Aiming for Google 'education champion' status

Rachel Duckworth is a professional learning and development facilitator, hoping to become a Google for Education Champion. Picture by Tink Lockett

Google has made its way into our vocabulary as a verb, sanctioned by the Oxford Dictionary, no less. The search engine processes some 8.5 billion searches each day. But who knew the giant tech company also provides innovative opportunities for its educators? Loren Sirl talks to Gisborne’s Rachel Duckworth.  

Rachel Duckworth is a professional learning and development facilitator, and as a Google- certified trainer and innovator, she is now on a quest to become a Google for Education Champion.

“An innovator poses a problem in education that you think you might be able to solve, and then the people at Google take you through a ‘design thinking sprint’, and in my role as a trainer I have the privilege of teaching digital skills to people who need a little direction,” said Rachel.

She is looking forward to a trip across the ditch to Sydney soon, to a Google champions symposium.

The opportunity to apply for the symposium was made available to every Google trainer and innovator. Only 60 entries from around the world were chosen to attend the three-day event.

Rachel went to school in Gisborne, going on to complete her teaching degree at the University of Waikato. The call of home brought her back, and she taught at Te Hapara School for 15 years. She spent some time in London before returning to Gisborne and working as deputy principal at Wainui Beach School.

“My own schooling actually led me into teaching — my teachers’ ability to form positive relationships with all the kids was something I admired and held on to,” she said.

Her path to teaching was not without its challenges. She says she didn’t do as well as she could have at secondary school and initially didn’t get into university in her chosen field. She was an avid hockey player and had her sights set on a physical education degree, but her marks weren’t good enough. Plan B was a Bachelor of Leisure Studies.

“My parents weren’t too impressed with the name of the degree, but it was a combination of sport, community and teaching.”

She decided to switch to education later on, a choice that she says has proved to be the most challenging and rewarding experience.

“I often use my own failures to remind kids that learning is hard, and if it’s easy, then you’re not actually learning, you’re just practising something you already know.”

Google for Education certified trainers are experts in their field. They train fellow educators, in particularly navigating around Google tools. They provide support with learning through the use of technology.

In 2019 Rachel was selected to take part in the Google Innovator Programme where an elite group of 36 educators met with Google executives.

Rachel describes the experience as, “the best professional development I have ever attended”.

This year’s event is a relatively new programme in the Google family.

“The Champions Symposium is one of the first that has been held. It’s the third English- speaking programme worldwide and it’s kind of secretive, so I am not even sure what to expect,” she said.

Entry into the event saw Rachel addressing questions related to championing students, teachers and schools.

“We had to show what we were championing in education, and for me that was around equity —how we champion for students or for schools in education, and what have we done to support them,” she said.

Rachel has also been selected to speak at the Sydney symposium, giving a short five-minute presentation in the Ted talk style.

She will talk about equity issues in education. Over the past 18 months she has supported many school principals and senior leaders in relation to strategic planning, curriculum integration and local curriculum design.

Challenges faced recently for schools have been the Covid-19 pandemic and weather events, which have caused a drop in attendance levels. It is something Rachel is passionate about.

“How can we design learning programmes that engage our students, and how can we involve them in opportunities surrounding education that school leaders may or may not be aware of?

“That’s where the whole issue of equity comes in. How can we increase student engagement and whānau engagement?

“A lot of our parents are so busy in their day-to-day lives they don’t get a chance to check in,” she said.

“What we design as educators can have a huge impact on our kids.

“Experiences and relationships that are built in our younger years are often the memories we remember.”

Rachel remembers her own primary school years fondly, particularly the experiences outside core subjects like maths or handwriting.

“As a student at Mangapapa School I remember cooking and eating lambs’ tails behind the hall with Mrs Waikari, and at Gisborne Intermediate walking along the coastline from Ūawa to Gisborne, sitting in a rock pool with Mr Moeau eating fresh kina.”

Making students feel valued in their schooling years is essential for Rachel.

“They will turn up for school every day, if you show that we care about them, if you have an invested interest in them and their success.”

Travel can be a  barrier for rural schools, she says.

“If they want to take advantage of place-based learning, or visit our amazing Tairāwhiti Museum, to give their tamariki new learning experiences, the cost is that much more expensive. The availability of relievers, the isolation, and the infrastructure of some schools may appear equitable on the outside, but it definitely isn’t.”

She is a huge advocate for accessibility tools to support learners with diverse needs, making options readily available for all schools.

Rachel hopes to deepen her advocacy skills through the symposium, and gain a greater understanding of leading change management within the education community.

A Europe Champions event was held in November in Dublin, Ireland. It featured masterclasses, workshops, and talks on personal growth and tech skills as well as brainstorming new products and ideas. Rachel is looking forward to more of the same at the symposium in Sydney.

“We also get to explore innovative new tools and generally are first eyewitness to new-release Google educational and general products, before they are released to the public.”