About

I am a Lecturer in Primary Initial Teacher Education and lead the primary mathematics subject area.

My role involves working with undergraduate and postgraduate beginning teachers through lectures and workshops at the university, supporting them on school placement and through tutorials.

I joined the university in January 2023, before which  I worked as a primary school teacher in EYFS and Key Stage 1 at schools in Leicestershire. During this time, I participated in different Maths Hub working groups to develop mathematical practice and learning within my schools. This also motivated me to conduct practitioner research by studying for an Educational Doctorate.

My first career was in nursing, specialising in immunology and the development of a home therapy programme for primary immunodeficiency treatments.

Teaching responsibilities

I lead and teach on the Mathematics sessions for undergraduates on the BEd and MEdu programmes, as well as the PGCE. My role involves supporting beginning teachers in developing their subject knowledge and pedagogies for primary mathematics. This role also involves supporting partnership schools in all aspects of primary mathematics, including support for research in the classroom.

I am also a lead mentor for beginning teachers for third-year students. This involves supporting mentors and students during the Professional Practice module.

I teach a variety of modules across the primary education undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. This includes primary mathematics and professional practice.

Professional interests

There are a range of topics that I am particularly interested in, including:

• Primary mathematics
• Mastery approaches to learning
• Teacher’s engagement with and in research
• Researching with young children – using novel methodologies
• Constructivist grounded theory and its application to research in education
• Social justice in and from education
• Adaptive teaching and learning

Research interests

I am currently studying for an EdD Education at the University of Birmingham. My area of interest is social justice and its relationship to teaching for mastery. I am exploring the enactment of the mastery policy and how this impacts children’s experience of mathematics in Key Stage 1 through a social justice lens. I am particularly interested in ways to co-construct data with young children and the experiences of conducting insider research. I am using a constructivist grounded theory approach to this research.

My research interests also include adaptive teaching and learning in primary education and I am currently working on a project to explore beginning teachers' experiences of adaptive teaching during school placements.

I have previously worked as a research assistant on a project at the University of Oxford which explored teachers' engagement with and in research (FoSTER Project). This study explored research practices within schools through a semi-structured Qualtrics survey. In-depth case studies were then conducted in these schools to explore ways school leaders and teachers establish support for teachers to engage with/in research.

Membership of professional bodies

• British Educational Research Association (BERA)
• British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics (BSRLM)
• Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM)

Qualifications

• PGCE (Lower Primary) - University of Leicester
• BSc (Hons) Health Sciences (First Class) - Coventry University (awarded the Shirley Smith Memorial Prize)
• RGN/Diploma in Nursing Studies – University of Central England/Queen Elizabeth College of Nursing

Recent conferences

Recent presentations at conferences include

• Symposium: Social justice and mathematics teaching in primary schools: A critical examination of the classroom context of mastery-style mathematics pedagogy and social justice: children’s experiences. BERA Conference 2024 and WERA Focal Meeting. Manchester 12.09.24
• Constructing mathematics anxiety as educational illness: a theoretical re-examination of mathematics anxiety and its implications for ITT/E and schools. BERA Conference 2024 and WERA Focal Meeting, with Dr Jack Bryne Stothard, Manchester 9.09.24
• Beyond mastery: social justice and teaching mathematics in the primary school context. Exploring the experiences of KS1 teachers. Part of Keynote Panel Event with colleagues: Caroline Hilton, UCL Institute of Education; Gwen Ineson, Brunel University; Balbir Kaur, University of Nottingham; Joel Kelly, The Blue School (C of E); Helen Thouless, St Mary’s University; and Pete Wright, University of Dundee. BERA - Practitioner Research in Mathematics Education, Online. 3.02.2024
• British Society for Research in Learning Mathematics (BSRLM) New Researcher Day - Exploring teaching for mastery pedagogy and social justice in the ‘lived experience’ of mathematics mastery for children in Key Stage 1. 17 June 2023
• University of Birmingham PGR Education Conference – The lived experience of "mastery" in primary education: Reflections on doing insider research. November 2021
• University of Birmingham PGR Conference - How can we hear children's voices in policy evaluation? November 2020

Experience in industry

• Class-based teacher in a range of primary schools in Leicestershire for over 14 years
• Participation in a range of East Midlands South Maths Hub working groups
• Lead for Early Maths and for Music within schools
• 14 years of experience working as a Registered General Nurse in the midlands
• Working as a Research Assistant in both health and education-related projects

Recent publications

• King, L. (2024) ‘Developing an awareness of the impact of pedagogy on social justice within primary mathematics’, Impact, 20 (February). Available at: https://my.chartered.college/impact_article/developing-an-awareness-of-the-impact-of-pedagogy-on-social-justice-within-primary-mathematics/
• King L (2023) Exploring the interaction between teaching for mastery pedagogy and social justice in the ‘lived experience’ of mathematics mastery for children in Key Stage 1. Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics 43(2); June 16-17 2023. Available at: https://bsrlm.org.uk/publications/proceedings-of-day-conference/ip43-2/