Dr Ashley Fenwick

Ashley teaches on the Initial Teacher Education programme within the Faculty of Social Sciences. She contributes to a range of modules across the Education undergraduate programme and is Adviser of Studies to students working towards a BSc Hons in Environmental Geography and Professional Education (Secondary). Prior to taking up a post at Stirling University, Ashley taught Geography for eleven years. As a Faculty Head, she was involved in a number of development initiatives relating to fieldwork, Curriculum for Excellence and Assessment is for Learning. In 2005 she took up a Lecturer position at the University of Strathclyde where she had responsibility for the PGDE(S) Geography course.

Ashley's research interests are linked to her practice. She completed a Master of Education with Distinction in 2007. Her thesis explored probationer and mentor teachers' perceptions of the value of the university based element of the Geography PGDE(S) course in relation to their probationary year. Early professional learning and student voice were themes within this research.

Ashley's research interests include school geography, curriculum making, outdoor learning and curriculum change. She successfully completed her Doctor of Education in 2021. Her Doctorate responded to a research gap; exploring outdoor learning and curriculum making challenges within the Secondary school context across two time periods 2011 and 2019. Her thesis presented an opportunity to better understand local and temporal factors shaping these practices. A practice architecture lens revealed five types of outdoor learning. Outdoor learning was recognized as: malleable, shaped by contexts and individuals, peripheral, potentially powerful as a pedagogy of affect and integral for some young people.

I teach across a broad range of modules on the Undergraduate Secondary Education Programme. I currently coordinate a third year interdisciplinary module 'Developing Pedagogy Across the Curriculum' and a fourth year module 'Developing as a a Reflective Practitioner'.