Queensland Government fellowship to take teacher to New York

A Brisbane primary school teacher has been awarded a Queensland Government fellowship to complete a design education project at New York’s Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.

Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch today (Thursday) congratulated Chantelle Sansness on being awarded this year’s Queensland-Cooper Hewitt Fellowship.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime for Ms Sansness, who will spend 12 weeks in New York working with experts to understand how design thinking can be used to engage students more fully so they can achieve better educational outcomes,” Ms Enoch said.

“Our teachers play an important role in inspiring our children and ensuring they are equipped with skills needed for the jobs of the future.

“Ms Sansness will gain experience in class, community and online strategies for delivering quality design education. She will then return from New York and apply her learnings in a real-world classroom environment, which is a win-win for all.”

Ms Sansness, from Ashgrove’s Oakleigh State School, said she would use her $20,000 fellowship to help students develop the skills needed to meet global challenges through design education.

“This fellowship will allow me to engage with cutting-edge design practices that will transform STEM teaching at Oakleigh State School – by challenging students to think outside the box and succeed in today’s digital world,” she said.

”Upon my return, I will share my learnings with students, teachers and the wider community to ensure our children will be ready to enter the workforce of the future, where a large proportion of jobs do not currently exist.

“I will be better equipped to help students solve real-world problems using digital technology through tailored lesson planning and more engaging classroom experiences where students will be required to think, question and brainstorm.”

Oakleigh State School, like all Queensland state schools, is currently delivering Australian Digital Technologies Curriculum designed to provide students with practical opportunities to use design thinking and be innovative developers of digital solutions and knowledge. 

Minister for Education, and the Member for Ashgrove, Kate Jones congratulated Ms Sansness and Oakleigh State School on their commitment to equipping students for a digital future.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for Ms Sansness to take the best ideas from around the world and bring them back to Queensland to deliver them in local classrooms,” Ms Jones said.

“Our schools and teachers work so hard to provide the very best education possible. I commend Ms Sansness and Oakleigh State School for the great work they are already doing to help students develop the skills they need for their future.

“I look forward to visiting Oakleigh State School after Ms Sansness returns from New York to see what amazing programs and initiatives come from this fellowship.”

Ms Sansness was independently assessed as part of a merit-based process.

The Queensland-Cooper Hewitt Fellowship, along with the Queensland Smithsonian Fellowship has been running since 2000 to enable scientists, researchers and educators to spend time in the United States working at the Smithsonian Institution’s museums and research centres.

The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design fellowship aligns with the Palaszczuk Government’s $405 million Advance Queensland initiative to create knowledge-based jobs of the future.

For more information visit http://advance.qld.gov.au/uni-researchers/qld-cooper-hewitt-fellowships.aspx

ENDS

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