Talking Teaching: What does it take to be a good principal?

In this episode of Talking Teaching Stephen Dinham and John Goh talk to Kerry Elliott about the qualities and skills needed to be an effective instructional leader. Both agree that central to the job is an ability to facilitate teaching and learning.

John Goh has spent fourteen years at Merrylands East Public School in Sydney and his leadership skills have been recognised in multiple ways, most recently with the awarding of the Commonwealth Bank prize for teaching excellence.

Emeritus Professor Stephen Dinham led the development of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Master of Instructional Leadership (MIL). His most recent work, the book I'm the Principal. Principal learning, action, influence and identity contains dozens of first-hand accounts of the joys and complexities of the job.

Kerry Elliott has lectured in the MIL programme and is co-author of I'm the Principal with Stephen Dinham, Louisa Rennie and Helen Stokes. The book is published through the Australian Council of Educational Research.

Read the full transcript

Guests

Emeritus Professor Stephen Dinham OAM PhD – Emeritus Professor in the Melbourne School of Education, University of Melbourne.
Mr John Goh – Principal of Merrylands East Public School, South Western Sydney
Ms Kerry Elliott – Director, University of Melbourne Network of Schools

Production

Theme music by Gavin Nebauer.
Talking Teaching recorded and mixed by Gavin Nebauer at The Horwood Recording Studio, University of Melbourne.

Further Reading

I’m the Principal by Stephen Dinham, Kerry Elliott, Louisa Rennie and Helen Stokes

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