Dr Rebecca Digby
BA (Hons), MA, PhD, PGCE, FHEA
Vice Principal, Head of Learning, Teaching and Research
Areas of specialism:
Creativity, early childhood science and enquiry, posthumanism, diffractive methodologies, higher education pedagogy and practice, curriculum development, quality assurance and student experience
External roles:
Member of the steering group for Office for Students Higher Education Innovation project: Inclusive Assessment, Member of the Academic Board Dyson Institute for Engineering and Technology, Member of the Board BANES Student, Community Partnership, PhD co-supervisor Bath Spa University, External Examiner University of Roehampton BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, Peer Reviewer for a number of International journals, Member of Adventures in Posthuman network, Mentor to Headteacher at Redcliffe Nursery School
Biography
Dr Rebecca Digby is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has worked in education for more than 20 years, including over 13 years in higher education. Her roles have included Head of Department, Subject Leader, Senior Lecturer, Advanced Skills Teacher, and Deputy Head Teacher across the early years, primary, and post-compulsory education phases.
Rebecca is currently Vice Principal – Head of Learning, Teaching and Research at Norland. She sits on the Executive and Senior Leadership Teams, contributing to the strategic direction and development of the institution. Her responsibilities include leading pedagogical innovation and curriculum development, supporting and developing cycles of continual improvement for the student experience, and ensuring that quality assurance processes and Office for Students (OfS) conditions and guidelines are met. Most recently, this has included supporting the expansion of Norland’s portfolio through a master’s in Early Childhood Education and Care with specialisms and a focus on the 0–3 years age phase.
Rebecca is a member of the steering group for an OfS Higher Education Innovation project focused on inclusive assessment, the Academic Board for the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology, and the Education Committee at the Royal Academy of Dance. She is also an external examiner for the BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies at the University of Roehampton and a Practitioner Trainer for Emotion Coaching UK.
Prior to joining Norland, Rebecca was Subject Leader for Early Childhood at Bath Spa University. This role included leadership of a professional master’s programme specialising in birth to three years, a master’s in education specialising in early childhood studies, and a postgraduate diploma in Waldorf Education and Creative Pedagogies. She also led teams across BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies programmes in the UK and China, as well as work-based learning foundation and top-up degrees across three further education colleges.
Rebecca previously led the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (REACH) at Bath Spa University and now leads the Norland Educare Research Centre (NERC). NERC actively contributes to the early years sector by generating cutting-edge research, training, and consultancy in early childhood education and care to support the highest standards of provision for children from birth to eight years, both nationally and internationally. Rebecca sits on the Editorial Board of the Norland Educare Research Journal and regularly conducts peer reviews for international early childhood journals. Her research focuses on pedagogy and practice in early childhood education and care, drawing on posthumanist and new materialist methodologies.
Publications and scholarly activities
2017
Rose, J, Gilbert, L, McGuire-Snieckus, R, Gus, L, McInnes, K and Digby, R (2017) 'Attachment Aware Schools: working with families to enhance parental engagement and home-school relationships.' Open Family Studies Journal, 9 (Supp-1). pp. 160-171. ISSN 1874-9224
2015
Earle, S, Davies, D, McMahon, K, Collier, C, Howe, A and Digby, R (2015) Introducing the TAPS pyramid model. Primary Science Teaching Trust, Primary Science Teaching Trust website.
Events and public engagement
04/09/2017 - 07/09/2017
Too much talk about talk at BERA Annual ConferenceDigby, R and McMahon, K (2017) Too much talk about talk. In: BERA Annual Conference, 4 - 7 September 2017, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
29/08/2017 - 01/09/2017
Video stimulated reflective dialogues: making meaning through entangled perspectives at 27th EECERA Conference.Digby, R and Fletcher, C (2017) Video stimulated reflective dialogues: making meaning through entangled perspectives. In: 27th EECERA Conference, 29 August - 1 September 2017, Bologna, Italy.
13/09/2016 - 15/09/2016
Understanding creativity in science enquiry in the early years through video stimulated reflective dialogue at BERA Annual Conference.Digby, R (2016) Understanding creativity in science enquiry in the early years through video stimulated reflective dialogue. In: BERA Annual Conference, 13 - 15 September 2016, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
09/06/2016 - 11/06/2016
Developing understanding of creativity in scientific inquiry through video stimulated reflective dialogue at Primary Science Teaching Trust International Conference.Digby, R (2016) Developing understanding of creativity in scientific inquiry through video stimulated reflective dialogue. In: Primary Science Teaching Trust International Conference, 9 - 11 June 2016, Waterfront Halll, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Duggan, M, Smith, H and Digby, R (2016) Developing trainee teachers’ reflective practice at BSU. In: 7th TEAN Annual Conference: Cultivating Learning, 5 - 6 May 2016, Aston University, Birmingham, UK.
31/08/2015 - 04/09/2015
Teacher assessment of science in English primary schools at Biannual Conference of the European Science Education Research Association.Davies, D, McMahon, K, Howe, A, Collier, C, Digby, R and Earle, S (2015) Teacher assessment of science in English primary schools. In: ESERA2015 : 11th Biannual Conference of the European Science Education Research Association, 31 August - 4 September 2015, Helsinki, Finland.
