Biography
Role
Debbie leads Te Rito Maioha’s Master of Education (ECE) programme. She also lectures in research-related courses, and supervises thesis students within the Master’s programme.
Education background
Debbie has been in education for 35 years, with nearly half of her career teaching and managing in early childhood education. Since the early 2000s, she has worked at tertiary level teaching future ECE teachers and more recently teaching research-related topics to master’s students. Debbie has been instrumental in developing our Master’s programme, been a research-leader in the government-funded Centres of Innovation programme and been part of professional development for Ako Aotearoa.
Research background
Debbie has been involved in several research projects including Te Rito Maioha’s fourth flagship project – Leaders Growing Leaders. She has carried her interest in leadership research though to professional development and is passionate about mentoring others in research. Debbie’s doctoral research PhD focused on physical wellbeing between the home and ECE setting; her Master’s thesis focused on teacher registration.
Teaching interests
Debbie has a huge passion and interest for sociocultural learning and teaching, because everybody holds expertise in different areas and it’s about bringing that shared understanding together to learn from each other. She is passionate about teaching others to understand how research is carried out generally as well as teaching Appreciative Inquiry as a specific research method.
Recent publications
- Dalgiç, G., Ryder, D., Carroll-Lind, J., Davitt, G., & Smorti. S. (2015). Leaders growing leaders: Effective early childhood leaders for sustainable leadership. ‘Leading for tomorrow today’. In D. Garbett & A. Ovens (Eds.). Teaching for tomorrow today (pp. 256-265).
- Terreni, L., & Ryder, D. (2019). The brave and the foolhardy: Excursions in early childhood contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand. Early Childhood Folio 23(1)
- Davitt. G., & Ryder, D. (2018). Dispositions of a responsible early childhood leader: Voices from the field. Journal of Educational Leadership, Policy and Practice, 33(1), 16-29.
- Ryder, D. (2017). Moriah Kindergarten: A turnaround leadership story from survival to success. In R. McNae, M. Morrison, & R. Notman (Eds.). Educational leadership in Aotearoa New Zealand: Issues of context and social justice. (pp. 118-129). Wellington, NZ: NZCER.