Adult Educator and Learners Recognised
Otago Polytechnic is celebrating the success of its Adult Education team and their students at the ACE (Adult Community Education) Awards held in the Dunedin Town Hall on Wednesday night.
Jill Davidson, Senior Lecturer in Foundation Studies was presented with an Exceptional Adult Educator Award for her work with learners returning to study.
“Jill has built on her own experience as an adult learner to create courses, and a teaching style, that gently supports learners while encouraging confidence and independence” says Marc Doesburg, Head of the School of Foundation Learning at Otago Polytechnic. “In order to re-establish her learners’ curiosity about all there is to learn, she has created and employed techniques and materials to suit individual learners, working alongside while they develop their own learning.”
The Otago Polytechnic Learning Centre team was also collectively the recipient of an Outstanding Educator Award. Part of the Student Services team, the Learning Centre provides literacy, numeracy and study support to individual students on programmes across the Polytechnic, from nursing to engineering.
“Our Learning Centre staff is highly skilled, flexible, and quick-thinking, as they help anxious students with a wide range of numeracy, study skills, reading techniques and course writing tasks” explains Doesburg. “They are innovative in their support of learners which enhances the success and enjoyment of adult learners’ studies at Otago Polytechnic.
The Polytechnic is also celebrating the success of their students, many of whom have overcome significant personal challenges in order to return successfully to study. Students Karyn Hucklebridge and Lynda Jackson were each the recipients of Outstanding Adult Learner Awards at Wednesday night’s ceremony.
Karyn Hucklebridge enrolled in Level Three Certificate in Foundation Studies at Otago Polytechnic having previously undertaken the Lifeworks programme at the Open Polytechnic and the Employment Plus programme through the Salvation Army. Latterly she has achieved the NCEA while at Approach Learning. Karen is now studying towards the National Certificate in Animal Care, a distance programme at Otago Polytechnic.
Lynda Jackson enrolled in Certificate in Foundation Studies (Level 2) at Otago Polytechnic, having previously been told that she was ‘unteachable’. She has also been accepted into the National Certificate in Animal Care for study in 2010.
“Lynda studies with a fierce determination” says senior lecturer Jill Davidson. “Not only that, she modelled the skills and hard work required to complete the studies, and this supported the younger women in the course.”
Wesley Moka, a business administration student also received an outstanding adult learner certificates as part of Adult Learners' Week.
The ACE Awards were held as part of Adult Learner’s Week which runs until September 14.