Dr Rebecca Digby
BA (Hons), PGCE, MA, PhD
Vice Principal, Head of Learning, Teaching and Research
Areas of specialism:
Creativity, early childhood science and enquiry, posthumanism, diffractive methodologies, higher education pedagogy and practice, curriculum development, quality assurance and student experience
External roles:
Member of the steering group for Office for Students Higher Education Innovation project: Inclusive Assessment, Member of the Academic Board Dyson Institute for Engineering and Technology, Member of the Board BANES Student, Community Partnership, PhD co-supervisor Bath Spa University, External Examiner University of Roehampton BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, Peer Reviewer for a number of International journals, Member of Adventures in Posthuman network, Mentor to Headteacher at Redcliffe Nursery School
Biography
Dr Rebecca Digby has worked in education for more than 20 years and within higher education for 12 years. Her roles have included Advanced Skills teacher, Deputy Head teacher, Senior Lecturer and Subject Leader across the early years, primary and post compulsory age phases.
Before joining Norland, she was Subject Leader for Early Childhood at Bath Spa University. This role included module leadership for the MA Education: Early Childhood Studies and award leadership for a Postgraduate Diploma Waldorf Education and Creative Pedagogies. She also led teams of colleagues across BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies in the UK and China, and Foundation and ‘Top Up’ degrees across three Further Education colleges. Her responsibilities have included leading on pedagogical innovation and curriculum development, developing and supporting the implementation of cycles of continual improvement for student experience, and ensuring QA processes, QAA codes of practices and OfS conditions and guidelines are met.
Rebecca’s research has been focused on pedagogy and practice in early childhood education and is inspired by post-humanist and new materialist methodologies. In her doctorate she experimented with diffraction and transdisciplinary space to explore the materiality of young children’s creative knowledge making practices in science enquiry.
Publications and scholarly activities
2017
Rose, J, Gilbert, L, McGuire-Snieckus, R, Gus, L, McInnes, K and Digby, R (2017) 'Attachment Aware Schools: working with families to enhance parental engagement and home-school relationships.' Open Family Studies Journal, 9 (Supp-1). pp. 160-171. ISSN 1874-9224
2015
Earle, S, Davies, D, McMahon, K, Collier, C, Howe, A and Digby, R (2015) Introducing the TAPS pyramid model. Primary Science Teaching Trust, Primary Science Teaching Trust website.
Events and public engagement
04/09/2017 - 07/09/2017
Too much talk about talk at BERA Annual ConferenceDigby, R and McMahon, K (2017) Too much talk about talk. In: BERA Annual Conference, 4 - 7 September 2017, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
29/08/2017 - 01/09/2017
Video stimulated reflective dialogues: making meaning through entangled perspectives at 27th EECERA Conference.Digby, R and Fletcher, C (2017) Video stimulated reflective dialogues: making meaning through entangled perspectives. In: 27th EECERA Conference, 29 August - 1 September 2017, Bologna, Italy.
13/09/2016 - 15/09/2016
Understanding creativity in science enquiry in the early years through video stimulated reflective dialogue at BERA Annual Conference.Digby, R (2016) Understanding creativity in science enquiry in the early years through video stimulated reflective dialogue. In: BERA Annual Conference, 13 - 15 September 2016, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
09/06/2016 - 11/06/2016
Developing understanding of creativity in scientific inquiry through video stimulated reflective dialogue at Primary Science Teaching Trust International Conference.Digby, R (2016) Developing understanding of creativity in scientific inquiry through video stimulated reflective dialogue. In: Primary Science Teaching Trust International Conference, 9 - 11 June 2016, Waterfront Halll, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Duggan, M, Smith, H and Digby, R (2016) Developing trainee teachers’ reflective practice at BSU. In: 7th TEAN Annual Conference: Cultivating Learning, 5 - 6 May 2016, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
31/08/2015 - 04/09/2015
Teacher assessment of science in English primary schools at Biannual Conference of the European Science Education Research Association.Davies, D, McMahon, K, Howe, A, Collier, C, Digby, R and Earle, S (2015) Teacher assessment of science in English primary schools. In: ESERA2015 : 11th Biannual Conference of the European Science Education Research Association, 31 August - 4 September 2015, Helsinki, Finland.
