Dr Valerie Huggins
Profiles

Dr Valerie Huggins

Role

I am currently the Associate Director  for Teaching and Learning in the Plymouth Institute of Education

I am also an Associate Professor in Early Childhood Studies


I am a passionate advocate for Early Childhood Education and the focus of my work is on providing well-qualified and knowledgeable adults to support young children's learning and development in a range of contexts. 

I am particularly interested in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability and the development of pre-primary education and Education for Emergencies in Majority World contexts. 

I have a wide range of prior experiences of teaching in Primary schools, with a focus on Early Years and of acting as an Early Years consultant, working with a wide range of settings to improve the quality of provision for the children aged 0-6.

I volunteered as a Teacher Educator for the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia with VSO for a year and have subsequently lead educational projects in Ethiopia as a Trustee of Exeter Ethiopia LInk. 

Qualifications

Doctorate in Education, focussing on Interculturalism


BA(Open);PGCE Early Years;MEd(Primary Education);PGCert(Leadership in Integrated Settings)


Teaching interests

Associate Professor in Early Childhood Studies
Associate Director for Teaching and Learning in Plymouth Institute of Education

Professional Tutor for the PGCE Early Years
Interested in teaching and learning in the Early Years, with a focus on Majority World contexts; Early Childhood Education for Sustainability; role of play; historical and sociological perspectives of Early Years Education; professional identity; leadership within the Early Years workforce; gender issues; ethnographic research.

Research interests

Early Childhood Education for Sustainability Young children's learning, with a focus on outdoor learning 
Professional learning and identity of Early Years practitioners
Educational research and development in the Majority World

Other research

Doctorate in Education on intercultural capabilities and international study visits

PEDRIO Fellowship Award research project Collaborative Inquiry on Education for Sustainability 
Introduction of pre primary education in Majority World contexts 
Lead on a Teaching Fellowship Award research project on using hand held technology on international study visits

Research groups

  • Early Childhood Studies
  • Professional Theory and Practice

Other academic activities

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS Huggins, V. (2015) Doctoral studies and transformation: Panel participant. PGR Conference, Plymouth University 21st June 2015 Huggins, V. (2015) ‘Education for Sustainability in Majority World contexts’, PEDRIO conference, Plymouth University, 8th January 2015 Huggins, V. & Siraj-Blatchford, J. (2015) ‘Preparing student teachers to promote Education for Sustainable Development with young children’, co-presenting with Professor John Siraj-Blatchford, PEDRIO conference, Plymouth University, 8th January 2015 Huggins, V. Sept 2014 An evaluation of an innovative project of training for Zero Grade teachers in Nekemte, Ethiopia, EECERA, Crete Huggins, V. Dec 2013 ‘International study visits and the promotion of intercultural capabilities’. Plymouth University Internationalisation Conference Huggins, V. (2013). "Facet Methodology" PGR Conference, Plymouth Institute of Education, Plymouth University. Carter-Dillon, R. & Huggins V. (2011) The Value and Potential Pitfalls of Study Trips in Challenging Euro-Centric Perspectives on Early Years Provision and Child Well-being in The Gambia. Early Childhood in Developing World Contexts International Conference, University College, Cork, 7th- 8th April 2011 July 2011 IPA World Conference 2011, Cardiff: ‘Preparing early years teachers to understand their role in promoting play: American and English challenges. With Dr. M. Tetkowski Berkley Huggins, V. (2009) Using video to capture children’s self-initiated activities and learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage: Paper presented at the Fifth International Postgraduate Student Conference, University of Leicester: Making a Difference? The impact of educational research on theory, practice or policy Huggins, V. (2010) Using video to capture children’s self-initiated activities and learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage: Paper presented at the Methods@Plymouth conference, May 2010 Huggins, V. (2010) The professional identities of a group of Early Years student teachers – an exploratory study: Paper presented at the Postgraduate Conference at the University of Plymouth, June 2010 PAPERS ACCEPTED: Huggins (2015) “Developing Zero Grade education in partnership with an Ethiopian community: a knowledge exchange”. Institute for Global Education Diplomacy, Washington DC 5-8th March 2015 Huggins (2015) "Promoting Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Development in an Ethiopian context". OMEP International Conference, Washington DC, 29th July – 1st Aug 2015 Siraj-Blatchford, J. & Huggins, V. (2015) Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood Teacher Education”. OMEP International Conference, Washington DC, 29th July – 1st Aug Huggins (2015) “Developing Zero Grade education in partnership with an Ethiopian community: a knowledge exchange project in Nekemte, Ethiopia”. 19th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies: University of Warsaw."Ethiopia - Diversity and Interconnections through Space and Time" 24-28 August, 2015 Huggins, V. (2015) “Promoting Early Childhood Education for Sustainability in an Early Childhood Initial Teacher Education programme in England”, EECERA, 7-10th Sept 2015 Huggins, V. (2015) “Promoting Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS) in outdoor learning spaces in a Majority World context”. EECERA, 7-10th Sept 2015