Sharon Smith

Sharon Smith

Senior Lecturer

Education and Inclusion

Contact Details

email: s.smith@worc.ac.uk
tel: 01905 542625

Sharon joined the School of Education at Worcester as a full time member of staff in 2013 as a Senior Lecturer in Education. Sharon previously worked for the University in other capacities. She has worked closely with the University of Worcester for some years delivering Foundation Degrees and engaging in research within the University through funded seconded projects.

Prior to her role at the University of Worcester, the majority of her teaching has been within Further Education and she has also been involved in teaching a range of adult learners including those with learning difficulties and disabilities (and learners with Acquired Brain Injury). In addition, she has worked in schools with pupils with Special Educational Needs. Her expertise has been extensively in training teaching assistants and early years practitioners.

Sharon is involved in the development of online resources to assist  lecturers to support  learners with individual needs such as SCIPS https://scips.worc.ac.uk/, Guide project Perspectives of Inclusive education and Inclusive education and

Student Centred Adult Learning Engagement in Higher Education (SCALE).

Qualifications

  • MA Education

  • BA (Hons) Education

  • PgCert Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (with Distinction)

  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Teaching & Research

  • Inclusive Education and Special Education

  • Lifelong Learning

  • Reflective Practice

  • Teaching assistant and early years practitioners - the new professionals

  • Online learning and resources

Professional Bodies

  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • National Association of Special Educational Needs (NASEN)

Publications

Smith, Sharon (2021) What's in a word? Rephrasing and reframing disability. In: Lived Experiences of Ableism in Academia: Strategies for Inclusion in Higher Education. Policy Press, Bristol, pp. 73-90. ISBN 978-1447354116

https://eprints.worc.ac.uk/11184/

Smith, S. & Hewston, R. (2020). ‘Opening the Door to the Virtual School’: Enhancing Student Engagement Through Online Learning Communities’. In Flexible Pedagogies in Practice: Implementing Flexibility https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789004438118/BP000007.xml

Sharon, S. (2018). ‘Dis/ability’ In Understanding inclusion: Core concepts, policy and practice, Woolley, R. (ed.). London: Routledge https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-Inclusion-Core-Concepts-Policy-and-Practice/Woolley/p/book/9781138241688 

Callan,S. , Reed,M. and Smith,S. ( 2012) A pedagogy for educating ‘new professionals’ :an English perspective. in Papatheodorou , T (2012) Early Childhood Policy and Pedagogy in the 21st century: An International Debate. London. Routledge 

Smith,S ( 2011) Identifying What has been found – explaining a new position in Callan ,S.and Reed,M.( 2011) Work-Based Research in the Early Years. London. Sage.

Selected conference papers (since 2005) 

Hewston, R., Smith, S. & Woolley, R. (2015) Developing teacher education across Europe: Experiences of partnership working. Teacher Education Policy in Europe Network (TEPE) 2015 Conference,  University of Dundee, May 2015. 

Hewston, R., Smith, S. & Woolley, R. (2015) Experiences of education professionals supporting learners with additional needs in European Union partner countries. The 6th Teacher Education Advancement Network Conference: Knowing About Teaching, Aston University, May 2015. 

Smith, S. & Hewston, R. (2015) Using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and a VLE to Promote Independent Learning. Enhancing Student Engagement through Online Learning Communities, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 20th April 2015. 

JISC WM –Shared Repository Project “An Institutional Case Study” ( http://www2.worc.ac.uk/wm-share/images/stories/delcasestudy.doc) and provided a further evaluation report to JISC

JISC Project Seconded Post Manage Learning Environment and Virtual Learning Environments Conference paper – Worcester (JISC WM –Shared Repository Project “An Institutional Case Study” 2006

 

 

External Roles

  • External Examiner- Roehampton University 2010- 2013
  • University of Chichester 2014 – 2019
  • University of Bolton (Forthcoming) 2022