Leading with Literacy 2026

Conference Agenda

Two days of keynote presentations, classroom practice and leadership learning exploring knowledge-rich literacy education across reading, writing, oral language and curriculum.

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Explore the full conference agenda below

Explore the agenda by day

Use the tabs below to explore keynote presentations, concurrent sessions and conference events across both conference days. Bookmark this page or download all sessions to share it with your team!

 

Day One 

Morning Keynotes

8:30

Welcome to Country

8:35
Opening Address

What is Knowledge Rich?

Megan Edwards, CEO, PETAA

An opening exploration of knowledge-rich curriculum and the role of literacy in building deep understanding across learning.

8:50
🎤
Keynote Presentation

Vocabulary as Knowledge: The wonder of words

Dr Deslea Konza

Exploring the significance of vocabulary for oral language, reading development, intellectual growth and broader life outcomes.

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  • The significance of vocabulary to oral language, reading and intellectual development
  • The urgency of building our own vocabularies — and how to do this
  • Effective teaching of vocabulary incidentally and explicitly
9:50
🎤
Keynote Presentation

Whose knowledge counts? Creating equity in a knowledge-rich literacy curriculum

Associate Professor Helen Adam

Exploring how curriculum, literacy and cultural knowledge intersect to shape equity, engagement and achievement.

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  • Curriculum is never neutral — whose stories and knowledge are represented matters
  • A knowledge-rich curriculum should encompass multiple interconnected knowledges
  • Practical approaches to creating equitable literacy learning environments
10:45
Morning Tea

Concurrent Streams

11:15
Teachers Stream

Whose story is it? Critical literacy and picture books in history

Joanne Rossbridge

Exploring the role of picture books as historical artefacts and tools for critical literacy.

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  • Considering social, cultural, political and historical contexts of picture books
  • Thinking critically when curating texts for the history classroom
  • Comparing picture books and voices across time
Leaders Stream  • Extended Session

Leading sustainable development in schools

Emina McLean | 45 minutes

Strategies for leading purposeful, collaborative and sustainable literacy improvement.

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  • Leading for lasting impact
  • Leading with flexibility and clarity
  • Articulating leadership systems and processes
11:45
Teachers Stream

Author Studies to build literate knowledge

Karen Rogers

Exploring how repeated engagement with authors and texts builds literate identity and language knowledge.

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  • Learning about ourselves and the world through story
  • Repeated exposure to rich texts builds knowledge of language in context
  • Knowing an author through their writing supports literate identity
12:15
Teachers Stream

Igniting the spark: The role of curiosity in writing and reading picture books

Kate Simpson

Exploring the power of curious minds to create stories and engage students as readers.

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  • How curiosity drives author inspiration
  • Leveraging curiosity to grow young readers from an early age
  • Units of work that engage curious minds
Leaders Stream  • Extended Session

Leading with Knowledge: Aligning curriculum, pedagogy and assessment for school improvement

TBC, Kenmore State School | 45 minutes

Exploring curriculum alignment, language knowledge and responsive teaching practices.

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  • Aligning curriculum, pedagogy and assessment
  • Organising curriculum through text
  • Using finer-grained analysis of student work
12:45
Lunch

Afternoon Sessions

1:45

Oral language and the construction of knowledge in learning areas

Dr Bronwyn Parkin

Exploring the role of intentional talk in constructing knowledge and reducing cognitive load.

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  • The role of language in knowledge construction
  • Why intentional talk is essential for constructing knowledge and reducing cognitive load
  • Using a Junior Primary ‘Living things’ unit as a practical example
2:30

The page turner novel as Trojan Horse

Sarah Armstrong

Using suspense, journalism and storytelling to engage readers while exploring ideas and moral dilemmas.

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  • Journalism as a training ground for children’s novelists
  • Using suspense and plot to sustain reader engagement
  • Representing moral dilemmas without becoming didactic
3:15
Afternoon Tea
3:45
🌿
Featured Presentation

First Nations Knowledge

Margo Neale

An exploration of First Nations knowledge systems and their significance within literacy and curriculum learning.

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  • TBC
  • TBC
  • TBC

Networking & Close

4:30
Short address by Essential Assessment (Networking Drinks Sponsor) 
4:35
🥂
Networking Drinks
Continue the conversation with speakers, educators and literacy leaders following the close of Day One.

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