In 2004-5 he founded and wrote the initial programs for Griffith University Flying Drama School theatre in education company.

[7] O'Toole has authored publications including school textbooks, research works, plays and articles throughout his career.

It is directly addressed to students, emphasizing the creation of fictional worlds through application of the basic elements of drama by role-plays and improvisations, and also providing examples from well-known playscripts to develop themes and prepare for performances.

[3] As a major outcome of this research, he co-authored a book with Bruce Burton titled Cooling Conflicts in 2005, wherein they outlined an approach for managing conflict and bullying in schools by combining theoretical insights with practical drama-based strategies and large-scale peer-teaching, to empower students and foster a positive school environment.

[11] In 2009, O'Toole led the writing of a study of the history and development of Australian drama in schools: Drama and Curriculum: The giant at the door; and also co-wrote (with Neryl Jeanneret and Chris Sinclair, and other colleagues) a teacher's handbook for teaching the arts in schools: Education in the Arts: teaching and learning in the contemporary curriculum.

The study detailed its aesthetic, pedagogical, and logistical decisions, as well as its strengths, weaknesses, and the negotiation process involved in realizing its essential principles.

The book also covers issues in policy, schools, and classrooms while also highlighting contemporary trends like mixed methodology and collaborative research.

[4] His 2011 book titled Performing Research: Tensions, Triumphs and Trade-Offs of Ethnodrama, with Judith Ackroyd, explored the complexities and challenges of using ethnodrama as a method of research engagement and dissemination, providing case studies and critical examination of projects in fields such as education, health, and community studies.

[13] His 2019 co-authored book Researching Conflict, Drama and Learning explored how educational drama, as employed in his earlier research project DRACON, contributes to conflict management and transformation among school students and many other age-groups and communities world-wide, detailing its principles, methodologies, successes, challenges, and global influences.