Phillipa Cosgriff

It was while Phillipa Cosgriff was mentoring training teachers in the classroom that the experienced primary school teacher was inspired to do further study. "I was impressed with the teacher trainees' knowledge of new theories of teacher practice, and their beliefs about teaching and learning."

Feeling slightly frustrated by her own lack of up-to-date research knowledge, Phillipa enrolled in a Master of Education at the University of Waikato. “I wanted to improve my capacity to mentor the student teachers working in my classroom.”

Phillipa managed the juggle of study and work as she studied. She says, "I could take papers based on their relevance for what I was focusing on at school. One of my highlights was the opportunity to have thought-provoking discussions with other students – hearing the experiences of others was so interesting.”

Her achievements in education have opened new doors for Phillipa and she now has an even greater influence on teacher trainees in her role as a Teaching Fellow at the University.