures that truly support teachers, schools and young people.
Natalie, co-founder of Amplify Music Education, sits at the meeting point of music, education and entrepreneurship. From being the kid who woke early every Saturday to watch Rage, collecting CDs, vinyl and ticket stubs, to helping build a national organisation championing high-quality music education, her story is shaped by curiosity, persistence and a deep conviction that music matters.
In this conversation, we explore what music offers young people beyond technique and theory, why school leaders need to rethink the place of the arts, and what it takes to build something meaningful from the ground up. Natalie brings a grounded honesty, quiet optimism and a practical, solutions-focused way of thinking that lingers long after the conversation ends.
If you care about creativity, leadership and creating schools where music is valued for the role it plays in students’ lives and communities, this is a conversation worth spending time with.
With over fifteen years of experience as a teacher in special education, John has worked across Schools for Specific Purposes (SSPs) and support units in primary schools within public education. Now serving as an Assistant Principal Special Education, he is deeply committed to building the confidence, knowledge and capacity of colleagues and teachers, so inclusive practice is not an add-on, but a shared responsibility across the school community.
John’s work is grounded in the belief that every student deserves to be seen for their strengths, potential and possibilities. He leads with care, clarity and high expectations, advocating for learning environments where difference is understood, valued and supported.
Disability does not mean inability.
Here is John's article: https://cpl.nswtf.org.au/journal/semester-2-2025/is-inclusion-truly-inclusive/
If you ask ten people what instructional leadership means, you’ll probably hear ten different answers. At its heart though, it’s the everyday work of helping teachers grow and helping students learn in ways that are intentional, evidence-informed, and grounded in trust.
It isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about creating clarity, building shared purpose, and keeping everyone focused on the practices that genuinely shift learning. Instructional leaders make learning visible, link practice to impact, and cultivate the confidence and capability of the people around them. They stay curious, reflect openly, and use evidence to guide improvement rather than to judge.
This idea sits at the centre of the work led by Peter DeWitt and Michael Nelson, who together lead the Instructional Leadership Collective. Their approach shows that instructional leadership isn’t something held by one person. It lives in teams, in the way we talk about learning, in walkthroughs and planning sessions, and in those quiet, hopeful moments when someone says, “Let’s try this together.”
When we define instructional leadership clearly, we can collectively grow it. And students feel the difference long before the data catches up.
Heidi Horne is a Stress Strategist, keynote speaker, and Wiley author of The One-Minute Reset, available across Australia. For close to 20 years, she’s worked in high-pressure environments where burnout is common and attention is constantly pulled in a hundred directions.
Heidi believes that when stress hits, we don’t need more theory or another long program. We need something simple, practical, and backed by science. Her work focuses on powerful resets that take 60 seconds or less and can be used right in the moment, before stress hijacks focus, performance, or well-being.
Trusted by organisations including Bupa, Rydges, and Cisco, Heidi is also a regular voice across television, radio, and print media. She helps people and teams find calm and clarity when the pressure is real, not later, but right there in it.
Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Jim Knight, one of the most influential voices in instructional coaching anywhere in the world.
Jim is the founder of the Instructional Coaching Group and the creator of the Impact Cycle, a practical, research-informed framework that has shaped how schools think about coaching, professional growth and instructional improvement. His work has supported thousands of teachers, coaches and school leaders to focus on what matters most, improving teaching in ways that genuinely lift student learning.
Jim has authored several landmark books, including Instructional Coaching, Better Conversations and The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching. What sets his work apart is its clarity, its respect for teachers, and its unwavering belief that professional learning works best when it is collaborative, focused and deeply human.
In this conversation, we explore what great coaching really looks like in practice, why relationships sit at the heart of improvement, and how leaders can create the conditions for meaningful growth rather than compliance. It’s a thoughtful, practical discussion that speaks directly to teachers, coaches and school leaders at every stage of their journey.
Let’s get into it.
Today’s episode is something a little different. I sat down with the amazing Ash from Rainbow Sky Creations for a raw and honest chat, and this time I found myself on the other side of the microphone. It felt a bit strange being the one answering the questions, but Ash has a way of making you feel safe enough to tell the truth about your work, your why, and the messy bits in between.
We talked about teaching, life, purpose, and what it means to try and make a difference in this wild and wonderful profession. It’s a conversation filled with heart, a few laughs, and some vulnerable moments that I’m really proud to share.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed being part of it.
Today I’m joined by Glenys Oberg (FHEA), an author, educator and researcher whose work sits at the crossroads of wellbeing, neuroscience and teaching practice. Glenys explores how compassion fatigue, moral injury and emotional resilience shape the lives of educators, and how trauma-aware, evidence-informed approaches can create healthier and more sustainable ways of working in schools
What I value most about her work is how clearly she bridges research and practice. She takes insights from neuroscience and psychology and turns them into practical support for teachers, helping them understand not only the science of wellbeing but how to bring it to life in everyday school contexts.
Glenys is the author of The Cost of Not Caring and Creating Trauma-Informed Classrooms, two books that continue to influence how we think about care, trauma and teacher wellbeing. This conversation is a thoughtful look at what it really takes to support both students and the educators who stand beside them.
Today we’re joined by Jeffrey Jordan, an inspiring school leader who’s currently in his third year as an elementary school principal. Jeffrey’s career spans classrooms and continents. He’s taught English Language Arts across primary and secondary settings, led as a vice principal for six years at the second-largest English high school in Quebec, and even taught English as a Second Language in South Korea.
Throughout his career, Jeffrey has been driven by a passion for helping every student thrive. He’s a strong advocate for educational and assistive technologies, digital citizenship, and resource support for students with learning difficulties. His leadership is grounded in inclusion, innovation, and the belief that schools should be places where all learners feel seen and supported.
Today, I'm talking about something that sits right at the heart of great leadership - wellbeing. Not as a buzzword or a side project, but as the foundation for how we lead, teach, and thrive together. In her new book Wellbeing Leadership, Amy Green challenges us to rethink what leadership in schools can look like when wellbeing isn’t an afterthought, but the starting point. She explores four essential qualities that create a wellbeing-centred workplace, and eight characteristics that empower staff to feel, work, team, and lead well. This conversation isn’t about quick fixes or checklists. It’s about courage, clarity, and the willingness to do things differently - to lead a wellbeing revolution in education.
🎧 Here’s the conversation: The Art of Teaching Podcast: https://lnkd.in/gBQRRz27
📘 Find Amy’s work and resources at The Wellness Strategy:
https://lnkd.in/g4pBZUUa
This episode’s a little different. Instead of me asking the questions, I’m the one being interviewed. Highly Accomplished teacher Andrew Cornwall and I sit down to talk about teaching, accreditation, and what it means for all of us to be expert practitioners.
We dig into how great teaching grows through shared practice, honest reflection, and the everyday work we do alongside our colleagues. It’s a relaxed, thoughtful chat about the craft of teaching, the challenges of accreditation, and why supporting each other as professionals matters more than ever.
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