Welcome to my website
I am a freelance qualified professional librarian with teaching experience. I have worked in many spheres of education both in the independent and maintained sectors, primary and secondary and more recently for higher education too.
I am passionate about developing information literacy skills, digital and media literacy skills, critical thinking and independent learning skills throughout all key stages. If technology exists to aid this process and to help encourage creativity in writing then we have to teach these digital media skills ideally through practical or game based learning.
Equally, I am interested in how we communicate and work with others and run courses on people management and student behaviour. This encompasses areas such as assertiveness, resilience, metacognition and self esteem.
My training style is very practical and you certainly will be actively involved in the sessions that I run. I like to use problem solving, critical thinking and games to help participants understand concepts in preference to just delivering "how to" content.
I can help with consultancy and recruitment for a new school library or development project, training for all members of a school community in media, digital and information literacy including writing and presentation. I have worked with key stages 2 - 4 and with sixth form EPQ, International Baccalaureate Diploma Extended Essays as well as with graduates and postgraduates and professional staff.
My first degree is in Biochemistry and my master's degree is in Information Science. I have recently completed my PhD by published works with Edinburgh Napier University researching the impact of the 2012 curriculum changes in England and the impact on the teaching of information and digital literacy skills by school librarians. I have a post 16 teaching qualification too. Although I have spent most of the last 30 years of my career in schools, I also have experience of the Pharmaceutical and Financial information sectors and have worked for some time in Qualitative Market Research. I have experience as a Business Development Manager for a library software company.
When I am not being a consultant I play in professional traditional folk music ceilidh bands and singing groups ....but that's another story and another website!
