Visiting Scholar 2019

In a nationwide Workshop Tour Emeritus Professor David L. Giles asked:

When is leadership not relational?
When is mentoring not relational?
When is education not relational?
When is life not relational?

David Giles’s research explores the characteristics of relational leadership that we have taken for granted in our everyday practice as leaders. These characteristics are evident in positional and emergent leadership, relational sensibilities; organisational culture; professional development and formation; curriculum design, pedagogy and assessment.

About Professor David Giles

Professor David Giles was the Dean of the School of Education at Flinders University from 2012 to 2016 and is currently a Professor, Education, Leadership and Management at Flinders University, and Co-Director of the Flinders Leadership and Management in Education research group.

David has taught in primary and secondary schools, teacher education, educational leadership and adult education.

His research interests focus on the relational nature of pedagogy, strengths-based practice, educational leadership, and organisational cultures.

In 2017 he received two Australian Council of Educational Leadership awards, the ACEL National Fellowship Award and the ACEL (SA) Alby Jones Award. The Alby Jones Award is for outstanding Educational leaders who have made a significant contribution to education, educational leadership and the improvement of student and organisational outcomes. In 2016 he received the Australian Council of Deans of Education National Award for outstanding service to education and teacher education nationally, and for services as the President of the ACDE (South Australian) branch.

He has published a range of articles, papers and books, the most recent being his 2019 book Relational Leadership in Education: a phenomenon of inquiry and practice