After an open call to the BERA membership at the end of 2019, we are pleased to announce two new members to the BERA Engagement Committee.

The Engagement Committee takes an active and invaluable role in BERA’s governance, providing oversight and setting the strategic direction of all membership activities, including the member offer, awards and reciprocal arrangements with other learned societies, which are vital to the financial health and overall priorities of the Association. 

Dr Jan Georgeson is Senior Research Fellow at University of Plymouth and has a professional background as teacher of children with special educational needs. She has also worked and volunteered as a Portage worker supporting parents and carers of young children with special educational needs. Jan carried out research at Birmingham University from 1995 onwards, completing an EdD in Educational Disadvantage and Special Educational Needs in 2006. She conducts national and international research into professional development and support for families of children at risk of learning delay, as well as ways of supporting teachers to develop children’s computational thinking. Jan has written extensively on early years topics, special educational needs/disability and inclusion and is currently engaged in research capturing the sensitivity and skill of practitioners in ’micro-moments’ of interaction with children. She teaches research methods and supervises student researchers at undergraduate and postgraduate level as well as working as a researcher-in-residence in local schools.

Dr Carmel Capewell is a Lecturer in Early Years and Child Development at Oxford Brookes University. She has a strong interest in developing innovative research methods, particularly to encouraging the participation of young people in expressing and sharing their perspective on their experiences. While completing her PhD into the Lived Experience of Glue Ear: Voices of mothers and young people, she became interested in using visual methods and adapted the Photovoice methodology for data capture. Carmel has a range of experience in using both qualitative and quantitative research methods with a focus on identifying the best tool to answer the research question. She has worked collaboratively with colleagues from a range of countries and is keen to further explore such opportunities. Her main research interest is in supporting students with auditory processing issues so that they can better access the spoken word in classroom environments – this is from early years through to higher education. In addition, she is interested in developing involved learners and is active in reviewing and improving her practice. She is a Senior Fellow of the HEA and a Chartered Psychologist, with teaching experience at secondary and tertiary level.