Rate My Professor Andrea Robertson

Andrea Robertson serves as Senior Professional Practice Fellow and Programme Coordinator for Primary Education in the College of Education at the University of Otago. A Dunedin local, she graduated from the Dunedin College of Education in 1996 and has accumulated over 25 years of experience as a teacher and educator. Her career trajectory includes positions as a classroom teacher, syndicate leader, and associate principal in local Dunedin primary schools, such as Silverstream School in Mosgiel where she served as Assistant Principal since 2012. Robertson has also supported educators across Otago and Southland as an ICTPD facilitator, providing professional development in information and communication technologies for teaching and learning. She worked as a College lecturer and e-learning and assessment advisor in both primary and secondary school settings. Returning to the College of Education in 2005 to lecture in technology and digital tools, she was seconded back to the role of professional practice fellow in 2019, a position that became permanent in 2021. In her current capacity, she prepares future teachers by emphasizing practical, classroom-ready skills.

Robertson's teaching portfolio covers English and literacy, music—with a focus on guitar and non-specialist music education—professional studies, positive behaviour for learning and student/teacher wellbeing, technology education, and the integration of digital tools to enhance learning outcomes. Her scholarly contributions center on innovative pedagogies in primary education, particularly the use of digital technologies to support literacy development, poetry instruction, music composition, and play-based technology learning. Notable publications include 'Navigating the generative AI landscape: Exploring the potential for literacy teaching and learning' in Literacy Forum NZ (2025, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 26-35); 'I've got a song to sing... but first I have to write it!' in Literacy Forum NZ (2024, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 44-48); 'Digital tools to support reading and writing poetry' in Literacy Forum NZ (2021, Vol. 63, No. 1); 'Integrating the technology learning area in primary,' a webinar co-authored with D. Hutton for the Ministry of Education's Te Kete Ipurangi (2017); and 'Learning about technology through toys: Play based learning,' a teaching resource for Years 1-6 (2013). These works reflect her commitment to bridging technology with core curriculum areas, influencing teacher professional learning and primary classroom practices.