Q&A with Tom Sherrington
Day one of the 3rd Teaching Matters Summit 2025 opened with energy and purpose with a glorious Welcome to Country video capturing the majestic beauty of Bruny Island. In his opening address, Dr Gerard Gaskin, Executive Director, Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) provided delegates with an epistemological journey through this year’s theme of Knowledge, Truth and Freedom, ‘The end of education is knowledge. The end of knowledge is truth’ – principles in existence since the time of Aristotle.
Professor Pamela Snow kicked off the keynote presentations, speaking on the importance of reading and its distinction from literacy. She illustrated the benefits of applying public health principles to education and reading instruction and what Response to Intervention looks like. Professor Snow emphasised why progress monitoring and evidence needs to underpin the education system to the benefit of society.
The Power and Popularity of Rosenshine’s Principle of Instruction presented by Tom Sherrington
Our first international keynote, Tom Sherrington, continued in a similar vein, illustrating how Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction are nothing new, but provide a practical and sensible means to guide teacher practice. He stressed the importance of the word ‘all’ in respect of students, stating that the benchmark for success is the active participation of the entire class, with anything less ‘not good enough’. Those fortunate to attend Tom’s afternoon masterclass were then able to further explore the techniques of cold calling and think pair share in a classroom setting.
A Path Less Travelled: The Roadmap to Navigating Neurodiversity presented by Distinguished Professor Pamela Snow
Distinguished Professor Pamela Snow gave an informative keynote on the challenge of working with neurodiverse students and the responsibilities of educators to create ways for students to access learning, regardless of ability and Dr Nathaniel Swain dispelled the myth that explicit direct instruction suppresses creativity by illustrating how it creates a framework through which imagination can thrive.
Danny Pinchas, Jordana Hunter, Glenn Fahey, Dr Jenny Donovan and Dr Gerard Gaskin in conversation
The day’s theme of leading change was explored at length with representatives from educational bodies such as the Australian Education Research Organisation, the Grattan Institute, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership and the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS). As Glenn Fahey, Director – Education Program, CIS, said, it is important for educators and policy makers to ‘challenge what we believe, revisit what we’ve learned and do the hard things to put students first even if it leaves us feeling uncomfortable.’ He praised catholic education as being ‘great innovators’, citing the collaboration between CET and Catholic Education Canberra Goulburn as leading the way in advancing pedagogy and curriculum.
This year, delegates were able to choose from concurrent sessions with topics ranging from early years education, to leading change at the school level, through to a full system transformation.
Acting in the role of Master of Ceremonies for the day, Jennifer White, System Lead: Curriculum & Pedagogy, CET, said, ‘It was a pleasure to facilitate an exceptional day of learning for delegates. As a system we have welcomed the expertise of these professionals over the last three years and it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to share this knowledge with colleagues from across Australia, New Zealand, Britain and even China.’
Day 1 culminates in the ‘Pearls of Wisdom’ Gala Dinner, celebrating what we’ve learned, sharing what we know and setting the stage for the conversations and insights of Day 2.