University of the West of Scotland (UWS)

Graduate Student, Faculty of Education, Health and Social Sciences

Other Affiliations: University of Glasgow, Geographical and Earth Sciences
University of Strathclyde, Glagow, UK, School of Applied Social Sciences
The University of Leeds, Geography

PhD Student; Associate Lecturer

Thesis Title: A Trip to the Dark Side? Enacting the Experiential in Holocaust Education

About

Hello I’m a full-time first year PhD student at the School of Education, based at Ayr Campus. My diverse research interests include: Holocaust education; social justice and inclusion; museums and education; global citizenship; moral education; place-based and outdoor education; and children’s geographies.
The Study

This is the first year of my PhD, which explores models of experiential learning through Scottish educational excursions to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and State Museum, Poland. I’m particularly concerned with how the taken-for-granted, seemingly mundane occurrences of a school visit may be meaningful to young people’s learning, and importantly how emotions figure in their learning narratives. My study is influenced by non-representational theories (socio-materialist practices) and institutional geographies, a neglected area in Holocaust education research.

A wee bit more about me...

My academic biography begins at the University of Glasgow where I was awarded a First Class Honours in Geography (2006), in addition to the Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s University Award and the Carnegie Trust Undergraduate Scholarship, for my dissertation research into the spaces of shared campus schooling. My supervisor, Professor Chris Philo FRSE, was influential in nurturing my interest in research and Children’s Geographies, encouraging me to complete a Masters in Social and Cultural Geography from the University of Leeds (accredited and funded by the ESRC). After graduating with Distinction, I then applied my training as a consultant for Transport Scotland, and was responsible for research into the brand dissemination for the new ScotRail logo (2008). Yet a priority for me was always researching with young people, and I made an exciting decision to complete my PGDE (P) at University of Strathclyde (2009).

Following my training as a primary school teacher, my experiences both in and out of the classroom have helped me engage with various disparate research projects, including work with the Scottish Autism Network (2011) and SCCYP (2010).

I’m now a particularly active member of the research community at the School of Education, University of the West of Scotland, and have recently begun working as an associate lecturer at the university (B.Ed. Dissertation module; BA Childhood Practice - Reflective Planning).

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