I am a Senior Lecturer in Physical Education and Sports Coaching responsible for the delivery of underpinning theory, practical coaching, and pedagogical principles across a range of associated specialist areas. My teaching, coaching, and lecturing background and experiences are extensive. I remain active in delivering school-based National Curriculum Physical Education classes and have taught in schools across numerous local authorities, within both rural and inner-city settings. My research is focussed on contemporary pedagogical approaches to teaching and our understandings of the benefits of physical education. Additionally, I have been employed in high-performance professional sports environments, coaching first team, academy, and youth level athletes for 7 years.
From a pedagogical perspective I was the first York St John University academic to be recognised as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Since then I have been actively involved in mentoring and assessing colleagues across the University as they pursue their own accreditation. Recognition of my personal sustained contribution to teaching and learning excellence has resulted in the awards of e-Pedagogy and University Teaching Fellow. Additionally, as a result of the contemporary practices evident within my academic practice I have been nominated by the University for numerous national teaching awards.
As a University Teaching Fellow my teaching has been recognised as innovative and engaging, with module delivery containing contemporary teaching strategies including flipped classrooms, blended learning approaches and the employment of video feedback. My main teaching responsibilities lie in the areas of Physical Education and Sports Coaching, having designed and delivered modules in those areas across all levels of our undergraduate and postgraduate study portfolio. I currently module direct:
- Preparation for Success: Studying Sport, Exercise, and Physical Education.
- Human Anatomy, Mechanics, and Movement.
- Pedagogy and Skill Acquisition in PE and Youth Sport.
- Effective Planning for Physical Education and Sports Coaching.
- Contemporary PE and Sports Coaching Practice.
My research interests lay predominantly in the following fields:
- Physical literacy in school-aged children and looking at how their physical literacy journey can be facilitated through effective pedagogies and assessment.
- Ecological dynamics and the employment of contemporary approaches to practice which shape and guide emergent behaviour in sports practice and performance.
- Utilisation of technology within Higher Education teaching environments, exploring innovative assessment and feedback strategies and the role that technology plays in developing effective practitioners.
