Professor John Spencer

Professor of Psychology, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom

Professor Spencer’s research focuses on visuo-spatial cognition and early brain development using advanced imaging techniques.

He is currently leading an initiative on infant brain health in India funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as the University of East Anglia’s Longitudinal Brain Study funded by the United States National Institute of Health.

Keynote 1 – Early experiences shape the brain: Why you matter and how you can help children self-regulate

This keynote presentation will cover the processes of early brain development and how experiences shape brain structure and function.

He will discuss how caregivers and teaching teams can directly enhance children’s self-regulatory skills and provide guidance on how teachers and educators can significantly influence brain development trajectories.

Professor Deborah Phillips

Professor of Psychology, Georgetown University and Co-Director, Centre for Research on Children, United States of America

Professor Phillips was the first Executive Director of the Board on Children, Youth at the National Academy of Sciences and has held various significant roles, including President of the Foundation for Child Development.

Her research on the impact of early childhood education has received substantial funding, and she has earned several prestigious awards, including the 2022 Nicholas Hobbs Award from the American Psychological Society.

Keynote 2 – Neurons to Neighbourhoods: What the Brain Tells Us About the Criticality of the Early Years

This keynote presentation will explore:

• how stress affects young children's brains and behaviour
• the benefits of Victorian children receiving 2 years of funded kindergarten, and
• the importance of play in learning.

She will explore the critical role early childhood teaching teams play in fostering playful learning.

The Australian Council of Education Research (ACER) and the Department of Education are developing an intentional teaching professional learning program that will be released in mid-2025.

ACER will deliver 2 workshops based on this forthcoming professional learning program, focusing on how educational leaders can use the theory and research of intentional teaching and support their teaching teams to translate it into everyday teaching practice.

Workshop 1: Intentional Teaching in Early Childhood Education: Theory to Practice

Evidence suggests that intentional teaching is among the least understood pedagogies and is considered challenging to apply, despite the positive impact quality interactions between children, their peers, adults, and the environment has on learning and development.

This workshop will unpack the concept of intentional teaching, address common misconceptions, and explore its theoretical foundations. It will explore how intentional teaching complements and enriches play-based learning experiences and supports children’s holistic learning in line with the learning progressions.

Finally, the workshop will consider how teaching teams negotiate the integrated teaching approaches of child-led, adult-led, and guided play to facilitate rich, interactive learning experiences with and for children.

Workshop 2: Supporting Children’s Language and Literacy Development through Intentional Teaching

Language skills are a well-researched predictor of children’s future reading comprehension and plays an important role in children’s social and emotional development and self-regulation. Language also contributes to early mathematical development and scientific reasoning, since it enables children to represent and understand quantities and reason through problems.

This workshop will provide an evidence-based understanding of children’s early language development to support teaching teams to plan purposeful, play-based experiences to foster children’s literacy development, communication, emotional wellbeing, and learning across domains.

The workshop will highlight key concepts from the latest research on early language development, and show how teaching teams can frame day-to-day, play-based interactions as opportunities to intentionally foster children’s language growth.

By completing the conference registration form and providing your details, you have agreed to provide your information via the EventsAir system and for your information to handled, including to be collected, used and disclosed as described in this notice.

What information will be collected and what will it be used for?

The information required is demographic data including:

• your name
• contact details
• details of your highest level of education
• role and the organisation you are employed by.

The information you provide in EventsAir will be provided to Department of Education and any authorised third-party suppliers contracted by the department to administer and deliver the conference. The information is needed to:

• register you for the conference and facilitate your check-in on the day of the conference
• confirm your eligibility to attend the conference and access a backfill contribution or travel subsidy
• prioritise in-person attendance if more people register to attend the conference in-person than the conference venue can hold
• provide you with the information needed to attend (either in-person or online)
• send you a voluntary post-conference survey for you to provide feedback to improve future conferences
• understand if you have dietary or accessibility requirements so appropriate adjustments to food provided and/or accessibility can be made at the conference
• send you information post conference about how your Approved Provider can apply for a backfill contribution or travel subsidy (if eligible) and where to find recordings of the conference presentations.

The Department of Education protects your personal information in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic).

How will my information be secured?

Your personal information will be managed securely and consistently with Victorian Privacy laws on the servers of the Department of Education and any other authorised third-party suppliers contracted by the department.

Filming and photography

For in-person conference attendees only, the Department of Education will be taking photos and filming at the Best Start, Best Life: 2025 Educational Leaders Conference. These images will be used by the Department of Education to share promotional stories about the conference, and to promote future conferences and professional development opportunities delivered by the department.

Images and videos may be used in printed and digital materials, and may be published on the Department of Education’s website and social media channels.

If you would prefer not to be photographed or filmed, please let the staff at the registration desk know. They will provide a sticker for you to display clearly on your lapel. This will ensure you are not photographed/filmed or featured in published photos or videos if you are inadvertently photographed/filmed.

Further information

For further information on this statement, or to request access and correction of personal information you provided as part of your registration, contact educationalleadersconference@eventfrog.com.au.

For more information about the way the Department of Education collects and handles personal information, including access, correction and complaints, read our privacy policy.

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