As the world continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, the future of education and work is undergoing a transformation. The Innovation in Education Festival was created to bring together educators, school leaders, and industry professionals to explore how we can prepare today’s students for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.
The Innovation In Education Festival launched in Perth in 2021 as an event to bring together innovative educators from around the city, and across the country to share best practice, learn from industry leaders, and build connections as they worked to design impactful learning experiences for their students.
With so many brilliant people working on so many exciting projects in schools and educational institutions across the country, the organizers wanted to create an opportunity for these innovative educators to connect, collaborate and learn as they all continued to deliver real, relevant and relatable learning experiences for their students.
As the festival entered its second year, they were excited to be broadening their reach in Western Australia, whilst also offering an opportunity for East Coast educators to connect with their Brisbane festival as well.
2022 was a year not to be missed, and one they looked forward to filling with inspiration, innovation, and future skills!
The festival returned to Methodist Ladies’ College on November 10 & 11, 2022. Over two action-packed days, it brought together over 200 teachers, educators, and school leaders as they explored what the future of education would look like for their schools and their students.
This highly anticipated return to Methodist Ladies’ College marked a significant milestone for the Innovation in Education Festival. The historic campus, with its blend of heritage architecture and modern learning spaces, provided an inspiring backdrop for the event’s diverse program of activities. Attendees began arriving early on the first morning, creating a palpable buzz of excitement throughout the college grounds.
The two-day schedule was carefully crafted to maximize engagement and learning opportunities. Each day began with a thought-provoking keynote address in the college’s main auditorium, which had been transformed with dynamic lighting and state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment for the occasion. Following these plenary sessions, participants dispersed across the campus for specialized workshops and breakout discussions.
Collaborative spaces were strategically positioned around the campus, equipped with whiteboards, digital collaboration tools, and refreshment stations to facilitate spontaneous discussions between sessions. These areas quickly became hubs of animated conversation where educators from diverse backgrounds shared challenges, successes, and ideas for future implementation.
Meals and refreshment breaks were designed as networking opportunities, with long communal tables and conversation-starting questions placed on each table. The catering featured locally sourced ingredients, with menu options reflecting the diverse cultural backgrounds of the educational community.
Origins and Vision
Meagan King was the creator and convenor of the national Innovation In Education Festival, a role that positioned her as one of the leading educational thinkers in the country. Her visionary leadership and commitment to transforming educational practices earned her widespread recognition throughout Australia’s education community. Through her work with the festival, she successfully brought together diverse stakeholders from across the educational landscape to foster collaboration and drive meaningful innovation in learning environments nationwide.
The founding team secured initial funding through a combination of educational grants, industry sponsorships, and support from the Western Australian Department of Education. Their vision resonated with both educators and industry partners who recognized the value of bringing together diverse perspectives on the future of learning.
The 2022 Festival Experience
When registration opened for the 2022 festivals, tickets sold out within three weeks – a full month faster than the previous year. The Perth event expanded to accommodate 800 attendees, while the inaugural Brisbane festival welcomed 650 participants.
The expanded By Teachers, For Teachers masterclass series became the backbone of both festivals, with sessions consistently receiving the highest satisfaction ratings in post-event surveys. These practitioner-led workshops covered everything from trauma-informed classroom management to incorporating indigenous knowledge systems into curriculum.
Impact and Outcomes
The 2022 festivals generated tangible outcomes beyond the events themselves. Regional innovation networks formed among attendees, leading to ongoing collaboration throughout the school year. Several state education departments sent observer teams who later incorporated festival insights into professional development programs.
Perhaps most significantly, the 2022 events positioned the Innovation in Education Festival as a significant voice in Australia’s education discourse. Festival organizers were subsequently invited to participate in national policy discussions, curriculum reviews, and media conversations about the future of Australian education.
As the team looked toward 2023, they began exploring additional expansion possibilities while remaining committed to their founding principle: that the most valuable educational innovations often come from practicing teachers who deserve platforms to share their expertise.
Highlights from 2022 Festival
This 2022 event attracted over 2,000 participants from across Australia and beyond, making it the largest gathering since its inception. The three-day program featured more than 50 expert speakers who shared insights on emerging educational trends, practical implementation strategies, and success stories from innovative institutions.
In 2022, the festival organizers sought innovative educators to join them at the Brisbane and Perth festivals to lead their By Teachers, For Teachers masterclass sessions. This targeted recruitment campaign resonated strongly within educational communities across Australia, attracting an impressive pool of experienced and forward-thinking teachers eager to share their expertise.
The selection process was rigorous and competitive, with applicants required to submit detailed proposals outlining their innovative classroom practices, evidence of student impact, and plans for engaging workshop delivery. Organizers prioritized diversity in teaching contexts, subject areas, and pedagogical approaches to ensure the masterclass program would address the varied needs of festival attendees.
Over 300 applications were received for just 40 available presenter slots, highlighting the significant interest in peer-led professional development among Australian educators. The chosen presenters represented a range of educational settings, from remote rural schools to inner-city academies, and spanned all curriculum areas and year levels.
Prior to the festival, selected presenters participated in facilitation training to enhance their workshop delivery skills. This preparation phase focused on creating interactive learning experiences rather than lecture-style presentations, ensuring that the masterclasses would model the student-centered approaches they advocated.
The organizing committee worked closely with each presenter to refine their session content, providing feedback on draft materials and suggesting practical activities that would maximize participant engagement. Presenters were encouraged to incorporate authentic classroom artifacts, including student work samples, assessment tasks, and video footage of their teaching approaches in action.
Marketing materials prominently featured the selected teacher-presenters, highlighting their classroom innovations and positioning them as educational thought leaders. This approach helped elevate the status of practicing teachers and recognized their crucial role in driving educational improvement from within the system.
As the festivals approached, anticipation built around these practitioner-led sessions, with many registrants specifically citing the By Teachers, For Teachers program as their primary reason for attending. The initiative successfully positioned classroom teachers as valuable sources of professional knowledge and catalysts for meaningful educational change.
The aim of the By Teachers For Teachers sessions was to share knowledge, experience, and best practice to help other educators deliver impactful learning experiences for their students. These collaborative workshops proved to be one of the festival’s most valuable offerings, providing a platform where experienced educators could pass on their expertise to colleagues.
Throughout these sessions, teachers showcased innovative classroom methodologies they had personally developed and tested. Participants engaged in rich discussions about implementation challenges they had overcome and shared evidence of student success that resulted from their approaches. The format encouraged authentic dialogue rather than theoretical presentations, allowing for honest conversations about what worked and what didn’t in real classroom settings.
Subject-specific breakout groups enabled teachers to connect with peers in their discipline areas, fostering specialized communities of practice. Mathematics teachers demonstrated hands-on activities that had transformed student engagement with abstract concepts, while language arts educators shared strategies for developing critical literacy skills through contemporary texts. Science teachers exchanged lab activities designed to promote inquiry-based learning, and humanities instructors presented project models that connected historical events to current social issues.
The sessions emphasized practical takeaways rather than aspirational ideals, with presenters providing ready-to-use resources, templates, and assessment tools that attendees could immediately adapt for their own classrooms. Many participants described these peer-led workshops as “refreshing” and “grounded in reality” compared to more theoretical professional development they had experienced elsewhere.
By the conclusion of the festival, these teacher-led sessions had generated an extensive digital repository of lesson plans, activities, and assessment strategies—creating a lasting resource that extended the impact of the event well beyond those who attended in person.
Attendees particularly praised the interactive format, which included demonstration classrooms where teachers could observe cutting-edge pedagogical approaches in action with real students. The technology showcase allowed participants to experience firsthand how AI, virtual reality, and other digital tools can enhance learning experiences across different subjects and age groups.
Bridging the Gap Between School and the Workforce
Education shouldn’t end at the classroom door. One of the festival’s most exciting themes is supporting students beyond graduation—equipping them with tools, resources, and pathways into meaningful employment and independent living.
As we build the schools of tomorrow, we must also think about how to guide students as they take their first steps into adult life. Whether it’s securing a job, preparing for interviews, or moving into a new home, these life milestones require just as much attention as academic success.
Jobs & Life Resources for Graduates
Whether you’ve just graduated or you’re guiding someone through the transition into adult life, the shift from student to independent adult can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve gathered some useful resources to help make the journey smoother:
• Find Student Jobs – Explore a variety of job options perfect for students and recent grads, from part-time gigs to entry-level positions in your field.
• Resume & Interview Tips – Learn how to write a standout resume and feel confident going into interviews with practical advice and examples.
• Moving Out Guide – Taking the leap to live on your own? This guide covers your rights and responsibilities as a first-time renter, so you’re prepared every step of the way.
➡️ Bonus Moving Out Tip for students:
Students moving out of rental properties in Brisbane often face one major challenge: ensuring the property is cleaned to a professional standard to secure their full bond refund. Real estate agents and landlords typically conduct strict inspections, and even minor cleaning oversights can lead to deductions.
To avoid the stress and risk, it’s a smart move to hire a reliable bond cleaning service that understands exactly what’s required. For those preparing to leave a rental, students can use Bond Cleaning Service a recommended end of lease cleaning service in Brisbane that can help ensure the place is left spotless and inspection-ready:
Stay connected as we continue to explore how education and industry can work hand-in-hand to build a better future. Follow our social media channels for year-round content featuring festival highlights, implementation success stories, and upcoming opportunities to engage with our growing community of education innovators.