Catherine Carden

Faculty Director of Learning and Teaching (FDLT) - Arts, Humanities and Education

Email: catherine.carden@canterbury.ac.uk
Tel: 01227 923841

Profile summary

I am the Faculty Director of Primary Initial Teacher Education, overseeing the University-based undergraduate and postgraduate primary initial teacher education programmes within The Faculty of Education. I have a strong interest in leadership theory and practice, particularly focusing on transformative and emotionally intelligent leadership.

Prior to my current role, I was the Programme Director for the PGCE 7-14. I have also taught across a range of post and undergraduate teaching awards at the University including BA Primary Education, PGCE 7-14, GTP and PGCE 14-19. I am also a link tutor working to support professional practice within primary schools and developing the quality of mentoring of student teachers.

My teaching focusses on professional elements of teaching such as behaviour for learning, professionalism, critical thinking, mindset and resilience as well as the political and educational landscape.

In addition to my teaching and formal leadership role I co-created and am an editor for the Faculty of Education Blog, Considered (www.consider-ed.org.uk), have worked with a local teaching school alliance in a 0.4 seconded post (2013-14) and sit on a range of committees and project boards, both within and outside of the faculty.

Prior to working at the University I have worked in both Further Education and Secondary sectors as teacher/lecturer and as Course Leader, Head of Department and Head of Sixth Form.

I am currently Chair of Governors of a Canterbury Primary School and have an interest in the development of schools in challenging circumstances.

Research and knowledge exchange

I have worked with schools on a range of development days, including development sessions on mentoring, approaches to lesson observations for middle and senior leaders, creativity and reflection, using AfL to inform planning and joint professional development.

Co-founding the Faculty Blog and sitting on the editorial board enables me to work in an innovative way to ensure that writing around and perspectives on, education are easily accessible to teaching colleagues and students alike. This was set up through a knowledge exchange project.

Through knowledge exchange funding I collaborated in work to explore the views that headteachers had around teacher education and partnership with the University which led to further work to investigate how the University could explore new models of education working. This work developed into a proposal to explore University Training Schools.

Teaching and subject expertise

I have a breadth of teaching experience and expertise across all sectors of education. My teaching focusses on the professional studies elements of initital teacher education. I have a particular interest in teaching topics that include bheaviour for learning, teacher professionalism, resilience and mindset as well as educational leadership.

My subject background is in the areas of leisure and tourism and I have written specifications and materials for exam boards and have been an examiner in these fields. I have also written a series of GCSE Leisure and Tourism teaching texts (2009).

I have developed many models of partnership working within teacher education ranging from developing innovative placement models for cross phase programmes to developing continuing professional development programmes that incorporate the whole school community. I have experience of working alongside schools and colleges to develop mentoring capacity and approaches as well as working with teaching staff to further their development in a range of areas including lesson observation, mentoring and pedagogy.

In 2015 I was awarded a University Teaching Fellowship for teaching excellence in recognition of my creative and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

External activities

I have engaged, and continue to engage in a range of external activities, listed below:

Founding Fellow Charthered College of Teaching (FCCT) awarded March 2019

Chair of Governing Body (Primary) (2016-present)-

Interim Executive Board member of a local primary school (2014-2016)

Governor of a primary school and Chair of the Finance and Premises Committee (2010 - 2014)
Steering group member for a large academy trust chain
Secondment (0.4) to a teaching school alliance
external examiner for school direct programmes
curriculum writer for examination group
Conference presentations: TEAN, TDA, CCCU, University of Bergen

Publications and research outputs

Carden.C (in production) Debates in Primary Leadership in Debates in Primary Education. Abingdon. Routledge

Carden.C (2019) Is a Work-Life Balance Unattainable? Primary School Management 3.5 12 June 2019

Carden.C (2019) Are you a leader or a manager? Primary School Management 3.4 17 May 2019 https://www.primaryleaders.com/staff-management/leadership-development/are-you-a-school-leader-or-a-manager

Carden.C (2019) Leadership can be lonely. Primary School Management 3.3 April 2019 https://www.primaryleaders.com/staff-management/leadership-development/how-to-support-school-leaders-in-tough-times

Carden.C & Warnock.J (2019) Fight For Your Rights. Teach Primary. 4 March 2019

Carden.C & Warnock.J (2019) When the going gets tough. Primary School Management. 22 February 2019 https://www.primaryleaders.com/attainment-and-assessment/ofsted/how-we-took-our-school-from-special-measures-to-good

Carden.C & Bower.V (2018) What is teaching? in Carden.C Ed (2018) Primary Teaching: learning and teaching in primary schools today. London. Learning Matters Sage.

Carden.C Ed (2018) Primary Teaching: learning and teaching in primary schools today. London. Learning Matters Sage

Carden.C (2013) Mum, What happens if I don't pass the test? Teach Primary 7:8

Carden.C (2013) We Train Dogs: We Must Educate Teachers. Considered. Available at: www.consider-ed.org.uk 9 May 2013

Carden.C (2009) Classroom Activities for GCSE Leisure and Tourism (Edexcel) Llandysul. Travel and Tourism Publishing

Carden.C (2009) Classroom Activities for GCSE Leisure and Tourism (AQA) Llandysul. Travel and Tourism Publishing

Carden.C (2009) Classroom Activities for GCSE Leisure and Tourism (OCR) Llandysul. Travel and Tourism Publishing

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