Emeritus Professor Irvine S. Gersch
Professor of Educational and Child Psychology
BA (Hons), PGCE, DipEdPsych, PhD, CPsychol, FBPS, FHEA, HCPC Registered. Honorary Professorial Fellow, University of Wollongong, Australia., University of East London
Irvine is a professor of educational and child psychology interested in the voice of the child and young person as well as mentorship and coaching (of adults and children) using spiritual and philosophical listening techniques.
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AE.1.32, Stratford Campus
School of Psychology
The University of East London
Stratford Campus
Water Lane
London
E15 4LZ - i.gersch@uel.ac.uk +442082234412
Irvine graduated in Psychology from University College North Wales Bangor, before completing his training in educational psychology at Swansea University. He has worked as a schoolteacher, university lecturer, educational psychologist, senior and principal educational psychologist, mentor, supervisor, and coach. His PhD was in the area of school leadership and pupil behaviour, and he has acted as a consultant to schools. He has worked as an educational psychologist for more than 25 years, before taking up his university post in 2000. He also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching at UEL.
He served as chairperson of the British Psychological Society Training Committee for educational psychology and was a member of a government working group on the future role and training of educational psychologists, and the audit commission working group on poorly performing schools, as well as an Adviser to the Home Office on the Lower Moor Enquiry into water pollution and special needs in Cornwall.
He has co-edited or written five books, (on Behaviour, Mediation, Parent Coaching, Parenting and Drama-therapy) and published chapters in books and articles in the fields of listening to children and pupil involvement, behaviour management, school leadership, systems analysis, management, educational psychology training, conciliation and mediation in Special Needs, teacher stress and the future of educational psychology. In 2002, he received the British Psychological Society’s annual award for Distinguished Contributions to Professional Psychology. In 2016, he received the BPS DECP Award for Distinguished Contribution to Educational and Child Psychology.
His current research interests include listening to children, spiritual listening, SEN mediation and the role of children, parenting and the future of the profession of educational psychology. His publications in 2012 and 2015 include the Little Box of Big Questions and the Little Box of Big Questions 2: Learning, Behaviour and My Future. In 2016, Little Box of Big Questions 3 – philosophical questions to help you think about your study choices and career plan, was published. These tools aim to facilitate meaningful and philosophical conversations with children and young people. They are the subject of national and international research and aim to empower and help children, young people plan their lives through deep listening to their motivations. He is currently working on a version for adults and to support life coaching.
His passion throughout his career, guiding all his work, has been and remains, pioneering and developing new methods of listening to, respecting and amplifying the innermost voice of the child, with a view to empowering children and young people, especially those who are vulnerable and whose views might be unheard. He is now extending this work with adults, through supervision, mentoring and coaching.
2016 : ANNUAL AWARD: BPS Division of Educational and Child Psychology: for Distinguished Contribution to Educational and Child Psychology (2016) . Accepted at Conference. Harrogate. January 2017
2002 : ANNUAL AWARD : British Psychological Society : for Distinguished Contributions to Professional Psychology. (2002).
Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS)
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Member of the BPS’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology
Past member of the BPS working group on the future of training in educational psychology
Past Team Inspector (OFSTED)
Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Overview
Special Needs
Listening to children
Parenting
SEN mediation
Little Box of Big Questions — using philosophical conversations with children
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles
Robinson, N., Bunn, H., & Gersch, I. (Pending). A Preliminary Study on Using the “Little Box of Big Questions (2012) for Children with Social, Emotional, Behavioural and Moderate Learning Needs. Educational Psychology Research and Practice. R,
Ramsay, J.M., Cowell, N. and Gersch, I. (2018) How School Staff Understand the Relationship between Problem Behaviours and Language Difficulties. Educational Psychology in Practice. DOI: 10.1080/02667363.2017.1367647. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2017.1367647
Gersch, I. S., Lipscomb, A., Potton, A. I., & Publication, A. (2017). The history of research by educational psychologists into ascertaining the voice of the child and young person. In J. Hardy & C. Hobbs (Eds.), Using qualitative research to hear the voice of CYP: The work of British educational psychologists. Leicester, England: BPS Publications.
Gunetilleke, S, Gersch, I.S. and Cahill, S ( 2017) Helping Young People Make Career and Subject Choices about the Future with the Little Box of Big Questions 1 & 2 and the Development of Little Box of Big Questions 3. In preparation
Gersch, I. S., (2016) Book Review. Worth more than a thousand words! Review of books by Jones Eves : An Angry Mood, An Excited Mood, A Loving Mood. Axxiom 2014-5. The Psychologist. BPS. October 2016. Vol. 9.
Florence, Ian (2016) : Little Box, big questions. Ian Florence talks to educational psychologist Irvine Gersch, The Psychologist. 27 (7) 564-565.
Thorne, L. and Gersch, I. S. ( 2016) Empowering Children to Learn ; An Exploratory Study Using a Philosophical Listening Tool ( The Little Box of Big Questions). Educational Psychology Research and Practice. 2 (2) Dec 2016, 8-18. Published by the University of East London
Florence, Ian (2016) : Little Box, big questions. Ian Florence talks to educational psychologist Irvine Gersch, The Psychologist. 27 (7) 564-565.
Gersch, I. S., (2016) Book Review. Worth more than a thousand words! Review of books by Jones Eves : An Angry Mood, An Excited Mood, A Loving Mood. Axxiom 2014-5. The Psychologist. BPS. October 2016. Vol. 9.
Thorne, L. and Gersch, I. S. ( 2016) Empowering Children to Learn ; An Exploratory Study Using a Philosophical Listening Tool ( The Little Box of Big Questions). Educational Psychology Research and Practice. 2 (2) Dec 2016, 8-18. Published by the University of East London .,
Butcher, R. L., & Gersch, I. S. (2014). Parental experiences of the “Time Together” home visiting intervention: an attachment theory perspective. Educational Psychology in Practice, 30(1), 1–18. doi:10.1080/02667363.2013.867254|
Gersch, I. S., Lipscomb, A., Stoyles, G., & Caputi, P. (2014). Using philosophical and spiritual conversations with children and young people: a method for psychological assessment, listening deeply and empowerment. Educational and Child Psychology, 31(1), 32–47.|
Gersch, I. S., & Cowell, N. (2014). Future careers: a study of the future aspirations of recently qualified educational psychologists. DECP Debate, 152, 30–43.|
Connolly, M., & Gersch, I. S. (2013). A support group for parents of children on a waiting list for an assessment for autism spectrum disorder. Educational Psychology in Practice, 29(3), 293–308. doi:10.1080/02667363.2013.841128|
Gersch, I. S., & Lipscomb, A. (2013). Listening to children’s views about life’s ‘big questions’: Is there a role for spiritual and philosophical questioning within educational psychology practice? DECP Debate, 46, 15–23.|
Gersch, I. S., Lipscomb, A., & Howarth, I. (2013). [Review of the book Resources for developing self-esteem and social emotional skills]. DECP Debate, 146, 32–33.|
Robinson, N., Bunn, H., & Gersch, I. (Pending). A Preliminary Study on Using the “Little Box of Big Questions (2012) for Children with Social, Emotional, Behavioural and Moderate Learning Needs. Educational Psychology Research and Practice. R, Cowell, N.
Gersch, I. S. (2012). Power to the pupils [Review of the book The learning powered school : pioneering 21st century education, by G. Claxton, M. Chambers, G. Powell and B. Lucas]. The Psychologist, 25(7), 530.|
Lipscomb, A., & Gersch, I. S. (2012). Using a ‘spiritual listening tool’ to investigate how children describe spiritual and philosophical meaning in their lives. International Journal of Children’s Spirituality, 17(1), 5–23. doi:10.1080/1364436X.2011.651713|
Carelse, B., Gersch, I. S., Cameron, S., & Lloyd Bennett, P. (2010). Mindfulness and educational psychology: a review of two conferences. DECP Debate, 136, 21–30.|
Lloyd Bennett, P., Cameron, S., Gersch, I. S., & Carelse, B. (2010). Spirituality in education: is it worthwhile? DECP Debate, 136, 31–35.|
Bennett, P. L. (2009). Professor Irvine Gersch: reflections on his career. DECP Debate, 132(September), 12–17.|
Bennett, P. L. (2009). An interview with Professor Irvine Gersch on the training of educational psychologists. DECP Debate, 132(September), 7–11.|
Gersch, I. S. (2009). A positive future for educational psychology — if the profession gets it right. Educational Psychology in Practice, 25(1), 9–19. doi:10.1080/02667360802697555|
Axup, T., & Gersch, I. S. (2008). The impact of challenging student behaviour upon teachers’ lives in a secondary school: teachers’ perceptions. British Journal of Special Education, 35(3), 144–151. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8578.2008.00388.x |
Gersch, I. S., Dowling, F., Panagiotaki, G., & Potton, A. (2008). Listening to children’s views of spiritual and metaphysical concepts: a new dimension to educational psychology practice. Educational Psychology in Practice, 24(3), 225–236. doi:10.1080/02667360802256782|
Books
Herman, M. and Gersch, I.S (2016) Everyday Parenting for Everyday Parents. London: SEED
Gersch, I. S. and Gunetilleke, S. (2016) Little Box of Big Questions 3. Some philosophical questions to help you think about your study choices and career path. Northants: Small World, Big Imaginations Ltd. ISB : 978-1-910966-26-6
Gersch, I. S. and Conolly, A (2016) Little Box of Big Questions 1 and 2: A Workbook and Guide for Adults. Northants: Small World, Big Imaginations Ltd. ISBN : 9781909207943
Herman, M. and Gersch, I.S (2016) Everyday Parenting for Everyday Parents. London :SEED
Gersch, I . S. and Lipscomb, A (2015) Little Box of Big Questions 2 – My Learning, My Behaviour. My Future.
Small World Publishing: Northamptonshire. ISBN 978-1-909207-92-9
Golawski, A., Bamford, A., & Gersch, I. S. (2013). Swings and roundabouts: a self-coaching workbook for parents and those considering becoming parents. London: Karnac Press.|
Gersch, I . S. and Lipscomb, A (2012) A Little Box of Big Questions. Philosophical conversations with
children and young people. Small World Publishing: Northamptonshire.
ISBN 978-1-909207-17-2
Edited Books
Leigh, L., Gersch, I. S., Dix, A., & Haythorne, D. (Eds.). (2012). Dramatherapy with children, young people and schools: enabling creativity, sociability, communication and learning. London: Routledge.|
Book Chapters
O'Donnell, G. M., & Gersch, I. S. (2015). Professional and ethical issues when working with children and adolescents: an educational psychology perspective. In R. Tribe & J. Morrissey (Eds.), Handbook of professional and ethical practice for psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists. (2nd ed.). Hove, UK: Brunner-Routledge.|
Gersch, I. S. (2013). Educational psychology. In R. Bayne & G. Jinks (Eds.), Applied psychology: research, training and practice (2nd ed., pp. 290–292). London: Sage.|
Gersch, I. S. (2012). Educational psychology, listening to children and dramatherapy. In L. Leigh, I. S. Gersch, A. Dix & D. Haythorne (Eds.), Dramatherapy with children, young people and schools: enabling creativity, communication, emotional wellbeing and learning (pp. 218–226).|
Listening to children and young people
Coaching and mentorship
Development of Little Boxes of Big Questions 3 and 4
Research
Publications
Educational Psychology
Special Needs
Listening to children
Parenting
SEN mediation
Little Box of Big Questions — using philosophical conversations with children
find it here.
Interests
The Practice and Future of Educational Psychology Research
Philosophy, Epistemology and the Profession of Educational Psychology
Special Educational Needs
Research
Coaching and Mentoring
Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS)
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
Member of the Association of Educational Psychologists
Member of the BPS’s Division of Educational and Child Psychology
Past member of the BPS working group on the future of training in educational psychology
Past Team Inspector (OFSTED)
Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)