Keynote Topic One: Wise as serpents, gentle as doves? Leading a Christian school in the modern context and Worldview in Christian schools: a pedagogy for Christian Studies?

Keynote Topic Two: Worldview in Christian schools: a biblically faithful pedagogy?

About: Trevor Cooling is Emeritus Professor of Christian Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. He is known for his research and writing on ethos and pedagogy particularly in Church of England schools. His other area of work is General Religious Education. He was Chair of the RE Council of England and Wales from 2015 to 2021 and currently directs its major project on Worldviews in RE. In his retirement he also has taken on being Chair of Governors at his local Church of England primary school. Trevor is a regular visitor to Australia and has worked with Christian schools and/or school leaders in every State and Territory.

Session Topic: Noble Aspirations and Teaching Practices: Grounding Unity in the Classroom

About: Dr. David I. Smith is Professor of Education, Calvin University; Director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning, Calvin University; Coordinator of the de Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development, Calvin University; and Senior Editor of the International Journal of Christianity and Education.

David earned his B.A. in Modern Languages (German and Russian) at Oxford University; a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Nottingham; an M.Phil. in Philosophy of Education/Philosophical Theology from the Institute for Christian Studies, Toronto; and a Ph.D. in Education with a specialism in Curriculum Studies from the University of London.

David has written widely and worked extensively worldwide with educators at all levels of education on questions of how faith relates to the practice of teaching. His many books on Christian education include On Christian Teaching, which was awarded the 2021 Lilly Fellows Program Book Award, a biennial award for work focused on teaching and scholarship in the Christian intellectual tradition. A sequel, titled Everyday Christian Teaching, is due out in late 2024.

David is a passionate listener to a wide variety of musical genres and enjoys gardening, woodworking, and reading outside of his work-related fields.

Session Topic: The Attrition from Faith of Christian School Graduates

Dinner Speaker: The Travails of a Jar of Clay: 52 Years of Wandering Towards the Promised Land. Old Man River, he just keeps rolling along.

About: Dr John Collier (BA, Dip Ed, Dip Bibl St, Ed D, FACE, FACEL, HFTGN) was appointed Headmaster of Shore in July 2022. Previously, he was Head of St Andrew’s Cathedral School and Head of St Andrew’s Cathedral Gawura (Indigenous) School for 12years (2010-2021). Prior to that, was Principal of a multidenominational Christian School and a Government School, ranging over 34 years of Principalship.

Until recently he was Chair of the Anglican Education Commission and a member of the Synod of the Sydney Diocese, and formerly was a Lay Canon of St Andrew’s Cathedral. He is a past Chair of AHISA (NSW/ACT) and is a Fellow of both the Australian College of Educators and the Australian Council for Educational Leaders. For seven years, he Chaired the Academic Committee of AHISA(NSW/ACT), which dealt extensively with the state curriculum authority.

He is a past recipient of the Alan Laughlin Perpetual Award, an Australian College of Educators recognition for outstanding educational leadership and of the Principals Australia Institute John Laing Professional Development Award.

In 2018, he was awarded the Sir Harold Wyndham Medal for educational leadership, by the Australian College of Educators. He is immediate past Chair of the Independent Sporting Association and immediate past Chair of the International Baccalaureate Heads’ Association (NSW/ACT).

His doctoral studies were in Christian Education, Leadership and the Development of Culture and Ethos and his books, Teaching Well: Insights for Educators in Christian Schools and Better Learning: Trajectories for Christian Educators, are used widely in Christian schools. In 2018, his books Pupils, Pimples and Parents: being a prophetic voice to the community and later, Scandals, Skirmishes and Scallywags (2021) were published and widely acquired by NSW Principals.

From the beginning of 2022, Dr Collier was appointed to the position of Dean of Education at Morling (Baptist) College in Macquarie. Currently, he is Executive Director of the Schools Advisory Group in the Faculty of Education at Morling College.

In 2023, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Teachers’ Guild of NS.

TOPIC: To Be Announced

About: Sarah Henderson is the Shadow Minister for Education and a Liberal Senator for Victoria.

Before entering Parliament, Sarah was a Walkley-award winning journalist and commercial lawyer.

Sarah served as the Federal Member for Corangamite between 2013 and 2019, before being sworn as a Senator for Victoria in 2019.

She has served as the Assistant Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability Services, and as the Chair of numerous Parliamentary Committees.

TOPIC: Update from ISQ CEO on Qld and Federal Matters

Christopher Mountford was appointed the CEO for Independent Schools Queensland in June 2021. Previously, he held the position of Queensland Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia. He has specific expertise in the areas of policy, government advocacy and commercial activities.

Christopher has more than two decades of experience in member-based advocacy organisations and government relations. Importantly, he also has an exceptional understanding of government regulation and has been influential on numerous state and local government advisory boards.

Christopher holds a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) and a Bachelor of Economics and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). He is also a volunteer Parent Ambassador for Act for Kids; an Australian charity focused on treating and preventing child abuse.

Session Topic: The Cross Through Time: Using Art to Communicate Christianity

About: In her career Dr Margaret Cooling trained at Westminster Teacher Training College, The London School of Theology (BA), Spurgeon’s College (MTh) and St John’s Durham (PhD). For most of her working life she authored books and trained teachers in communicating Christianity through the creative arts, particularly art. She also worked with clergy in the church context.

In her career she has worked with the BBC and with the National Galley London on a number of projects as well as a range of publishers and organizations.

As well as her educational work, Margaret is a preacher of thirty years’ experience. Her most recent publication is Preaching that Shows: Revealing Relevance.

Margaret has a website with one hundred sermons that have notes for preachers and ways of using art in sermons.