South West LSRN Annual Conference 2008 - Speakers Biographies

South West Learning & Skills Research Network 2008 Annual Conference

 Changing Identities & “Dual Professionalism”
in the Learning & Skills Sector

Thursday 10 July 2008 at The Exchange, Bridgwater

Speakers' Biographies

Paula Jones

Paula joined the team at Learning South West in 2002 and is Deputy Chief Executive and Project Manager for the SWitch Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training.  She has worked on a range of activities to support the professional development of learning and skills colleagues and developed Learning South West as a key strategic and delivery partner in the region.

Paula has designed and managed a range of projects, including Great Expectations -a project to improve the match between training provision and the needs of small/micro businesses, Catch the Moment -a project based in Somerset to help managers and tutors prepare for the government’s new measure of success- RARPA- recognising and recording progress and achievement and Crystal Chandelier - a regional Skills for Life workforce development project.  Her work has led to membership of a national advisory group to develop the new QCA Framework for Achievement and is an elected council member of the Institute for Learning.


Ann Hodgson

Ann has worked as a teacher, lecturer, LEA adviser, editor and civil servant, joining the Institute of Education, University of London in 1993, where she is now a Reader in Education and Faculty Director for Research, Consultancy and Knowledge Transfer in the Faculty of Policy and Society.  She is currently co-director of the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education in England and Wales, as well as a range of local authority and Learning and Skills Council research and development projects related to institutional organisation, governance and curriculum and qualifications reform.  Ann has published widely on topics related to post-14 policy, lifelong learning and curriculum and qualifications reform.  Recent books include: Improving Learning, Skills and Inclusion: The impact of policy on post-compulsory education (2008), co-authored with Frank Coffield, Sheila Edward, Ian Finlay, Ann Hodgson and Richard Steer and Beyond A Levels: Curriculum 2000 and the reform of 14-19 qualifications (2003), co-authored with Ken Spours.


Ken Spours

Ken is a Reader of Education and Head of Department in the Faculty of Policy and Society at the University of London’s Institute of Education.  He is also Director of the Institute’s Post-14 Centre for Research and Innovation.  Ken has researched and published in the area of the 14-19 curriculum for nearly two decades.  His most recent books include, Improving Learning, Skills and Inclusion: The impact of policy on post-compulsory education (2008), co-authored with Frank Coffield, Sheila Edward, Ian Finlay, Ann Hodgson and Richard Steer; Policy-making and Policy Learning in 14-19 Education (2007), co-edited with David Raffe; and Beyond A Levels: Curriculum 2000 and the reform of 14-19 qualifications (2003), co-authored with Ann Hodgson.  Ken was a member of the Tomlinson Working Group on 14-19 Reform and is a Director of the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education in England and Wales.

Anne Parfitt

Anne is a Part-time Tutor in the Department of Social & Policy Sciences at the University of Bath.  She has recently submitted her PhD entitled ‘The construction of FE lecturers’ practice’ and she aims to publish her findings shortly. This work has drawn on her experiences as a lecturer in FE colleges where she taught on vocational courses for 7 years.  Anne has also taught at schools, sixth form colleges and spent several years teaching English overseas.


Mark Glasson

Mark is Director of the Peninsula Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training and the PCET Partnership Co-ordinator for the Faculty of Education at the University of Plymouth.  Mark was previously the Professional Development Manager at East Devon College and worked for a number of years in various roles at Cornwall College.


Jo Pye

Jo is Senior Researcher at the Marchmont Observatory within the University of Exeter’s School of Education and Lifelong Learning, investigating what works and why in innovative post-16 learning.  She has provided research services for over 25 years in both public and private sector organisations.  Since the mid-1990s Jo has investigated workplace training across Europe, the UK and the South West region with Exeter and Bournemouth Universities.  For Marchmont she designs and leads large and small scale evaluations and impact analyses assessing good practice across a range of contexts.

Jo also works for the South West Observatory’s Skills and Learning Intelligence Module (SLIM), analysing national and regional evidence to inform policy initiatives in adult learning.  For SLIM she has recently completed an impact analysis of the Objective One European Social Fund in Cornwall. Jo maintains ongoing research interests in migrant workers and tutor training developments for post-16 learning, particularly in literacy, language and numeracy.


Kim Diment

Kim is a researcher based at the University of Exeter's School of Education and Lifelong Learning and Marchmont/SLIM where she has just completed research into young people in Jobs without Training with Dr Rob Lawy and Prof Jocey Quinn.  In addition to the current SWitch Teacher Trainee research, she is also working on research about Maths and Science NQTs and STEM in the South West.


Jonathan Simmons

Jonathan has worked in FE teacher training and staff development since the mid 1980s.  He is currently Director of the UWE Federation of Further Education Colleges and Director of the Academic Development Programme for academic staff new to the university.  He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Vocational Education and Training and has written on the role of cross-college co-ordinators in FE Colleges and on Higher Education in Further Education.


Sue Cullimore

Sue began her career in schools, teaching geography and geology.  She moved into FE in 1984 and became involved in teacher education through mentoring many trainees alongside teaching and course management.  Sue then moved into HE in 1999, as part-time professional tutor on the PGCE(FE) course at Cardiff University, alongside her FE teaching.  In 2002 she left FE to focus on teacher training for the sector at both Cardiff University and UWE.  She completed a MA (Ed) at UWE in 2004 and since 2006 has been Senior Lecturer in Learning and Skills at UWE, where she leads the in-service teacher education programmes.


Kate Thomas

Kate works as a Progression Co-ordinator for the Western Vocational Lifelong Learning Network (WVLLN) and is based at the University of the West of England.  The role has involved her in a wide range of collaborative activities related to broadening and promoting progression into HE for vocational learners in the WVLLN region.  Kate has a background in teaching adults, including returners to learning and employment; in programme development, and in project work with disabled learners.  She has previously carried out research into choice and transferability in Level 3 learning and curriculum development for Foundation degrees.  She is currently researching the experiences of learners, tutors and programme managers on UWE’s Foundation degree programmes.  She is the Convenor of the Women in Lifelong Learning Network for  the  Universities’ Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) and has an active interest in equalities work particularly within the workplace.


Jim Crawley

Jim is the Head of the Lifelong Learning at Bath Spa University College, within the School of Development and Participation. He has taught and worked for over 30 years in the Post Compulsory sector, and this has included 25 years of teacher training, community education, FE and HE. His main role is the award leader of a part time Post Compulsory Cert Ed / PGCE involving with four FE colleges. Jim is a very active researcher, having worked on many projects and pieces of writing for LSDA, JISC and Eduserv. He is the author of ‘In at the Deep End: a survival guide to teachers in Post Compulsory Education’ (2005), and a wide range of papers, reports and conference contributions in various fields including Learning Technology. He is one of the founder members of the West Country Learning and Skills Research Network, and is currently researching ‘the views of teachers in Post Compulsory Education about Learning Technology’, for his PhD.


Vivienne Rayner

Vivienne is South West Policy Manager for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and provides the support, research and co-ordination to ensure the FSB’s position is properly represented across the South West.  It is a position she thoroughly enjoys, revelling in the wide variety of issues and topics she has to master.  Her work was recognised in the recent Birthday Honours list with the award of an MBE for service to business in the South West.

Describing herself as a 4th generation businesswoman, she has an Economics Degree and was made an honorary Fellow of the Institute of Business Advisors.  This was awarded in recognition of her work creating Easton Business Centre - 20,000 sq ft of managed workspace in Bristol’s Inner City.

Previously she started her own advertising and employment agencies after working in the Marketing Department of Procter and Gamble.

She has been both a County and District Councillor, stood for election as an MEP and twice for election as an MP.


Michael Tedder

Michael is a Research Fellow at the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of Exeter.  He was formerly a lecturer at Mid-Cornwall College / St Austell College from 1976 to 2003 teaching GCE subjects and liberal studies in part-time and full-time vocational courses.  He was responsible for teacher education from 1984 (C&G 730) and established the Cert Ed (FE) / PGCE (PCE) of Exeter University in St Austell.  He was the college-based research fellow for the TLRP project Transforming Learning Cultures in Further Education from 2001 to 2004.  Since 2004 he has had responsibility for qualitative data collection in the Learning Lives Project.

Michael’s research interests include:  life history research, Adult and Community Learning and notions of professionalism among teachers in the learning and skills sector.


Val Barker

Val qualified as an English and Drama teacher in 1973.  After some time teaching in schools and then a career break she joined the staff of Yeovil College.  Here she taught on a range of English-related courses, and was part of the team which developed English Language A level as a significant part of the college’s curriculum. From 2001-2006 she was Manager of the Humanities Department, until leaving to pursue a `freelance’ career.  She is now involved in teacher training and the development and writing of teaching materials.


Richard Waller

Richard teaches, researches and trains L&S lecturers at UWE Bristol, where he manages a number of post-graduate programmes.  Originally a sociologist, he has taught widely in the FE and HE sectors, and has also worked in a number of widening participation roles.  His research interests focus upon the intersections of education, identity and social justice (with class to the fore), and he is also interested in qualitative research methodologies. He has presented at more than 30 local, national and international conferences, and has published on a range of topics, in particular mature students.  He is the new Reviews' Editor for the International Journal of Lifelong Education, and is looking for volunteers to review books for the journal.


Jo Thompson

Jo has a background in EFL and worked as a Director of Studies in Turkey for 4 years, before returning to the UK.  She is currently working as a Programme Co-ordinator for Initial Teacher Training at the City of Bristol College and undertaking a Masters in Lifelong Learning at UWE, where her particular interests and dissertation concern the formation of teachers' professional identity in the post compulsory sector.  She has worked in this sector since 2000 and was an Advanced Practitioner for teaching and learning at Henley College, Coventry prior to relocating to Bristol.  Her other interests and experience include embedding Diversity within the curriculum, ICLT initiatives, and contributing to a European module for the Diploma in Adult Education and Training (DURF) in France.


Elaine Fisher

Elaine is the Assistant Director, Progression, at the Western Vocational Lifelong Learning Network.  Previously Elaine worked in a variety of educational settings within the UK and USA including 12 years in a further education college operating across a wide range of courses.  This included the management of initial teacher training provision with learners from FE, Work Based Learning and the forces.  She has had experience in the LSC including involvement with the National LSC Higher Education Strategy, Equality & Diversity, Learning & Development and progression issues.  Elaine is an active researcher – including involvement with projects through the LSDA, NRDC and NIACE as well as presenting her own research on professionalism and socio-linguistics both internationally and within the UK.  She is a reviewer for the Journal of Further and Higher Education, NIACE and Escalate.  Elaine has a BSc Honours in Politics from Bristol University, MA in Post-16 Education and Policy from Sheffield University and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of the West of England.