Keynote Speakers

Sue Grieshaber

School of Education La Trobe University

Sue Grieshaber is Professor of Education in the School of Education. Her research interest are informed by a range of critical, feminist, and feminist post-structural theories that address social justice and equity, and include women in higher education; qualitative and post-qualitative research approaches; and early childhood curriculum, policy, pedagogies and families. Sue is Foundation Co-editor of the internationally known journal Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, has published widely, and has worked in universities in Australia and Hong Kong.

Membership of professional associations: Australian Curriculum Studies Association (ACSA) Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) American Educational Research Association (AERA) Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)

Professor Nicola Yelland

PhD (University of Queensland), MEd (Flinders University), Grad Dip Computing (University of SA), BEd (Hons), CertEd (University of Exeter)

Nicola Yelland is a Research Professor in the College of Arts & Education at Victoria University.

Over the last decade her teaching and research has been related to the use of ICT in school and community contexts. This has involved projects that have investigated the innovative learning of children as well as a broader consideration of the ways in which new technologies can impact on the pedagogies that teachers use and the curriculum in schools.

Her multidisciplinary research focus has enabled her to work with early childhood, primary and middle school teachers to enhance the ways in which ICT can be incorporated into learning contexts. Her focus is on making learning more interesting and motivating for students so that educational outcomes are improved.

Areas of Expertise:
- Early childhood education
- Gender issues in education and society
- New technologies
- Popular culture and children
- Transformative curriculum and pedagogies

Wendy Rich-Orloff

UNICEF Pacific Early Childhood Development Specialist

Ms. Wendy Rich-Orloff is currently ECD Specialist with UNICEF Indonesia, based in Kupang NTT to support national level PAUD-HI program throughout Kabupaten Kupang to pilot national-to-district implementation. Ms. Rich-Orloff began her career after completing a BA in Special Education with teaching early childhood for young children aged 2-5 years with disabilities. That program in Virginia, USA, was a combination center- and home-based program, working with children in both classroom and home environments and working with the families in the homes. After a 2-year experience supporting teacher training for early childhood in Samoa, Ms. Rich-Orloff returned to USA and obtained her Masters in Sociology: International Training and Education Program. After working as ECD Specialist with center- and home-based Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Northern Virginia, Ms. Rich-Orloff transitioned to supporting international education development; in addition to Samoa, Ms. Rich-Orloff has supported early childhood programming, planning, evaluations, and/or training in Uganda, Pakistan, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Rwanda, and Fiji (as well as Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Kiribati) through working with a wide range of organizations, including Peace Corps, Save the Children UK, UNICEF, and USAID and DFAT funded programs. Ms. Rich-Orloff’s overall goal is to support access to quality early childhood development for all young children, including young children with disabilities, that is holistic and family-centered, and PLAYFUL and FUN! 

Ali Formen

Early Childhood Teacher Education Semarang State University

B.Ed. Yogyakarta State University, M.Ed. Monash University Doctoral Candidate - Doctor of Philosophy The University of Auckland

Areas of Expertise
- Early childhood education
- Teacher education
- Islam
- Indonesia
- Education policy
- Teacher development