Who We Are
The CCTE is led by an expert critical thinking team of practitioners and thought purveyors.
Dr Britta Jensen
Director, Centre for Critical Thinking and Ethics
Dr Jensen’s areas of academic expertise are Philosophy and Linguistics (DPhil, Oxon 2003). Her post-doctoral academic career began at the University of Cambridge and continued at the Macquarie University Centre for Cognitive Science as part of the ARC-funded project Logic and language: Foundations of cognitive growth. Her passion for language and language learning finds expression in all her work – from summers leading an intensive Danish program for English-speaking secondary students to teaching English, French, Philosophy and Ethics to students of all ages across all NSW sectors.
Dr Jensen is a FAPSA Philosopher/Teacher Educator and the President of the Philosophy in Schools Association of NSW since 2018. She develops curricula, mentors teachers and contributes to professional learning through workshops, action research, conference presentations and publications such as building thinking communities, critical, creative and caring thinking, and philosophical inquiry in K–12 classrooms.
Under her leadership the Centre has established national and global partnerships including with PLATO in the United States and UNESCO-linked initiatives in Asia and around the world.
She convenes the Centre’s Critical Thinking Leadership Team: Mr Parker, Dr Marokakis, Ms Timillero, Ms Howe and Mr Costantino. This team wishes to acknowledge the contributions of former members Dr Hall, Dr van Arkkels and Ms Kennedy White.
Ms Victoria Howe
Assistant Director, Centre for Critical Thinking and Ethics
Ms Victoria Howe is the Assistant Director of the Centre for Critical Thinking and Ethics at Newington College, where she also teaches Philosophy and Religious Studies, Studies of Religion, and English. She is directly involved with curation and development of Critical Thinking classroom resources, managing the inter-school events, and in coordinating the annual Thinker in Residence programming.
With extensive teaching experience, including a tenure as Head of English, she brings to the role a wealth of experience in embedding critical thinking in students’ learning. Her leadership experience extends to student wellbeing and also the co-curricular sphere, having served previously as Head of House and Head of Intellectual Competitions.
Ms Howe the awarded the Marion Macauley Bequest Scholarship while she studied her Master of Teaching from the University of Sydney. She is a board member of the NSW Philosophy in Schools Association of NSW and is working towards her FAPSA Teacher Educator qualification.
Mr Michael Parker
Headmaster
Mr Michael Parker began teaching Philosophy in 1994 and has done so most years since then. His Master of Education (1997) specialised in teaching Philosophy in Schools, expertise which he applied in both his Philosophy and English classrooms throughout his career.
He is the author of numerous books in this area including, The Quest for the Stone of Wisdom (1995), Talk with Your Kids About Big Ideas (2014), Talk With Your Kids About Things That Matter (2021), and most recently Thinking for Yourself (2025), co-authored with Fiona Morrison.
As Headmaster at Newington College, he continues to teach Philosophy several times a week. He recently wrote about the work of our Centre in the 2025 piece “Teaching young people to think critically” Independent 50:2 p 12-17.
Professional Learning Team
Professional Learning is central to the work of the Centre. Collectively, our Director, Head of Professional learning, and Critical Thinking mentors provide individual and team coaching and mentorship to supporting teachers in forging and sustaining communities of inquiry.
They provide workshops to support professional growth in Newington teachers’ capacity in using pedagogies and classroom strategies that nurture and support critical, creative, caring thinking.
Ms Janine Timillero
Head of Professional Growth (7-12)
Ms Janine Timillero is the Head of Professional Growth (7-12) at Newington College, where she collaborates with colleagues to strengthen pedagogical practice through the deliberate development of teacher expertise.
Janine holds a Master of Educational Leadership, Certificate of Gifted Education and Graduate Certificate in Philosophy. She currently teaches Philosophy and Religious Studies.
Janine works alongside teachers as part of the team supporting critical thinking across the curriculum, she is a FAPSA qualified Teacher Educator and has presented at conferences on fostering philosophical and critical thinking in schools. Janine has just completed a ten-year tenure as the President of the Gifted and Talented Secondary Teachers Association in which she worked with a team to provide guidance and advocacy for teachers working with gifted learners.
Mr Miguel Regalo
Assistant Head of PRS Department & Critical Thinking Mentor
Mr Miguel Regalo is the Assistant Head of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Newington College, where he teaches Philosophy, Thinking Skills, and Theory of Knowledge.
Drawing on experience in professional growth leadership, he contributes to the professional learning initiatives of the Centre for Critical Thinking and Ethics as a Critical Thinking Mentor, supporting staff in embedding critical thinking practices across curriculum areas.
Mr Regalo holds a Bachelor of Education (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Politics and Linguistics from Monash University. He has experience as an Assessor of VCE Philosophy and VCE Extended Investigation (Critical Thinking) for the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, and previously served as a Committee Member of the Victorian Association for Philosophy in Schools (VAPS).
Mr Ronan Geraghty
Primary Philosophy and Critical Thinking Teacher & Critical Thinking Mentor
Mr Geraghty works closely with teachers and students in K-12 to embed Philosophical Inquiry in Wyvern and Lindfield campuses, including leading inquiries at our dedicated Critical Thinking space at Horaceville (Wyvern). He delivers professional learning workshops and supports teachers’ practice through individualised coaching and mentorship.
He holds a Masters in Philosophy, where he received his P4C training under Dr. Lucy Elvis at the University of Galway. He completed the IAPC Summer Course at Mendham (USA) in 2025 and has been working as a FAPSA Philosopher Educator since 2026.
Dr Michael Marokakis
Director of Teaching and Learning (7–12)
Dr Marokakis serves on the Critical Thinking Leadership Team, providing valuable guidance in implementing our whole-school initiatives. He previously held the role of Director of Teaching and Learning and Head of the English department at Newington College.
His book Shakespearean Spaces in Australian Literary Adaptations for Children and Young Adults (2020), arose out of his PhD research, conducted at The University of Sydney. During completion of his BA Dip Ed (Hons) at Macquarie University, he was awarded the HW Piper Memorial Prize and the Elizabeth M Liggins Prize, both for excellence in the English Honours program. Dr Marokakis is a New South Wales Higher School Certificate Senior Marker for English Extension 2 and has presented at national and international conferences in the areas of English, literacy, and critical thinking. He was also a sessional lecturer at the University of Sydney in the Masters of Education English Curriculum course in 2018 and 2023.
Andrew Costantino
Head of Philosophy and Religious Studies (PRS)
Andrew Costantino is the Head of Philosophy and Religious Studies (PRS) at Newington College, an executive member of Philosophy in Schools NSW, a member of the College’s Critical Thinking Team, and a New South Wales Higher School Certificate Senior Marker for Studies of Religion.
He plays a leading role in the delivery of Newington’s Years 7–10 Critical Thinking program, which is delivered in collaboration with the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department. Andrew coordinates and leads a range of critical thinking initiatives aimed at students and the professional development of teachers. He is committed to fostering disciplined critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and intellectual humility, and to creating learning environments where ideas are carefully examined, challenged, and applied to real‑world contexts.
