Xanthi Rice has been a teacher for more than 20 years, with extensive experience in classroom practice, leadership, and system-level support. She worked with the Wimmera South West School Improvement Team as a DSSI (Differentiated Support for School Improvement) Teaching Partner for three years, partnering closely with schools across the region to strengthen and transform their approaches to literacy instruction. In this role, she led professional learning, facilitated communities of practice, supported curriculum planning, developed documentation, and designed units of work that build teacher capacity and improve student outcomes. With the team she developed a F-2 community of practice that lead to a bigger initiative, the Literacy Learning Community, that involved over 70 schools across the area as they worked to develop high quality literacy practices across their schools. Xanthi has also served as Acting Principal and a leading teacher at Donald Primary School, where she applied her expertise in both instructional leadership and school operations. Most recently, she has been seconded to the Department’s Phonics Lesson Plans Unit, to develop the Phonics Plus program—an initiative designed to provide high-quality, evidence-based systematic synthetic phonics resources for Victorian schools. She has been writing lesson plans, supporting resources and developing professional learning series for teachers, school leaders, area and regional workforce as they support the implementation of Phonics Plus. Through these experiences, Xanthi has developed a deep understanding of literacy pedagogy, change leadership, and collaborative professional learning, with a commitment to supporting teachers and leaders to deliver the best outcomes for students.
Terri Hibbert began her career in education after completing a Bachelor of Science in Disability Studies at Deakin University and a Graduate Diploma of Education at Monash University. Since then, she has taught across Victoria, NSW, and internationally in London, gaining a rich perspective on diverse teaching contexts. Terri's journey led her to Warrnambool East Primary School, where she holds her substantive position. Along the way, she’s been inspired by exceptional leaders and colleagues, motivating her to take on roles such as Teaching Partner and now EIL. These experiences have deepened her passion for instructional coaching and her commitment to driving literacy outcomes.
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This episode was produced by Jonathan Raz.
 

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