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Ms Fiona Byrne

Senior Lecturer

UCL Knowledge Lab

  • Cass School of Education and Communities (CASS)
    Water Lane
    Stratford Campus
    London
    London
    E15 4LZ
  • F.Byrne@uel.ac.uk
    I am a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at the CASS School of Education and Communities.

    I have practiced within early educational settings for almost a decade as a primary school teacher, a forest school leader and a Montessori teacher. This background accounts for my research interests in pedagogies which support creativity, the use of digital media and children’s rights.


    Overview

    My research concentrates on developing pedagogical strategies to support young children’s creative and critical thinking when using digital tools. I currently have ESRC funding for my doctorate “Guided interaction and creativity with tablets in pre-schoolers home environments”. This project draws upon multimodal methods and focussed ethnography to explore creativity during parent-child interactions with tablets in pre-schoolers home environments. As an output of my project, I am developing an innovative theory of learning to support parents and policymakers in their understanding of how children can engage creatively with tablets in the home environment.


    Collaborators

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    Research

    Byrne, F (2017) “Active Learning with Tablets in the Early Years”, for: BERA (British Educational Research Association) Annual Conference 2017: Strategies for teacher development to enhance classroom practice (Educational Effectiveness and Improvement), University of Sussex, Brighton, 5th September 2017. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/beraconference-2017/programme

    Byrne, F. (2017) “Active Learning with Tablets in the Early Years”, for: BECERA 2017: Play-Based Pedagogies: New and Re-Developed Strategies for Supporting Children’s Learning, Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham, 21st February 2017. Available at: http://roar.uel.ac.uk/5804/

    Byrne, F. (2016) “Active Learning with Tablets in the Early Years”, at: Research in Practice Conference, University of East London, London, 21st November 2016.

    Byrne, F. (2016) “Creators or Consumers: Active Learning in the Early Years”, at: Early Education Conference, University of East London, London, 14th October 2016.

    Publications

    Oct 2019- 2026: ESRC funding for PhD in Education. Title: “Guided interaction and creativity with tablets in pre-schoolers home environments”. Full Award, Part-Time (fees and stipend). Supervisors: Professor Sara Price and Professor Natalia Kucirkova. Location: UCL Knowledge Lab

    Funding

    My PhD within the UCL Knowledge Lab focuses on multimodality, touch screen technologies and creativity in the early years. 

    My external consultancy involves multimedia projects completed with artists: using art-based methods to deconstruct dominant theories of childhood and gender, with a central focus on children’s rights.


    Interests

    Portfolio

    Module leader on ED4062: Emerging Research Communities and ED5003: Early Childhood Education and Care- Past Present and Future.

    Seminar tutor on ED5004: Observing,Documenting and Researching with Children, Families and Practitioners.

    Teaching