Alex Gunn

{{Short description|New Zealand professor of education}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox academic | name = Alexandra Gunn | native_name = | native_name_lang = | image = {{#statements:P18}} | image_size = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{#statements:P569}} | birth_place = {{#statements:P19}} | death_date = {{#statements:P570}} | death_place = {{#statements:P20}} | resting_place = {{#statements:P119}} | resting_place_coordinates =  | other_names = | citizenship = | nationality = | fields = | workplaces = {{#statements:P108}} | patrons = | alma_mater = {{#statements:P69}} | thesis1_title = Visual art education in early childhood centres : teachers' beliefs and practices | thesis1_url = https://hdl.handle.net/10092/2479 | thesis1_year = 1998 | thesis2_title = Heteronormativity and early childhood education: Social justice and some puzzling queries | thesis2_url = https://hdl.handle.net/10289/2671 | thesis2_year = 2008 | doctoral_advisor = {{#statements:P184}} | academic_advisors = {{#statements:P1066}} | doctoral_students = | notable_students = | known_for = | author_abbrev_bot = | author_abbrev_zoo = | influences = | influenced = | awards = {{#statements:P166}} | signature =  | signature_alt = | website =  | footnotes = | spouse = | children = }} '''Alexandra Claire Gunn''' is a New Zealand academic, and is a full professor at the University of Otago, specialising in inclusive education, teacher education and educational assessment.

==Academic career==

Gunn worked as an early childhood educator in both urban and rural not-for-profit childcare.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Herbison Lecture » NZARE |url=https://nzare.org.nz/awards/herbison-lecture/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=NZARE |language=en-US}}</ref> Gunn completed a Master of Arts thesis ''Visual art education in early childhood centres : teachers' beliefs and practices'' at the University of Canterbury and a PhD titled ''Heteronormativity and early childhood education: Social justice and some puzzling queries'' at the University of Waikato.<ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Gunn|first=Alexandra Claire|type=MA thesis|title=Visual art education in early childhood centres : teachers' beliefs and practices|date= 1998|publisher=University of Canterbury|hdl=10092/2479 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10092/2479}}</ref><ref>{{Cite thesis|last=Gunn|first=Alexandra Claire|type=PhD thesis|title=Heteronormativity and early childhood education: Social justice and some puzzling queries|date=2008|publisher=University of Waikato|hdl=10289/2671 |url=https://hdl.handle.net/10289/2671}}</ref> Gunn then joined the faculty of the University of Canterbury, before moving to the University of Otago in 2011.<ref name=":0" /> She was promoted to associate professor in 2018 and full professor in 2022.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Otago |first=Study Public Health at |date=2017-12-15 |title=University of Otago announces academic promotions |url=https://www.otago.ac.nz/christchurch/departments/psychmed/news/university-of-otago-announces-academic-promotions |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=www.otago.ac.nz |language=en |archive-date=7 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240307143420/https://www.otago.ac.nz/christchurch/departments/psychmed/news/university-of-otago-announces-academic-promotions |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Centre |first=Bioethics |date=2021-11-22 |title=Otago announces Professorial promotions for 2022 |url=https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/otago-announces-professorial-promotions-for-2022 |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=www.otago.ac.nz |language=en}}</ref> Gun was the Associate Dean (Teacher Education) for six years.<ref name=":1" />

Gunn's research focuses on how the beliefs and values of teachers can affect their teaching practice, and how those beliefs interact with institutionalised discourse. Gunn is interested in inclusive education, and how normative thinking, around topics such as heterosexuality and gender diversity, for example, can cause issues in education.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Education |first=College of |date=2022-02-18 |title=Professor Alex Gunn |url=https://www.otago.ac.nz/education/staff/alexgunn |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=www.otago.ac.nz |language=en}}</ref> She is also interested in educational assessment, particularly narrative assessment, evidence-based teacher education and the decolonising of education.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" />

With Joce Nuttall of the Australian Catholic University, Gunn co-edited the third edition of ''Weaving te Whāriki: Aotearoa New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum document in theory and practice''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Weaving te Whāriki: Aotearoa New Zealand's early childhood curriculum document in theory and practice (3rd ed.) {{!}} New Zealand Council for Educational Research |url=https://www.nzcer.org.nz/nzcerpress/weaving-te-whariki_3rd |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=www.nzcer.org.nz}}</ref>

== Honours and awards == In 2022 Gunn was awarded a TEFANZ (Teacher Education Forum of Aotearoa New Zealand) Sustained Excellence in Teacher Education Award. The award nomination said "She has been tireless in promoting social justice and equity in education and society in general for the marginalized, the underserved, the excluded, and those who are small and often not properly heard".<ref>{{Cite web |last=University of Otago College of Education |date=21 July 2022 |title=Congratulations to Professor Alex Gunn |url=https://www.facebook.com/OtagoEducation/posts/congratulations-to-professor-alex-gunn-whose-outstanding-contribution-to-teacher/10160567323374874/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=www.facebook.com}}</ref>

Gunn was invited to present the Herbison Lecture at the 2023 New Zealand Association for Research in Education conference.<ref name=":3" />

== Selected works == {{scholia}} * {{Cite Q|Q124843409}} * {{Cite Q|Q124852586}} * {{Cite Q|Q124852589}} * {{Cite Q|Q124852590}} * {{Cite Q|Q109679913}} * {{Cite Q|Q109679905}} * {{Cite book |title=Weaving te Whāriki: Aotearoa New Zealand's early childhood curriculum document in theory and practice (3rd ed.) |publisher=NZCER |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-98-854280-5 |editor-last=Gunn |editor-first=Alexandra C. |edition=3rd |editor-last2=Nuttall |editor-first2=Joce}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX6dZ00GTsg Learning right from the start: Empowerment, equity and early childhood education]''. Inaugural professorial lecture by Alex Gunn, 28 July 2022, via YouTube

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunn, Alexandra}} Category:New Zealand academics Category:New Zealand women academics Category:University of Canterbury alumni Category:University of Waikato alumni Category:Academic staff of the University of Otago Category:Academic staff of the University of Canterbury Category:New Zealand educational theorists Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)