Dr Alex Southern

• Measuring the progress of creativity in Music Education in relation to the Curriculum for Wales. (current)

  PhD

  Other supervisor: Dr Jane Gatley

• A mixed-methods study of shadow education for GCSE mathematics pupils in the West Midlands of England. (current)

  PhD

  Other supervisor: Dr Ceryn Evans

• ED-M01 Advanced Research and Enquiry Skills

  This module equips students with the advanced research knowledge and enquiry skills required to complete a Master¿s degree by providing them with the research, enquiry and analytical skills that are necessary to undertake a piece of independent research within their own context. The module will ensure that students develop the skills of literature survey, research design, data analyses and data representation that will support their personal research and enquiry work. The module will also provide students with an extensive understanding of international research on various topics as well as research philosophies, methods, forms of analyses and presentation styles.

• ED-M03 Collaborative and Professional Practice

  This module will focus on the opportunities and purposes of collaborative engagement in professional practice. The module will consider the international evidence about different forms of professional collaboration and its impact on learners. The module will reinforce the importance of creating effective learning environments where all learners feel safe and can develop to their full potential. The model will encourage students to critically reflect on their professional practice and to identify effective strategies that support well-being, safeguarding and the wider needs of their learners. The module will consider issues of inclusivity, equity and student wellbeing and how these can be maximised through collaborative forms of professional practice.

• ED-M08 Exploring Pedagogies

  This module explores multiple perspectives and international debates around the pedagogical principles which underpin effective learning and teaching within different education settings and contexts. Students will critically evaluate theories of learning and will examine the pedagogical approaches considered to be the most effective to achieve a broad range of learner outcomes. The module is designed to enable students to extend, deepen, evaluate and apply their knowledge of pedagogical theory and research to their own professional settings and contexts. The module will enable students to develop ethically informed approaches to pedagogical practice and it will support their enquiry into various forms of pedagogical practice. This module will explore key debates and international research in the field of pedagogy. It is targeted at education professionals. The module will encourage students to critically appraise their own pedagogical practices and their approaches to teaching and learning.

• EDPM07 Leading and Managing Change in Education

  This module is designed for those working with or within schools who are new to, or aspire to, a leadership role. This module will allow students to critically analyse the latest education research relating to leadership and management and will support students in conducting their own research focused on an identified area of leadership and management. Students will gain a detailed understanding of the key concepts in educational leadership and will be able to apply this knowledge to issues of change or challenge within their own context. Students will receive guidance to help them identify their own leadership strengths and to identify their future professional needs. The module will provide knowledge and understanding of how to lead change at the classroom, school and system level.

Monograph:

Southern, A. (2016) The Ministry of Education Film Experiment: From Post-War Visual Education to 21st Century Literacy. London: Palgrave Macmillan

Journal Article:

Southern, A. (2020) Creativity through Mindfulness. The Arts and Wellbeing in Education (AWE) professional learning programme, International Journal of Education Through Art, 16: 3, 319-332.

Southern, A., Elliott, J. and Morley, C. (2020) Third Space Creative Pedagogies: Developing a model of shared CPDL for teachers and artists to support reading and writing in the primary curricula of England and Wales, International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 8:1, 24-31.

Southern, A. (2019) The power of creative learning through the arts: Economic imperative or social good? Power and Education, 11:2, 175-190.

Hurt, L., Langley, K., North, K., Southern, A., Copeland, L., Gillard, J. and Williams, S. (2019) Understanding and improving the care pathway for children with autism, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 32:1, 208-223.  doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-08-2017-0153

Southern, A. (2018) Disrupting the Habitus? Media representations and participant experience of Teach First: an exploratory case study in Wales, Teachers and Teaching, 24: 5, 584-597. DOI:  10.1080/13540602.2018.1435526

Book Chapter:

Southern, A. (2020) Teach First Cymru: Whose Mission? Teach First and the Welsh Government ‘National Mission’ for Education. In M.A.M. Thomas, E. Rauschenberger, & K. Crawford-Garrett (Eds.), Examining Teach For All: International perspectives on a growing global network (Chapter 10). Oxford Studies in Comparative Education. London: Routledge.

• "Better than a Boring Lesson by a Teacher’ The Ministry of Education’s film experiment, and the ‘value’ of film (in) education”

  November 2018

  Learning on Screen, Birkbeck University of London