Recommendations
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Fran Hughes 
Resource & Information Services Manager at Catholic Education Cairns 
​July 2017.
“Highly capable educator, and innovative leader“ are the phrases that come to mind when I think of Dianne McKenzie.
      As an educator with a global presence, Dianne has shared her work publicly for nearly 15 years, welcoming critique and happy for others to use her ideas to improve learning for ultimately, many more students than just her own.
      Her passion for education and her capacity to drive a continuous improvement agenda are the reasons we sought Dianne’s expertise and guidance for our Teacher Librarians in the Cairns Diocese.
      I was particularly impressed with Dianne’s commitment throughout. Prior to working with us face to face, Dianne took the time to engage with us via video conference to understand our context and desired outcomes, and checked in periodically to ensure that her processes she intended to employ would meet our requirements. The end result was a tailor-made workshop that was engaging, highly productive and spot on in terms of addressing our needs and also helped us create forward plans.
      Everyone wants to enlist a workshop presenter who not only gets the job expertly done but who is also great to work with - this you will receive from Dianne. From planning through to facilitation and follow-up, Dianne earns my highest praise.


Bradley Tyrrell
Dean of Information and Learning Technology at Scotch College - Perth Western AustraliaDianne is a very experienced presenter and one of the most knowledgeable people I know when it comes to the International Baccalaureate. I invited Dianne to come to Scotch to present to my staff on libraries in a global context and to inspire them to be collaborative when working with others. The sessions over four days resulted in excitement and a greater understanding of their roles and the important job they have in the creation of meaningful education programs. 

I would highly recommend Dianne and will be bringing her back to present again.
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James Wilson
MYP Co-ordinator, Elsa High School, Hong Kong
Dianne recently did a workshop at the secondary school in Hong Kong where I work as MYP coordinator. The focus was on how to provide support for students undertaking the 'Personal Project' in the final year of MYP. The feedback from staff was 100% positive, and this includes many experienced teachers who are not involved in the Personal Project! Dianne engaged us throughout by bringing the abstract language of the MYP down to earth using clear explanations and personal examples. There were several group activities that reinforced the key points. These were done in a way that respected our age and professionalism, which is often not the case at workshops. In short, I highly recommend Dianne for professional development workshops covering the broad range of learning goals of the IB / MYP. She definitely gets it. We hope to host her again next year. :)

Bryant McEntire
Teacher Librarian, Secondary at French International School Hong Kong 
I had the good fortune of seeing the Teacher Librarian role in the International Baccalaureate program through Dianne's experienced eyes at a continuum training in Hong Kong last year. Her ability to convey clearly, succinctly, and with authentic examples just how powerful the Teacher Librarian's role is for impacting student learning was incredible. Naturally research and many traditional supports are part of the role but the way she fleshed out how the learner profile attributes and approaches to learning fall so naturally into the extension provided teachers in collaboration with a knowledgeable and passionate Teacher Librarian were and are profound. She is a gifted and inspirational trainer.

Samantha McManus - 
School Library media Specialist, USA  link will open a new page.

Feedback from multiple IB and other workshop evaluations : Anonymous
  • I was challenged to look at much of the decisions I make and how I never actually find real evidence that something is working... just a feeling.
  • Challenged to think about what the "real issue" that needs to be addressed and researched. I thought I knew what needed to be done at our school but the workshop clarified and expanded my understanding which will in turn result in an evidenced based research project - which will effect the outcome.
  • I liked the chance to converse with colleagues and the multitude of resources provided.
  • I really liked the collaboration, sharing and challenging questions.
  • I really liked the range of activities, the opportunity to collaborate with others, and I am leaving with new ideas, new networks and new resources.
  • Dianne was very knowledgeable and explained everything very well. She was dynamic, funny and kept the workshop lively and engaging! She shared her experiences and offered solutions to how to manage our role effectively as a librarian. Dianne was very passionate and was always interesting even until the last day. Looking forward to attending her future workshops.
  • This is my second workshop with Dianne. She's the best. Totally organised, each session timed and paced perfectly, helpful & useful information--I wish every workshop leader was as organised and skilled as Dianne. Oh, I also appreciate her passion and her sharing of her opinion on many of the topics--it's nice to receive strong guidance and not a wishy-washy overview. 
  • Dianne was responsive to our questions, changed the workshop to suit our needs and specific queries from the group. They created an atmosphere that encouraged discussion.
  • Very specific, detailed and exerted more effort than what I expected to make our workshop very informative and satisfying.
  • She got us to think, question and extend our way of practicing teaching.
  • I loved this workshop, Dianne's wealth of experience, down to earth point of view really appealed to me as a learner. I learned so much about how to better serve learners, amd teachers and how to use the official documents for leverage.
  • Engaging, informative, resourceful
  • This workshop met my expectations. I like the whole approach being learner centred / collaborative planning with teachers. I am going forward with a sense of confidence on advocacy.
  • The workshop made me consider the way I introduce topics and how I plan units. 
  • Responsive to our needs Personable, with a thorough knowledge of the content
  • Very approachable. Set an environment which felt comfortable to discuss things Happy to change the direction of the activity to what we were actually needing/requiring
  • The workshop leader was extremely approachable, intelligent, very experienced and yet professionally flexible to the needs and questions of the group. She was also extremely collegiate and was extremely happy to share ideas and to work alongside the participants to create meaningful resources etc. She was exceptional!
  • The 2 day workshop was informative & interesting. All of the information was delivered in a way that made it                                 understandable.
  •  I really got alot more from the workshop than my expectations. Your way of teaching and guiding is superb.
  •  Dianne was relaxed and confident, I really learned a lot.
  •  The workshop surpassed my expectations. It removed all fears, doubts, questions about the IB library.
  •  I knew the workshop would challenge us to plan and document more, and the workshop reinforced that but I had no     idea it would be so empowering.
  • Dianne is very approachable and down to earth.
  • Invigorated, ready to try for a change with concrete backup evidence. I am going away with lots of ideas as I am filled with new knowledge.
  • The workshop has been very interactive and hands on. We were encouraged to use our brains.
  • The workshop was really, really helpful and amazing. Now I will be able to incorporate all terms practically.
  • Three days packed with learning, knowledge and fun!
  • Awesome intellectual stimulation. Very helpful and informative.
  • Dianne was very engaging and enthusiastic. She involved us in every aspect of learning. She is by far the best workshop leader I have ever had.
  • Dianne is a fantastic workshop leader. She kept us engaged the entire time, was very knowlegable about both IB and our role as school librarians within the IB framework. She conducted one of the best workshops I have attended in my 18 years as an educator.
  • Dianne was very enthusiastic and made the learning enjoyable. She was engaging and animated which helped keep us focused. The materials she shared with us (PP, websites, ideas) were all excellent. I would highly recommend her.
  • Dianne was clear, concise and flexible. She catered well to a diverse group with a wide range of experience and expectations, often changing activities and adapting materials at very short notice.
  •  It was interesting that she shared many links that helped librarians around the word connect. She was very experienced and allowed the class to learn while having fun. Be able to break up the programme into smaller categories and be able to explain in detail the role of Librarian in context of a PYP curriculum, MYP curriculum and DP Curriculum respectively. 
  • Ability to respond to the groups needs rather than rigidly sticking to format. Knowledgeable and empathetic and entertaining. Had great practical strategies. Made some ongoing contacts with librarians in the region which will be really helpful a we can be isolated as a profession.
  • Dianne was very well prepared and has tremendous communication skills.
  • Very knowledgeable; enthusiastic; demonstrated commitment to the programmes, student learning and high quality librarianship; inspired me to continue to develop and extend my knowledge and skill.
  • Enthusiastic, shared her knowledge, changed the workshop to fit the needs of the participants
  • Understanding diverse needs of participants and modifying workshop to accommodate this; strong knowledge of IB principles; strong library background; excellent use of communication venues such as blogs, twitter, wikis, etc.
  • Wow! Dianne really knew her material and was able to offer us a great deal of both practical and theoretical support and advice. She was focused and demanding to just the right level.
  • Willing to change original programme very knowledgeable, open to continuing conversations via e-mail, twitter, blogs, etc and allowed participants to share ideas,  flexible.