Browsing by Person "Dick, Suzie"

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Duthchas and a Queer Journey on a Scottish Isle
(Routledge, 2025-02-14) Dick, Suzie; O’Neil, James; Harrison, Julia
This chapter examines programs in two Scottish island schools with the aim to support students and teachers identifying as queer in small rural island communities. Utilizing the concept of Duthchas, an all-encompassing Scots Gaelic word that describes the understanding of land, people, and culture, the authors ask where these populations find belonging. The specific experience of being queer in an island community depends on various factors, including the community’s culture and attitudes, size, and diverse demographics. Often there are limited resources such as LGBTQI+ support groups, centres, or healthcare providers with specific expertise. Finding necessary supports and resources may require seeking help online or from a mainland area that may not understand the complexities of being queer on a small island. Through analysis of the two programs, combined with the personal narratives of those taking part in the programs, and of those involved in organizing them, this chapter explores the intersecting identities of being a Scottish islander, queer, and in the education field, and how supported students and staff navigate community dynamics to create a fulfilling life on the islands.
The EdD and one bedtime story more! An exploration of the Third-Space inhabited by mothers working in educational leadership whilst studying for a professional doctorate
(2017-11-28) Gibson, Poppy; Shanks, Rehana; Dick, Suzie
This article focuses on the ever-present pressures, tensions and opportunities for women leaders in education, and the link between identity, pursuit of excellence and the pursuit of a complete, worthwhile life. It highlights the experience of three women in educational leadership who are undertaking Doctoral studies while balancing the needs of family, work and study. It aims to explore how the multiple facets of a woman’s identity come together to enable each to lead in an educational setting. We consider ‘the third space in an identity’, a place in which ‘everything comes together’ and we call into question whether a woman’s identity as a leader is ever truly fixed. The implications of this narrative are that it may serve to inform and challenge those responsible running a Doctorate in Education (EdD) programme. We highlight the implications of leadership, including capabilities from a gendered perspective and the impact and challenges on us in navigating the twilight zone. We conclude that lifelong learning needs to meet the need of learners.
Finding joy on the way: shared journeys in education [Editorial]
(University of Aberdeen, 2025-09-16) Green, Sarah; Kimm, Michael; Morin, Julie; Dick, Suzie
As we cross through the first quarter-century mark of our new millennium, we find ourselves, as educators, entrenched in a landscape of ever moving standards, fighting the battles of ever more sociopolitical stakeholders, while constantly being bombarded by the needs of the next new system, the next new talking points, the next new pedagogy. The field of practice is ever more dotted with academic landmines for teachers to navigate, while data driven instruction initiatives and accountability policies in the name of rigor afford many teachers less curricular movement than ever before. It is safe to say, both critically and anecdotally, the profession, at every level, is exhausted. This plays out in the numbers both entering and leaving the profession, which in many countries has reached disparities that are borderline catastrophic (Domović and Drvodelić, 2025; Lindqvist et al., 2022; Magni, 2025; Nguyen et al., 2024; Rahimi and Arnold, 2025), with UNESCO via the United Nations currently estimating “an urgent need for 44 million primary and secondary teachers worldwide by 2030” (UNESCO, 2025). The work, for so many of those who remain, has become work of fear, frustration, and futility; the love is dwindling, the joy is gone. This statement is not hyperbolic. Beyond being felt deeply by this core of editors, a surge of academic investigation into joy in education post-COVID simultaneously recognizes the degradation of joy in contemporary classrooms and systems and the essential role that joy plays in both teaching and learning. Multiple collections of essays have been published since this special issue put out its call in late 2024 that specifically examine joy in our global pedagogies, an example of which can be found in Joy-Centered Pedagogy in Higher Education, edited by Eileen Kogl Camfield and published by Routledge in the middle of 2025. As part of the pre-title, multi-author foreword, Stommel addresses, in one stroke, many of the above highlighted concerns: “Teaching is deeply human work. This book is an antidote to all the forces in education that would have us forget that… we can refuse the narrative that we must suffer to do something good for our students” (see Camfield, p.ii). Camfield herself, in her formal foreword in the same work, suggests we “take another look at joy – joy not as fluffy ‘feel goodism,’ but as the tough fiber that binds community together and weaves a net that catches those who might otherwise fall” (p.xiv). This special issue is Education in the North’s (accidentally) well-timed contribution to that call.
From distant collaboration to collaborative presentation: the EdD and one bedtime story more
(University of Greenwich, 2018) Gibson, Poppy Frances; Dick, Suzie
As part of their ever-evolving doctoral journey, the authors presented their recently-published article The EdD and one bedtime story more! An exploration of the Third Space inhabited by mothers working in educational leadership whilst studying for a professional doctorate (Gibson, Shanks and Dick, 2017) at the Greenwich SHIFT Teaching and Learning Conference, 2018. From distant collaboration to collaborative presentation, the conference brought together two of the three women who had written the article together via online communications between London to Scotland in a virtual third space (Soja, 1999), having never previously met face to face. Third spaces, such as online messenger platforms as used by the authors, can provide a place for individuals to collaborate, and identities to develop. The article focused on the ever-present pressures, tensions and opportunities for women leaders in education (Gibson, Shanks and Dick, op.cit., p.172). This conference piece draws parallels between the pressures, tensions and opportunities that conferences can provide. The article offers an opportunity for further reflection on the experience of the conference as yet another part of doctoral study and makes links to the original articles claim that study can be a third space (Soja, op.cit.). The conference revealed itself as the ideal third space for both professional and personal development.
Professional learning and an emergent community of practice on the Scottish islands as viewed through Biesta’s educational domains
(Informa UK Limited, 2023-09-21) Dick, Suzie; Burns, Helen
The Scottish Island Schools Network is a community of practice for leadership teams working in island schools in Scotland. This paper reflects on the emergence of the network within an island community context. The paper discusses how the emergence of an island network aligns with Biesta’s (2009) three educational domains of qualification, socialisation and subjectification. Drawing on the OECD (2019) report on rural education, this paper explores the professional learning needs of teachers in remote, Scottish communities, highlighting issues of rurality, benefits and challenges. It considers the role of identity and the tensions that can exist between the different ‘faces’ of a teacher living and working in an island community - as an islander, community member, teacher, and within a wider educational context. In an increasingly digital age, the paper explores the opportunities and limitations for those in less digitally connected rural areas to take part in professional learning opportunities, along with other practical considerations. Finally, the paper discusses the importance of preserving personal and social identities in a remote rural school, and how the unique experiences of rural educators may offer insights which are useful for the wider education population.
Research on the move: Walking as a research methodology and the importance of expeditioning
(Routledge, 2024-08-15) Dick, Suzie; Garnham, Wendy; Oprandi, Paolo
This chapter examines the rationale and evidence base for expeditions overseas, through the lens of walking as a research method. Expeditions are both a physical endeavour and one where participants also travel in their minds as they plan, look forward to, and carry out the expedition. Through expeditioning, there is an educational value of challenging experiences beyond formal schooling that leads to an experience that is multi-dimensional. By analysing the rationale for student expeditions, it will be argued that by utilising a lived experience methodology, the benefits of doing so link directly to what it means to have a flourishing life. This chapter will seek to highlight that though outcomes from expeditions are highly individual, previous research has found that there is an increase in the development of social skills and by using walking as a research method, we are better able to understand the numerous ways in which this informal learning pathway may develop during such an educational experience, how it can benefit their university course, and ultimately, support them in their future career.
Scottish Island Schools Network: bringing the remote rural voice to networked professional development
(John Catt, 2022-06-30) Dick, Suzie; Peat, Stephanie; Brown, Chris; Handscomb, Graham
Situated Learning and Social Capital
(IGI Global, 2025-05-23) Dick, Suzie
This chapter critically examines the intersection of learning culture, identity, and community engagement within the context of Scottish island education, challenging the prevailing deficit narratives that frequently characterise these schools. It investigates the ways in which learners, educators, and families navigate educational opportunities and barriers in geographically remote environments, emphasising the resilience, innovation, and cultural richness of island communities. the chapter foregrounds the centrality of community cohesion and culturally responsive pedagogy in sustaining successful educational experiences through a critical review of key Scottish Government policies, the chapter assesses the extent to which national strategies address the distinct challenges and potentials of island schooling. The chapter concludes by advocating a strengths-based reimagining of island education. In doing so, it offers a contribution to current educational discourse by recognising Scottish island schools as deeply connected to their communities and environments.
Space for Imagination? Exploring the Challenges of Implementing Art‐Based, Metacognitive Approaches for Supporting Imagination as a Route to Agency
(2025-03-26) Burns, Helen; Dick, Suzie; Keay, Cath; Robb, Anna; Woolner, Pamela
This paper explores the implementation and evaluation of Imagination Agents, a mixed‐methods case study, with young people aged 12–13, funded by a Royal Society of Arts Catalyst Award. The project was grounded in a flexible theory that imagination enables the necessary originality for creativity, enabling learners to construct personal understandings of their own learning which equate to metacognition, with this enabling the self‐awareness and confidence for personal and, in turn, social/democratic agency. Life in a posthuman world necessitates the creation of new understandings, which can be produced through the application of imagination and agency, towards the conceptualisation and facilitation of positive change. Supporting learners to develop imagination and understand it metacognitively could result in personal agency which better equips them as participants within and activators of healthy environments. Based on Burns' (2024) models of cognitive/metacognitive imagination, we tried to support imagination and agency through a focus on the local environment. Implementation of the pedagogy and evaluation was very challenging in the school context. There was little space for imagination and agency. In conclusion, we consider how we might create such a space.
Stages of Grief
(Routledge, 2025-11-04) Haraldsdottir, Erna; Dick, Suzie; Palastanga, Emma L.; Gibson, Poppy; Greenhalgh, Marie
Suspensions and Detentions
(Routledge, 2024-10-29) Dick, Suzie; Scholes, Stephen C.
Teacher identity and professional development
(Imaginative Minds Ltd, 2023-10-05) Dick, Suzie; Burns, Helen; McGlynn, Louise; Peat, Stephanie
Teaching overseas
(Routledge, 2023-07-11) Durrant, Sam; Austen, Kelly; Burns, Sally; Dick, Suzie; Carrington, Sven; Gosling, Jess; Barnes, Chris; Read, Scott; Cratchley, Mark; van Veggel, Nieky; Godfrey-Faussett, Thomas; Kay-Moyle, Jasmine; Agamova, Oksana; Rose, Joe; Hackett, Simone
Have you even wondered about teaching overseas or in a different country? Is there a particular country you have considered travelling to teach in, or are you open to suggestions? This fascinating chapter shares 15 contributor voices, reflecting upon their experiences of teaching overseas and communicating and collaborating internationally. Covering a global span of places including Goa, Thailand and Ethiopia (and everywhere in between!), we are sure you will enjoy hearing about the educational challenges, joys and curricula curiosities that can be found in these alternate school settings.