Pedagogy and Curriculum
The Pedagogy and Curriculum Research Centre (PaC) has a cross-curricular, cross-sector research agenda, with a particular focus on research relating to classroom processes. We have a keen interest in developing methodologies for examining classroom interaction, classroom cultures and classroom talk.
We support research into:
- Language and literacy in education
- Classroom interaction and educational dialogue
- Teacher subject knowledge and classroom learning (science and mathematics)
- Inclusive education
- Evidence-informed pedagogical practice
Members of the Centre have extensive experience as teachers and teacher-educators in a variety of contexts. We maintain strong links with the professional community and with policy-makers. We have a particularly strong profile in Language, Mathematics and Science Education, contributing to the LTSN Subject Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies and hosting the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Further Mathematics Centre for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and the DfES Regional Science Learning Centre. We have strong links with the School of Mathematics through our Collaborative Group for Research in Mathematics Education.
Major funded research projects connected to the Centre include studies funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), the DfES, the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), the Department for International Development (DFID), the European Union (EU), the Nuffield Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. We have achieved success in supporting individual research students in winning research studentships and postdoctoral fellowships from the ESRC. Our smaller research projects focus on such topics as understanding difficulties in mathematics and concepts of access.
Centre activities include seminars from internal and external speakers as well as interactive workshops on themes such as classroom ethnography and multi-modal methods. Our research student projects include studies of second language acquisition, science curriculum development, international comparisons in the teaching of mathematics, and pupils’ views on inclusion.
How to contact us:To contact the centre, please email Dr Kalwant Bhopal or any of the centre members regarding interest in a specific area.
