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Sylvia Robertson image 2020Senior Lecturer

Tel +64 3 479 4993
Google Scholar Sylvia Robertson
ORCID orcid.org/0000-0003-4931-1822
Email sylvia.robertson@otago.ac.nz

Biography

I returned home to Dunedin in 2011 after 18 years teaching and studying in Sydney and the UK. I started working at the College of Education in 2016 as I completed my PhD. Prior to this, I held teaching and leadership roles in diverse primary school settings in New Zealand (Hutt Valley and Wainuiomata), Australia (Sydney) and the UK (Hertfordshire). As I travelled and taught across different countries, in independent and state schools, bilingual settings, all-boys and all-girls and co-educational settings, I became very aware of one constant in education everywhere – change. Thus my research interests include leadership preparation, leadership identity, and management of change. I have published and presented on the leadership self, teacher effectiveness, leadership for social justice, and leadership in high-needs settings.

At the University of Otago College of Education from 2016 to 2019, I taught across a number of different academic and professional practice papers at Bachelor and Masters levels. Currently, I lecture in Education Studies in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. I am Director, University of Otago Centre for Educational Leadership and Administration, and Co-Director, UCEA Centre for the International Study of School Leadership.

Teaching Sectors

  • Primary
  • Bachelor of Teaching / Bachelor of Arts
  • Master of Education and Learning
  • Postgraduate supervision

Teaching Areas

  • Education Studies
  • Professional practice (Primary)
  • Educational leadership

Research Interests

  • Leadership of change
  • Leader identity
  • Leadership in high-needs settings
  • Leadership for social justice
  • Leadership preparation
  • Student metacognition

Publications

Robertson, S. (2024, July). Research-in-progress: Leadership in education. College of Education Research Seminar, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Research Presentation]. Other Research Output

Striepe, M., Cunningham, C., Gurr, D., Longmuir, F., Taylor, A., Thompson, P., … Robertson, S. (2023). School leadership in the midst of crises: Adapting, transitioning and transforming. Proceedings of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE): Voice, Truth, Place: Critical Junctures for Educational Research. Retrieved from https://www.aareconference.com.au Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Taylor, A., Devi, M., & Robertson, S. (2023). Evolving leadership practices in the wake of crises: A cross-national perspective on recovery and renewal. Proceedings of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE): Voice, Truth, Place: Critical Junctures for Educational Research. Retrieved from https://www.aareconference.com.au Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Robertson, S. (2023). Transforming pedagogy in uncertain times: Blended learning in a first-year university context. In N. Eteokleous, D. Ktoridou & A. Kafa (Eds.), Emerging trends and historical perspectives surrounding digital transformation in education: Achieving open and blended learning environments. (pp. 1-28). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi: 10.4018/978-1-6684-4423-8.ch001 Chapter in Book - Research

Striepe, M., Thompson, P., Robertson, S., Devi, M., Gurr, D., Longmuir, F., … Cunningham, C. (2023). Responsive, adaptive, and future-centred leadership in response to crisis: Findings from Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand. School Leadership & Management, 43(2), 104-124. doi: 10.1080/13632434.2023.2171005 Journal - Research Article

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