STEPHEN SUNDERLAND   B.Ed. Dip.Teach. CoGE

Stephen Sunderland has been teaching for around 30 years and since 1985 in the gifted and talented program specialising in PEAC.

He has developed a differentiated curriculum to cater for the needs of the gifted and has also provided professional development workshops for teachers.

He contributed many activities to Teaching TAGS and worked as a consultant to the Media Outcomes Review Committee.

Stephen has held a range of leadership positions including Registrar, Treasurer, Publicity and Promotions Officer for Tournament of Minds and President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary for ProAPT (Professional Association of Parents and Teachers of the gifted). He is a past President of ProAPT and represents Western Australia on the AAEGT (Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented).

Prior to becoming a teacher, Stephen worked in the Rural & Industries Bank of Western Australia. In 1979 he received a Diploma of Teaching from the WA Institute of Technology, Majoring in Social Sciences. In 1984 he received a Bachelor of Education from Claremont Teachers' College, majoring in Literacy.

 

In 2007 Stephen completed a Postgraduate Certificate of Gifted Education through Monash University.


LANCE BYFIELD  B.Ed. Dip.Teach. CoGE MACE

Lance Byfield has been a teacher for over 30 years. From 1976 to 1984 he taught upper primary students and was one of the first primary teachers to make use of computers in schools, pioneering the use of word processing in Western Australian primary schools.

In December 1984 Lance was invited to join the Schools' Computing Branch as a Primary Computing Advisor. In his three years with the branch Lance provided induction and inservice for Western Australian primary teachers on the use of educational hardware and software; evaluated commercial software; aided in the creation of educational software; and was part of the evaluation team for the state tender of computers for Western Australian primary and secondary schools in 1987.

Following a short stint as Computer Education Consultant for a private company in early 1988, Lance took up the position as teacher and coordinator of the Melville PEAC Centre.

In his twelve years at Melville PEAC Lance developed and delivered the primary supplementary program for Gifted and Talented students, coordinated all PEAC activities in the Melville District, managed the testing program for the student selection process and developed and maintained an administration system at PEAC. Lance commenced work at Balcatta PEAC at the beginning of 2000.

In 1990 Lance was the coordinator for Knowledge Fest WA, a state-wide festival of events for academically talented students. He was on the state committee for Tournament of Minds from 1992 to 1994, was a co-editor and writer of the Teaching TAGS resource for Western Australian schools and held the positions of Vice-President (1994/95) and President (1996/97) of the Professional Association of Parents and Teachers of the Gifted. Lance is a co-founder of OlymPEACs, an inter-district competition for PEAC students which ran from 1996 to 2003. In 2002 he was nominated for the Director-General's Equity and Diversity Awards for his work with OlymPEACs.

 

In 2007 Lance completed a Postgraduate Certificate of Gifted Education through Monash University.

  

 

HELEN MILLS  BA Asian Studies Dip Ed CoGE

Helen has worked in the field of gifted and talented education since 2000 when she joined the PEAC team at Mindarie. Helen has a background in the teaching of LOTE (Languages Other Than English) and is qualified to teach ESL (English as a Second Language).

Helen has provided professional development for teachers in the areas of LOTE and gifted and talented education. She is also actively involved in promoting and supporting educational opportunities for gifted and talented students such as participation in the Tournament of Minds challenge. Helen's role in Tournament of Minds includes judging at regional, state and national levels, committee member and State Teams manager.

 

Helen's strong interest in the role of the Arts in our society led to the development of the PEAC Arts Challenge Day which is held in collaboration with the Art Gallery of Western Australia each year. Beginning in 2005, this challenge has grown to include PEAC districts from metropolitan and country areas. It is Helen's belief that the Arts challenge gifted students to evaluate and synthesise their experiences and perceptions of the world, and to express these ideas in a creative and meaningful way.

 

Holding various positions on the ProAPT (Professional Association of Parents and Teachers of the gifted) committee since 2002, Helen has worked to provide professional development opportunities for teachers of gifted and talented students at state and national conferences. Helen recently took on the role of editor of the ProAPT journal.

 

MEMBERSHIPS
ProAPT (Professional Association of Parents and Teachers of the gifted)
EWB (Engineers Without Borders)
WACoT ( Western Australian College of Teachers)
Golden Key Honour Society

 
Helen is currently working on her Masters Degree in Gifted Education through Monash University. 

 

 

TARA HANNENT BA (Education - Primary), ECU, 1997 BEd, ECU, 1998

Tara Hannent commenced teaching in 1998 and she has worked across a number of districts in the metropolitan area.  With experience across all year levels Tara has worked predominantly in the Middle Primary years.

With a move into the PEAC area Tara brings her experiences from a range of educational settings and she shares with students her enthusiasm and expertise in Language and Drama.

 

Since her commencement with the PEAC program Tara has been involved with a trial program (GIFT) working with early childhood students and their teachers.  This is an exciting project and Tara has worked with a number of teachers throughout the West Coast District.

 

MEMBERSHIPS
Member of the Australian College of Educators
ProAPT (Professional Association of Parents and Teachers of the gifted)

SABINE WINTON  B. Prof. Studies, MACE

Sabine started her teaching career in 1989. Throughout her career she has been fortunate to meet and work with students from a variety of backgrounds and a range of ages.  She has taught in a variety of schools around the state including Norseman D.H.S., Fitzroy Crossing D.H.S. and Cocos (Keeling) Islands D.H.S.

On returning to the metropolitan area she taught for a number of years at City Beach Primary School, and most recently at Mindarie Primary School . 

Sabine joined the PEAC team in 2004.  She is particularly interested in the Mathematics and Society and Environment Learning Areas and has developed a variety of courses aimed at challenging and extending the Gifted and Talented students in the District. 

 

Most recently she has presented GIFT (Great  Information for Teachers) Numeracy, a Professional Development Program for K-3 Teachers involving 20 schools.  This program provided an action research context for Year 2 teachers through the delivery of a supplementary course to Gifted and Talented Year 2 students.  She has also delivered professional development workshops for local schools to assist teachers in catering for Gifted and Talented students in mainstream classrooms. and presented a workshop at the Early Years in Education Conference in 2006.

QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor of Arts (Primary Education) Murdoch University
Bachelor of Professional Studies (Curriculum Studies) Murdoch University

MEMBERSHIP
Member of the Australian College of Education

 

 

 

Kirsteen McCrory has been a Primary School teacher since 1990. Whilst working in the UK, a Teachers’ International Professional Development visit to Malta sparked a lasting interest in the teaching of thinking skills and the education of the gifted and talented. In 2003, Kirsteen published the results of a Best Practice Research Scholarship: “Using Thinking Tools to Enhance Children’s Ability to Think and to Improve National Test Results”. Subsequently, she presented these results as a workshop and an exhibition at the UK’s National Teacher Research Conference in 2004.

 

As Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator in schools she has worked with students of many ages and their teachers; developing and facilitating school-based identification and provision as well as providing professional development.

 

Since emigrating with her family to Australia in 2005, Kirsteen has taught in West Coast District Primary Schools and at Curtin University where she also held the position of research assistant within a team of education researchers. She was nominated for the Premier’s Teacher of the Year Award in 2007.

 

Kirsteen joined the West Coast PEAC team in 2008. Highlights, so far, include working with students to research,design and build a frog pond; submit original designs to Top Trumps Australia; and establish the "PEAC Book of Records".

 

 

JANE CASWELL BA (Education) ECU 1997 CoGTE Murdoch 2007 MEd Murdoch 2010

 

After various other careers, Jane began primary teaching in 1998. She has taught at the junior, middle and upper primary levels, most recently combining classroom teaching with establishing, coordinating and teaching a Gifted and Talented Education program at Mindarie Primary School.

An interest in teaching higher order thinking skills and in advocating for gifted students led to Jane completing a Post Graduate Certificate in Gifted and Talented Education and a Masters (Education) through Murdoch University. 

Jane joined the PEAC team in 2008 and has enjoyed working with gifted students throughout the district, sharing learning and having fun. Highlights have included creating photographic portfolios and collaborating with PEAC students, staff from WA Museums and City of Stirling to create a museum exhibit which featured in Mt. Flora Museum Waterman.

Jane has also conducted Professional Development for teachers of gifted students and collaborated with them to create differentiated curricula to cater for the needs of gifted and talented children in mainstream classrooms. 
 

 

WENDY HAWKES  B.Ed. Dip.Teach.

 

Wendy has taught in primary schools in country and metropolitan WA and in the Eastern States. She first became interested in providing differentiated education while teaching in a Montessori school.

 

Since becoming involved in working with gifted and talented students in the PEAC program in 2000, Wendy has enjoyed providing opportunities for the students to interact with each other, develop higher levels of thinking, grow in independence and pursue their own interests. She offers a range of courses as diverse as rocketry and sculpture.

 

Wendy is a member of STAWA (Science Teachers Association of Western Australia) and has been involved in judging Tournament of Minds. She teaches on a part-time basis, mainly from the Mt Claremont PEAC Centre.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Diploma of Teaching 1976  Graylands Teachers College

Bachelor of Education 1980   Melbourne State College