CEM Mastermind Series

Rebecca Birch is a teacher of English and Academic in Residence at a top 40 independent school in Sydney, Australia. After a successful career in advertising and fashion, she transitioned into education, working as a learning support officer in diverse settings while completing her teacher training. She is a founding member of the Centre for Research in Schools at UNSW and a recipient of The Educator Magazine's Most Influential Educator Award 2024. Rebecca has consulted for Ochre Education and presented on literacy nation-wide. She has presented at researchED and represented the profession at the Gonski Institute for Education.

Her research explores the link between explicit instruction and student wellbeing. She publishes widely, including a newsletter read by 4,000 subscribers across 83 countries.

Dr Ray Boyd, FACEL, was recognised as the West Australian Primary School Leader of the Year in 2014. In 2015 he completed a Master of School Leadership (UWA) degree and in 2022 he completed his Doctorate around principal development. He led a turnaround school for 16 years in 2022 became the foundation principal at Dayton Primary School which opened its doors in 2023. Ray has represented Australia at the World Championships for both Cross Country and the Marathon and his world is dominated by the need to improve teaching and learning to bridge students' achievement gaps. Ray has done considerable work with state and interstate schools in developing highly effective instructional ecosystems.

Julie is a passionate educator, consultant and learning difficulties specialist. As a former Deputy Principal leading whole school improvement she has a deep understanding of the pressures principals and teachers face, and the varied needs of students. She founded Literacy Impact to help teachers, school leaders and changemakers bridge the gap between evidence based research and literacy success for every student.

Will is an advisor to the education program at McKinnon – an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation, whose mission is to empower better governments for a stronger Australia. Prior to moving to Australia in January 2025, Will spent four years as a policy advisor to Ministers in the UK Department for Education – first to the Rt Hon Sir Nick Gibb (Schools Minister) between 2020-21, then to successive Education Secretaries (the most senior education minister) between 2021-24. Will started his career as a teacher, training through Teach First (the UK equivalent of Teach for Australia), before becoming a civil servant in the UK Department for Education working on teacher workforce policy. Prior to joining McKinnon, Will was on the Board of the David Ross Education Trust (DRET) – a Multi-Academy Trust of 36 schools in England – and was previously a trustee of Teach First.

Nathaniel is a Teacher, Instructional Coach, Researcher and Writer. He is passionate about language, literacy and learning, and effective and engaging teaching for all students. He is a Senior Lecturer of Learning Sciences and Learner Engagement at La Trobe University's School of Education. Over his career, he has worked with students and teachers in a range of government school settings including Brandon Park Primary School in Melbourne's East. In 2019, he founded a community of teachers and other educators committed to the Science of Learning: THINK FORWARD EDUCATORS.

Nathaniel is a Teacher, Instructional Coach, Researcher and Writer. He is passionate about language, literacy and learning, and effective and engaging teaching for all students. He is a Senior Lecturer of Learning Sciences and Learner Engagement at La Trobe University's School of Education. Over his career, he has worked with students and teachers in a range of government school settings including Brandon Park Primary School in Melbourne's East. In 2019, he founded a community of teachers and other educators committed to the Science of Learning: THINK FORWARD EDUCATORS.

Lorraine is an experienced academic, lecturer and teacher, researcher, workshop facilitator, conference presenter and keynote speaker. She specialises in teacher-led instruction, including Explicit Instruction, Direct Instruction which are examples of high impact instruction. She has particular skills in the prevention of early literacy development, literacy based learning difficulties and classroom coaching. Lorraine is well-known for her engaging style, wealth of knowledge. She is a practical academic because she can convey complex concepts in an accurate but understandable fashion. Lorraine loves what she does.

Oliver (Ollie) Lovell is a teacher and educator based in Melbourne, Australia and has taught in the public and private sectors, as well as higher education, for over a decade. Ollie is host of the popular Education Research Reading Room podcast, now in its 8th year and with over two million downloads. His three books, Cognitive Load Theory in Action, Tools for Teachers, and The Classroom Management Handbook, have all been received well both in Australia and Internationally and are all Amazon Bestsellers. Ollie is Director of Steplab Australia, a professional learning platform that provides schools with everything needed to systematically improve teaching. Ollie is also an adjunct lecturer at LaTrobe university as well as currently completing his PhD in self-regulated learning through the University of Freiburg, Germany. Ollie is committed to clarifying, codifying, and communicating the best that research and practical experience has to offer time-poor teachers and leaders and loves nothing more than heading down research rabbit holes to get to the bottom of some of the most important issues in education.