Dr Gemma Ryder
Senior Lecturer
Birth to Three years; prosocial behaviour; citizenship (babies and toddlers); social justice in early childhood systems; early childhood leadership and workforce development
Department of Education , School of Childhood and Social Care
Dr Gemma Ryder is a Senior Lecturer and researcher in the School of Childhood and Social Care. She is Course Leader for the MA Early Childhood Leadership and Practice.
Gemma has a professional background in the private and not-for-profit early childhood sectors and is committed to giving young children the best start in life.
Qualifications
- Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD)
- CMI Level 5 Award Management Coaching and Mentoring
- Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA England)
- PGCert Learning and Teaching in HE
- MA Early Years Professional Practice
- Early Years Professional Status
Areas Of Interest
- Birth to Three Years Age Group
- Early Childhood Leadership and Workforce Development
- Early Childhood Curriculum and Pedagogy
- Prosocial Behaviour and Development
OVERVIEW
Gemma began her career in early childhood after completing the NNEB Diploma in Nursery Nursing. She gained experience in the private and not-for-profit sectors in England as a practitioner, room leader, and crèche worker.
She then worked in further education as an Early Years Work Placement Coordinator on CACHE courses at levels one to three. Gemma later moved into higher education, working as an assessor, mentor and Programme Leader for Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) and Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT, non-QTS) courses.
Gemma has extensive experience in internal and external validation and moderation, particularly for foundation and undergraduate early childhood and education courses. She has also worked as an external examiner and was a member of a national Reading Group for the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Early Childhood Studies review in 2021.
She holds EYPS, an MA and an EdD from Anglia Ruskin University, a PGCert(HE) from the University of East London, and a CMI Level 5 Award in mentoring and coaching.
Gemma’s research interests include prosocial behaviour in children aged zero to eight, citizenship in children aged zero to two, and social justice in early childhood systems.
CURRENT RESEARCH
My Research Interests
My research interests are in early childhood leadership and workforce development. I am also interested in prosocial development, particularly with babies and toddlers.
Early childhood
- Developing leadership skills in young children
- Prosocial behavior and dispositions in the 0 - 3 years age group
- Working with families in challenging circumstances
Leadership and workforce development
- Developing practical skills on non-vocational degree pathways
- Early childhood leadership skills and experiences in practitioners with unrelated degrees.
- Leadership experiences of early childhood practitioners and professionals
- Professional safeguarding
- Supporting the needs of early childhood staff who have special educational needs, specific learning differences or mental health conditions.
Higher education
- Early Years Professional Status and Early Years Initial Teacher Training
- Early childhood undergraduate and postgraduate training and experience
- Experiences of online learners
MODULES
Foundation Modules
- ED3091 Placement in Context: Play and Learning
- ED3094 Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Postgraduate Modules
- ED7001 Research Methods and Dissertation in Early Childhood Leadership and Practice
- ED7410 Critical Reflection on Leadership of Practice in Early Childhood (Mental Wealth)
PUBLICATIONS
Visit the UEL research repository to view a full list of publications.
Professional social media
Publications
Browse past publications by year.
Full publications list
Visit the research repository to view a full list of publications
- Young children as citizens: learning from practice in the early childhood setting Journal of Childhood, Education and Society. 4 (2), pp. 114-123
- Leading in Early Childhood London : SAGE Publications
