Speakers

Tanya Evans is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau. Her research spans mathematics education, cognitive science, and educational psychology, with a focus on mathematical cognition and its relationship with psychosocial factors. She has experience teaching at the intermediate and secondary level and has taught mathematics at university for over 20 years. Tanya serves on the executive committee of the New Zealand Mathematical Society Education Group and is a co-founder of the Quantitative Studies in Education Special Interest Group (NZARE), which promotes rigorous, empirically grounded quantitative research in education. She has received two Faculty of Science Dean’s Teaching Excellence Awards, including one for Leadership in Teaching (2024), in recognition of her impactful approaches to teaching, learning, and the professional development of others.

Nina is the founder of The Education Hub, a not-for-profit with a mission to bridge the gap between research and practice in education, and co-founder of The Teachers’ Institute, which trains primary and secondary school teachers. She conducts research on a range of topical issues affecting school level education in New Zealand including literacy, curriculum reform and implementation and neurodivergence, as well as engaging in policy work both locally and internationally. 

Tom Bennett is the UK Department for Education’s School Behaviour advisor. He is also the founder of researchED, an international research advocacy non-profit for educators that seeks to raise research literacy in education and slay edu-myths. He is the author of the best-selling Running the Room.

Distinguished Professor Pamela Snow is Co-Director of the Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab in the School of Education at La Trobe University. Her research focuses on language, literacy, and learning. She advocates for evidence-based reading instruction and bridges research, policy, and practice to improve educational outcomes for all children, by promoting high teacher knowledge.