Monday, July 6, 2026

8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

---

Details

Facilitators Miss Larissa Pickalla & Miss Laurs Fairbrother Charles Darwin University Aim This workshop aims to build the knowledge, skills, and commitment of higher education staff and leaders to practice culturally responsive leadership, teaching and learning. It draws on co-designed models developed through the First Nations Training and Teacher Education Hub at Charles Darwin University to demonstrate how leadership is the lever for systemic change in embedding Indigenous knowledges, creating culturally safe learning environments, and transforming educational practice. Focus The workshop will focus on: Leadership for Transformation – how leaders model, embed, and measure cultural responsiveness. Authenticity vs. Tokenism – addressing blind spots and organisational cultures that maintain inequities. Co-Design Principles – embedding Indigenous knowledges in curriculum, pedagogy, and policy. Systemic Pillars of Change – exploring leadership’s role across curriculum, staff capability, partnerships, and student success. Action and Commitment – developing culturally responsive leadership strategies for practice. This 180-minute interactive workshop explores culturally responsive leadership as a catalyst for transformation in higher education. It is designed for higher education staff, academics, school leaders, and system leaders seeking to strengthen cultural responsiveness and drive systemic change. Drawing on the work of the First Nations Training and Teacher Education Hub, participants will examine how leadership can shift institutions from performative inclusion to authentic transformation. The workshop is underpinned by Theory U (Scharmer, 2009), Transformative Leadership (Shields, 2010), Whiteness Studies (Moreton-Robinson, 2004), Critical Race Theory (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), the Cultural Interface (Nakata, 2007), Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Gay, 2018), Aboriginal Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing (Martin, 2003), and Indigenist research principles (Rigney, 1999). These frameworks highlight truth-telling, cultural humility, and systemic accountability. By the end, participants will be able to recognise leadership blind spots, understand tokenism to authentic engagement, explore cultural responsiveness at all system levels and develop a practical leadership commitment. Workshop plan Welcome and Framing (15 mins): Finding Your Why. Foundations (30 mins): Knowing–Being–Doing; See, Hear, Feel. Authentic Engagement (35 mins): From Tokenism to Transformation. Case Studies (40 mins): Imagining the Future Impacts. Strategic Pillars (30 mins): Identifying Blind Spots. Action Planning (30 mins): Three-Sentence Commitment. Conclusion (15 mins): Call to Action Circle.