Susana Tomaz

I have been teaching science for over 10 years, I completed my PGCE in the UK and have been teaching in New Zealand since 2014. In 2015 I enrolled in the Mindlab Postgraduate in Applied Practice with the aim of challenging myself as a teacher and continue evolving and improving my practice to best support the development of my students into 21st century life long learners.

In the UK, I was Head of Science in a High School in Kent for 4 years, in addition to this role I also mentored trainee teachers and develop innovative projects to engage students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

In 2011 I developed and implemented “STEM Power”, a project in partnership with the University of Greenwich and Stemnet ambassadors and funded by a partnership grant from the Royal Society which gave me the privilege of becoming an associate teacher for being “… an exceptional example of engagement with initiatives to inspire young people in learning about STEM subjects”.

I believe that students should be encouraged to develop their independent inquiry skills to enable them to become life-long learners. I am passionate about STEM education and have a specific pedagogic interest in higher thinking skills and interaction between self-belief and successful learners. I have carried out action research on STEM skills, the latest “Girl’s self-belief in Physics” was awarded a science prize by Rolls-Royce which evaluates the impact of this pedagogy in shifting student’s mindset.

Prior to becoming a teacher I worked in The Genetics Department of a Pediatrics Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal, after completing my BSc in Biomedical Sciences. Working with couples desperately trying to conceive through IVF inspired me to complete my Masters in Prenatal Genetics and Fetal Medicine at UCL with the goal to learn about Preimplantation Genetics Diagnosis and support them in their journey and try to make it a reality for them.