Thursday, September 3, 2026

11:45 AM - 12:15 PM

Classroom of the Future

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Overview

Anxiety in young people is rising, with recent Australian research projecting that one in two teens will face mental health difficulties by age 20 unless the drivers of poor mental health are addressed. Schools are on the front line of this shift, and future-ready classrooms will be defined not by technology, but by how well they understand and respond to it. As many schools swing back toward prioritising academic rigour, anxiety remains one of the biggest barriers to learning, taking working memory, flexible thinking and focus offline exactly when students need them most. Drawing on her Pause, Perspective, Progress framework, Dr Jodi Richardson shows educators what is really happening for an anxious student in the moment, and why supporting them back into learning is never a one-size-fits-all response. Participants leave with a clearer understanding of anxiety-driven behaviour and a practical starting point for responding with more confidence and re-engaging anxious students in their learning.

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Speaker