I am a Research Assistant at the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre, and my current focus is working on projects to broaden participation in computing.
As a former network manager and primary classroom teacher, I bring dual perspectives of technological knowledge and learning science to all my work, and am committed to exploring ways to engage a diverse range of students in computing.
My recent work includes being part of the project team that delivered a 4-year research programme called Gender Balance in Compuitng, which trialled a range of interventions to increase the uptake of Computer Science at GCSE and A-level amongst female pupils. This was the largest research programme of its kind in England, and I was responsible for recruiting over 500 primary and 250 secondary schools to take part in research trials. I also played a key role in presenting findings from the trials to a wide audience by writing summaries and blog posts so that teachers can apply the research in their classrooms. I am a contributing author to academic papers that have been written about the trials.
I also believe in working with others to strengthen the message that girls belong in computing and seek out opportunities to collaborate with others in order to bring this important conversation to as wide a network as possible. An example of this is my 2015 TEDx talk “Coding the Hairy Toe” which argued for the importance of coding as an essential skill in this digital age.