Kaleidoscope is an annual one-day conference hosted by research students at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.

Kaleidoscope 2026

Creative Leaps: Rethinking Approaches to Research, Practice, and Policy in Education

23rd Annual Kaleidoscope Conference at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

In-person and online: 29 May 2026

Conference Overview

What does it mean to take a creative leap? To step back from the familiar and ask whether the tools, frameworks, and assumptions we rely on are truly serving the questions we most need to answer?

This year’s Kaleidoscope Conference theme is Creative Leaps: Rethinking Approaches to Research, Practice, and Policy in Education. It is a call to reflect critically and creatively on how we work. We want to hear from researchers and practitioners about how and why they do things differently; who have challenged a methodological orthodoxy, reimagined their relationship with the communities they work with, or found unexpected approaches to longstanding problems.

For researchers, this might mean sharing how you reconceived a study's rationale, found new approaches to data collection or analysis, or grappled with the limits of existing frameworks. For practitioners, it might mean reflecting on transformations in leadership, pedagogy, or how you engage the people and communities you serve.

Kaleidoscope is an annual conference hosted by research students at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. It is a space to be curious together, to challenge one another generously, and to ask the kinds of questions that don't yet have answers.

We invite you to join us in-person, and online, on the 29th of May for the 23rd Kaleidoscope Conference. Come ready to share, to listen, and to plan your next leap.

Theme

Creative Leaps: Rethinking Approaches to Research, Practice, and Policy in Education

Attendees will have the chance to explore the creative approaches adopted by researchers and practitioners which help them to answer new questions and navigate new challenges, reflecting upon their experiences critically examining the assumptions and methods that underpin their work. We are excited to learn from one another in constructive, inclusive, and inspiring ways to foster innovation and creativity inside and outside the classroom at Kaleidoscope 2026.

To further guide the wide range of conversations we hope to host, we have organised the following sub-themes:

1. Foundations: rethinking and reconceptualising extant knowledge.
2. Creative practices: rethinking approaches to knowledge production, research design, participant engagement, and analysis.
3. Research-policy praxis: rethinking how policy informs and is shaped by research.
4. Practice-policy praxis: rethinking the interplay between practice and policy.
5. Moving between research and practice: rethinking how research and practice interact with and inform one another.
6. Research-practice-policy nexus: rethinking the boundaries between research, practice, and policy.

Call for Submissions

Abstract

150 - 250 words by Monday, 13 April 2026.

We welcome submissions of both complete works and works in progress. These works may be empirical or theoretical in approach, as well as disciplinary, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or transdisciplinary in nature.

This year's presentations will include:

• posters
• short (5 minutes) and long-form (15 minutes) presentations
• practice-based workshops and creative sessions

With a view to:

• centering audience engagement
• encouraging the exchange of knowledge and insights

Building upon the success of last year's Kaleidoscope conference, practice-based and creative abstracts will also be considered. We look forward to learning from your theoretical and methodological advances, as well as your original contributions to practice and/or pedagogy.

All submissions will go through a double-blind peer review process. Any personal information provided through this form will be kept strictly confidential and used only for purposes related to the conference. All submissions must be the presenter's own original work and, where relevant, adhere to the University of Cambridge's guidelines on the use of generative AI.

Submission form: https://forms.gle/cstiawSRVyqjE2Ln7

Deadline for abstract submission: 13th April 2026

Email: kaleidoscope@educ.cam.ac.uk

Conference Venue

• 29th May 2026 | Online & in-person
• Mary Allen Building, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge

Registration

• Stay tuned for more information about registration!

Get in Touch

Email: kaleidoscope@educ.cam.ac.uk

Twitter: @CambridgeKScope

Facebook: Kal Versa

Instagram: @KaleidoscopeCon

Website: www.educ.cam.ac.uk/events/conferences/kaleidoscope2026/