The Teacher, Curriculum and Pedagogy
The Teacher, Curriculum and Pedagogy Thematic Hub focuses on teachers and teaching and develops innovative work on curriculum and pedagogy.
The focus of research in this thematic hub is on teaching, curriculum and pedagogy which, together, constitute the core of all educational processes, be they in schools, colleges and universities, in the workplace, or in pre-school or out-of-school settings. We do not focus on all aspects of what may happen there, but are particularly exploring the work of teachers, the pedagogies at stake, and the curricula that frame and support this work. All this does not just raise questions about the micro-level of everyday educational practice, but also raises questions about policy, and about the structures and cultures of education. The other main question for work in this hub is around teacher education and teacher professionalism.
Please note: In the development phase of this hub we will start with staff with research in their contract and will, in next steps, branch out to teaching fellows interested in being involved and PGR students. We aim to have a fully functioning hub within 6 months, but want to make sure we have enough time to do everything in a careful manner.
The initial phase of this thematic hub will be led by Professor Gert Biesta and Dr Laura Colucci-Gray, in collaboration with Dr Ramsey Affifi and Dr Hui-Chuan Li.
Centres, groups and networks
Our areas of research interest include: widening participation; transition into higher education; internationalisation; employability; master’s level provision; student experience; interdisciplinary, critical policy studies, comparative higher education and capacity building.
Learning for Sustainability (LfS), or Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), is a wider agenda that has emerged in the UK and internationally at all levels of education. LfS is defined in multiple ways, for example as ‘a process of learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term future of the economy, ecology and equity of all communities’ (Martin et al. 2013: 1523). As such, how courses are taught is as important as what is taught.
Our work covers a range of areas within the field of philosophy of education, including theories of teaching and learning, moral education, theories of discipline, curriculum theory, virtue epistemology and education, theories of inclusion and social justice. Our members have backgrounds in diverse traditions of philosophy, including Analytic, Continental and American Pragmatism.
The aim of the Physical Education Research Forum is to produce high quality, innovative and collaborative research findings that will enrich practice and inform policy, locally, nationally and globally.
The Research-led Teacher Education Network (RTEN) is an interdisciplinary network for dialogue and collaboration in research on teachers, teaching and teacher education, knowledge Exchange between academic and non-academic partners, research-led development of teacher education, drawing upon the wide range of research at the University of Edinburgh and internationally.