ACE 60th Anniversary Conference: Do I Belong? What Matters in Education!

Morning Key Note Address

Mr Colin Pettit

Colin Pettit is the Commissioner for Children and Young People WA. He was appointed in November 2015 for a five-year term.  Colin has spent his career working to improve the wellbeing of children and young people, particularly in delivering education services and programs to children and young people living in regional and remote areas of the State.  Colin has worked with children, young people, families and communities all over the State as a teacher and then principal in a number of regional schools, before holding the role of Executive Director Regional and Remote Education at the Western Australian Department of Education for three years. Between 2010 and 2015, Colin was the Secretary of Education for the Tasmanian Department of Education. He is a former President of the Primary Principal’s Association of WA and Deputy President of the Australian Primary Principal’s Association. Colin is a father of three and a grandfather of three. In February 2019 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education from Edith Cowan University.

Dr Mandie Shean

Biography: Dr Mandie Shean is a registered teacher and psychologist. She has over 20 years experience in primary schools and has worked in challenging, remote, and overseas schools. She has also worked as a children’s pastor, chaplain, and psychologist in public schools. Mandie has completed a Masters in Community Psychology and her PhD focused on resilience in adolescence. She currently works in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University and is the coordinator of the Graduate Certificate of Behaviour Management and teaches in the Bachelor of Education (Primary) course.

Abstract: In this presentation Dr Mandie Shean will provide a theoretical framework for developing resilience with an emphasis on practical ways of developing students’ resilience. Participants will learn ways of managing students’ complex challenges, developing a sense of worth, building quality relationships, setting boundaries, and developing effective coping skills. These skills are evidence based, simple to implement, and can be applied to students within the classroom setting.

Jenny Blair

Biography: Jenny Blair is the product of a family of teachers and joined the profession as a secondary English and Humanities teacher 25 years ago.  Jenny has worked in almost every education sector from pre-school to adult education.  Her understanding of how people become literate and the importance of parents as first educators was greatly enhanced by becoming a parent and by spending five years living in New Zealand.  Jenny is currently the Senior Vice President of the Western Australian Council of State School Organisations (WACSSO) which proudly supports the parents of children in public Schools.

Anne Fairbanks

Biography: Anne Fairbanks is an accountant with an interest in the not-for-profit sector. Her passion for public education and the benefits P&Cs bring to our public schools lead her to become a volunteer State Councillor for the Western Australian Council of State School Organisations (WACSSO). Anne contributes to representing the voice of parents in public schools and applies her professional skills to build the capacity of P&Cs be inclusive, accountable and active in their school communities. Anne is currently Vice President and Training and Development Convenor of WACSSO which proudly supports the parents of children in public schools.

Joint presentation: Jenny Blair and Anne Fairbanks

Abstract: Hearts, Heads and Hands: Children tell us they want their parents and families to participate in their education, and evidence shows it is one of the most important influences on educational outcomes. Yet parental engagement is often an under-resourced, ill-defined space that our educators are expected to do by instinct. What are some practical things that educators can do to encourage parents to bring their ‘hearts, heads and hands’ into the school community? Anne and Jenny present perspectives on helping parents feel they belong at your school and how everyone benefits when schools successfully engage their parent community in a meaningful way.

Professor Stephen John Houghton

Biography: Professor Stephen Houghton is Director of the Centre for Child & Adolescent Related Disorders at the University of Western Australia and a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, School of Psychological and Health Sciences, Glasgow, Scotland. Has a focus on child and adolescent developmental psychopathology and mental health promotion. He has led several programs examining trajectories of psychopathology, including the early onset life course persistent antisocial behaviour prevention program, and the self-regulatory processes paths of influence to understanding adolescent behaviour. Professor Houghton is currently leading teams utilising accelerated longitudinal designs to develop models of childhood and adolescent loneliness and to establish structural relations with mental health. 

Abstract: Do I Belong, Do I Not Belong or is it just my Distorted Thinking? Resolving the Cognitive Distortions that Lead to Adolescent Mental Health Problems: Adolescents tend to focus on and interpret everyday ambiguous information as negative or threatening and because of this their perceptions become distorted and dysfunctional, giving rise to negative patterns of thinking that in turn lead to negative mental health. This presentation will integrate the findings emanating from an extensive program of research to show the development of an innovative adolescent self-directed 3-D-animated gamification program. The core component of the program is Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM-I), a psychological procedure designed to therapeutically alter unhelpful negative and distorted thought patterns. By repeatedly exposing adolescents to the ambiguity they experience in their everyday situations (in an engaging 3-D gamified approach) and teaching them to impose benign interpretations on these we will increase adolescents’ capacity to withstand and resolve the challenges to their mental health. 

Dr Ashleigh Lin

Biography: Dr Ashleigh Lin completed Master of Clinical Neuropsychology and PhD degrees at The University of Melbourne. Ashleigh held postdoctoral research positions at Orygen The National Centre for Youth Mental Health and The University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom before taking up her current role at the Telethon Kids Institute in 2014 as a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Fellow. She is currently a NHMRC Career Development Research Fellow and Program Head of Mental Health and Youth at the Institute. Ashleigh’s research is focused on early detection and intervention for mental health problems in adolescents and young adults. She is particularly interested the mental health of vulnerable groups, such as LGBTIQ and Aboriginal youth, and young people with chronic conditions.

Abstract: Adolescence and young adulthood are the highest risk periods for the onset of mental disorders. Some young people are more vulnerable to poor mental health than others. This include LGBTIQ youth, Aboriginal young people, and those who have a chronic physical condition. Dr Lin will discuss her research on better understanding the experiences of these vulnerable groups of young people, and how we can design interventions to better suit their unique needs.

Afternoon Key Note Address

Chris Harris

Biography: Chris Harris is a Psychologist and Senior Manager of Services, Development and Innovation at Youth Focus. Chris has previously held Clinical Director roles in the government and not for profit sector over a 20 year period (including a founder of the Perth Children’s Hospital Eating Disorder Team). In 2016 / 17 he was the inaugural Mental Health Advisor to HRH The Prince of Wales, Prince’s Trust in the United Kingdom. Chris has co-authored peer reviewed publications and presented work nationally and internationally.

Abstract: Why mental health should not be a barrier to achieving academic or vocational potential.

• Educating across WA: Schools, workplaces and communities learning how to respond to the mental health needs of young people
• The Young Men’s Project tackling suicide in young male students
• The value of youth mentorship in achieving educational goals

Dr Phil Lambert FACE, PSM

Biography: Dr Phil Lambert has extensive experience in education as a school principal; inspector; Executive Director; Assistant Director-General; Regional Director (Schools), Sydney; CEO Sydney Region Registered Training Authority; and General Manager, Australian Curriculum where he recently led the development of Australia’s first national curriculum. He has authored books, presented a number of papers and keynotes at national and international conferences, had a number of articles and occasional papers published in journals and led statewide reviews and reforms. Dr Lambert completed both his Masters and Doctorate at the University of Sydney where he continues to support the education faculty as Adjunct Professor, Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board and a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s STEM Academy Board. Dr Lambert is also Adjunct Professor at Nanjing Normal University. He is both a Fellow of the Australian Council for Educational Leaders and the Australian College of Educators (ACE). He is also National President of ACE and Chair of the ACE Board. Dr Lambert has received a number of honours and awards. In 2011 he was acknowledged for his outstanding community work and leadership in a unanimous resolution in the Parliament of NSW. In the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours he was awarded the Public Service Medal for his outstanding contribution to education.