Emanuel School HSIE teacher, Lauren Korotkov, has been selected as a Rising Star by The Educator magazine. The national publication recognises educators under 35 years of age who show exceptional leadership, initiative, passion and innovation in their practice.
The magazine described the 32 educators who were recognised as Rising Stars as “young inspirational trailblazers (who) are having a profound impact on the outcomes of their students – and breaking the mould of traditional education while they’re at it.
Andrew Watt, Principal at Emanuel School, commented: “Being recognised as an emerging leader in education by an external organisation is a great honour. It is also evidence of the profound impact Laure has had on our students’ learning and development.”
In his nomination, Adam Majsay, Deputy Principal (Teaching and Learning) K-12 commented that Lauren’s commitment to and talent in developing a differentiated curriculum has been an education and inspiration for her colleagues.
“One of Lauren’s outstanding abilities is in the development of teaching and learning activities in social science where she focuses on learning that is relevant to the world in which her students live.”
In 2020, Lauren developed an innovative and creative unit on a fictional Zombie Apocalypse, which was cleverly used to tie in with the COVID-19 pandemic. Students used computer simulation to envisage how a zombie takeover could spread across the globe. The assessment involved students suggesting policy to slow down and eliminate the takeover, which was then juxtaposed against actual policy pertaining to the 2020 pandemic.
In a unit on power in the United States, where students followed the US Election, Lauren worked to develop students’ understanding of the Electoral College system, why it exists, and its strengths and weaknesses. Students also studied the Black Lives Matter protests.
Ms Korotkov, who was selected from over 100 nominations Australia-wide, was delighted to receive the news: “I am honoured to be included in this list. It’s a privilege to teach at Emanuel; I am inspired everyday by the curiosity of our students, their pertinent probing questions and the social-justice lens they bring to the classroom. It is a joy to foster our students’ love of learning.”