Dr Rebecca Digby

Dr Rebecca Digby BA (Hons), PGCE, MA, PhD - Vice Principal, Head of Learning, Teaching and Research

Rebecca Digby has worked in education for more than 20 years and within higher education for 12 years. Her roles have included Advanced Skills teacher, Deputy Head teacher, Senior Lecturer and Subject Leader across the early years, primary and post compulsory age phases.

Before joining Norland, she was Subject Leader for Early Childhood at Bath Spa University. This role included module leadership for the MA Education: Early Childhood Studies and award leadership for a Postgraduate Diploma Waldorf Education and Creative Pedagogies. She also led teams of colleagues across BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies in the UK and China, and Foundation and ‘Top Up’ degrees across three Further Education colleges. Her responsibilities have included leading on pedagogical innovation and curriculum development, developing and supporting the implementation of cycles of continual improvement for student experience, and ensuring QA processes, QAA codes of practices and OfS conditions and guidelines are met.

Rebecca’s research has been focused on pedagogy and practice in early childhood education and is inspired by post-humanist and new materialist methodologies. In her doctorate she experimented with diffraction and transdisciplinary space to explore the materiality of young children’s creative knowledge making practices in science enquiry.

norland students in formal uniform talking to a lecturer who teaches on the BA (Hons) Early Years Development and Learning degree

Details

Email	[email protected]
Publications	2025 - Digby, R. (2025) Diffractive perspectives on pedagogy and practice in early childhood science education in Working with Uncertainty for Educational Change: Orientations for Professional Practice edited by Carmel Conn, Bethan Mitchell and Matt Hutt. Routledge, Abingdon. ISBN 9781032688732 2023 - Digby, R., (2023) ‘Diffractive encounters with empirical and theoretical understandings of children’s creativity in science enquiry’. Digital Culture & Education, 14(5), 127-150 URL: https://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/volume-14-5 2019 - Davies, D, Earle, S, Collier, C, Digby, R, Howe, A and McMahon, K (2019) Teaching science and technology in the early years (3-7). 3rd ed. Routledge, Abingdon. ISBN 9780415825580 2017 - Digby, R (2017) 'To what extent can Video Stimulated Reflective Dialogue facilitate the development of practitioner critical reflection and understanding of creativity in scientific inquiry in the early years?' Journal of Emergent Science, 12 (Winter). pp. 7-15. ISSN 2046-4754 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 2017 - Digby, R, West, E, Temple, S, McGuire-Snieckus, R, Vatmanides, O, Davey, A, Richardson, S, Rose, J and Parker, R (2017) Somerset Emotion Coaching Project evaluation report: phase two. Institute for Education, Bath Spa University. 2016 - Davies, D, Earle, S, Collier, C, Digby, R, Howe, A and McMahon, K (2016) 'Teacher assessment of science in English primary schools.' In: Lavonen, J, Juuti, K, Lampiselkä, J, Uitto, A and Hahl, K, eds. Electronic proceedings of the ESERA 2015 Conference - Science Education Research: Engaging Learners for a Sustainable Future. (co-ed. Jens Dolin & Per Kind) (Pt. 11). University of Helsinki, Helsinki, pp. 1577-1588. ISBN 9789515115416 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. 2014 - Davies, D, Earle, S, Collier, C, Digby, R, Howe, A and McMahon, K (2014) Teaching science and technology in the early years (3-7). 2nd ed. Routledge, Abingdon. ISBN 9780415825580 2014 - Collier, C and Digby, R (2014) 'Developing thinking and learning skills in science.' In: Vickery, A, ed. Developing active learning in the primary classroom. Sage, London, pp. 154-173. ISBN 9781446255469 2014 - Davies, D, Jindal-Snape, D, Digby, R, Howe, A, Collier, C and Hay, P (2014) 'The roles and development needs of teachers to promote creativity: a systematic review of literature.' Teaching and Teacher Education, 41 (July). pp. 34-41. ISSN 0742-051X 2013 - Davies, D, Jindal-Snape, D, Collier, C, Digby, R, Hay, P and Howe, A (2013) 'Creative learning environments in education: a systematic literature review.' Thinking Skills and Creativity, 8 (April). pp. 80-91. ISSN 1871-1871
Events	04/09/2017 - 07/09/2017 - Too much talk about talk at BERA Annual Conference Digby, 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. - Developing trainee teachers’ reflective practice at Bath Spa University at TEAN Annual Conference. 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.

Join us for our virtual open event on 20 November

Meet the team

Dr Rebecca Digby BA (Hons), PGCE, MA, PhD - Vice Principal, Head of Learning, Teaching and Research

Details

Heritage, ethos & vision

Governance

Work at Norland