Growing leadership potential 37
Two particular presentations that were of significance for me were firstly Martin Thrupp, as I am a primary teacher, and active in NZEI. As an activist against National Standards, that was so interesting, and Professor Peter O'Connor has inspired me to use theatre and imagination more in my class of Year 3 and 4 students. I benefitted greatly from the opportunity to share my Masters research along with my supervisor Associate Professor Dr. Richard Smith. Only having five people attend our presentation was a little disappointing, but nevertheless I valued the opportunity. I do wonder however whether asking participants to make initial selections prior to the start of the conference may help with this. Or even to record their names on sheets at registration, so that breakout session presenters know the numbers before they start. A new realisation which the conference provoked was that I am not so different from the other participants that attended, as I had thought prior to attending that there would only be researchers and academics there, which was incorrect. I met a number of teachers and Principals that encouraged me to pursue further study, which I really appreciated. I also valued the opportunity to talk face-to-face with a number of the keynote presenters over food, coming to the realisation that while they have achieved extraordinary academic feats, they are actually wonderfully down to earth people, who also valued my contribution and wished me luck for future study towards my doctorate. Jo Collyer Saint Francis Xavier Catholic School, Whangarei
This was my ďŹ rst NZEALS conference. I was made to feel welcome from the moment I walked in the door and got my registration pack. The programme was well put together with the mix of keynote speakers and breakout sessions, and even time to move between them! All together a well-balanced conference with excellent food, and the bonus of a special conference dinner. Jo MacDonald Senior Researcher, New Zealand Council for Educational Research
Congratulations to the conference team on a very successful 2018 NZEALS conference. The programme was varied with different, thought provoking speakers which was great, especially given the cross section of participants from experienced academics to classroom teachers and all sorts in between. All too often conferences these days tend to focus on entertainment and don't have enough thought provoking content. I thought Michelle’s conference desk was
A new realisation which the conference provoked was that I am not so different from the other participants that attended, as I had thought prior to attending that there would only be researchers and academics there, which was incorrect.