University of Tasmania, Australia

New Academic Staff awards

Dr Margaret Baguley - 2007
Dr Margaret Baguley commenced as a Lecturer in Arts Education in the School of Education in 2004. She was awarded a Teaching Merit Certificate in her first year of teaching, and a Faculty of Education Mentoring Award in 2005.

In addition to undergraduate teaching commitments, Dr Baguley co-supervises a number of honours students and PhD candidates. She is described as a highly organised and committed teacher, completing her PhD in 2007 while working fulltime with a heavy teaching load.

Dr Baguley’s teaching is informed by her research. Her commitment to the scholarship of teaching and learning is evidenced by the Faculty of Education Early Career Researcher Awards which she received in 2006 and 2007. The Australia Council for the Arts has described Dr Baguley as one of the top potential researchers in Australia.

Students describe Dr Baguley as an enthusiastic, passionate and inspirational teacher. Her dedication to her students has earned her the respect of staff and students alike.

Dr Sara Booth - 2007

Dr Sara Booth commenced work with the University in 2004 as a sessional staff member for the Bachelor of Teaching program in the School of Education. She became an associate lecturer in 2005, and completed her PhD in 2006.

Dr Booth is currently a member of the steering committee for the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme. She received a Faculty of Education Mentoring Award for Excellence in Professional Support to Students in 2005.  Her students nominated her for this award.

The level of responsibility given to Dr Booth by the School of Education is testament to the level of respect the School assigns to her teaching ability: she was appointed as Coordinator of the Bachelor of Teaching program in June 2007, just three years into her academic career.

Dr Booth’s achievements in this early stage of her career are remarkable. She is held in high esteem by colleagues and students alike, with the Dean describing her as a rising star within the Faculty of Education.

Individual Awards

Dr Kim Beswick - 2006

Dr Kim Beswick is a Lecturer in Mathematics Education in the School of Education.   Since commencing with the University in 2000, she has coordinated a number of units and mentored new mathematics education staff within the School.

Dr Beswick has maintained a strong nexus between her teaching and research, and has been a major contributor to the design and development of a range of mathematics units.   She has been the recipient of three teaching development grants since 2001, from the Teaching Advisory Board, the Faculty Teaching & Learning Committee, and the University Teaching and Learning Committee.

Staff and students alike are highly respectful of Dr Beswick's ability to generate excitement and enthusiasm amongst students for the subject of mathematics education.   Her dedication to her students is commendable, with students expressing their appreciation through two successful nominations for Teaching Merit Certificates in recent years.

Dr Margot Boardman – 2004

The appointment of Dr Margot Boardman as a lecturer in early childhood education came after thirty years of experience as a classroom teacher and in various leadership roles within Tasmanian schools.

She maintains a strong link between her teaching and her research, through publishing in the area of early childhood education. Her teaching innovations include embedding the Tasmanian Department of Education's new Essential Learning Frameworks into the Bachelor of Education curriculum and the Essential Learning Frameworks into the Bachelor of Education curriculum and the development of the We Learn Together program in which teacher education students work with school students who have special needs. She has been instrumental in several new developments in the Bachelor of Education program.

Dr Boardman's students highlight her enthusiasm, her commitment to her students, the practical assistance they receive through her classes and the very detailed and useful feedback they receive on their work.

Dr Boardman is an outstanding teacher who has been recognised by her students, her peers within the Faculty of Education and her colleagues within the school system.

Dr Margaret Barrett - 2003

Dr Margaret Barrett has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to excellence in teaching at the University of Tasmania over the last 15 years. Her initial appointment to the Faculty of Education was based on her reputation as a music teacher in school settings. Her teaching is strongly linked to her research in which she has an on-going focus on pedagogical issues related to her practice. She coordinates the Arts Education Research group in her Faculty.

In 1995, Dr Barrett was awarded a nationally competitive teaching grant from the Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching and this led to the production of a book and video related to the project. She has been active in the Australian Society of Music Education, including periods as Vice-President and National President.

In recognition of her expertise in music education, Dr Barrett has been sought as an external evaluator of music programs at the University of Newcastle and the Hong Kong Baptist University and as an external consultant for the Queensland School Curriculum Council in the development of the current arts education curriculum in that state. She has also acted as an external advisor for music education in England.

Her past students and colleagues talk of her ability to ‘inspire’. Dr Barrett’s ability to communicate in the language of music, and to open this world to students, is a specialised skill, and one that makes a significant contribution to the University’s reputation as a leading educational and artistic institution.