Role

Penny leads our postgraduate programmes. She provides academic, pedagogical and people leadership to the post graduate lecturing staff and ensures consistent high quality of our Master of Education (ECE) and Post Graduate Diploma programmes.

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Education Background

Penny’s career in the early childhood education sector spans 35 years, from early childhood teaching and leadership to tertiary level teaching. She taught in the Bachelor of Teaching Early Years programme at Massey University for 15 years before joining Te Rito Maioha in 2013. In addition to her academic role, Penny was a representative on the Te Rito Maioha Council for six years, a governance role which complemented her role as chair of Ruahine Kindergartens.

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Research Background

Penny is passionate about teachers’ practices and how their beliefs influence their day-to-day work. Her master’s research explored the role of peers in children’s learning, and this led to a PhD investigating teachers’ beliefs and practices related to peer learning, using both qualitative and quantitative methods to strengthen research design.

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Teaching Interests

Having taught and practised leadership over many years, Penny is passionate about teaching students about leadership and governance. She believes in collaborative, inclusive, and empathetic leadership which enables people to be heard. Penny is motivated by growing strong teams and seeing people reach their potential. She enjoys getting to know students and learning from the experiences they bring and the knowledge they have. Penny is strongly influenced by her upbringing, giving her a firm belief in women achieving in family and career, and a strong work ethic.

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Recent Publications

Smith, P. (2018). Early childhood teachers’ beliefs and practices related to peer learning: a mixed methods study. Unpublished doctoral thesis. Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Smith, P. (2012). Children as teachers: Creating opportunities for children to share their expertise with their peers. New Zealand Research in Early Childhood Education, 15, 91-108.

Smith, P. (2010). The role of peers in children’s learning. Unpublished Master’s thesis. Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Smith, P. (2020, Spring/Summer). Children as teachers: how do we support children to be leaders amongst their peers? Early Education, 66, 53-60.