Waikato University Lecturer Wins Teaching Awards

Waikato University Lecturer Wins Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards
Media Release
27 July 2005

Dr Roger Moltzen, a senior lecturer at the University of Waikato School of Education, has won the Prime Minster’s Supreme Award for Tertiary Teaching Excellence.

Minister of Education Trevor Mallard said, "Dr Moltzen was selected for this prestigious award because of his exemplary teaching, ability to deliver excellence over a wide spectrum and for his impact on teachers and principals across the education sector. It is fantastic that we have teachers at this level of excellence in our tertiary education system."

Roger Moltzen is chairperson of the Department of Human Development and Counselling at the Waikato University School of Education, and is an expert in both special education, and in the development of talent.

Dr Moltzen received his award and from the Speaker of the House, Margaret Wilson, at Parliament on Tuesday 26 July. He will also receive $30,000 to further enhance his teaching career and promote best practice.

Roger has taught continuously for the past 37 years, since the age of 19. He has spent 14 years as a school principal, and 17 years teaching at a tertiary level.

Student evaluations of his courses have consistently rated Roger’s teaching as excellent. Roger has achieved a perfect score from his students on numerous occasions, meaning entire classes rated his teaching excellent.

His 3rd year course, Developing Talent in Young People, has consistently been one of the most popular papers in the School of Education, and his postgraduate paper, Intelligence, Creativity and the Development of Talent also attracts widespread interest.

He has developed his own teaching videos and incorporated role-plays and simulations into his teaching. Roger has a student-centred approach to teaching, where the course content is flexible depending on student needs.

Roger is a sought-after conference speaker and has served on five Ministry of Education National Advisory Groups. In 2001 he chaired the Ministerial Working Party on Gifted Education.

He led the team of writers that produced Gifted and Talented Students: Meeting their needs in NZ Schools, the first Ministry of Education handbook in this field for 28 years. He also co-edits Gifted and Talented: New Zealand Perspectives, the only New Zealand text in the field. A second textbook he co-edits, Learners with Special Needs in Aotearoa New Zealand, is the best selling text in special education in New Zealand.

This is the fourth time the Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards have been given out.

"These awards celebrate excellence in tertiary teaching, promote good teaching practice, and enhance career development for tertiary teachers," Trevor Mallard said.

"It is great to be able to applaud and reward people whose skill, passion and commitment for teaching contribute to what is best about New Zealand's tertiary education system. Setting up the Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards was one of the first things this government did as part of our determination to reform the tertiary education system."

ENDS

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