Meet Ada Huggett-Fieldhouse, our Senior Education Developer

Ada Huggett-Fieldhouse, Senior Education Developer in the Education Development Service tells us about her role and projects she’s working on within the Learning and Teaching Academy.

Tell us about your career history:

I began my career teaching secondary English and studied for a Master’s in Education, which supercharged my interest in action research in the classroom. Since then, I’ve been a Learning Developer at Cardiff Metropolitan University. During the pandemic, I worked as a Learning Designer, and I have been a Senior Education Developer for just under two years. I have taught Linguistics in Cardiff University’s Centre for Lifelong Learning (LEARN) – I also did my degree in English Language here at Cardiff!

What does your role involve and how long have you been in the role?

I absolutely adore my new role, as it means working alongside teaching staff in Schools to guide and support the education development priorities of their school. Each of the EDS-aligned Education Developers have Schools who they work with primarily.

I help staff such as Directors of Learning and Teaching to plan their education development, making best use of the experts and resources we have in the Academy. I also listen carefully to the specific needs of the schools to make bespoke more generic resources we have.

A typical day for me could see me in a school revalidation group, offering support and guidance. I could also be running a bespoke workshop for a school with a member of academic staff and a constellation of colleagues from the Academy. More desk-based days might see me overseeing the management of the Education Development Toolkit or writing papers on educational topics that schools are interested in.

It’s satisfying being involved more closely with the longitudinal enhancement of education development in schools. It’s also a great honour to know and be known as a familiar face by an increasing number of staff in the schools. I am a teacher first and love to be amongst other teaching staff.

What projects/tasks are you currently working on within your role?

I am working with several Schools to launch their Enhancing Student Experience plans. With some schools, I am arranging bespoke workshops on areas they have identified for enhancement. Areas I’m looking at currently include assessment and feedback, flipped learning and learning design. I’m lucky enough to be able to work with our fabulous LTA colleagues in a kaleidoscope of combinations – no day is the same.

I am also currently orchestrating a minor update in the Education Development Toolkit. We have over 20 authors and contributors, so ensuring that we have continual enhancements and remain cohesive and up to date requires a lot of work!

What do you do in your spare time?

I like being outdoors and walking my little Japanese Chin dog Moshi in a variety of picturesque spots. When I’m not in nature, I’m a bit of a homebody – I like decorating my home in dramatic hues and cooking for my friends and family.

Meet more members

Find out more about other members of the Learning and Teaching Academy.