Sarah Warby | Lecturer - Nexus Program, School of Education
La Trobe University

My research interests sit at the intersection of initial teacher education, in-service professional learning, and educational research, with a focus on teacher development across the career continuum. I am particularly interested in how collaborative, context-responsive support mechanisms enable professional growth for both pre-service and practising teachers, especially within complex settings such as regional, rural, and low socio-economic (SES) schools. My prior leadership in school-based research and professional learning fostered a strong interest in differentiated reflective practice and mentoring as central to effective teacher development. This continues to inform my work on embedding these approaches within both initial teacher education and ongoing professional learning to ensure relevance, responsiveness, and sustained engagement. This focus aligns with my work in the Nexus program at La Trobe University, an innovative employment-based pathway into teaching, where I explore how integrated models of theory, practice, and mentorship support teacher readiness and retention. Drawing on experience across school and university contexts, my work seeks to bridge the theory–practice divide by ensuring research both informs and is informed by practice, contributing to evidence-informed approaches that strengthen teacher education and professional learning.