The University of Reading’s Institute of Education is currently home to two winners of prestigious Fulbright research awards. Indicative of the breadth of opportunities that the Fulbright US-UK commission offers, each of our Fulbrighters are at opposite ends of their research journeys. In December, they got the chance to meet and present at an event for scholars past and future hosted by Fulbright in central London.
Professor Naomi Flynn (Professor of Multilingual Education, University of Reading’s Institute of Education) shared her experiences of her 3-month Fulbright Visiting Scholar research project during a COVID-impacted summer and autumn of 2021. Working with teachers in culturally and linguistically diverse elementary schools in Indianapolis, Professor Flynn observed the effect on teachers’ practice of a successful professional learning approach called The Enduring Principles of Learning. Commenting on her time spent embedded in three schools for three months, she reflected that “The opportunity to engage in sustained research and knowledge exchange with my colleagues in schools and at IUPUI School of Education was life-changing. It has profoundly enhanced my perspective on what matters in education for learners from diverse backgrounds”.
Separately, Toby Clark (a BA in Primary Education teacher trainee) will be taking up his Fulbright Postgraduate award in September 2023 when he will start his Master’s in Music Education at Columbia University, New York City. Toby is looking forward to experiencing another world class education system, expanding his knowledge and experience further to impact change on music education in the UK. Toby’s plan for his MA research focus on music education is to explore how teachers teach music and how we can develop teaching ‘know-how’ in music teachers.
There are several types of research award offered by Fulbright US-UK commission, whether you are still in school or in your senior researcher years, and you can find about these here. Professor Flynn is happy to talk with any University of Reading student or colleague about what is involved, and you can contact her at n.flynn@reading.ac.uk
To learn more about Professor Flynn’s research interests, click here. She tweets at @naomiflynn61.
