Associate Head of School: Secondary and Further Education and Skills
My experience at the University has been diverse and wide-ranging. I am very proud to say that I graduated from Sunderland with a PGCE PCET in 2014, and since then I have been given every opportunity to develop my career and practice.
I initially started out as a Research Assistant for SUNCETT (Sunderland’s Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training) where I conducted research aimed towards improving the practice of student teachers and assisted the SUNCETT team with the publication of two textbooks: Reflective Teaching in Further, Adult and Vocational Education and Readings for Reflective Teaching in Further, Adult and Vocational Education. I also worked in close collaboration with the Education and Training Foundation, helping to organise and run their annual Research Development Fellowship programme.
During this time, and in addition to my Research Assistant role, I was fortunate enough to be employed as an Academic Tutor, teaching undergraduate Creative Writing and Irish Drama.
I have a strong background in creative writing and initial teacher training, and I am always looking for further opportunities to continue researching the beneficial links that can be discovered between these two passions.