Marg Armstrong

Education Consultant, Just Practices

Career highlights

• Marg has a long career in teaching in  schools across NSW, Victoria and the USA, mainly working with the Department of Education and Training in Victoria
•  She has spent many years training and supporting schools in student wellbeing, drug education and ways  to implement a restorative approach to behaviour management, as well as facilitating many restorative conferences for schools
• In 2004, Marg was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to research restorative practices in schools internationally
• Marg is a founding member of the Victorian Association for Restorative Justice (VARJ) and Restorative Practices International (RPI).

Question and answer

Why is the issue of bullying of particular interest to you?

As a school teacher for many years, I have seen the devastating effect of bullying on young people. Anything that we can do to alleviate this harm is well worth the effort.

Where do you believe you have made a difference in your field?

My work has introduced the philosophy of restorative practices in schools. The implementation of restorative practices has greatly improved levels of safety in schools, and decreased the incidents of bullying and harmful behaviour generally.

How has your area of expertise helped you to contribute to NCAB over the years?

As a fairly new member of NCAB, I hope to contribute to the development of initiatives and programs to further inform the Australian public about bullying generally and ways in which we can prevent it, and respond to it when it occurs. I have 10 years of experience in research and implementation of restorative practices.