Newcastle University

Roles and Responsibilities

I have worked on a range of projects within Education and Speech, providing input in to research design, literature reviews, qualitative and quantitative empirical research and reporting research findings.
The focus of many of these projects has been the nature of relationships between professionals and families and the evaluation of initiatives to improve professional understanding and practice. The projects have included
Investigating the impact of housing policy on schools and communities for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Evaluating Baseline Assessment Schemes for the National Association of Headteachers
Evaluating the introduction of a new curriculum in Family Centres for NCH Action for Children
Analysing the impact of the introduction of GNVQs on educational policy, teachers' practice and student outcomes for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
Assessing the impact of the Babies Need Books project on families' use of libraries and books for North Tyneside Education Services and Children's Library Service.
Exploring early years practitioners' core ideas and beliefs about curriculum and how it is operationalised and supporting their action research (ADE/BPhil programme).
Examining the role of Local Authorities in reducing educational exclusion amongst disadvantaged groups for the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions.
Exploring the links between levels of reading comprehension and widening participation in Higher Education (University of Newcastle Small Grants funded).
Investigating the multiple factors influencing Early Years practitioners' use of ICT (Teacher Training Agency/New Opportunities Fund).
Exploring qualitative differences between Curriculum 2000 AS/A Level syllabi (Edexcel/LECG)
Providing a literature review of the development of gender roles in young children for the Equal Opportunities Commission
Investigating learning styles theories and their influence on post-16 pedagogy for the Learning and Skills Development Agency
Evaluating early years professionals' understandings of children's speech and language development (funded by the Nuffield Foundation)

Qualifications

BA (Hons) Cantab. 1990
PGCE (Primary) 1992

 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling 2009

Previous Positions

I worked for four years in primary schools in the North East.

Research Interests

Expertise: qualitative and quantitative measures, research design, narrative interviewing, questionnaire design, analytic frameworks, research management.
Research interests: early literacy and language development, parental involvement, adult literacy and family literacy, teacher development and identity, learning and meta-cognition.

Other Expertise

NUDIST, SPSS, EPPI-Review, Endnote.

Current Work

Project management of the Learning to Learn programme funded by the Campaign for Learning.
EQUATE: practitioner enquiry project focused on Higher Education pedagogy

Research Roles

Project manager, Learning to Learn in Schools
Project researcher, Learning to Learn in Further Education
Project researcher, Equal Acclaim for Teaching Excellence (EQUATE)

Postgraduate Supervision

Yu Ching Cheng (IPhD)
Carrie Withers (EdD)
Therese Lewis (EdD),
John Carson (EdD)
Eric Beach (EdD)
Wendy George (DAppEdPsy)
Victoria Jones (MEd)
Darrin Beattie (MPA)
Neil Campbell (PhD), 2nd supervisor
Hannah Critchley (DAppEdPsy), 2nd supervisor

Esteem Indicators

Invited papers at policy seminars
Hall, E. The evidence base for buiding performance/added value - schools. Invited paper at the policy seminar 'Evidence-based design in the built environment: what are we looking for?' 23rd November 2006 CABE, London.
Hall, E. Modelling teacher and school development and the role of research in Learning to Learn. Invited paper at DfES seminar, London, November 2005.
Keynote speeches:
Hall, E. The development of gender roles in young children. Keynote address, Early Years Childcare and Playwork Annual Conference, Bradford, March 2002.

Invited papers:
Baumfield, V., Hall, E. Higgins, S. and Wall, K. Tools for inquiry and the role of feedback in teacher learning. Paper presented as part of the symposium Understanding and improving teacher learning: the gateway to educational innovation at the EARLI Conference Budapest, August 2007.
Hall, E., Higgins, S. and Baumfield, V. The impact of thinking skills: the results from three reviews Presented to the EPPI-Centre conference, Institute of Education, May 2005.
Higgins, S. and Hall, E. The impact of thinking skills interventions on pupils Paper presented at the ESRC Learning to Learn Seminar, July 2004, University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Hall, E. and Moseley, D., Coffield, F., Ecclestone, K., Learning Styles in ‘Learning to Learn’: a review. Paper prepared for the ESRC Learning to Learn Seminar, November 17th 2003 at the British Psychological Society, London

Influence on policy:
Hall, E. Modelling teacher and school development and the role of research in Learning to Learn. Presented at DfES seminar, London, November 2005.
Learning Styles report (Coffield, F., Moseley, D., Hall, E. and Ecclestone, K. (2004) Should we be using Learning Styles? What research has to say to practice. London: Learning and Skills Research Centre) for LSDA was the most downloaded report from their research website and caused £1million of public funding to be withdrawn from a post-16 Learning styles- driven initiative.

Influence on practice:
Invited to give presentations to Heads and teachers on action research (Cleveland, 2005; Enfield, Sunderland 2006)

Other:
Peer review for Support for Learning and Studies in the Education of Adults

Postgraduate Teaching

I co-ordinate the Graduate Skills Enhancement Programme which provides input and support for Masters level students across the HASS faculty. www.ncl.ac.uk/cflat/teaching/#gradskills
I deliver one of the sessions on interviewing for the HASS postgraduate research training programme and I provide input to Masters and Doctoral programmes on
qualitative research methods, including interviewing and using NUDIST to manage data
parental involvement in schools
multi-professional working
family literacy
early literacy aquisition, including Books for Babies
young children and gender
study skills, including using Endnote to manage bibliographies

• Hall E, Wall K. Dealing with data overload: visual methods, learners’ views of learning and researchers’ decisions. In: ESRC Visual Methods Conference. 2011, Open University, UK.
• Hall E. Engaging in and engaging with research: teacher inquiry and development. Teachers and Teaching 2009, 15(6), 669-681.
• Baumfield VM, Hall E, Higgins S, Wall K. Catalytic tools: understanding the interaction of enquiry and feedback in teachers' learning. European Journal of Teacher Education 2009, 32(4), 423-435.
• Hall E. 'Joined-up working' between early years professionals and speech and language therapists: Moving beyond 'normal' roles. Journal of Interprofessional Care 2005, 19(1), 11-21.
• Hall E, Moseley D. Is there a role for learning styles in personalised education and training?. International Journal of Lifelong Education 2005, 24(3), 243-255.
• Hall E, Wall K, Higgins SE, Stephens L, Pooley I, Welham J. Learning to learn with parents: lessons from two research projects. Improving Schools 2005, 8(2), 179-191.
• Baumfield V, Hall E, Wall K. Action Research in the Classroom. London: Sage, 2008.
• Wall K, Hall E. Developing New Understandings of Learning to Learn. Research Matters: The Research Publication of the International Network for School Improvement 2009, Summer 09(33).
• Woolner P, Hall E, Higgins S, McCaughey C, Wall K. A sound foundation? What we know about the impact of environments on learning and the implications for Building Schools for the Future. Oxford Review of Education 2007, 33(1), 47-70.
• Woolner P, Hall E, Wall K, Dennison D. Getting together to improve the school environment: User consultation, participatory design and student voice. Improving Schools 2007, 10(3), 233-248.
• Hall E, Clark J. Ghosts at the Feast: The role of research centres in supporting innovative practice in local authorities. Studies in research: Evaluation, Impact and Training 2007, 2, 1-9.
• Hall E, Leat D, Wall K, Higgins S, Edwards G. Learning to Learn: Teacher Research in the Zone of Proximal Development. Teacher Development 2006, 10(2), 149-166.
• Woolner P, Hall E, Wall K, Higgins S, Blake A, McCaughey C. School building programmes: motivations, consequences and implications. Reading: CfBT, 2005.
• Higgins S, Hall E, Wall K, Woolner P, McCaughey C. The Impact of School Environments: A literature review. London: Design Council, 2005.
• Coffield F, Moseley D, Hall E, Ecclestone K. Learning Styles and Pedagogy in post-16 learning: a systematic and critical review. London: Learning and Skills Research Centre, 2004. 1543/06/04/500.
• Coffield F, Moseley D, Hall E, Ecclestone K. Should we be using Learning Styles? What research has to say to practice. London: Learning and Skills Research Centre, 2004. 1540/05/04/500.
• Letts C, Hall E. Exploring early years professionals' knowledge about speech and language and development and impairment. Child Language Teaching and Therapy 2003, 19(2), 204-229.
• Mroz M, Hall E. Not Yet Identified: the knowledge, skills, and training needs of early years professionals in relation to children's speech and language development. Early Years An International Journal of Research and Development 2003, 23(2), 117-130.
• Hall J, Sylvester C, Hall E. Problem Based Learning and Clinical Legal Education: What can clinical educators learn from PBL?. International Journal of Clinical Legal Education 2003, 3.
• Mroz M, Hall E, Letts CA, Santer J. Children's Speech and Language Development: an investigation of the knowledge, skills and understanding of early years professionals. Newcastle upon Tyne: University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2002.
• Hall E, Higgins S. Embedding Computer Technology in Developmentally Appropriate Practice: Engaging with Early Years Professionals' Beliefs and Values. Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual 2002, 1, 301-320.
• Hall E. Babies, books and 'impact': Problems and possibilities in the evaluation of a Bookstart project. Educational Review 2001, 53(1), 57-64.
• Hall E, Santer J. Building Relationships with Parents: Lessons in Time and Space from three research projects. In: Educational Research in Europe Yearbook 2000: Papers from ECER. 2001, Leuven, Edinburgh University: Garant.
• Skelton C, Hall E. The Development of Gender Roles in Young Children: A Review of Policy and Literature. Manchester: Equal Opportunities Commission, 2001.
• Straker A, Hall E. From Clarity to Chaos and Back: some reflections on the research process. Educational Action Research 1999, 7(3), 419-432.
• Lofthouse R, Hall E, Wall K. Chapter 12: Practitioner Enquiry. In: Briggs, A., Coleman, M., Morrison, M, ed. Research Methods in Educational Leadership and Management. London, UK: Sage Publications Ltd, 2012, pp.170-187.
• Woolner P, Clark J, Hall E, Tiplady L, Thomas U, Wall K. Pictures are necessary but not sufficient: using a range of visual methods to engage users about school design. Learning Environments Research 2010, 13(1), 1-22.
• Fisher P, Taverner S, Clark J, Hall E. A pedagogical analysis of A' level syllabii: a final report. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Newcastle University, 2001.
• Santer J, Higgins S, Hall E. Working with children and parents : finding the balance. In: NCH Action For Children Staff, ed. Finding the Balance: The contribution of High/Scope to Developing Quality Relationships in Two NCH projects. NCH Action For Children, 2001, pp.69.
• Wall K, Higgins S, Hall E, Woolner P. ‘That's not quite the way we see it’: the epistemological challenge of visual data. International Journal of Research and Methods in Education 2013, 36(1), 3-22.
• Baumfield A, Hall E, Wall K. Action Research in Education: Learning Through Practioner Enquiry. London: SAGE, 2013.
• Wall K, Hall E, Woolner P. Visual methodology: previously, now and in the future. International Journal of Research & Method in Education (Special Issue: Problematising visual methods: Philosophy, Ethics and Methodologies) 2012, 35(3), 223.
• Hall E. Enacting change in classrooms: teachers’ learning, enquiry tools and the role of the university in putting learning in to practice [PhD Thesis]. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: University of Newcastle, 2011.