The Art of Teaching

Today I’m joined by Darius Samojlowicz, an educator, researcher and leadership coach who is passionate about helping middle leaders lead with clarity, confidence and purpose.

With more than a decade of experience designing and leading professional learning across Australia and internationally, Darius has worked extensively with school leaders and mathematics teachers to strengthen teaching practice, build professional communities and support teacher wellbeing and retention.

His research explores teacher identity, professional learning networks and the challenges facing mathematics teachers, particularly those teaching outside their area of expertise.

In this conversation, we explore the important role middle leaders play in school improvement, the challenges of leading teams, and the practical strategies that help build trust, strengthen culture and create lasting change.

It’s a thoughtful conversation about leadership, learning and the importance of supporting the people who support our teachers.

Please enjoy this conversation with Darius Samojlowicz.

Today, I’m delighted to be joined by Alicia Cohen, founder of Amba Press, an independent Australian educational publishing company established in 2021.

Alicia has spent her career in educational publishing, working across Australia and the UK. With postgraduate qualifications and extensive industry experience, she understands what it takes to bring important ideas and stories to life.

Through Amba Press, Alicia is passionate about supporting Australian educators and giving them a platform to share their knowledge and experiences. She works closely with authors to publish books that challenge our thinking and make a meaningful difference in education.

In today’s conversation, we explore Alicia’s journey into publishing, what makes a great education book and why teachers’ voices deserve to be heard. We also discuss what it takes to turn an idea into a published book and the important role of independent publishing in education.

I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation, and I hope you do too.

Tayla is an experienced secondary teacher with five years in education, passionate about supporting both student learning and teacher development. She has recently stepped into the role of Year Advisor, supporting students through their academic, personal and wellbeing journeys.

Alongside her classroom role, Tayla works as an Instructional Coach, supporting teachers to reflect on and strengthen their practice. She also mentors pre-service teachers, helping them navigate the transition from teacher training to the realities of the classroom.

With experience across teaching, coaching, mentoring and student wellbeing, Tayla is passionate about the practical side of teaching, what actually works in the classroom, how we continue to grow as educators, and how we create meaningful learning experiences for students.

Hannah Hobbs is a songwriter whose music has reached people around the world. For me, though, this conversation is especially personal. Hannah and I have been friends for almost 30 years, and she is genuinely one of my favourite people.

What does it mean to do the right work, in the right way?

Schools are full of worthwhile ideas. The hard part is deciding which ones deserve our time and attention, and what we need to let go of to do them well.

What helps students feel that their learning matters? And what happens when an educator steps away from work to ask the same question of her own life?

In this episode, I speak with Loni Bergqvist, an educator and school development consultant who has supported more than 50 schools to rethink how young people experience learning. We explore what high-quality project-based learning looks like, how teachers build the conditions for student agency and belonging, and why lasting change depends on working together.

Loni also shares the story behind The Sabbatical Diaries. We talk about stepping back, reconsidering the place of work in our lives and making room for the parts of ourselves we’ve put aside.

It’s a conversation about meaningful learning, thoughtful change and finding your way back to yourself.

What if one of the most important things we give young people at school is the opportunity to struggle?

My guest today, Nicole Dyson, believes classrooms should help young people build the confidence and agility to navigate uncertainty, challenge and change.

This is the second time Nicole and I have spoken on The Art of Teaching, and I’m thrilled to welcome her back.

Nicole is a multi-award-winning educator, entrepreneur and founder of Future Anything. Across two decades in education, she has worked with more than 130,000 students and teachers, helping schools design learning that builds agency, adaptability and confidence.

Her recent TEDx talk explores why the classroom might be one of the safest places for students to struggle, stretch and learn how to respond when the answer is not obvious.

Today, I’m joined by Janine Stratford, recipient of the 2024 Most Influential Educator Award.