I am an Associate Lecturer in Initial Teacher Education, within the School of Education at Sheffield Hallam University. Prior to this role, I was a Primary Teacher, Literacy Lead and KS2 Phase Leader in Sheffield. I am passionate about ‘all things literacy’ and believe that children’s literacy education is about so much more than learning to read and write. For me, literacy is fundamentally about being human: it offers us the opportunity to view the world through someone else’s eyes and the means by which to find our own voices, express ourselves and be understood by others.
Being a member of UKLA has given me the opportunity to connect with other like-minded people, who are also passionate about the power of words. Through my membership I have been able to engage with research and Special Interest Groups, attend and present at conferences, and take part in the Teacher Judges Book Awards. I am excited about the opportunity to connect with teachers and education professionals in my role as a Regional Representative for Yorkshire – both current members and those of you who are not members yet!
I am particularly interested in the role of oracy and spoken language within Primary English, and the use of creative approaches to teaching both reading and writing through high-quality texts. I am also committed to the idea that teacher agency and transformative teacher professional development is key to developing a literacy curriculum and pedagogy fit for the 21st Century.
I would love to hear from you, so please do get in touch via email below or on Twitter via @LaurelSmith78