I am an early years pedagogue and researcher, with a strong focus on children’s rights.
Overview
My career began in small community nursery in Northampton, MA (USA) which focused on play and early learning as a form of social justice work. I have since then worked as a pedagogue in corporate, Reggio Emilia and Froebel-inspired settings in the USA and Scotland and have seen firsthand the ways that pedagogy is political. My MSc and doctoral research explored how children’s participation rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) are put into practice, including areas of tension and ambiguity that offer insight into power dynamics and the broader patterning of social relations. I also work on anti-bias approaches to literacy in the early years and lived experiences of outdoor play and learning in early years pedagogy.
Research Interests
My research explores how young children’s rights are enacted and experienced within interdependent social relations. This includes, for example, the lived experiences of children, the working conditions and rights of staff, and the social rights and experiences of families. I also work on methodology and ethics in research with young children.
Active research interests: I am currently developing work around outdoor play and learning in the early years.
Research Methods: Qualitative methodologies, action research, ethnographic methodologies, arts-based methodologies
Research Publications
Teaching & Learning
I teach across the BA (Hons) Education Studies and BA (Hons) Education Studies (Primary) on matters related to early years, children’s rights, literacy, and outdoor play and learning.
