MrsBriarne Oldham

Briarne Oldham is a Lecturer in the School of Leadership and Professional Practice at the University of Canterbury, where she teaches and coordinates courses within both the Ako: Bachelor of Teaching and Learning (Primary and Early Childhood) programme and the Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning. She works closely with pre-service teachers as they develop their professional expertise, with a particular focus on preparing them to be responsive, evidence-informed practitioners.

With a strong background in school leadership, curriculum design, inclusive education, and responsive practice, Briarne brings expertise in Universal Design for Learning and trauma-informed approaches to behaviour. Her work is grounded in understanding behaviour as communication and in creating classroom environments that foster safety, belonging, and success for all ākonga.

Briarne’s research sits at the intersection of teacher effectiveness, professional practice, and student learning. As a Ph.D. student, she is focused on how pre-service teachers develop and apply evidence-informed approaches, particularly in literacy, to meet the diverse needs of learners. She is especially interested in how teachers integrate the science of learning with professional judgement in authentic classroom contexts. Her work emphasises partnerships with schools as critical sites for learning, inquiry, and the development of effective teaching.

Additionally, Briarne's research and teaching interests include literacy acquisition for learners with diverse learning differences, alongside embedding inclusive and equitable approaches for all students. She is a credited contributor to Nancy Young’s Ladder of Reading & Writing (2026 update), an internationally recognised framework supporting evidence-informed literacy instruction and the translation of research into practice.

Through her teaching, research, and collaboration with schools, Briarne is committed to contributing to the knowledge base of how teachers can effectively support learning for all students, and to preparing teachers who can design responsive, inclusive, and high-impact learning environments.