Karen Vincent

Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education

Karen Vincent is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education in the Faculty of Education at Canterbury Christ Church University. Her experience as a teacher in a variety of school settings with a particular interest in the earliest years of learning, has led to her practice based pedagogical research interests. Karen supports the professional learning and development of new educators in early childhood, leading on the placement modules in early childhood studies. She is secretary of the International Professional Development Association as well as a member of TACTYC and the Chartered College of Teaching.

Karen has taught in all age phases of education. specialising in the earliest years of education. At CCCU she has been the programme director for the Primary Education Progression Route, Assistant Faculty Director or Primary Education as well as the Early Childhood Studies course lead.

Karen's research interests are rooted in narrative pedagogies. Her doctoral study examined the values and beliefs of early childhood initial teacher educators. She is currently involved in a participatory research project with two settings to examine the impact of their outdoor learning spaces.

Research Projects

Early Childhood Graduates in the Workplace: Experiences and Perceptions. Researcher(s): Dr Karen Vincent. [Project]
Using Wearable Technology to Explore Freedom with Guidance in Outdoor Nursery Environments. Researcher(s): Dr Karen Vincent, Dr Marianna Papadopoulou, Ms Polly Bolshaw. [Project]

The International Professional Development Association

Making the invisible visible: the pedagogical affordances of outdoor learning in a nursery and a primary school Papadopoulou, M., Vincent, K., (2025): Taylor and Francis Online. [Journal article]
Sustainably 'we-searching' early childhood outdoor learning through visual technologies Vincent, K., Papadopoulou, M., CCCU Visual Methodologies and Multimodality Conference. [Conference paper]
'The shark with six legs'. Celebrating and supporting young children as creators and interpreters of meaning Vincent, K., TACTYC Conference. [Conference keynote]
Early childhood graduates in the workplace: Experiences and perceptions Vincent, K., The Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN) Conference. [Conference keynote]
Professional curiosity in early childhood initial teacher education in england: unmasking pedagogical activism Vincent, K., EECERA Conference. [Conference poster]
Teacher Education and Play Pedagogy: International Perspectives. Edited by Eleni Loizou and Jeffrey Trawick Smith. Pp 226. Abingdon: Routledge. 2022. £32.39 (pbk), £32.39 (ebk), £117 (hbk). ISBN 978036771179-5 (pbk), ISBN 9781003149668 (ebk), ISBN 9780367711757 (hbk). Vincent, Karen, (NaN): Informa UK Limited. [Journal article]
Supporting Early Literacies Through Play Vincent, K., Smith, K.. [Book]
How theory has saved me! Vincent, K., (2021), Being a Teacher Educator During the Covid 19 Pandemic. Utrecht. [Book chapter]
Talking about teaching: unmasking ‘pedactivist’ pedagogy in university-based English early childhood initial teacher educators’ narratives Vincent, K.. [PhD Thesis]
These are our stories: waving not drowning as we navigate Covid:19 as leadership 'professionals' Jordan-Daus, K., Austin, L., Clemmey, K., Shearman, J., Vincent, K., (2021): Taylor & Francis. [Journal article]
Becoming a mentor Vincent, K., (2020), Mentoring Teachers in the Primary School. London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis. [Book chapter]
What are the characteristics of a professional teacher educator? A think piece Ashley Compton, Jim Crawley, Fiona Curtis, Alaster Scott Douglas, Tony Eaude, Alison Jackson Chris Philpott, Mark Plater, David Powell, Adele Sewell, Karen Vincent, (2019): Teacher Education Advancement Network. [Journal article]
Fishing for evidence of impact Rowland, G., King, H., Webb, P., Cogger, A., Vincent, K., (2018): Imaginative Minds Ltd. [Journal article]
Researching mentoring, developing researchers: a parallel approach to research and development in teacher education Vincent, K., Webb, P., 2017 ATEE Annual Conference - Changing Perspectives and Approaches in Contemporary Teaching. [Conference paper]
Book review – Enriching your teaching: Reflective Teaching in Schools Vincent, K., (2014): Howard Sharron. [Journal article]
Chapter 4: Seamless transition from the foundation stage to year 1 (ages three to six) Vincent, K., (2014), Developing Early Literacy 0-8: From theory to practice. London: SAGE Publications. [Book chapter]
Comparative experiences of two teacher educators: a self study Vincent, K., Roden, J., (2014): Teacher Education Advancement Network. [Journal article]
How do teacher educators enact a pedagogy of play within a higher education context? A small-scale self-study into the effectiveness of pedagogical approaches taken with student teachers of young children. Vincent, K., Froebel Conference 2014. [Conference paper]
Learning and teaching mathematics 0-8 Taylor, H., Harris, A., Donaldson, G., Wild, J., Vincent, K., Wiseman, C., Stone, P., O'Sullivan, L., Price, B., (2013). London: SAGE Publications. [Book]
Chapter 3: Play and mathematics Wiseman, C., Vincent, K., (2013), Learning and Teaching Mathematics 0-8. London: SAGE Publications. [Book chapter]
Chapter 7: Assessing children's mathematics Taylor, H., Vincent, K., (2013), Learning and Teaching Mathematics 0-8. London: SAGE Publications. [Book chapter]
Gaining a picture of children's learning Vincent, K., (2013): Howard Sharron. [Journal article]
Two initial teacher educators - two different stories? Roden, J., Vincent, K., Jubilee Conference. [Conference paper]
Chapter 4: Playground games as a foundation for literacy lessons Hammond, S., Vincent, K., (2011), Creative Ways to Teach Literacy: Ideas for Children aged 3-11. London: SAGE Publications. [Book chapter]
What do young children understand by the term 'learning' and how does this impact upon them in the classroom? Vincent, K., BERA 2011. [Conference paper]

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karen.vincent@canterbury.ac.uk

01227923013

Thorne & Fynden (THf06), Canterbury

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Faculty of Arts Humanities and Education

School of Humanities and Educational Studies

Dr Karen Vincent

Research Projects

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