Role
Career overview
Before moving into Higher Education, Sarah taught in local secondary schools for ten years before moving to NTU. She was an Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) for Nottinghamshire local authority, which involved work across a number of schools, supporting new and experienced teachers with professional development and training issues.
Research areas
Sarah has recently completed her professional doctorate with the University of Nottingham, the focus of which is D&T teachers in the context of change. Alongside this, she co-led Building research capacity and engagement in Design and Technology Education Innovative Knowledge Exchange Pilot with Dr Alison Hardy.
In 2014-16 Sarah collaborated with Alison Hardy and Kitronik, to develop classroom learning resources for the teaching of integrated textile and electronic fashion - E-textiles.
Opportunities to carry out postgraduate research towards an MPhil/PhD exist in Nottingham Institute of Education and further information may be obtained from the NTU Doctoral School.
Current Doctoral Students
Claire Vickery, Exploring Teacher Perceptions about the Decline of D&T in Secondary School Contexts (Co-Supervisor)
Kim Western, Developing authentic academic assessment practices on Creative Technology courses. (Co-supervisor)
External activity
External examining
Goldsmiths University of London (2019 - present)
Birmingham City University (2013 - 2017)
Conference Committees
PATT40 - Conference Commitee member and Editor-in-Chief for the 40th Pupils' Attitudes Towards Technology Conference (2022 - 2023)
Consultant
OCR Design, Technology & Engineering Consultative Forum
Harper Collins
Bloomsbury Publishing
ARCINTEX NETWORK
The Design and Technology Association
Noel Baker School
Sponsors and collaborators
Collaborators
Dr Matt McLain
Kitronik.co.uk
Design and Technology Association
Publications
DAVIES, S., 2020. Planning lessons in design and technology. In: A. HARDY, ed., Learning to teach design and technology in the secondary school: a companion to school experience. Learning to teach subjects in secondary school. London: Routledge, pp. 191-207. ISBN 9780429321191
DAVIES, S., 2019. Observing design and technology teachers' lessons: tools for observation and analysis. In: S. LAWSON and S. WOOD-GRIFFITHS, eds., Mentoring design and technology teachers in the secondary school: a practical guide. Mentoring trainee and newly qualified teachers. London: Routledge, pp. 119-130. ISBN 9781138541108
DAVIES, S., 2017. Letting pupils 'tinker' is the way to teach electronics. Times Education Supplement. ISSN 0040-7887
DAVIES, S. and HARDY, A., 2016. How to teach 'Smart Fashion' within the D&T curriculum: have we got it right? In: PATT2016: Technology Education for 21st Century Skills Conference, Hogeschool Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands, 23-26 August 2016.
DAVIES, S. and HAIL, Y., 2015. Education for sustainable development within textile technology: a case study of two schools. In: M. CHATONEY, ed., Plurality and Complementarity of Approaches in Design and Technology Education (PATT 29 Conference), Aix-Marseille Université, Marseilles, France, 7-10 April 2015. Marseilles, France: Presses Universitaires de Provence, pp. 106-111. ISBN 9782853999946
Press expertise
- Teacher education
- Student teacher observation
- Teacher professional development tools
- Design and technology secondary education
- Curriculum development in Design education
Course(s) I teach on
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Postgraduate taught | Full-time | 2023https://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/education/pg/ma-pgcert-pgdip-education-full-time
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Postgraduate taught | Part-time | 2023https://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/education/pg/ma-pgcert-pgdip-education-part-time
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Postgraduate taught | Full-time | 2023https://www.ntu.ac.uk/course/education/pg/pgce-secondary-design-and-technology