Dr Heather Purdie received her national award for sustained excellence in tertiary teaching in October 2019.
鈥淭o really care for our environment we not only need to understand it, but also feel connected to it. 鈥楤ringing the outside in鈥 is one way in which I foster that connection鈥︹
Passionate about geography, fascinated by glaciers and inspired by her father鈥檚 footsteps, Heather鈥檚 teaching approach uses p奴r膩kau or storytelling and experiential learning, bringing the outside in and connecting students to the environment. She embeds sound and innovative pedagogical practice into her teaching through her use of the real field and her reimagining of the field in the classroom 鈥 by bringing the outdoors in. Heather demonstrates a dynamic, engaging and student-centred approach to teaching. Her students testify to this, 鈥淵ou could really tell she is passionate about geography鈥 it rubs off on you and pushes you to want to know more.鈥
Her commitment to integrating Te Reo M膩ori and Te Ao M膩ori in her teaching practice is particularly commendable. She has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to teaching over a number of years and she has sought opportunities to use her expertise to enhance the quality of teaching in her Faculty and beyond. A colleague describes her as 鈥渙ne of the most stimulating teaching partners that I encountered in 40 years of undergraduate teaching.鈥
