Rate My Professor Alli McKenzie

Alli McKenzie is a Teacher Education Fellow (Senior Lecturer) at the University of Otago College of Education, Invercargill Campus, where she has worked as a teacher educator since 2004. She holds a Master of Education (MEd) from the University of Canterbury, a Bachelor of Education (BEd) from the University of Otago, and a Diploma in Teaching (DTchg). Prior to her appointment at the University of Otago, McKenzie served as a tutor in the Department of Sport and Exercise at the Southern Institute of Technology, a lecturer at the Christchurch College of Education, and a physical education and health advisor in the Canterbury and Southland regions. Her extensive career also encompasses roles as a secondary school teacher, Head of Department in Dance, and primary school teacher in various schools. McKenzie actively engages in opportunities to advance The Arts, Physical Education, and Health in schools, while participating in community physical activity, leisure, and cultural pursuits.

McKenzie's teaching at the University of Otago College of Education focuses on primary education in key curriculum areas including Physical Education, Health, Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, Technology, and Mathematics. She conducts Subject Studies in Visual Art, Children in Action, and has been involved in Secondary Physical Education. Her research specializations include the effects of nature on holistic health and the integration of curriculum areas through effective pedagogy. Key publications co-authored by McKenzie are: McKenzie, A., & McKenzie, D. (2018). The impact of targeted professional development on teachers' perception of their confidence and ability to implement the physical education curriculum. New Zealand Physical Educator, 51(2), 30-34; Gordon, B., Dyson, B., Cowan, J., McKenzie, A., & Shulruf, B. (2016). Teachers' perceptions of physical education in Aotearoa/New Zealand primary schools. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 51(1), 99-111; Dyson, B., Gordon, B., Cowan, J., & McKenzie, A. (2016). External providers and their impact on primary physical education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Asia-Pacific Journal of Health, Sport & Physical Education, 7(1), 3-19; Morrison, C., McKenzie, A., & Gilmore, A. (2016). Health and physical education in New Zealand primary schools. In Proceedings of the Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) Conference; and Cowan, J., Dyson, B., Gordon, B., & McKenzie, A. (2015). Teachers' understandings of the use of external providers in primary school physical education in Aotearoa/New Zealand, presented at the 29th ACHPER International Conference.