Biography
Role
Lesley teaches students online around the country in their third year of the Bachelor of Teaching (ECE). In her local rohe of Nelson | Whakatū, she also visits students in their home centres and on practicum to further support their learning.
Education background
Lesley was involved with Playcentre as well as teaching in a community ECE centre for 10 years, forming an enduring passion for teaching practice and curriculum, as well as professional development and education for teachers. She joined Te Rito Maioha in 2000 and has been involved in a range of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programmes.
Research background
Lesley’s masters research reflects her interest in the working conditions of ECE teachers and how they make sense of their work. As the first in her English working-class family to go to university, Lesley has an interest in class and socioeconomic issues and how these issues impact on teachers in ECE. She is currently researching the area of teaching children who live in poverty.
Teaching interests
Lesley believes everyone should have a fair chance in education and is especially keen to support those who may have had challenging experiences at school. She holds strong values relating to Tiriti o Waitangi, respecting the place of tangata whenua and striving to continue learning about te ao Māori so she can be an informed and positive role model. Lesley is also an advocate for infants and toddlers (as well as for their teachers) and believes they should have the same rights as older children to participate, contribute and have a voice in ECE settings and curriculum.
Recent publications
- Robinson, L., Tuhakaraina, S., Loveridge, J. (2021). Biculturalism in action: Opening teachers’ hearts and minds. Review of Disability Studies, 17(3), 1-23.
https://rdsjournal.org/index.php/journal/article/view/1062
- Warren, A., Robinson, L., Tuhakaraina, S., & Dayman, T. (2021). Negotiating understandings of teaching dispositions within an early childhood initial teacher education community of practice. Waikato Journal of Education, 26(2), 121–133. https://doi.org/10.15663/wje.v26i2.781
- Carroll-Lind, J., Smorti, S., Ord, K., & Robinson, L. (2016). Building pedagogical leadership knowledge in early childhood education. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood (AJEC), 41(4), 28-35.
- Robinson, L. (2014). “It’s like stepping into a new world”: Professional learning and transformation of pedagogy. The First Years: Ngā Tau Tuatahi, 16(2), 27-31.