Meet the team
JANE VAN DER ZEYDEN
Jane has worked in teacher professional development since 2007. During that time she has provided both literacy and ESOL professional development to schools across NZ. She has worked in Schooling Improvement Initiatives, the Accelerating Literacy Learning Project (ALL) and was a Practice Leader at Learning Media while working in the Ministry of Education Literacy and English Language Learning professional development contract
Jane's CV is available for download, click here.
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CHARLENE MATAIO
Ko Rakautapu te maunga
Ko Hokianga te moana
Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka
Ko Ngahuia te whare tipuna
Ko Motukaraka te whenua
Ko Charlene ahau
Charlene has worked in professional development since 2012, providing literacy support to schools. She has particular expertise in writing and working with diverse communities. Charlene worked at Learning Media in the CPL Ministry contract. Prior to this she worked at a large international school in China where she worked with culturally and linguistically diverse children and their families.
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ERIN MCKECHNIE
Erin is an experienced teacher and school leader who has taught a range of year levels. Most recently, she has lead a very successful ESOL and learning support department in a large, multicultural school in East Auckland. In 2017, Erin was invited to work alongside the Ministry of Education on a resource to help teachers to understand and complete their ELLP forms accurately. Erin’s strengths lie in engaging struggling learners and students from ESOL backgrounds, with a particular focus on literacy.
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ANDY BUTLER
Andy joined Tools4Teachers in 2017 and is an experienced teacher and school leader who has taught a range of year levels. She has a wealth of experience with teaching our newest learners at the New Entrant level and she is focussed on ensuring that these akonga have the best and most successful start to their schooling that they possibly can. Supporting Provisionally Certificated teachers is another area that Andy has extensive experience with. Andy’s strengths lie in building literacy proficiency through a range of approaches where the student is at the heart of the teaching.
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SALLY MUIR
Sally’s passion and expertise in the classroom, especially in teaching young writers, is the foundation of the work she now does as a national literacy facilitator. She was invited onto the development team for the National English Exemplars, the National Literacy Project, Schooling Improvement projects and the Ministry of Education’s Intervention Project: “Accelerating Literacy Learning”.
Her expertise as a writer led to her supporting role alongside Gail Loane, in “I’ve Got Something to Say” (Gail Loane with Sally Muir). Sally was the key writer in the development of The Ministry of Education’s “Accelerating Progress in Writing Years 7 & 8”; “Teaching Writing across the Curriculum in Years 4–6: Increasing Progress”; and “Teaching Writing in Years 1–3: Building a Strong Foundation”, available through Literacy Online TKI.
Now working in schools as an Associate of Tools4Teachers, Sally continues to support teachers in developing skills to lead their young writers.
If you have other professional development needs, we have a number of Associates that we can connect you to. Please contact us to discuss your particular situation.