A place to think...
INSPIREx 2026
One day, three dynamic themes, ten courageous speakers and endless inspiration
Disrupt the Ordinary
Questions our practice
Speakers
Laura Stone
Early Childhood Education Producer, ABC KidsEmma Liebeknecht
Director, Adelaide Miethke KindergartenNatalia Krysiak
Architect, Play Consultant & Founder, Cities for Play
Beneath the Surface
Asks us to reshape our thinking
Speakers
Anthony Semann
Director, Semann & SlatteryLucia Stacchiotto
Pedagogista, Researcher & Associate Lecturer, Southern Cross UniversityDr Claire Warden
Founder of the Floorbook® Approach & International Leader in Nature Pedagogy
Unwritten Futures
Imagine possibilities for children, educators and communities
Speakers
Adam Christie
Adam Christie ConsultingHelen Thomson & Suzana Klarin
University of Melbourne Early Learning CentreDr Fiona Young
Architect and Founder, ARCHITECTURE_WITH
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What you take away from INSPIREx
Our speakers invite us to question what we accept as normal, explore the deeper ideas shaping practice, and imagine new futures for children, educators and communities.
You will be inspired to...
- Question what has become ‘ordinary’ in early childhood practice
- Look beneath the surface of everyday decisions and assumptions
- Listen more deeply to children’s voices and ways of knowing
- Rethink environments, media and community as catalysts for learning
- Take these provocations back to colleagues to spark dialogue and reflection
DISRUPT THE ORDINARY
Laura Stone
Through The Play School Window: What we saw vs what we learnt
Drawing on her work with ABC Kids, Laura explores how media, play and storytelling shape children’s thinking in ways we may not always notice.
DISRUPT THE ORDINARY
Emma Liebeknecht
Choosing courage: Why stepping up matters
Emma shares what it means to lead with courage, particularly when it would be easier to maintain the status quo.
DISRUPT THE ORDINARY
Natalia Krysiak
Can a city be playful, or is it just a dream?
Natalia invites us to think beyond the centre gate, asking how the spaces children inhabit shape their rights, their play, and their possibilities.
BENEATH THE SURFACE
Anthony Semann
If children could really tell us what they think
Anthony challenges us to consider what children might say if we truly listened, and what this means for how we interpret their learning, behaviour, and intentions.
BENEATH THE SURFACE
Lucia Stacchiotti
Through children’s gaze: If children were truly at the centre
Lucia invites us to shift perspective, to see the world as children do, and to question whether they are genuinely at the centre of our decisions.
BENEATH THE SURFACE
Dr Claire Warden
Is nature overrated?
Claire provokes us to rethink our assumptions about nature-based learning, asking whether our beliefs match our practice.
UNWRITTEN FUTURES
Helen Thomson and Suzana Klarin
Can the arts save us in a world of crisis
Helen and Suzana explore the role of the arts in uncertain times, and how creativity might be central, not peripheral, to how children make sense of the world.
UNWRITTEN FUTURES
Adam Christie
Let’s Get Real: What Are Children Actually Thinking?
Adam pushes us to move beyond assumptions, asking us to engage more honestly with children’s thinking and the realities of their experiences.
UNWRITTEN FUTURES
Dr Fiona Young
Built for efficiency or built for children
Fiona challenges us to examine the systems we work within, questioning whether they truly serve children or simply prioritise efficiency.
Gently disrupting ideas, stretching thinking and shifting practice...
INSPIREx is a one-day experience designed to spark deep thinking and bold conversations.
Hosted in Sydney and Melbourne, this jewel-box event brings together leading educators, thinkers and change-makers offering thought provoking talks to energise practice and spark new ideas.
The event themes, Disrupt the Ordinary, Beneath the Surface and Unwritten Futures, set the scene for connection, challenge and the inspiration to act.
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