The Clarendon community was thrilled to host researchED Ballarat for the fourth year in a row, welcoming 700 teachers onto campus to learn about and improve their evidence-based practice. This year, researchED Ballarat was the largest event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, with attendees travelling from across Victoria, around Australia and even from New Zealand.
To ensure the conference is accessible to as many people as possible, researchED speakers donate their time, allowing ticket prices to remain low. researchED Ballarat 2026 featured 34 expert speakers, including two keynote presenters: British author and leading education thinker, David Didau, and practising teacher and author, Bronwyn Ryrie Jones.
Of those 34 speakers, five Clarendon staff presented and shared their knowledge as part of the ‘Clarendon Strand’. Deputy Principal and Head of Research, Dr Greg Ashman, presented on the social media ban for under-16s and how schools can prepare students rather than shield them. Deputy Head of Middle School, Adrian Bunting, and Head of Year 5, Tiarne Dalli, spoke about effective classroom routines and explicitly taught behaviours, while Head of English, Penny Braid, and Head of Maths, Adelle Holmes, shared their experience integrating short-cycle formative assessments into lessons and the benefits of using mini whiteboards in the classroom. Their sessions were well attended and demonstrated strong interest from local, state and national educators in Clarendon’s curriculum and teaching practices.
“researchED is about helping teachers become research-literate professionals,” said Dr Ashman. “It builds knowledge, sharpens classroom practice and encourages teachers to think critically about the evidence behind what they do. Because it is teacher-led and community-driven, it also shifts the culture of professional learning. Teachers are not passive recipients of research but active participants in the conversation.”
The Clarendon community prides itself on being a community of learners, eager to engage in learning with both students and educators beyond our school. researchED Ballarat 2026 provided a valuable opportunity for teachers to share their practice, learn from leading experts and gain evidence-based insights that strengthen instruction and support students to thrive.
“At Clarendon, our aim is simple: make researchED accessible to as many teachers as possible and support the profession by bringing leading international experts to our teaching community,” said Dr Ashman.
Thank you to everyone who presented at and attended researchED Ballarat 2026. Your commitment to professional learning and improving classroom practice continues to strengthen our teaching community and the education of students everywhere.
