Research

Staff research interests

Untitled Document

Dr Hamish Ross

Deputy Head of Institute for Education, Teaching & Leadership (ETL) / Lecturer in Social Studies & Environmental Studies

Education, Teaching and Leadership (ETL)

Email: hamish.ross@ed.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)131 651 6410

Location:

Charteris Land 1.14

Background

MA (hons) (Universty of St Andrews)
PhD (St Andrews)
MSc (Edinburgh)
PGCE (Secondary) (Moray House)

Before joining the University of Edinburgh my background was in industry, the earth and environmental sciences, and in secondary school geography teaching.

Principal interests

Critical and cultural geography in environmental, sustainability and global education
Pupil voice, participation and citizenship education
Curriculum policy and interdisciplinary teaching
Place-based education

Research Supervision:

I am keen to supervise under the above headings. I currently co-supervise:

Jenn Watts, who is looking at training for wilderness decision-making
Margarida Paulos, who is evaluating the sustainable schools initiative
Jane Spiteri, who is looking at early childhood and sustainability education in Malta
Rabia Arif, who is examining environmental education in Pakistan

I have also supervised MSc students looking at: environmental activism; animal rights and schooling; sustainable development in higher education; environmental education policy integration (Scotland/Norway); sustainable development education in India; comparative environmental education curricula (UK regions and Australia); sustainable development and environmental education in Japan; the role of science training in environmental education; action research in a University Transition project; outdoor learning and environmental education in Scottish and Canadian policy contexts; hermeneutics, teachers and outdoor learning; place-based education in New York City

Current and recent research

Citizenship, voice and the primary-secondary transition (research project funded by theGordon Cook Foundation)
'A natural curriculum: improving the quality and availability of outdoor learning in schools' (research project funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation)
The challenges and purposes of citizenship education in primary schools in areas of socio-economic deprivation (research project funded by the Gordon Cook Foundation as a research initiative for the Five Nations Network)
Teachers' professional development and recognition in sustainable development education (research project funded by the GTCS)
The relevance of 'dwelling' in outdoor education, with Dr Greg Mannion of the University of Stirling
The meanings of 'global citizenship' (with The University of Stirling as part of the International Development Education Association of Scotland's project, 'Taking a Global Approach to Initial Teacher Education'
Teachers experiences of situated, place-based outdoor learning programmes (with Dr Simon Beames)
The development of theoretical frameworks for understanding outdoor experiences, in particular in relation to the development of ethics of care for nature

Publications

Publications list for Dr Hamish Ross

Teaching

In addition to teaching across the School of Education's teacher training programmes I teach on the following multi-disciplinary MSc courses:

Education for Environmental Citizenship, in the Outdoor Environmental and Sustainability Education Masters programme
Culture, Ethics and Environment, at the Centre for Environmental Change and Sustainability in the School of GeoSciences
Management of Sustainability, at the Centre for Environmental Change and Sustainability in the School of GeoSciences

In Initial Teacher Education I am responsible for Secondary stage Geography and Primary stage Social Studies, as well as an undergraduate Honours option in Global learning, citizenship and sustainability.