Research Award
Squadron Leader Murray Simons was recently awarded the New Zealand Association for Training and Development (NZATD) Education Trust ‘Learning and Education Research Award’—an award which recognises excellence in New Zealand learning and education research.
SQNLDR Simons studied how mid-career military officers increase their professional wisdom during their time on the Defence Force staff course. He investigated the range of learning that they experienced including formal, informal, and self-directed learning.
A significant finding of his study was the high level of emphasis placed on teaching knowledge and information, rather than the ability to think across a range of different subject areas with agility.
The findings have been used to make recommendations to the course on how it can help enhance professional wisdom. The main recommendation was to be more strategic about linking the intangible skills learned with the formal course objectives.
SQNLDR Mark Brewer (also a member of the Training and Education Directorate team) said, “SQNLDR Simons really deserves this award, he has spent lots of time on his study and made sacrifices to complete it to such a high standard.”
SQNLDR Simons is enjoying being able to apply some of the skills he developed during his study in his role in the Training and Education Directorate, where he is now focussed on writing the Defence Force’s new policy on education.