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Educational Research

Ambulare: Walking, Reflection, and the Renewal of Curriculum

Posted on 3 April 2025 by Dr Kevin Smith

What happens when reflection moves out of the mind and into the body? In this post, I share how Ambulare—a walking-based reimagining of Currere—has grown into an international collaboration helping educators reflect, reconnect and renew their curriculum work.

I, Me, and Curriculum: Reflecting on Self and Educational Reform in Wales

Posted on 11 April 2024 by Dr Kevin Smith

What does curriculum mean to me? Drawing on Mead’s theory of self and Pinar’s reconceptualist method of Currere, this post explores how Welsh educators can reclaim their professional voice and rethink curriculum as a living, reflective practice.

Currere Cymru: The Future of Educational Research in Wales

Posted on 27 February 2024 by Dr Kevin Smith

How can teachers in Wales reimagine curriculum as something lived, felt and continually made? In this post, I introduce Currere Cymru—a new research collaboration exploring how curriculum theorising can support transformative educational practice across Wales.

Getting Radical: Pedagogy, Philosophy, and the Roots of Education

Posted on 9 November 2022 by Dr Kevin Smith

What does it mean to teach—and learn—radically? In this post, I discuss how radical pedagogy invites us to dig beneath the surface of education, uncovering its roots in philosophy, justice and our shared responsibility to the Earth.

A Special Issue of the SoJo Journal: Educational Foundations and Social Justice

Posted on 30 July 2021 by Dr Kevin Smith

Guest Editors: Kevin Smith, Cardiff University and Brandon Edwards-Schuth, Washington State University. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dragonpreneur/33540117678/ Photo: Phillip McMaster - https://www.flickr.com/photos/dragonpreneur/ The SoJo Journal: Educational Foundations and Social Justice is interested in research studies […]

Cymraeg in the Classroom: Rethinking How We Teach Welsh

Posted on 12 May 2020 by Dr Kevin Smith

If most pupils believe Welsh is vital to Wales’s identity, why do so many dislike learning it? This post examines what pupils and teachers say about Welsh lessons today and explores how schools might rebuild enthusiasm and fluency by aligning classroom aims with the living language beyond the school gates.

Dysgu Cymraeg: Llais y Disgyblion

Posted on 1 May 2020 by Dr Kevin Smith

Pam mae cymaint o ddisgyblion yn teimlo’n anfodlon gyda’u gwersi Cymraeg? Yn y cofnod hwn, mae Dr Mirain Rhys yn archwilio beth mae dysgwyr eu hunain yn ei ddweud am ddysgu’r Gymraeg — o’r diffyg cyfleoedd i siarad i’r pwyslais gormodol ar arholiadau. Mae’r canfyddiadau’n cynnig cipolwg gonest ar y dyfodol i’n hiaith fyw genedlaethol.

Learning Welsh: What Pupils Really Think

Posted on 1 May 2020 by Dr Kevin Smith

Why do so many pupils say they dislike Welsh lessons? In this post, Dr Mirain Rhys examines what learners themselves think about studying Cymraeg—and what needs to change. From calls for more authentic speaking opportunities to concerns about exam-focused teaching, the findings offer powerful insights for anyone committed to the future of Wales’s living language.

From Global Citizens to Cosmopolitans: Rethinking Citizenship in the Curriculum for Wales

From Global Citizens to Cosmopolitans: Rethinking Citizenship in the Curriculum for Wales

Posted on 23 December 2019 by Dr Kevin Smith

What if “global citizenship” isn’t enough? This post invites educators to imagine a more ethical, reflective form of worldliness—cosmopolitanism—that values human connection over market efficiency. It challenges Wales’s curriculum reform to move beyond the language of economics toward a vision of education rooted in shared humanity, moral reasoning and care for others.

Wales, Welshness, and the Curriculum: Rethinking the Welsh Dimension

Wales, Welshness, and the Curriculum: Rethinking the Welsh Dimension

Posted on 16 December 2019 by Dr Kevin Smith

What does it really mean to “be Welsh” in today’s curriculum? This post explores how official discourses shape our understanding of Wales and Welshness, revealing the tensions between tradition, diversity and identity. It calls for a critical pedagogy of place—one that helps pupils think deeply about culture, belonging and the world beyond their doorstep.