Understanding the Science of Learning and Leading

You will be equipped with a deep understanding of the brain’s learning processes and how application of this knowledge can be used to enhance your school’s learning environments, instructional models, and your leadership capability.

Explore evidence-based teaching and learning strategies, 8 steps to learner engagement, and the power of storytelling.

Discover change management skills to transform your school and strengthen your influence skills to redefine your leadership through trust, rapport and growth. 

Audience

Roles

Designed for school principals and their leadership teams, including assistant principals, learning specialists and leading teachers.

School sectors  

This program is available to the following school sectors:

• Victorian government
• Catholic
• independent.

Some content may contain information aligned with Department of Education priorities or initiatives. 

Facilitator

Dr. Judi Newman, PhD, is the Director of The Academy of Organisational Neuroscience Australia and is an expert in applied neuroscience: a field of study that takes the latest in social cognitive neuroscience research and applies it to leadership, motivation, learning and influence.  

Dr Newman’s mission is to boost influence through strengthening leadership capacity and learning impact, through a neuroscience lens and sharing evidence-based practice. Specifically, she focuses on working with school principals and corporate leaders to establish ‘Brainwise’ schools or companies to build high-performance teams who view themselves as leaders.  

Dr Newman is a former secondary school principal with over 30 years’ experience in education. She has worked as an executive leadership coach and written 4 books with a fifth (on leadership) on the way. 

Structure of program

This full day face to face program explores the following topics: 

An overview of neuroscience

Understand the principles of neuroscience and neuromyths. Learn the essential conditions that make learning stick, how to normalise the learning dip​ and how we think, learn and remember at neural level.

8 steps to engage the learner

Discover learning readiness techniques and how we change brain states to allow for clear thinking. Learn powerful memory techniques and how to build trust, rapport, motivation and confidence.

Leadership influence

Learn the 12 attributes that strengthen influence, and how to utilise change management skills to transform your school.

Self-directed learning

Pre- and post-workshop reading and resources will support you in preparing for the course and implementing your learning following the workshop.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this program, you will be able to:

• understand neuroscience as a pedagogical framework
• identify high-yield teaching strategies that build student engagement
• implement effective leadership behaviours​ that can influence change
• reflect on your own leadership behaviours and their impact on others​. 

Fees and financial support

Department of Education fully subsidises Victorian government schools.