WATLF

WA TEACHING AND LEARNING FORUM 2027

Learning in Times of Change

Imagination, Identity and Impact

4–5 February | Curtin University

Call for Proposals Closes: 9am, Wednesday 25 November 2026

Wassily Kandinsky, Painting with Green Center (1913), Art Institute of Chicago. CC0 Public Domain. Cropped and adapted for WATLF 2027.

Important Dates

19 August — Call for Proposals opens

16 November — Early-bird registration opens (2-day ticket)

25 November — Call for Proposals closes

16 December — Presenter notifications

21 December — Early-bird registration closes (2-day ticket)

27 January 2027 — Registration closes

4 — 5 February 2027 — WATLF 2027 Forum

Kaya, Wanju! "Hello and Welcome"

Since 1992, the Western Australian Teaching and Learning Forum (WATLF) has brought WA’s higher education community together to discuss, share and develop ideas about the issues shaping teaching and learning.

Its purpose is both simple and ambitious: to create a space where educators can learn from one another, challenge established thinking and transform shared ideas into stronger practice.

WATLF’s longevity, state-wide focus and model of collaboration across Western Australia’s five universities give it a distinctive place in Australia’s higher education landscape. More than an annual conference, it is a shared professional learning experience built around openness, generosity and exchange across institutional boundaries.

Through thought-provoking keynote addresses, practice-led showcases, interactive workshops, focused Nuts & Bolts presentations and collaborative discussions, WATLF invites participants to encounter new perspectives, explore practical approaches and make connections that continue beyond the Forum.

WATLF is a joint initiative of:

Curtin University
Edith Cowan University
Murdoch University
The University of Notre Dame Australia
The University of Western Australia

Hosted by the partner institutions, the Forum reflects a shared commitment to advancing teaching and learning across the state. Rather than pursuing excellence in isolation, the five universities come together to strengthen collective capability, improve the experiences of students and educators, and support Western Australia to lead in teaching and learning excellence.

While WATLF is grounded in the WA higher education community, colleagues from across Australia are warmly invited to attend, connect and contribute to the conversation. The presentation program showcases work from staff and postgraduate students across WA’s five universities, offering visitors a unique window into the ideas, challenges and innovations shaping teaching and learning in the state.

In 2027, Curtin University is proud to host the Forum on behalf of this partnership.

Whether you have been part of the WATLF journey for many years or are joining us for the first time, come ready to participate, connect and leave with fresh ideas for your own practice and institution.

2027 Keynote Speakers

Dr Tracy Westerman AM

THURSDAY 4 FEBRUARY

Opening Keynote

Dr Tracy Westerman AM is a proud Nyamal woman from the Pilbara region of Western Australia and a trailblazer in Aboriginal mental health, suicide prevention and cultural competency.

In 2003, she became the first Aboriginal person to complete a combined Masters & PhD in Clinical Psychology. Since then she has self funded the development of multiple unique psychometric tests, mental health and suicide intervention programs, cultural competency programs.

Rising from disadvantage, in which she had to undertake most of her tertiary entrance subjects via distance education; she is now a multi award winning psychologist. She has long been considered a critical thought leader in this highly complex field and is regularly sought out by all forms of media for her opinions on a range of complex topics such as suicide prevention, trauma, raise the age, incarceration rates; child protection.

In 2019, she funded the Dr Tracy Westerman Indigenous Psychology Scholarship Program to increase the number of Indigenous Psychologists in our highest risk communities in response to the unacceptable rates of Indigenous child suicides. In 2020, she founded her charity, The Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health, and has raised over $19 million in funding and contributed approximately 20,000 volunteer hours as an unsalaried Founder and Chair of the charity. She released her memoir, Jilya in late 2024 and it quickly became a best seller and award winner.

Professor Narelle Lemon

FRIDAY 5 FEBRUARY

Opening Keynote

Professor Narelle Lemon is an internationally recognised scholar, author and thought leader whose work is changing the conversation from managing wellbeing to creating the conditions in which wellbeing can be lived.

A Professor of Education and Vice Chancellor’s Professorial Research Fellow at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia, Narelle works at the intersection of wellbeing, education, creativity and human flourishing. Her research challenges individualised, reactive and commercialised approaches to wellbeing, instead exploring how wellbeing can become an everyday literacy: something people can understand, communicate, practise and collectively sustain.

Her work spans wellbeing literacy, self-care, belonging, time, creativity, collective thriving and cultures of care, connecting personal agency with the relationships, workplaces, communities and systems that shape how people live and work.

Alongside her university leadership and research, Narelle is the founder of her independent practice, Dr Narelle Lemon, where she translates research into accessible ideas, conversations, resources and experiences for individuals, educators, leaders and organisations internationally, across everyday life, professional practice and organisational culture.

At the heart of her work is a powerful proposition: wellbeing should not begin when something goes wrong. We can learn to notice, tend, care and intentionally create conditions that enable people and communities to flourish.

Yarning Circle at Curtin University Bentley Campus, featuring a shaded circular space with surrounding trees, rocks, and native plants.

Our Hosting Partners

WATLF is proudly hosted by Western Australia's universities through a rotating hosting arrangement that reflects our shared commitment to learning and teaching excellence.