Trudy Purcell's
Learning Journey
🔥

FORMAL
Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Commerce (2011 - 2013)

  • Distinction Average majoring in Accounting/ Economics
  • Failed a couple of units, big wake up call
  • Huge jump in learning processes from high school to university - complete change in structure
  • Went to university because that was the 'done thing'
  • Mostly intrinsically motivated as I wanted to make my parents proud
  • Was not focussed on what came next, very much in the moment (had a lot of fun)

FORMAL
Masters Degree: Master of Teaching
(2015 - 2016)

  • Back to uni to pursue a different direction
  • Enjoyed professional placements where I had the opportunity to apply skills covered in coursework, highly enjoyed the hands on experience
  • Completed two overseas placements (Italy and China) working in international schools where language barriers and differences in educational systems presented significant challenges
  • Fell in love with teaching and met many likeminded individuals

FORMAL
Employment: Dean Newbery & Partners
(2014)

  • Became an auditor, moved through the graduate program
  • Discovered a misalignment in values, did not enjoy the job
  • Found the work mundane and lifeless, felt that I had more to offer elsewhere
  • Sought advice from mentors in my life and eventually quit after 12 months in pursuit of teaching
  • Very grateful to my employer for the experience, was affording incredible opportunities for professional and personal growth but ultimately was not for me

FORMAL
Employment: Geelong Grammar School
(2017 to Current)

  • Thoroughly enjoying living and working in boarding school environment
  • Multidimensional job that involves extensive teaching, boarding and sport involvement
  • Have been afforded multiple opportunities for professional development (highly encouraged and celebrated in this context) including tertiary education and internal promotions
  • Get a great deal of reward working with young people, have found a passion that makes me excited to go to work
  • Have supported student achievement of exceptional academic results both through the VCE and IB pathways

INFORMAL
Replacement Car Wing Mirror
(2014)

  • VW Polo Wing mirror was hit by a bus, was looking at $850 to fix
  • Found a YouTube video that explained how to remove car door and replace mirror
  • Researched local wreckers and located replacement wing mirror
  • Had completed full replacement in under a day for $180, was pretty pleased with my efforts
  • Still driving car to this day and wing mirror works perfectly, including indicator

INFORMAL
Hiking Tasmanian Overland Track
(2015)

  • Highly experienced overnight hiker by this point, but this would be the longest hike yet (6 nights, 100km)
  • Undertook extensive research to gain knowledge of the track, understand food and water requirements, prepare for emergency situations and overall understand requirements for 6 nights walking and sleeping in the bush
  • Throughout the hike needed to engage problem solving skills in facing many obstacles, for example we took a wrong turn and had to employ our navigation skills to return to the main track
  • Highly challenging/ rewarding, learned a lot about my capacity to push through physically/ mentally taxing situations :

INFORMAL
Fixing of Friends Anvil Telescopic Tree Lopper
(2022)

  • I borrowed a friends tool without asking and subsequently broke it, needless to say I was feeling pretty sheepish...
  • I identified that the spring inside that main compartment had snapped and proceeded to replace it using a similar spring I found in a household peg
  • After a couple of hours fiddling with it, I was able to repair the broken tool and return to my friend
  • Although this experience seems fairly minor I was really proud of myself for persisting with it, playing around with multiple options and eventually finding a solution

FORMAL
Graduate Certificate: Digital Learning Leadership
(2020)

  • Was awarded a scholarship by my employer to complete graduate certificate to support my position as eLearning Coordinator
  • This was my first experience in formally learning online, completing a variety of different modules and engaging with my peers in online forums
  • I found this experience particularly challenging in balancing it with full time work, but it's ultimately given me the skills to juggle multiple commitments (especially in relation to my current MBA)
  • Gave me the confidence to lead my organisation during the transition to online learning at the onset of Covid

Realisation of fundamental values I needed to feel satisfied in my work
🗣 / 🧩

Significance to
Learning Journey

Development of capacity to perform in unfamiliar/ stressful environment
🧠

Comprehension of new heights of intrinsic motivation where values/ needs met in the workplace
🧩 / 🧠

Greater understanding of intrinsic need
to engage in Lifelong Learning
🧩🧠

Forced me to question why I was engaged in my learning
🗣

Helped me realise my passion and need for problem solving
🧠

Discovered pivotal enjoyment in practical application of learning
🧩 / 🧠

Reiteration of this need to problem solve
🧠

Significance to
Learning Journey

🗣 = Pedagogy
🧩 = Andragogy
🧠 = Heutagogy