Ruth Kershner
Position/Status
Lecturer in Psychology of Education and Primary Education
E-mail Address: rsk21@cam.ac.uk
Phone: 01223 767565
Qualifications
BA (Hons)
PGCE
MSc: Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs
MSc: Child Development with Clinical Studies
Membership of Professional Bodies/Associations
British Psychological Society
British Educational Research Association
National Association for Special Educational Needs
Profile
Ruth Kershner joined the Faculty of Education after working as a child care worker, primary school teacher and learning support teacher and training as an educational psychologist. She has a particular interest in the education of children with learning difficulties and the development of inclusion.
She has written about several topics within this field, including the nature of intelligence, individual differences between children and differentiation, student teachers' strategies for teaching children with learning difficulties, and teachers' and pupils'views on classroom organisation.
Her current concerns are with sociocultural views about children's learning and special educational needs, including how best to make use in education of the rapid growth of medical and biological information about factors which can affect children's social and intellectual development. She is also interested in the development of practising teachers as researchers in education, and is currently working with teachers on a projectinvestigating gender issues in special schools.
Academic Area/Links
Learning difficulties; inclusion; sociocultural theories in education; genetics and special educational needs.
Research Topics
Teaching children with learning difficulties; gender in special education; teachers' use of genetic and other biological factors relating to children with SEN.
Current Research Projects
Primary Review
Website: http://www.primaryreview.org.uk/ (contains full details of the Primary Review, its remit, personnel, procedures and publications, together with contact details and guidance on how to submit evidence and participate in the debate).
Raising Boys' Achievement
A national project funded by the DfES.
Course Involvement
Undergraduate BA and BEd courses in psychology of education and professional studies (focusing particularly on concepts of intelligence, learning difficulties, ICT in education; special educational needs and inclusion; assessment).
Publications
Kershner, R. (2003) 'Intelligence' chapter in J. Beck and M. Earl (eds) Key Issues in Secondary Education 2nd. ed. Continuum
Kershner, R. and Chaplain, R. (2001) 'Understanding Special Educational Needs: A teacher's guide to effective school-based research', London: Fulton
Kershner, R. (2000) 'Organising the physical environment of the classroom to support children's learning', 'Recognising and responding to children as individuals', 'Teaching children whose progress in learning is causing concern', chaps. 2, 12 and 14 in D. Whitebread (ed.) The Psychology of Teaching and Learning in the Primary School, London: RoutledgeFalmer
Kershner, R. and Pointon, P. (2000) 'Children's views of the primary classroom as an environment for working and learning', Research in Education, 64, 64-77
Pointon, P. and Kershner, R. (2000) 'Making decisions about organising the primary classroom as a context for learning: the views of three experienced teachers and their pupils', Teaching and Teacher Education, 16, 117-127 (reprinted in abridged version in J. Collins et al (eds) (2000) Developing Pedagogy: Researching practice London: Paul Chapman Publishing/Open University)
Kershner, R. (2000) 'Developing student teachers' understanding of strategies for teaching SEN children', Education Today, 50 (4), 31-39
Kershner, R. (1999) 'The role of school-based research in helping teachers to extend their understanding of children's learning and motivation', Journal of In-service Education, 25 (3), 423-445
Kershner, R., Flutter, J. and Rudduck, J. (1998) 'Teacher research as a basis for school improvement: but is it useful beyond the school in which it was carried out?', Improving Schools, 1 (2), 59-62
Flutter, J., Kershner, R. and Rudduck, J. (1998) Thinking about Learning, Talking about Learning: A report of the Effective Learning Project, Cambridge: Cambridgeshire County Council/Homerton College