Dr Paula Zwozdiak-Myers
Reader in Education

Summary

Paula is a Reader in Education and Director of Postgraduate Researchers (PGR) within the Department of Education at Brunel University London. Previous roles include Director of the Doctor of Education (EdD) programme, Course Director for Secondary Initial Teacher Education (UG and PGCE), Programme lead for an MA in Teaching programme designed for early career professionals, Specialist pathway lead in Social Justice, Equity and Inclusion for the MA in Education programme and Senior Tutor. She has been an active member of the National Advisory Group for Initial Teacher Training [ITT], convened by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), formerly the Teacher Training and Development Agency [TDA] for England and now the Department for Education (DfE), and Chair of the London South East 1 regional network for ITT providers. These forums provide a platform for all providers of ITT, offering diverse routes into teaching, to work with government agencies in shaping the direction of future educational policy and practice.

Paula was a member of the Steering and Strategic Management Groups for the Thames Valley Schools Partnership (TVSP), an organisation that evolved through the collaborative work and shared vision between Buckinghamshire County Council and Brunel University, to secure the license awarded by the NCTL to deliver Levels 1, 2 and 3 of the National Professional Qualification of Headship [NPQH]. She has chaired the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers’ (UCET) CPD committee and was a member of the Secondary Education committee. These forums were pivotal in bringing benefit to the university by ensuring ITE and Masters’ provision were informed by national priorities, research-led teaching and policy reform.

Paula has supported five other HEIs through her quality assurance roles as: (i) Chief External Examiner for the Teach First primary and secondary ITE programmes [Institute of Education, University College London]; (ii) External Examiner for the Postgraduate Professional Development Programme [Manchester Metropolitan University]; and (iii) Moderator on a University of Surrey validated PhD programme at St Mary’s University.She has supported two other HEI’s (Oxford Brookes and University of Bath) as external examiner for their Professional Doctorate programmes. As a thesis supervisor for PhD/EdD doctoral researchers she has 9 successful completions; has externally examined 9 theses for other HEIs and 5 as an internal examiner for Brunel University. 

In brief, Paula is an experienced teacher, teacher educator, course director, programme leader, curriculum designer, researcher, internal and external examiner and writer of educational materials. Her eclectic research interests span UG through PGR provision as reflected in the range of projects undertaken and subsequent publications.