"This book is for all those who are still hopeful about the role higher education plays in improving life chances, and in trying to make the World a kinder place in which to live and thrive. Mike Seal and Alan Smith have produced a book of great beauty: they have skilfully made complex ideas concerning critical pedagogy accessible to all, whilst conveying an underlying passion which engages - indeed entices - readers to think critically and carefully about their own practice in a variety of contexts. If you want to make a positive difference in the way higher education should evolve democratically and accountably, you should read it, learn from it, apply it. Each day and – most importantly – collectively. This is a book that everyone should read!"
- Stella Jones-Devitt, - Professor of Critical Pedagogy, SCoLPP (Staffordshire Centre of Learning and Pedagogic Practice) Staffordshire University, UK. Mike Seal is Professor of Education and Social Mobility at the University of Suffolk. He was previously a Reader in Critical Pedagogy at Newman University and chair of the Romero Freire Institute. His research areas are critical and queer pedagogy and social justice in higher education. He is a National Teaching Fellow, a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. He has conducted over 30 pieces of funded research, written 11 books, 20 book chapters, 14 journal articles and over 25 other publications. He has presented at over 80 conferences worldwide.
Alan Smith is responsible for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in youth and community work and related areas. He is Vice-Chair of the National Youth Agency Education and Training Standards committee (England) – the professional, statutory and regulatory body for youth and community work; and co-chair of the Joint Education and Training Standards (JETS) committee for England, Scotland, Wales and all-Ireland. He is a National Teaching Fellow and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Alan still works with a number of local youth and community charities to support projects which work with vulnerable young people or disadvantaged communities, as well as working with a number of Unions delivering ‘training the trainer’ courses which are informed by critical pedagogy.
Joy Jarvis is currently Professor of Educational Practice at the University of Hertfordshire and a UK National Teaching Fellow. She has experience in a wide range of education contexts and works to create effective learning experiences for students and colleagues. She is particularly interested in the professional learning of those engaged in educational practice in higher education settings and has undertaken a range of projects, working with colleagues locally, nationally and internationally, to develop practice in teaching and leadership of teaching. Joy works with doctoral students exploring aspects of educational practice and encourages them to be adventurous in their methodological approaches and to share their findings in a range of contexts to enable practice change.
Karen Mpamhanga (formerly Karen Smith) is Professor of Higher Education and Professional Learning in the School of Education at the University of Hertfordshire. Her research focuses on how higher education policies and practices impact on those who work and study within universities. Karen has worked within educational development and on lecturer development programmes. She holds a Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and is currently the Director of the University of Hertfordshire’s Professional Doctorate in Education. Karen also leads collaborative research and development in her School, where she engages in externally funded research and evaluation and supports the development of scholarly educational practice through practitioner research.
