Caroline Elbra-Ramsay
Deputy Head of School
School of Education
T: 01904 876523

As Deputy of the School of Education, I have a particular focus on Initial Teacher Education. I work alongside Subject Directors, Course Leads, lecturers and school partners to ensure our student teachers are professional , reflective practitioners who are 'classroom ready.' I enjoy teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate students as part of the English and professional subject teams and work on a range of modules including Philosophy for Children. I have completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice and am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. My research interests include assessment and feedback. My PhD thesis was titled: 'Navigating the Pedagogical, Relational and Moral Economies of Assessment: An Exploration of the development of Student Teachers' Understanding of Feedback.'
Before joining York St John University I was Deputy Headteacher at a local primary school. My teaching experience included Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage and I had additional responsibilities for assessment and English as well as mentoring student teachers and Newly Qualified Teachers. I successfully completed my Masters during this time (focusing on different approaches to the teaching of English) and achieved NPQH (National Professional Qualification in Headship).
Further Information
Teaching
I teach on both the undergraduate and postgraduate ITE and Education Studies programmes largely within Professional Studies, English and Philosophy for Children. I am module director for the UG Y3 Professional Studies module ‘The Emerging Professional.’ I am also a Link Tutor and an Academic Tutor.
Research
My curriculum interests have fed into my research work; recent projects have included the therapeutic benefits of interviews, developing formative feedback practice, using a partnership model for the development of subject knowledge and extending student teachers’ understanding of children’s literature.
My research interests include assessment and feedback. My PhD thesis was titled: 'Navigating the Pedagogical, Relational and Moral Economies of Assessment: An Exploration of the development of Student Teachers' Understanding of Feedback.'
Publications
Backhouse, A and Elbra-Ramsay, C ‘So, you want us to do the marking?!’ – peer review and feedback to promote assessment as learning’ Journal of Pedagogic Development (2015)
Backhouse, A and Elbra-Ramsay, C ‘Using a visualiser to support peer assessment and feedback in academic writing’ British Educational Research Association (BERA) University of Sussex, Brighton (2013)
Elbra-Ramsay, C Can "Quality Marking" be used to provide effective feedback within Higher Education? Journal of Pedagogic Development Volume 1, Issue 2 , 2011 p.16-30 (2011)
‘Developing Boys' Literacy at Key Stage One’ English 4-11 (2000)
‘Designing and Producing Non-Fiction Big Books for Key Stage One’ English 4-11 (1999)
Conference / Other Presentations
Modifying the language of feedback to promote a continuous learning climate (York St John Up North Conference 2019) Joint presentation with Katy Bloom
Finding time to talk: the benefits of dialogic interviews in developing pedagogical understanding and resilience within ITE students (TEAN 2018)
Moving beyond the ‘Initial’ in Initial Teacher Education: The role of ITE in supporting and developing new teachers (TEAN 2018) Joint presentation with Louise Whitfield
Flexing verbal formative feedback to achieve different outcomes: lessons from school (York St John Teaching and Learning Conference 2018) Joint presentation with Katy Bloom
Student teachers’ conceptions of feedback TEAN (2016)
One Size Fits All? Applying a Partnership Model to Different Areas of Subject Knowledge UKLA (2016)
Using twitter to develop understanding of children's literature YSJ Higher York E Learning Conference (2014)
Using social media to enhance understanding of children's literature UKLA – Sussex (2014)
Using a visualiser to support peer assessment and feedback in academic writing BERA (2013)
Professional Activity
Level 1 SAPERE Philosophy for Children
Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy
National Association for the Teaching of English
Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy