During the two-and-a-half years Dr Esme Hatchell has been teaching at the Queensland Academy for Science, Maths and Technology (QASMT) she has brought her considerable experience in research to help transform teaching and learning.

Esme’s background is in Science, and she has an honours degree and a PhD in Cancer Research, as well as, recently, a Graduate Diploma in Education for Senior Years. 

It was while teaching university students that she became fascinated with the teaching and learning experience – how people learn – and began to strive to be an effective and meaningful teacher.

Esme currently teaches the International Baccalaureate to Year 11 and 12 students as well as the Australian Curriculum to Year 10 students.

She describes teaching as more than just curriculum and constantly strives to bring real-life stories, experiences and laboratory practicals from her previous experiences into the classroom to deeply engage and support student learning.

Esme was integral to setting up the Student Voice surveys now used by every teacher at QASMT with their students twice a year to gauge student satisfaction and collect their feedback on the courses taught.  She has developed a link between the theory and practice at the Academy and has improved collegial engagement of all staff with student feedback.

Over the last Christmas holidays, Esme collaborated with two of her colleagues to put together a three-hour workshop for the National Youth Science Forum’s Science Teachers Summer School on how to connect high-achieving students with university researchers to further engage them in science.  Esme and her colleagues also took the workshop to CONASTA in in Sydney in July. 
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Congratulations Esme on your Queensland College of Teachers Excellence in Beginning to Teach Award nomination.