Research
I currently class myself as a Teacher Researcher due to the fact that I am a full-time primary school teacher but also actively involved in the literacy research-based community. Initially I was solely involved in action research with UKLA to explore children’s digital literacies in and out of the primary classroom through a Special Interest Group (SiG). Further information can be found at the online space I developed for the group.
Recently I have also become involved in the digital literacies research community, primarily through the Centre for the Study of New Literacies and the ESRC Seminar Series on Children’s and young people’s digital literacies in virtual online spaces. I have also consulted on other research-based projects with organisations such as Futurelab and Durham University.
My current threads of research are:
- Multiliteracies pedagogy
- Theories and application of critical literacy
- Perceptions of literacy
- Creative and outdoor learning
- Digital technologies
- Popular culture in the classroom
Until recently I was a research student at the University of Sheffield, studying on the MA in New Literacies programme. I submitted by MA thesis in August 2011. During the course of the programme I have enjoy doing in-depth research focused on:
- Theories and application of New Literacy Studies
- Perceptions of literacy and the ‘common language’ of the National Literacy Strategy
- Children and adults’ use of social media
- Research methods in New Literacy Studies
- The use of blogging in the primary classroom to promote New Literacy Studies and Multiliteracies
I have also been researching children’s use of Twitter in the primary classroom and recently had an article published about the area. I am also currently in the process of writing a chapter about social media for an upcoming book about Student Voice.
If you are interested in learning more about my research them please contact me.