On Friday and Saturday, Adelaide’s Hilton will be a hive of activity with more than 340 expert teachers congregating to be part of the Highly Accomplished Lead teacher (HALT) Summit.
Organised by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), this two-day event brings together expert teachers from across Australia, to share expertise and knowledge for the benefit of all students.
The theme for this year’s Summit is ‘Building Momentum’ where the nation’s most esteemed educators will provide advice and explore ways to build momentum when it comes to teaching and leading.
AITSL CEO Mark Grant said, “This is a great opportunity to bring together some of the nation’s most renowned educators and share their expertise and advice with others.
“We know that teacher expertise has the greatest influence on student outcomes. There is nothing more important than ensuring we have exceptional teachers in our schools, in our classrooms, and in front of our students.
“We have 1025 teachers who have HALT certification, nationally, which is great, but we want this to continue to grow,” he said.
“Having more teachers certified as HALTs isn’t just good for Australian students, but for the teaching profession as well. The more expert teachers we have, the more their colleagues have opportunities to learn, and the more teaching can grow
in status as a profession.”
Most delegates at the invitation-only event will be expert teachers who have voluntarily achieved national certification against the Highly Accomplished or Lead career stages of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – a rigorous national
process requiring applicants to demonstrate the impact of their practice on students and their colleagues.
Teachers travel from across Australia to attend the annual HALT Summit, which is now in its fifth year. It’s an opportunity for HALTs to lead a lot of the sessions themselves. One of this year’s keynote speakers is James Ellis - a Lead Teacher
with 20 years’ experience in K-9 schools across government and independent sectors. James was certified in 2018 and acts as a mentor across 30 schools in his district.
Participants will also work with other leading educational thinkers, including Derek Scott, CEO and Principal of Haileybury and the Chair of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), Danielle Toon, Director – Evidence
for Learning, Social Ventures Australia, and Emeritus Laureate Professor John Hattie. It’s an opportunity to examine how they can effectively lead their colleagues and look at ways to further expand their impact.
Click here to learn more about this year’s HALT Summit.