Learning to Teach in the Secondary School

Susan’s background is in physical education teaching and secondary initial teacher education, both in physical education and in general professional studies. She gained a BEd degree and taught in secondary schools in Wales and Hong Kong. Following completion of a PhD and a year lecturing in the USA, Susan returned to the UK to take up a post in higher education. She joined Brunel University London in 2000. She was Head of Department of Sport Sciences from 2000 to 2005 and then Head of School of Sport and Education from 2005 to 2013. From 2001 to 2003, Susan was President of the Physical Education Association of the United Kingdom, and in 2004 received the Ling Award from the Association. She is now an honoured member of the Association for Physical Education.

Susan’s major research interest is in the development of beginning physical education teachers over the course of their initial teacher education programme and first three years of teaching. She has published widely on physical education and initial teacher education. Susan has co-edited Learning to Teach in the Secondary School since its inception. She is series editor of the following series and editor/co-editor of the physical education subject books in the series: 

• Learning to Teach (subject) in the Secondary School
• A Practical Guide to Teaching (subject) in the Secondary School
• Debates in (subject) Teaching and 
• Mentoring Trainee and Newly Qualified Teachers in (subject) in the Secondary School

Marilyn is well known for her work on knowledge management in education and in building the evidence and knowledge base for teacher education and classroom practice.

Her current work includes developing national and international models for scaling up promising small-scale research.

Her specialist areas are teacher education, change, improvement and development across large systems, particularly through online networking and knowledge sharing, the development of approaches supporting evidence-informed policy and practice, and the use of ICT in education.

She has worked as a teacher, researcher and manager in secondary schools, local authorities, universities and two national agencies – the Training and Development Agency for schools, where, as Head of Effective Practices, she brought together subject associations and colleagues across the education sector to establish the Teacher Training Resource Bank and the associated subject resource networks, and the Improvement and Development Agency for local government, where, as Head of Knowledge and Learning, she set up online communities for local government using Web 2.0 technology (www.communities.idea.gov.uk).

She was instrumental in establishing Teachernet and European Schoolnet.

Dr Younie is a Reader in Education, Innovation and Technology at De Montfort University and is Associate Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Technology, Pedagogy and Education, and sits on the journal’s Editorial Board. Dr Younie is a founder member of the Education Futures Collaboration (EFC) charity; she is a Trustee and sits on the Strategic Leadership Steering Group for EFC. Dr Younie has collaborated with Prof Leask from the beginning to set up MESHGuides and has helped to drive this vision forward, through establishing its structures and processes; she sits on the MESH Chief Editorial Board and is Editor-in-Chief of the MESH ICT Editorial Board.

Dr Younie has been involved in international and national teaching and research on educational technologies for over 25 years. She has been involved in the use of digital technologies in educational settings for UNESCO, EU and UK government agencies, including the Training and Development Agency (TDA), Becta, BBC, HEA and JISC. She has worked as a teacher and researcher in secondary schools, universities and as the UK Chair of the National Subject Association of IT in Teacher Education (ITTE), and she has conducted national research, including evidence for the Parliamentary Select Committee Inquiry into Education.

Elizabeth Hidson

Dr Elizabeth Hidson trained as a secondary school teacher in 1999. She progressed into middle leadership then senior leadership in London schools, first as an assistant head and then as a deputy headteacher. She has supported and mentored teachers at all stages of their careers, having been an Advanced Skills Teacher and a SSAT Lead Practitioner for the London region. Elizabeth relocated to the North East to study full-time for her doctorate and has been an educational technology researcher as well as teaching on PGCE, MA and doctoral training courses at Durham University and Newcastle University. Elizabeth moved fully into teacher education in 2018, joining the international initial teacher training team at the University of Sunderland. She now leads the PgCert Education (SCITT) programme, working with School-Centred Initial Teacher Training partners across the north of England as well as teaching and leadership on the international PGCE Education and PGCE with iQTS programmes. Elizabeth leads a large Level 7 MA module where trainees explore school-based targeted academic interventions and is an assessor on the Assessment-Only Route to QTS. She is an external examiner across a range of teacher education programmes at other universities, including SCITTs, teaching apprenticeships and School Direct routes into teaching. Image provided by David Wood Photographer

Julia is an Assistant Professor working in Initial Teacher Education and Development. Her background is in physical education and she has worked extensively on primary and secondary teacher education programmes. She gained a BEd (Hons) degree and taught in secondary schools in England. Following completion of her PhD, Julia took up a teaching post at Leeds Beckett University and has subsequently worked at Hull University and now Northumbria University. She has supported teachers internationally in Cyprus, South Africa and more recently Singapore

Julia’s research and writing focus on the development of beginning and early career teachers across both primary and secondary teaching. She is the author of  Teaching Primary Physical Education, and  has co-edited physical education subject books in the Learning to Teach series (Learning to Teach Physical Education in the Secondary School and A Practical Guide to Teaching Physical Education in the Secondary School) as well as the Mentoring Trainee and Newly Qualified Teachers series (Mentoring Teachers in the Primary School and Mentoring Physical Education Teachers in the Secondary School) for which she is also a Series Editor. She is also co-editor for Surviving and Thriving in the Secondary School and CPD for Teaching and Learning in Physical Education. Julia has also published over 30 book chapters and research articles.