IPDA Scotland Committee
Committee
This page features information and biographies for the IPDA Scotland Committee. If you are interested in joining being on the committee please get in touch.
Catriona Oates
Chair
Catriona is a lecturer in education at the University of the West of Scotland. Her interests in professional learning are mainly focused on professional learning of teachers and educators in practice, with a bit of a fascination on collaborative practices that support professional relationships and knowledge-building.
Suzie Dick
Vice-Chair
Suzie Dick is deputy head for Arran High School and Lamlash Primary on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. Her current research focus is on the use of practitioner enquiry as way to bridge the gap between research and practice, and promoting equal access to quality professional learning opportunities for those that live in the more remote and rural areas. Suzie is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a mentor for the Chartered Geographer (teacher) scheme. Suzie has an MSc in Managing Sustainable Mountain Development and MSc in Advanced Educational Studies. She is currently undertaking her Doctorate in Education with the University of the West of Scotland.
Aileen Kennedy
Honorary Secretary
I am Professor of Practice in Teacher Education at the University of Strathclyde, and am currently the School of Education’s Director of Teacher Education, working with colleagues and wider stakeholders to enhance and promote our work in teacher education policy and pedagogy. My research focuses on how teachers learn, and the policy context within which that learning happens. This work enables me to conceptualise and explain the powers that influence teacher professional learning, exploring pedagogies for teacher learning that support a transformative and socially just orientation. Of central importance is the capacity for my research to speak to policy-makers and practitioners alike, and to offer new ways of understanding and articulating how teachers learn in ways that embrace and support a diverse pupil population. In 2018 I was honoured to become an IPDA Fellow, and am delighted now to be involved in the re-establishment of IPDA Scotland, in the role of Honorary Secretary. I am also Managing Editor of Professional Development in Education, co-Principal Investigator of the ‘Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher Education’ (MQuITE) project and co-convener of the Scottish Educational Research Association’s Teacher Education Network (SERA-TEN).
JP MynottCommunications
JP currently works in initial teacher education and has a background in primary school teaching. He was a headteacher in a large school, North of London, for ten years before moving to Aberdeen. His research interests are in the longevity of professional learning and collaboration. His current research is looking at the factors that help learning be sustained or diminished after a professional learning opportunity comes to a close. He has a specific interest in Lesson Study and enjoy working with people from different settings who are using Lesson Study approaches.
Linda Bell
Committee Member
Linda Bell is a principal teacher in a large primary school in East Renfrewshire. She is particularly interested in practitioner enquiry, teachers’ professional learning and the process of mentoring newly-qualified and student teachers. She is currently undertaking an EdD at the University of Strathclyde, with a focus on the work of school-based teacher educators.
