Pre-Service Teacher Award

This award recognises the significant contribution made by a Queensland pre-service teacher who completed outstanding and consistent professional experiences/s, as well as the promotion of active and healthy lifestyles to the school or wider community.

Winner: Yasmin Atwani, Griffith University

Yasmin is an exceptional pre-service teacher with a consistently outstanding record of professional experience placements. Often working in challenging learning environments, Yasmin has received the highest evaluation ratings possible on all her placements to date. The following quotes from Yasmin’s supervising teachers illustrate the quality of her teaching:
"Overall, Yasmin has performed above and beyond the expectations of a first year prac student. … She took positive and negative feedback extremely well and immediately made changes to her lessons based on the feedback she was given. She asked lots of questions and was always wanting to learn different strategies that she could use later in her teaching career. … I’m confident [Yasmin] will make a fantastic teacher when [she] get out into schools." (2999EDN Final Report, Marsden State High School, 2018)
"We have had the pleasure of having Yasmin in our Health and Physical Education Department and Maths Department over the past 5 weeks… Yasmin has been an amazing practicum student. … Yasmin has shown an incredible work ethic within our department which is admirable. … Our staff and students at Woodridge State High School will definitely miss Yasmin’s presence. Yasmin’s ability to connect with students in and out of the classroom is an amazing quality to have as a teacher. … I would highly recommend Yasmin to any profession that is willing to have her as a teacher." (3999EDN Final Report, Woodridge State High School, 2019)
"Yasmin's enthusiasm and proactive attitude in developing her skills as a teacher has resulted in effectively planned and implemented lessons throughout her professional experience at MGSHS. … Her warm and friendly approach has enabled her to build rapport with students and colleagues alike. Her strengths include planning, self-reflection and use of assessment—both formal and informal. She is always working hard to help her students improve and progress in every lesson. Her passion for education as a whole is evident in and out of the classroom—she will be an asset to any staffroom she joins." (4699EDN Final Report, Mount Gravatt State High School, 2020)
Dedication, proactiveness and an ongoing commitment to improving her teaching are common themes in the evaluations provided by Yasmin’s supervising teachers
Yasmin has also been extensively involved in the promotion of active and healthy lifestyles in the wider community. Since January 2020, Yasmin has been a Wellness Advocacy and Leadership (WALi) Student Leader for the Griffith University Student Representative Council. In this role, Yasmin has helped provide general guidance to Griffith University students about the health and wellbeing support available at the University and in the wider community. 
For the past ten months, Yasmin has been a GUMURRI Unit Student Support Tutor for Bachelor of Education student and Griffith Sports College member, Beryl Friday. GUMURRII is a dedicated support unit within Griffith University for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. 
Yasmin’s commitment to the teaching of health and wellbeing, her leadership skills, her adaptability, and her ability to innovate make her worthy of this award.