Dr Joanne Josephidou

Associate Head Of School, Research And Knowledge Exchange

School of Education, Childhood, Youth & Sport

joanne.josephidou@open.ac.uk

Biography

Professional biography

Jo is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood and Associate Head of School for Research and Knowledge Exchange in ECYS. She joined the Open University in September 2019. Before this, Jo was a primary school teacher for many years before entering Higher Education in 2009 as a teacher fellow. Initially she taught on Initial Teacher Education programmes at the University of Cumbria before joining the Early Childhood Studies team at Canterbury Christ Church in September 2014. Jo has taught on a variety of modules and has a particular interest in supporting students in developing early research skills. Her PhD focused on appropriate pedagogies with young children and how practitioner gender may impact on these. Currently, Jo is working collaboratively on a piece of research which focuses on babies’ and toddlers’ opportunities to engage with the outdoor environment and nature funded by the Froebel Trust.

Research interests

The key strand in my work is appropriate pedagogies for the very youngest children in the education system (0-5) including issues around gender and babies' & toddlers' access to nature.

External collaborations

Co- investigator: ‘A life ‘in and with nature?’ An exploration of outdoor provision in baby rooms’. Froebel Trust Research Grant (March (2019) – March (2021).

Co- investigator: 'The potential of a Froebelian inspired pedagogy ‘in, with and for nature’ in urban babyrooms. Funder: The Froebel Trust. Mar 2023 - Feb 2025.

Co-Vice Chair: Research and Knowledge Exchange Strategy Group fo The Early Childhood Studies Degree Network (ECSDN).

Chair: Early Education local branch (Lancaster and Morecambe)

Projects

The Nature Service (Wales) – Y Gwasanaeth Natur Innovation partnership

The Nature Service and The Open University in Wales are establishing an innovation partnership to jointly deliver an applied research and innovation programme designed to progress the establishment of a national pathway into nature‑based learning, skills and work in Wales. This partnership is facilitated by funding which The Nature Service has received from The National Lottery Community Fund and which has been allocated to The Open University, involving the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport (ECYS) working with the Open University in Wales to meet core strategic outputs. This programme will involve the recruitment of a Research Fellow who will be supported by the OU in Wales team for project delivery and liaison with the partner and line-managed by ECYS for academic supervision purposes.