Teacher Education and Education Futures in a Complex World

Global Network of Deans of Education (GNDE) Symposium
Edinburgh, Wednesday 2 - Friday 4 September 2026

GNDE Logo

Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, is delighted to be hosting the second in-person GNDE Symposium.

Through the Symposium theme, we aim to create an interdisciplinary space for critical reflection, dialogue and innovation. Participants will engage with key questions around how education can respond to and anticipate societal challenges - such as political pressures on education systems, workforce sustainability, and the evolving role of universities in preparing teachers for uncertain futures.

The symposium will foreground the perspectives of those working directly in education and teacher education, while also connecting with policy and strategic voices shaping the wider educational ecosystem. We anticipate colleagues from UNESCO will participate, sharing global insights and themes during the event.

A key feature of the symposium will be its collaborative ethos: encouraging participants to imagine new possibilities for education that are contextually responsive, ethically grounded, and future focused. By bringing together diverse expertise and experiences, the event aims to foster actionable insights and partnerships that advance both research and practice in the field. 

Global Network of Deans of Education

Programme

Day 1 – Wednesday 2 September 2026

Schedule of day one
9:00–10:00am Registration & welcome refreshments
10:00–10:30am Opening ceremony
10:30–11:45pm Teacher education and education futures in a complex world – framing the questions
11:45–1:00pm Lunch & informal networking
1:00–2:30pm Provocations and discussions – dialogue / collaboration groups
2:30–3:15pm Coffee break
3:15–4:30pm Provocations panel
5:30–7:00pm Welcome and networking event

Day 2 – Thursday 3 September 2026

Schedule of day two
9:30–10:30am Teacher Education Curricula – what to keep, what to change?
10:30–11:00am Refreshments
11:00–12:30pm Innovation & solutions forum
12:30–1:30pm Lunch
1:30–3:00pm Teachers as lifelong learning educators
3:00–5.00pm Future of Education Dialogues
6:45pm Symposium dinner at Scott's Kitchen

Day 3 – Friday 4 September 2026

Schedule of day three
9:00–10:30am GNDE’s global agenda – moving forward in partnership
10:30–11:00am Refreshments
11:00–12:30pm Synthesis and commitments
12:30–1:00pm Closing ceremony
1:00–2:00pm Lunch

Keynote speakers

Professor Irma Eloff
Professor Irma Eloff is a former dean of Education at the University of Pretoria and was the first woman to hold this position. She is a professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Pretoria, and an adjunct professor at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. She is the founding dean of the Global Network of Deans of Education (GNDE). She conducts research in sustainability sciences with a specific focus on wellbeing and quality education.
Anne Looney
Anne Looney is Professor of Education in the School of Policy and Practice at Dublin City University's Institute of Education. She was Executive Dean of the Institute from 2016 until 2025. In 2025 she was appointed Chair of the Convention on Education, a year-long process of deliberative democracy to advise the government on the future of the school system in Ireland.
Larissa McLean Davies
Professor Larissa McLean Davies is an internationally recognised scholar and higher education leader with a deep commitment to education as a force for transformation. In her current role as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education and Arts at Australian Catholic University, Larissa brings a blend of leadership experience, scholarly distinction, and sector-wide impact. She has driven national reforms in teacher education, including the development of Australia’s Teaching Performance Assessment tool, and continues to lead projects on Indigenous literature, climate education, and sustainability.
Tanya Pinkerton
Dr. Tanya Pinkerton is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division for Advancing Teacher Preparation at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College of Teaching and Learning Innovation and serves as Division Strategist for Global Education and Learning Initiatives. A former early childhood educator with extensive experience supporting students with disabilities, she is dedicated to advancing inclusive teacher preparation, with a focus on Universal Design for Learning. Through international partnerships, Dr. Pinkerton helps build global communities of practice that examine innovative approaches to teaching and learning, fostering collaboration and the exchange of ideas across diverse educational contexts.
Professor Lianghuo Fan
Prof. Lianghuo Fan is Chair Professor, Dean and Director of the Centre for STEM and AI Education in the Faculty of Education, University of Macau, China. He also holds an emeritus professorship at the Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, UK. A trained mathematics educator from the University of Chicago, USA, his research spans mathematics education, teacher education, international education, STEM and AI education, as well as algorithms for polynomial division in pure mathematics.
Margery McMahon
Margery A. McMahon is Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK, where she was previously Head of School. She is currently Chair of the Global Deans of Education Network (GNDE).
She is Director of the Centre for Teaching Excellence, Scotland’s new national centre for teachers’ research focused professional learning, playing a key role in shaping career long professional learning at a system level. She is also Director of the St Andrew’s Foundation for Catholic Teacher Education, which oversees the preparation of teachers for Scotland’s Catholic schools.
Originally a teacher of History and Politics, Margery’s research and teaching focus on teacher education and regulation, leadership learning, and career long professional learning.
Lynn Gangonne
Professor Lynn M. Gangone is a distinguished higher education executive with deep expertise in institutional leadership, education policy, and educator preparation. As President and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) from 2017 to 2024, she led the national organization representing U.S. colleges of education and advanced their priorities at both the federal and state levels. Today, she continues to influence the future of education as an Honorary Professor in the School of Education at the University of Glasgow and as President of WiseLeaderStrategies LLC. In these roles, she provides strategic counsel to individual leaders and higher education associations, helping them navigate complex challenges, strengthen organizational effectiveness, and deliver innovative, lasting solutions.
Zoe Robertson
Dr Zoè Robertson is Director of Teacher Education and the outgoing Head of the Institute for Education, Teaching and Leadership at Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh. She is the immediate past Chair and current member of the Scottish Council of Deans of Education. She serves on the Scottish Government Strategic Board for Teacher Education and the Global Network of Deans of Education Steering Committee. Zoè has worked in schools in Scotland and the USA, as well as in academia and national education agencies in Scotland. Her research and teaching focuses on teacher education, particularly teachers’ and leaders’ professional learning and the systems and policies that support it.
Ruksana Osman
Professor Ruksana Osman is the Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic at the University of the Witwatersrand. In this position she has direct responsibility for major academic units at Wits via the Faculty Deans. She is also responsible for the broad coordination of the academic project across all divisions of the University, she deputises for the vice chancellor, and she oversees several strategic projects.
Prior to this appointment, she served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Advancement, Human Resources and Transformation, as the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, and as the Head of the School of Education. Her experience in higher education spans the full range of roles at all levels of institutional management, governance, and leadership.

A Professor of Education, she brings significant expertise in governance and equity. Osman has extensive teaching and research experience in the field of teacher education and higher education.

Professor Osman holds the UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education for Diversity and Development and has established a global network to support the research and development work of the Chair. She is widely published in the academic and popular press, and is the author or co-author of multiple papers, journal articles and books.

An elected member of the Academy of Sciences of South Africa, Professor Osman is recognised for the quality and relevance of her work in higher education as a teacher and researcher in pursuit of socially just education.
Stefanie Sullivan
Professor Stefanie Sullivan is the co-Executive Director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET). Starting her career as a secondary mathematics teacher, Stef has been a teacher educator for over 25 years and is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Nottingham. She has a particular interest in beginning teachers’ identity and the mentoring of novice teachers.

Accommodation and transport

Travelling from the airport

You can find information regarding travelling from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre on the airport website.

Edinburgh Airport website: Transport information

Travelling in Edinburgh

You can travel within Edinburgh by using either the bus or the tram.

The closest bus stop to Holyrood Campus is Line 35, near the Canongate entrance.

Other buses stop on North and South Bridges which are a short walk away from the campus:

  • Line 3
  • Line 5
  • Line 7
  • Line 14
  • Line 30
  • Line 31
  • Line 33
  • Line 37

The closest tram stop is St Andrew Square, about 15 minutes-walk to the campus

You can also contact local taxi companies:

  • Central Taxis – 0131 229 2468
  • Capital Cars – 0131 777 7777
  • City Cabs – 0131 228 1211

Accommodation

Edinburgh has a wide variety of hotels available. 

The hotels situated the closest to Holyrood Campus are:

Please note these are not recommendations, only a list of hotels available near the campus.

You can also find a map of the campus and a map showing other hotel options within Edinburgh.

Holyrood Campus Map (306.68 KB / PDF)
Edinburgh hotels map (2.16 MB / PDF)

Places worth visiting in Edinburgh

Booking information

Registration fee: £299

Fee includes 

  • Lunch and refreshments each day
  • Welcome networking event on Wednesday 2 September in Godfrey Thomson's Hall on Holyrood Campus, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ
  • Dinner on Thursday 3 September at Scott's Kitchen, 4-6 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2JL

The symposium will take place in Paterson's Land on Holyrood campus, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ

Please note the symposium booking fee is non-refundable. 

We will use your personal data to allow us to process your registration, communicate with you and obtain your feedback about this course. We are processing the information about you for these purposes because by registering for the event you give your consent for us to do so.

We will not share information about you with any other third party.

We will hold the personal data you provided us for 12 months after the end of the symposium. Financial data such as a payment record will be held for 7 years. We do not use profiling or automated decision-making processes.

Read our full privacy notice


To book a place on the symposium please proceed with payment and complete the booking form

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