Rate My Professor Sue Cherrington

Professor Sue Cherrington is the Head of School and Professor in the School of Education at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. She possesses an extensive background in early childhood education, holding a Kindergarten Diploma from Wellington College of Education, along with an MEd and PhD from Victoria University of Wellington. Cherrington commenced her professional career as a kindergarten teacher, serving in three kindergartens in the wider Porirua area—Tairangi, Ascot Park, and Discovery—for about seven years. She then acted as a senior teacher for 3.5 years across the Wellington Region, Wairarapa, and Marlborough Kindergarten Associations.

In 1992, she began lecturing in teacher education at Wellington College of Education. After the 2005 merger with Victoria University of Wellington, she progressed through positions such as lecturer, senior lecturer, associate director, director of early childhood education programmes, Head of School for early childhood education, and Associate Dean. Throughout these roles, she has managed the development, implementation, and refinement of early childhood teacher education programmes, including professional development contracts for the Ministry of Education. Her research specializations cover teachers’ professional and pedagogical practices, ethics and professionalism, diversity in New Zealand early childhood services, teacher thinking and reflection, professional learning communities, and evaluations of Ministry of Education-funded professional development programmes. With over 1,400 citations on Google Scholar, her work demonstrates substantial influence. Key publications include "Using video to promote early childhood teachers' thinking and reflection" (2014, Teaching and Teacher Education, 188 citations), "Professional learning communities in early childhood education: A vehicle for professional growth" (2019, Professional Development in Education, 143 citations), "Leadership in professional learning communities" (2014, Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 139 citations), "The nature of professional learning communities in New Zealand early childhood education: An exploratory study" (2015, Professional Development in Education, 104 citations), and "Continuing professional development in early childhood education in New Zealand" (2013, Early Years, 102 citations). She teaches on teacher reflection, pedagogical practices, assessment, planning, ethics, and professionalism, and leads programme innovations such as centre-based options, conjoint degrees, and the BEd(Whakaako)ECE Whāriki Papatipu programme with Te Ati Awa. Cherrington participates in international projects offering programmes overseas.