Becoming a writer began in 2007 and has a particular focus on the relationship between talking, drawing and early writing. Each year since 2007 Noella has worked closely with preschool and early years teachers and gathered extensive data from young children. An exciting professional outcome of the Becoming a Writer Research has been the development of a short video presentation View the video[ 12 minutes long, opens in new window]. to be used by schools with parents of children starting school. The presentation is supported by a take home brochure for parents. These resources were funded and supported by the NSW Department of Education and Communities, Riverina Equity programs. In 2015, Becoming a Writer expanded into a project titles; Understanding and supporting Young Writers which was run with the Victorian Curriculum and assessment Authority with Kindergarten and Prep teachers from the Marysville Cluster and Darebin Early Years Network.
My name is Noella Mackenzie and I am an Associate Professor (Adjunct) at Charles Sturt University, Albury-Wodonga Campus in NSW, Australia and a Senior Fellow of the Australian Literacy Educators' of Australia. I also work as an independent education consultant. I am also a daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother who loves to read, garden and travel. While my career has always been in education, there have been four distinct phases. The first phase was that of classroom teacher – teaching children from 5-12 years of age in a number of primary schools. The second phase of my career saw me working as a specialist professional development provider working with teachers in early intervention and special education. The third phase had me working as an academic at Charles Sturt University. That role involved me teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students, researching and continuing my work with teachers and parents of young children. The fourth phase sees me working as an independent education consultant, supporting school systems and schools with professional learning input for teachers. I am passionate about teaching and in particular early literacy development.
I am proudly the product of public education. I grew up on a farm and went to the local primary and high schools where I was fortunate to have some fabulous teachers. My Diploma of Education (Early Childhood) was earned at the Riverina College of Advanced Education in Wagga Wagga NSW. My Bachelor of Education, Master of Education and Doctor of Education qualifications were all earned at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Vic and were spread out over a number of years as I studied part time and worked full time. I completed my doctorate in 2004 and started work at CSU in the same year.
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Noella Mackenzie 