Phillip Pearce

With a passion for child developmental psychology, Phillip Pearce saw a Master of Primary Teaching at Griffith University as the perfect choice. ‘My study has given me the ideal balance of practical knowledge and underpinning theory,’ he said. ‘The lecturers are all experienced classroom teachers so can relate theory to practice. It’s made me more confident in my pracs and I know teaching is the right career for me.’

Halfway through his degree Phillip moved to Dubai for family reasons and was able to complete the rest of his study online. ‘Having the flexibility to study online has been an amazing experience. I’ve also been able to complete my practical placement at an international school here in Dubai. I have received incredible support from Griffith and the flexibility of my learning experience has enabled me to pursue my career goals,’ he said.

Sarah Burr

Griffith was a natural fit for Bachelor of Education (Primary) student Sarah Burr. She liked the variety of courses on offer and the flexible delivery. After the foundation first year, Sarah selected the Primary major as she was confident that she wanted to work with young students so that she could assist them in generating clear and enduring foundational knowledge, skills and demeanour that they could carry with them into secondary schooling.

'Teaching is far more than a job. It is a pledge to lifelong learning and supporting young students so they can become confident, creative, active and informed citizens.’

Mathematics will be her minor as she wants to address the aversion that many students have for the learning area and so that she can be a driving force in promoting maths as a highly useful and creative subject.

Natalie Anderson

Griffith Education graduates Damian Aldridge, Natalie Anderson and Kara Griggs are three of the talented team behind STEM Punks—2019 winners of QLD Telstra Business Awards, Emerging and Energised category.

STEM Punks offers programs like drone coding, robotics, app design, renewable energy, smart farming, innovation and  entrepreneurship and design thinking to students and teachers in primary and secondary schools. Learning outcomes are linked to the Australian Curriculum.

‘This award means we are on the right track and that we are making waves in STEM Education in Australia,’ said Natalie. ‘I moved over to STEM Punks this after winning the Queensland College of Teachers Excellence in Teaching Award in 2018 for my work in STEM.