What is your background?
I have worked for Cognition for a little over five years. During my time with the company I have seen its offshore operations expand from six people to over 200 and the breadth and depth of Cognition's work grow both in New Zealand and overseas. From 2004-2007 I was based in the Middle East. Since then I have been based in Auckland. Prior to joining Cognition I worked in New Zealand and the UK in a number of roles including being a teacher, assistant principal, advisor and author.
What does your role involve now?
My role as International Contracts Manager has two aspects. Firstly, there is the work I do within the company. This includes things like contributing to the redevelopment of our website and IT infrastructure, planning and delivering induction, and being part of an internal audit team that ensures our work is of a consistently high standard.
The second part of my role is to support the Cognition team to identify and deliver international contracts. This is an exciting part of the job that involves working with clients to establish the best ways of solving often complex educational problems with solutions that draw on the best of international practice while ensuring local culture and custom is respected and valued. Since joining Cognition I have either led, planned or contributed to the delivery of over fifteen international contracts.
What have been the benefits of working in Cognition
Although I am based in New Zealand there is an opportunity to travel widely to meet others who are passionate about education. I have travelled extensively since returning to New Zealand in 2007. In the last year this has included trips to the Middle East, Australia and Canada.
The other thing that I enjoy is the opportunity to be involved in a wide range of education initiatives. I have had the chance to lead the establishment of two new schools (one of which has now won several international awards), make a significant contribution to large scale schooling reform contracts, and immerse myself in short term projects in areas as diverse as assessment, special needs, and leadership programmes.
What is an example of a contract you currently work on?
The most exciting project I am working on currently is to work in a small team to establish and grow an office to register and licence school teachers and leaders in the State of Qatar. This is the first time in the Middle East that teachers and school leaders will have been licenced against a set of professional standards.
This team is working closely with our Qatari colleagues and together we have developed a business plan that incorporated guidelines, and a strategic and operational framework. We had to take into account the Education for a New Era reform principles, the National Professional Standards for Teachers and School Leaders (NPSTSL), the characteristics of the Qatar teacher and school leader workforce, and the goals of the project. The office was established on time and within agreed parameters.
This year my focus within this project has moved onto working with IT partners to develop a web-based bilingual e-portfolio for teachers and school leaders to use as a means of showcasing their knowledge, skills and experiences. The e-portfolio is an exciting project that links technology and education in a way that we hope will ultimately raise teaching quality and ensure that best practice is recognised, acknowledged and shared.
Other interests
Outside of work I enjoy travel. I have been lucky enough to have travelled to about 70 countries across Africa, Asia, Middle East, Europe and North and Central America. I have recently become involved in the Youth Mentoring Trust and I hope to be able to make a contribution as they undertake their important work. I have written a number of books on educational topics and I am working on others at the moment.
