Rate My Professor Denise Hitchcock

Dr. Denise Hitchcock is a Facilitator in Education Support Services (ESS) within the University of Otago College of Education. She serves as a Senior Adviser, specializing in facilitating professional learning and development (PLD) for teachers in literacy, leadership, and curriculum design. ESS has been supporting teachers (kaiako) and principals (tumuaki) for over 30 years, operating under the College of Education since 2007, offering services including early childhood, primary, and secondary PLD, as well as workshops, consultancy, and support for provisionally certificated teachers (PCTs). Dr. Hitchcock's work at Te Tapuae o Rehua, University of Otago, included her role as literacy facilitator and national coordinator for secondary literacy in the Ministry of Education's Secondary Student Achievement initiative.

Her expertise is particularly noted in secondary literacy practices across the curriculum, aiding teachers to foster effective strategies for diverse learners, including marginalised adolescents. Dr. Hitchcock authored a resource on marginalised adolescent literacy learners for The Education Hub in 2021 and co-authored "Collaborative literacy practice at secondary level" published in Set: Research Information for Teachers in 2017, with Catherine Braddock and Megan Nelson-Latu. This publication explores collaborative literacy interventions in secondary social studies to enhance teacher capacity and student achievement. She has contributed to national efforts like the Literacy and Communication Group, the Common Practice Model (CPM) for literacy, communication, and maths, and de-streaming resources. Operating from Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara), her facilitation supports schools nationwide, as evidenced in various school reports and educational documents.