Peter Botsman Award 2012

Dr Anita Jetnikoff 

Anita Jetnikoff has been and continues to be an exceptional and inspirational educator in primary, secondary and tertiary contexts in North Queensland and, more recently, in Brisbane, where she is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Queensland University of Technology in the Faculty of Education.

Anita holds an Honours degree in English literature, a Bachelor of Education and a PhD from James Cook University.  However, these statements of fact do not encapsulate her illustrious career, the contributions she has made to English teaching in Queensland in the fields of teaching and research, and her service to the profession.

Her years as a student provide some insight into both Anita’s intellectual interests and her view of what roles education might have in people’s lives: her love of literature in her Honours thesis on Piers Plowman; her commitment to social justice in her work on critical literacy in her post-graduate degree in Education and in her PhD research into first generation bi-cultural boys and their literacy needs.

Anita’s vision of teaching is one of a ‘learning ‘exchange’ in which ‘teachers and students [each] bring something valuable to the table’.  From her earliest years as a teacher, students have commented on Anita’s enthusiasm for her subject, her high expectations, her kindness, and her creative and stimulating lessons. One of her current QUT students, Emily Jarrett, describes her as ‘extremely passionate about her work... [with] that gift that allows her to pass that passion on to her students.’  Anita’s zest for learning is evident not only in her teaching but in her support of quality student work which she celebrates, taking every opportunity to share it with wider audiences.

Her wide range of publications such as The bard and the web: using vodcasting to enhance the teaching of Shakespeare to pre-service English teachers and Using media technologies in English  speak of a deep ongoing interest in contemporary multi-literacies and their power to engage students.  A sought-after presenter at professional development forums, Anita has been a keynote speaker at state and national conferences, including those for ETAQ and AATE.  In these contexts her ability to inspire and articulate current practice, particularly in relation to implementing digital media texts in the classroom, has been outstanding.

Further service to the profession includes Anita’s membership as tertiary representative on the Queensland Studies Authority State Review Panel for Senior English and as a member of the writing team for the 2010 Senior English syllabus.

First and foremost a passionate teacher of English, Dr Anita Jetnikoff is a most worthy recipient of one of the Peter Botsman Awards for 2012.