Putting Derby On The National Education Map
24 September 2009
Dr Des Hewitt (centre)
Professor Dennis Hayes
Academic expertise at the University of Derby is set to contribute to an exciting future for education in our schools with two significant announcements:
Professor Dennis Hayes,Professor of Education has joined the University as its Head of the Research Centre for Education and Career Development.
Dr Des Hewitt, Assistant Head of Teacher Education (Primary Education), has been named as one of the 50 National Teaching Fellows for 2009.
Both men are playing a significant role nationally in shaping tomorrow's education system.
Dr Des Hewitt is one of 50 lecturers and learning support staff awarded National Teaching Fellowships from the Higher Education Academy last night (WED). Des was joined by University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Coyne at the awards ceremony in Middle Temple Hill, London.
Dr John Selby, HEFCE Director (Education and Participation) presented the awards together with Professor Shirley Pearce, Chair of the NTFS Individual Advisory Panel.
Des supports the teacher education sector regionally and nationally, and was this year invited to advise a team in the Qualifications Curriculum Authority in developing English and Languages in the new Primary Curriculum.
He has also promoted and evolved placement models for trainee primary school teachers. This has resulted in a model of short focused placements in schools facing challenging circumstances and a network of Leading Literacy Schools.
Des also led a group of universities investigating ways of developing practice in special education needs and disability earlier this year. He also sits on a steering group in the Department for Children Schools and Families, evaluating the impact of training for inclusion in teacher education.
Des said: "I am very pleased to have won a National Teaching Fellowship award. The University of Derby is an outstanding University with fantastic students and staff.
"I hope to carry on the excellent work of the Teacher Education team and to continue to build strong links across the Initial Teacher Education sector. I love teaching at the University of Derby and I have never stopped learning. It really is a great place to be!"
The National Teaching Fellowship Scheme (NTFS) is part of an overall Academy programme to raise the status of learning and teaching in higher education. It is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland (DELNI).
The NTSF award winners were chosen from 203 nominations submitted by further and higher education institutions across England and Northern Ireland and will each receive an award of £10,000. The award may be used for Fellows' professional development in teaching and learning or aspects of pedagogy.
Professor Dennis Hayes joins the University of Derby from Canterbury Christ Church University. He is also a visiting professor at Oxford Brookes University.
He said: "Part of my research vision at Derby is to help academic colleagues in the University to promote their expertise and enhance our links with other organisations and agencies working in the education sector. This, with the aim of seeing how the academic work, research and ideas they have can be taken forward to further enrich the sector."
Professor Hayes taught in secondary schools, special schools and further education before moving into teacher education. He is the Honorary Secretary of the Standing Committee for the Education and Training of Teachers (SCETT) and was the first president of the University and College Union in 2006-7.
He founded the campaign group Academics for academic Freedom (AFAF) in 2006 and edited and contributed to the 2009 Special Edition of the British Journal of Education Studies on Academic Freedom. Dennis is on the Editorial Board of the Times Higher Education magazine and has been a columnist for the TES.
He is one of the organisers of a national ESRC-funded seminar series. The next seminar will be on 19-20 November at the National College of School Leadership discussing the multi-disciplinary approach to emotional well-being in education.
As part of the session entitled Implications for education, policy and practice, delegates will discuss the following: "An overriding question is whether education can and should attempt to develop emotional wellbeing as a response to deep-seated social problems.
"This has significant implications for educational goals, practices and outcomes and for professional roles and the knowledge skills and practices they require."
Professor Hayes is the author (with Kathryn Ecclestone) of The Dangerous Rise of Therapeutic Education, and is also one of the authors of three post-compulsory Education textbooks, including the best-selling Teaching and Training in Post-Compulsory Education, the fourth edition of which is due out in 2010.
For more information about this news release, contact Deputy Head of Corporate Relations Simon Redfern on 01332 591942 or 07748 920038 or email: s.redfern@derby.ac.uk.
