Rachel Simpson, MA,
Assistant Professor Durham University, UK
With a biological sciences background, Rachel was a teacher and school leader in primary education in England, specialising in science and mathematics, and working with Gifted and Talented pupils. A move to Vietnam gave Rachel experience of teaching in an international education system, before returning to the UK to work as a teacher educator in Higher Education. She is the director of the PGCE Programme at Durham University, and leads primary science education.
With student-centred learning at the heart of Rachel’s work, her previous research considered trainee teachers’ engagement in feedback systems, through the introduction of peer review tools. She is focusing currently on ways to enhance trainee teachers’ engagement, resilience and passion for their profession, by developing a creative teaching approach.