Morag Morrison

Position/Status

University Lecturer in Drama and English

E-mail Address

mgm25@cam.ac.uk

Phone

01223 767570

Qualifications

B.A Drama and Media, Griffith University, Australia.
Graduate Diploma of Teaching, Mt Gravatt CAE, Australia
M.A. Language, Arts and Education, University of Sussex, U.K
PhD. Griffith University, Australia

Membership of Professional Bodies/Associations

IDEA (International Drama in Education Association)
Drama Australia
National Drama (U.K.)
British Educational Research Association

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Profile

Morag has been working in the Faculty of Education since 2002. She supervises and lectures on undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate courses in Drama and Arts Education.  Morag co-ordinates the MPhil in Arts, Culture and Education and is Director of Studies for Education at St John's College. She is currently also external examiner for the University of Warwick PGCE in Drama and English.

Prior to working in the United Kingdom Morag was involved in Drama across a range of settings in Australia.  Morag was involved in curriculum development in Drama through the Queensland Board of Secondary School Studies, and was also very actively involved in the professional development of teachers as the president (QADIE Queensland Association for Drama in Education) She was the Head of Performing Arts in two secondary schools before she began lecturing in Drama Education and Teacher Training at tertiary level. 

Morag has also performed professionally as a member of the Red Jam collaborative theatre company and was Educational Advisor to the Australian Acting Academy, an actor training company for young people, before she arrived in Britain to commence teaching in at Homerton College in 2000.

Her research interests include: Arts Education and teacher training, Applied Theatre and drama education practice, democratic teaching and learning, reflective practice, adolescent girls and education.

Academic Area/Links

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Research Topics

PhD Research

 Morag completed her PhD research into re-engaging disaffected girls through peer-teaching Drama in 2010. This work was part of a larger international project, DRACON - a project that has been in operation since 1995 pioneering research into drama and conflict management in Sweden, Malaysia and Australia.  Morag's findings suggested that the personal risk taking involved in peer teaching others can foster re-engagement and significantly enhance both self-esteem and the abilty to manage conflict situations in real-life as a result of working through drama education and modes of applied theatre practice.

Current Research

Morag is currently involved in an ERASMUS teacher exchange with the University of Gothenberg in Sweden where she is researching pre-service vocational education in the Faculty of Health Sciences with a colleague working in nursing education, Professor Margret Lepp.  The project which has been developed uses teachniques drawn from Applied Theatre  to introduce Core Conflict Management to pre-service teachers and nurses.

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Course Involvement

Wider Professional Involvement

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Publications

Morrison.M, Stinson.M. (1995) Reflections on Practice: Playbuilding in the Post-Modern Cultural Arena Selected Readings in Drama and Theatre education. Research monograph Series: 3. NADIE Publications

Morrison, M. (2000) Commotions on Stage: making theatre for young people. Ignite3 - Journal of Queensland Theatre Arts Network, Edited: Michael Beh

Morrison, M. (2004) Risk and responsibility: the potential of peer teaching to address negative leadership. Improving Schools, Vol.7. No.3, 211-220, November.. SAGE Publications.

Finney J, Hickman R, Nicholl B, Morrison M & Rudduck J, (2005) Rebuilding Engagement through the Arts. Cambridge. Pearson Publications. I just felt right, I was listened to, and it made me feel proud. Morrison, M (2005) in J. Finney et al.

Finney J, Hickman R, Morrison M, Nicholl B and Rudduck, J. (2005) Rebuilding Engagement through the Arts. Cambridge. Pearson Publications. Extending opportunities. Finney J, Morrison, M, Rudduck J (2005) in J. Finney et al.