Alumni

Jenna Cullen

Marsden State High School, QLD

Yuggera Country

Teaching Fellow

Jenna has been instrumental in shaping Australia’s next generation of teachers as Head of Teaching and Learning, Staff Development, and Performance at Australia’s largest high school – Marsden State High School.

Jenna is responsible for designing and managing the pre-service teacher education program at Marsden, which hosts up to 500 trainee teachers each year. To support the professional development of such a large number of new teachers, she co-created the ‘Marsden Institute of Teacher Development’ – an online community of practice providing targeted support and professional learning, designed in consultation with leading academics from Australian universities, education organisations and Harvard University. Over 900 pre-service teachers have now learned from the Institute.

To provide continuous learning for Marsden’s 257 teachers, 91 of whom are in their first three years of service, Jenna leads several programs in the school. She co-led the school’s Professional Learning Communities of Practice, designed with Griffith University, to provide research-based learning and training. She also leads the school’s Focus Team – a leadership team of 25 teachers who conduct classroom observations and coach staff.

During lockdown, Jenna provided invaluable support to the school by designing and tailoring a remote learning guide containing strategies that helped teachers and students adapt to remote learning. These strategies were embedded into parent-teacher interviews and school plans, enabling students to collaborate with their teachers and families to achieve higher student agency over their own learning.

Through her innovative training programs, Jenna has been at the centre of learning for hundreds of new and trainee teachers, not only at Marsden State High School but across Queensland.