The benefits and challenges of participatory research methods
This video about the benefits and challenges of participatory research builds on my original work presented at the PASAR conference in 2017.
Liberating the Curriculum: Ableism in Academia
This is an extract from a guest interview on the Liberating the Curriculum website of UCL published in relation to my ableism in academia work. In this post, I reflect on my ableism work, how I came about to take a leading role in the activism around ableism in academia.
Chapter: The embodied academic
In this chapter I explore my journey from a secondary teacher to teacher educator to lecturer, a journey that signifies for me the transition from a teacher interested in embodiment to an embodied teacher and finally to an embodied academic.
NADSN Position Paper
The National Association of Disabled Staff Networks (NADSN) has produced a COVID-19 post-lockdown position paper. In this paper, NADSN’s observations about the lived experiences of disabled people during COVID-19 are discussed alongside considerations of the changing workplace and relevant policies and practices. The paper concludes with a series of recommendations concerning disabled staff.
Article: Identity boxes: objects as data collection
This paper considers the use of identity boxes as a data collection method to elicit experiences.
Article: Using LEGO® to understand emotion work
This paper presents how LEGO® can be used in workshops to explore doctoral students’ emotions around the complex and solitary experience of a PhD research.
Article: Making academia more accessible
The remit of this paper is to provide practical ideas and recommendations to address accessibility issues in events and conferences as a first step to improving existing working conditions.
Reshaping higher education
This is my reshaping higher education contribution to the post-strike Big Meeting organised by Reclaim the University in June 2018.
Book review: Study skills for students with dyslexia
This review is about "Study skills for students with dyslexia". This is a good resource for teachers helping prepare students for University.
Reflections about plagiarism
Plagiarism is a socio-cultural issue. This is about academic integrity and the reputation of an institution and the degree that is awarded. I would not want to hold an academic degree that is devalued in such way that many people were able to cheat their way through it. This is a reflective piece of writing on plagiarism and what it feels like for an academic.
Professional development portfolios
Many teacher training sessions and professional development courses nowadays link to or culminate in the compilation of portfolios. Portfolios are evidences and resources that are gathered and annotated systematically to provide an overview of the teachers' achievements, career events and areas for development. The process of gathering information for the portfolios is an opportunity to take a step back from everyday work to reposition yourself and reconsider your values, your development and your learning. Here is some help for developing portfolios.
Assessment as a learning opportunity
Many teacher training sessions focus on assessment but we do not spend enough time on discussing assessment in the sense of marking student work. We do not discuss the impact marking has on the students' learning and the teachers' workload, nor do we talk about how we could make marking more meaningful for our learners.
Time management
A cyclical process of reading, writing and editing is only possible if you leave enough time. Time management is therefore one of the key skills to learn when entering University life. The easiest way to introduce effective time management is by preparing schedules.
Epistemology
Methodology and methods are only part of the story of choosing a research framework. The way you go about collecting and interpreting data is strongly influenced by how you interpret knowledge and truth. This is about the epistemology. In simple terms, epistemology is the theory of knowledge and deals with how knowledge is gathered and from which sources. In research terms your view of the world and of knowledge strongly influences your interpretation of data and therefore your philosophical standpoint should be made clear from the beginning.
Lesson planning – some recommendations
When observing experienced teachers in lessons or when looking at their lesson plans, the lesson planning process appears easy. However, once you start planning your first lesson you will soon realise that there are many aspects that you must take into consideration. Here are some recommendations to get you started.
Action plan template
Download an action plan from here





