Deborah Niven

Deb Niven MA PGCE BA

Senior Lecturer English in Education


Summary

Senior lecturer on the Secondary English PGCE and BA Primary Education (5-11).

About

Before joining the Sheffield Institute of Education, I taught English in secondary schools within South Yorkshire for a period of 18 years. In that time, I occupied various departmental leadership roles and worked closely with student teachers in my capacity as Initial Teacher Training Co-ordinator. My approach to teaching is underpinned by my belief in the transformative power of English education and the centrality of dialogue and students’ voices in the learning environment. 

Within the Sheffield Institute of Education, I teach the subject specific element of the secondary English PGCE and the BA Primary Education (5-11), focusing on enhancing curriculum knowledge and pedagogy in preparation for teaching English and Literacy. I have a particular interest in reading pedagogy across the age range and the use of dialogic approaches in the study of literary texts and I am currently engaged in doctoral research within this field. 

I contribute to the general education elements of the secondary PGCE programme, delivering lectures and developing seminar materials for student teachers across all subject areas, including the Trauma Informed Schools training and approaches to whole-school oracy. I also contribute to the Teach First MA Leadership in Learning, supervising students completing Masters dissertations.

Senior Lecturer

Teaching

Sheffield Institute of Education

College of Social Sciences and Arts

Subject area:

Primary and Secondary Initial Teacher Education

Courses taught:

PGCE secondary English
BA Primary Education (5-11)

 

Modules taught:

Reflecting on Professional Practice and Development in Secondary Education
Exploring and Developing Pedagogical Practice in Secondary Education
The Teaching, Learning and Assessment Cycle: 5-11
Teach First Leadership Project

Research

My current research challenges deficit assumptions implicit within educational policy linked to reading practices and reading pedagogy in the secondary English classroom and explores the significance of learner autonomy in developing adolescents’ positive affect, self-efficacy and motivation to read. 

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