Senior Lecturer Joanne Robson BA (Hons) MA (Ed)

About

I joined the Primary Education team at Sheffield Hallam in September 2013. Prior to this I was a primary and early years teacher for 23 years, during which time I taught across various settings including special education and PRUs this was followed by an advisory role involving early maths. My teaching specialisms at the Institute of Education mainly involve early childhood trauma & mental health but also early Maths.

At Sheffield Hallam I am the Safeguarding Subject Lead overseeing the professional practice of the trainees across all Primary and Early Years Education. I am also the Early Maths Lead and involved in the writing and delivery of the subject specific content for all Primary Teacher Education Courses. In 2022 I qualified as a Trauma Informed Schools Practitioner and trainer which involves supporting trainee teachers to support vulnerable children with their developmental capabilities and experience of traumatic stress. Alongside these roles I am Module Leader and Academic Adviser. Most recently I have been involved in the Evaluation of the National Early Maths Intervention Counting Collections taking on the role of Early Maths subject Lead, involving IPE design, delivery, and reporting. The evaluation was a two-armed randomised controlled efficacy trial, with randomisation taking place at school level funded by the Education Endowment Foundation.

Teaching

Sheffield Institute of Education

College of Social Sciences and Arts

Early Years and Primary Teacher Education

Undergraduate early Years and Primary teacher education, Children childhood and Education, Postgraduate Early Years and Primary Education, BATL early Years and Primary Education, Early Years Teacher Status Course. Trauma Informed Introductory Course

The Teaching Learning and Assessment Cycle, How Children Learn, Inclusive Environments for Behaviour & Learning, Debates in Education, Inclusive Adaptive Teaching, Subject Specific Focus Early Maths. Safeguarding & Professional Practice, introduction to teaching & Learning.

Research

My MA research was a study of male offender's educational identity. The purpose of the enquiry was to determine if the high-stake testing culture in schools and the narrowing curriculum provide educational opportunities for all individuals or conversely created educational inequalities. I carried out the study in Doncaster Prison. The methodology involved recording individual personal narratives taken from informal interviews. Recorded responses were carefully analysed using the structural analysis of content; social identity theories provided me with the theory to design a multidimensional framework around the 'self-concept' which I used to highlight inequalities. The framework was based around 'self -concept and the five- selves which make up our identity (primary self, relational, collective, self - efficacy, motivational -self.) The analysis of findings involved looking for commonalities running through the identified categorical-content, and categorical-form. 'The enquiry used a thematic approach, using qualitative data aimed at understanding the intergeneration transmission of inequalities.

I am in my final year of my Doctoral Research which is a study around young children's participation in creative engagement and its capacity to impact on emotional wellbeing. The key driver for this research is to examine young children's participation in a provision that harnesses creative engagement involving symbolic transformation and the potential impact on children’s emotional self- regulatory behaviour and their capacity to self – soothe. I am interested in the construct of emotional schema particularly tied to early attachment. The main study has involved working at a local nursery and creating a continuous provision with the children thinking about the conversation between the children and the provision.

Evaluation of the national early maths Intervention Counting Collections was a two-armed randomised controlled efficacy trial, with randomisation taking place at school level. A total of 180 schools were recruited to the study with one reception class participating form each school. The implementation and process evaluation involved interviews with school staff, observations of lessons and teacher

training sessions, and a post-intervention teacher survey. Funded by Education Endowment Foundation.

Pedagogies of compassion are about seeking to create a learning environment that notices distress and disadvantage for all students and staff and takes steps to reduce these barriers to learning (Canterbury Christ Church University, 2023). A project involving the implementation of this pedagogy in a higher education context and the challenges of this when using synchronous platforms for tutorials.

Publications