Professor Clive McGee
Emeritus Professor Clive McGee is a distinguished academic, administrator, teacher and mentor within the University of Waikato and beyond. He has contributed to teacher education and teacher education research for over 40 years.
A primary school teacher and principal he arrived at Hamilton Teachers College over 40 years ago and was influential in the merger between the College and the University. Clive has officially retired thus his Emeritus title but we have found it hard to let him go and he is still working part time at the Faculty of Education and we still have the benefit of his wisdom. During his career he was a social studies educator lectured in curriculum theory, Director of primary programmes where he led many programme innovations, the Foundation Director of the Centre for Teacher Education and Foundation Director of the Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research within the University of Waikato.
Over the years, Professor McGee has directed numerous research projects including the Curriculum Stocktake: National School Sampling study on New Zealand teachers' experiences in curriculum implementation; and teachers' laptops usage and impacts. He has been in numerous research teams investigating wide ranging topics such as the impacts of major administrative reforms on schools; education outside the classroom; curriculum implementation in schools; middle schools; and e-learning. Professor McGee has over 250 publications. He was the foundation editor of the Waikato Journal of Education and editor of the Social Studies Observer.
Professor McGee has supervised a significant number of PhD students in the fields of curriculum, teaching, learning and teacher education.
Clive is a person who is a true expert. As Einstein said
If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.
His work is accessible. His book, Teachers and Curriculum Decision-making is widely used in New Zealand. A co-edited book, The Professional Practice of Teaching, is widely used in teacher education courses as a foundation of pedagogical knowledge for teachers.
Clive is a true gentleman. He is always respectful, affirming and supportive. He always has time and has that ability to make you feel good about your ability in the academic space.
I just reviewed a paper that focused on Pioneers in Education: essentially constructing a "family tree" of educators to show the academic lineages (mentor through successions of mentees. If we conducted this exercise in New Zealand Clive would be found at the root of the tree and his influence would flow through the branches – his influence is wide ranging indeed.
It is my pleasure on behalf of TEFANZ to present Clive with this gift to recognise his influence on teacher education and teacher educators in New Zealand.