Centre directors
Dr Melissa Derby
Honorary Lecturer
I am a Senior Lecturer teaching early literacy and human development at the University of Waikato's Tauranga campus and online. I completed my PhD at the University of Canterbury, and my study was part of A Better Start National Science Challenge. My primary area of research is early literacy, and in particular, in exploring the role of whānau in fosteri…
Centre members
Professor Margaret Carr
Emeritus Professor
Margaret is an Emeritus Professor at the University. She has research expertise in narrative assessment and early childhood curriculum development as one of the original developers Te Whāriki, the first national New Zealand early childhood curriculum. In the 2002 Margaret was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to early …
Professor Bronwen Cowie
Professor
My research is focussed on classroom interactions and learning, with an emphasis on Assessment for Learning in science and technology classrooms and culturally responsive pedagogy in science education. This aspect of my research is underpinned by a sociocultural view of learning. I have explored the affordances of information and communication technologi…
Dr Bronya Dean
Lecturer
My research interests centre around music in everyday lives, with a particular focus on the musical experiences of young children at home and in the community. I have a professional background in arts management and early childhood music education and my research interests straddle these areas.
My doctoral research explored the spontaneous singing …
My doctoral research explored the spontaneous singing …
Mrs Greta Dromgool
Online Professional Development Facilitator
Hub Professional Development Facilitator and Content Developer
Greta is an experienced science teacher who has worked in both secondary and intermediate schools. In 2015, she completed the Science Teacher Leadership Programme working with the Bee Team at Plant & Food Research. Greta is passionate about supporting teachers at all levels to offer engaging…
Greta is an experienced science teacher who has worked in both secondary and intermediate schools. In 2015, she completed the Science Teacher Leadership Programme working with the Bee Team at Plant & Food Research. Greta is passionate about supporting teachers at all levels to offer engaging…
Dr Frances Edwards
Senior Lecturer
Frances joined University of Waikato in 2009 after a varied career in education as a teacher, school leader and educational consultant both in New Zealand and the Pacific region. She has a particular interest in assessment at all levels of education, and the teacher development. Her PhD research investigated the development of assessment literacy in beg…
Dr Janette Kelly-Ware
Senior Lecturer
My research explores the taken-for-granted assumptions and traditional understandings commonly seen in relation to early childhood education (ECE) pedagogy.
Diversity, the arts, and nature-based education connected to sustainability are all areas where it is possible for adults and children to see, think, and act differently. Particularly in relation to…
Diversity, the arts, and nature-based education connected to sustainability are all areas where it is possible for adults and children to see, think, and act differently. Particularly in relation to…
Ms Dr Hoana McMillan
Lecturer
Iwi: Ngai te Rangi, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu
I have been fortunate in my teaching career to have taught across all sectors of education. Prior to pursuing a formal teaching qualification I worked as a kaiawhina in kōhanga reo. My formal training was as a specialist teacher of Te Reo Māori and Japanese at secondary level but I later transitioned to …
I have been fortunate in my teaching career to have taught across all sectors of education. Prior to pursuing a formal teaching qualification I worked as a kaiawhina in kōhanga reo. My formal training was as a specialist teacher of Te Reo Māori and Japanese at secondary level but I later transitioned to …
Professor Linda Mitchell
Honorary Fellow
Professor Linda Mitchell is recognised for her research, evaluation and analysis of early childhood education policies. She is highly critical of privatisation and marketisation in the early childhood education sector, and the capacity of for-profit business owners to make profits from education funding for individual and shareholder gain. She argues for…
Professor Sally Peters
Head of Education
As a researcher my main areas of interest relate to transitions and children’s learning and development. These interests interweave, with a central focus on the ways in which learning can be fostered within and across settings, and some of the dilemmas associated with this. My central research focus has been on the transition from early childhood educati…
Dr Hazel Woodhouse
Lecturer
With 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher in early childhood and new entrants in both the UK and New Zealand, Hazel brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her current role as an early childhood lecturer at Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education at the University of Waikato.
Her research interests align with her passion for enhancing teac…
Her research interests align with her passion for enhancing teac…