Dr Daniel Whittaker
Senior Lecturer in Primary Initial Teacher Education
Primary Education
email: d.whittaker@worc.ac.uk
tel: 01905 855441
Dan teaches computing, behaviour and classroom management, research methods and professional studies in the initial teacher education programs at Worcester. He is passionate about supporting trainee teachers to become confident and effective in their practice.
Before becoming a lecturer at the School of Education, Dan taught for 14 years in primary schools across Birmingham, leading computing, online engagement and safeguarding. Dan is a registered CEOP Ambassador.
Dan’s primary research interest is pupil-teacher relationships, and he is passionate about creating positive classrooms. His knowledge and enthusiasm for these underpin the ready-to-use, research-informed perspectives he offers to his students and in his professional writing. Dan combined these with his commitment to social justice in his doctoral research examining the discursive roots and effects of ‘no excuses’ schooling in the UK. Dan is passionate about securing excellent educational outcomes and experiences for children with SEND, especially for those children with Tourette’s Syndrome and ADHD.
Dan has delivered CPD and developed curriculum and pedagogy projects in schools across Europe. He has written and secured many Comenius/Erasmus+ grants and led his school to win the ‘HSBC International School of the Year Award’ while he was the international curriculum leader.
Qualifications
- Doctor of Education (EdD) – University of Birmingham (2025)
- Post Graduate Certificate for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education – University of Worcester (2022)
- PGCE Key Stage 2 and 3 Science – Newman College of Higher Education (2006)
- BSc (Hons) Biology and Geography – Keele University (2004)
Learn Upon Training completed
- Safer Recruitment
- Introduction to the Prevent Duty as it affects Higher Education
- Safeguarding Essentials
Teaching and Research
Teaching Interests
- Computing; computing and ICT across the curriculum
- Online safety and safeguarding
- Classroom and behaviour management
- Educational philosophy; social justice and equality/equity in the primary classroom
- SEND and inclusive practice, especially regarding the impact of Tourette’s Syndrome and ADHD
- Research literacy and methods
Research Interests
- The nature of the pupil-teacher relationship
- Developing positive classroom climates and pupil-teacher relationships
- Examining the discursive roots and effects of ‘no excuses’ schooling in the UK
- Education policy and geographies and educational equity
Professional Bodies
- FHEA - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- MCCT – Member of the Chartered College of Teaching
- CEOP Ambassador
Publications
Whittaker, D. (2024) ‘Racialised geographies, White saviours and urban frontiers: Examining the growth and establishment of English "no excuses" schools with Critical Race Theory’. EdD Thesis. University of Birmingham.
Whittaker, D. (2024) ‘‘Alone in a Crowd’: Teacher-Level and Pupil-Level Hidden Curricula and the Theoretical Limits of Teacher–Pupil Relationships" Education Sciences 14 (5), 477. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14050477
Whittaker, D. (2021) ‘Classroom management – How to use social norms behaviour scripts’. Available at: https://www.teachwire.net/news/classroom-management-how-to-use-social-norms-behaviour-scripts/
Whittaker, D. (2021) ‘Humans in the classroom: Dan Whittaker’ in Hughes, H. Humans in the classroom. Carmarthen, Wales: McNidder and Grace Limited.
Conference presentations:
‘“Alone in a crowd”: Teacher-level and pupil-level hidden curricula and the theoretical limits of teacher-pupil relationships’, University of Worcester School of Education Research Conference, May 2024.
‘Putting academic writing skills on the radar: Exploring radar charts to promote meta-cognition and understanding of academic writing’, University of Worcester Student Experience Conference, June 2023.
‘Mobilizing the white saviour in ‘no excuses’ school discourses: a Critical Race Theory perspective’, University of Worcester School of Education Research Conference, May 2023.
‘Using semantic waves to evaluate resources transferring theory to practice: evaluating the ‘behaviour toolkit’, University of Worcester Learning and Teaching Conference, June 2022.
‘Losing the body without losing the mind: coming to terms with online teaching’, University of Worcester Learning and Teaching Conference, Worcester, June 2021.