Wintec tutor one of ten top New Zealand teachers

Wintec tutor one of ten top New Zealand teachers

Ten of New Zealand’s top tertiary teachers were rewarded on Wednesday night for their hard work, inspiration and commitment to learners at the Tertiary Teaching Excellence awards ceremony hosted by the Minister for Tertiary Education, Pete Hodgson at Parliament. Julia Bruce, Hairdressing Tutor, Centre for Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy was there to be presented with her award.

The Minister presented nine academic staff representing Massey University, Otago Polytechnic, University of Otago, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Auckland and Wintec - Waikato Institute of Technology with Sustained Excellence awards of $20,000 each.

“It is a real pleasure to see recognition for excellence in Tertiary teaching. Between them these ten people influence the learning of thousands of students and their excellence is therefore hugely valuable for New Zealand,” Pete Hodgson said.

All ten awardees demonstrated outstanding teaching practices that were both student-focused and committed to promoting effective learning. Common themes across all of the recipient portfolios included; leading by enthusiasm, caring about student achievement, using their own learning experiences to enhance their teaching methods, and recognising students not only as individuals and equals, but also potential colleagues.

The nine Sustained Excellence awardees include:
• Dr Hamish Anderson, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics and Finance,
• Massey University,
• Julia Bruce, Hairdressing Tutor, Centre for Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy,
• Waikato Institute of Technology -
• Dr Dawn Garbett, Associate Dean Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Education,
• University of Auckland,
• Professor John Hosking, Professor of Applied Computer Science, Department of
• Computer Science, University of Auckland,
• Dr Ian McAndrew, Senior Lecturer in Employment Relations, Department of
• Management, School of Business, University of Otago,
• Dr John Reynolds, Senior Lecturer from the Department of Anatomy and
• Structural Biology, University of Otago,
• Dr Sean Weaver, School of Geography, Environment and Earth Science, Victoria
• University of Wellington,
• Dr Marc Wilson, Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington,
and
• Adrian Woodhouse, Catering Lecturer, School of Hospitality, Otago Polytechnic,

Dr Peter Coolbear, National Director for Ako Aotearoa – the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence responsible for organising the awards, comments: “It has been a great privilege to be involved in these awards. These are truly exceptional people: each has a very different approach to their work and they come from diverse disciplines. However, one thing they all have in common is their concern for their students: day after day they inspire their students to succeed. ”

Pete Hodgson also paid tribute to the work of Emeritus Professor Graeme Fraser, the Chair of the Awards Committee since 2002, who is now stepping down from this role. “Graeme will be extraordinarily difficult to replace – he has ensured the integrity and reputation of these awards and brought to the process his own commitment to tertiary teaching excellence that was manifest throughout his own academic career.”

Julia Bruce, Hairdressing Tutor, Centre for Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy, Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) :

Julia “encourages students to have big dreams”. Throughout her 13 year teaching career she has continued to engage in study to develop her own knowledge and skills thus modeling life-long learning to her students and peers. Julia seeks to provide authentic learning opportunities for her students as evidenced by them taking part in the 2007 Hospice Waikato Fundraiser. Her teaching philosophy of collaborative practice, authentic learning and flexible delivery arises from her own experiences as a hairdressing trainee. She has a warm, friendly teaching style and well organized lessons that demonstrate to the students that she cares about achievement and is committed to helping them in their learning. Julia maintains her skills and links with the industry by visiting and working in salons, taking part in seminars, conferences and hairdressing competitions. This is extended by her industry leadership role as Vice President of the Waikato Association of Hairdressers.

ENDS

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