Nikki
Urlich

Qualifications

Graduate Diploma of Primary Teaching – Victoria University
Bachelor of Communications Studies – Auckland University of Technology

Professional experience

Working in the education sector for the past eight years, Nikki has brought her business experience and leadership to creating and sustaining change within educational organisations.

She has presented to a wide range of education and non education entities about the changes in education and the future focus of schools.

Her strengths are in systems, change management and public speaking. With her analytical disposition and extensive curriculum and pedagogy knowledge her passion is to create and sustain change to enable powerful learning for all.

Nikki has worked with schools and leadership teams across New Zealand supporting curriculum and systems development, property and learning environment design and implementing modern pedagogy.

Nikki has a background in public relations, communication management and primary teaching, and prior to joining CORE Education was a deputy principal and SENCO at Campbells Bay School in Auckland and a private consultant.

Expertise

Nikki has expertise and can successfully support change in the following areas:

ILE (Innovative Learning Environments) development

• Developing robust process with school leaders and teaching teams to ensure successful transition.
• Supporting and leading community understanding.
• Support and advice on design for ILE.
• Auditing and facilitating effective pedagogy and systems within an ILE.

Implementing modern pedagogy

• Presenting and providing workshops in specific modern pedagogy including; accessible learning for all, student agency, authentic multidisciplinary inquiry and collaborative teaching and learning.
• Auditing and facilitating progressive shifts in pedagogy.
• Supporting leaders and teaching teams in rigorous teaching as inquiry processes to raise student achievement.

Special education support

• Supporting and developing processes and systems for successful special education monitoring and development within school.
• Advise and support on specific special education needs and IEPs within the school setting.
• Facilitating ministry and special needs organisational relationships.

Staff and student wellbeing and culture

• Auditing and facilitating shifts in school culture; for staff and/or students.
• Develop systems, processes and procedures for staff or student wellbeing.

Communication management

• Support branding or rebranding of schools.
• Facilitating strategic and annual planning and vision work for boards and school leaders.
• Auditing and supporting communication management of, with and within schools.
• Developing strategic communications plans to support change management.

Conference presentations, keynotes, seminars, workshops

2017: NZ Tech Advance Education Technology Summit. The journey towards blended learning in collaborative teaching and learning spaces
2017: Ministry of Education – Advisers on Deaf Children. The changes in education towards collaborative spaces
2017: Ministry of Education – Special Education North Shore. The changes in education towards collaborative spaces.
2016: New Zealand Transport Change Agents Summit. Moving to modern collaborative spaces in education
2016: Excellence in Professional Practice Conference – Melbourne. 120 learners and 4 teachers – the move to modern maths.
2015: uLearn – Rotorua. The great MLE shift – five things you need to know and The lessons we should be teaching but don’t.

Publications

2015 New Zealand Journal of Teachers’ Work, Volume 12, Issue 1, 4-5. Changing Learning Environments for a Changing Work Place
2016 with R. Vukovik, R, Teacher Magazine, Australia. Action Research: Four teachers: 120 Learners.

Awards

2016 EPPC ‘Outstanding Presentation Award’

Personal statement

I moved into education because I wanted to be a part of my children’s life and what they did (Now aged 18,12 and 10 years old). I then realised I wanted to be a part of the movement to ensure education and schools met the needs of my kids and the students I worked with so that they could be successful now and in the future.

This has led me to the belief that I now hold that all students deserve the best education and a great future. I feel privileged and blessed that every day I get to be a part of the change and initiatives that will make this a reality.

I love problems, because that means there are solutions, and love challenges because that means there are opportunities.

Ko te manu e kai i te miro nōna te ngahere, Ko te manu kai i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.

The bird that eats the miro berry owns the forest. The bird that feasts on knowledge owns the world.