Senior Lecturer in Applied Social Sciences and Course Coordinator for Childhood and Youth Studies (Bedford Campus)

My professional background is in early years education; I have taught in higher education over the last 10 years where I have taught on a range of early years, health and social care and childhood and youth units. I first joined the School of Applied Social Sciences in 2017 as the Study Centre Coordinator at the London Bridge Campus. Now, I am the Course Coordinator for the BA (Hons) Childhood and Youth Studies.

My current doctoral research interests explores how Early Years Educators use language to make sense of the behaviour of children in early years settings. I am particularly interested in how language is used by Early Years Educators to construct and bring meaning to children’s actions.

My journey in education began with working in early years settings; I further honed my skills as a Montessori Directress at Montessori Schools of Irvine, California and went on to manage a small chain of early years nurseries. After nearly two decades of working with young children, I went on to teach in further education institutions before moving into higher education. Through these experiences, I have cultivated a passion for fostering a supportive learning environment. I am dedicated to contributing to the continuous improvement of education in the social sciences.

Other References

• LinkedIn: Michelle Nelson
• Twitter: @EduPerspectives
• ResearchGate: Michelle Nelson

Qualifications

• Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy
• MA Early Years Education - University of East London
• Associate Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy
• BA Child and Adolescent Studies (Hons)- University of Bedfordshire
• Certificate in Education – Central Bedfordshire College
• Montessori Diploma – University of Southern California, Irvine

Teaching Expertise

• Perspectives in Early Childhood Development
• Childhoods in a Global Context
• The Social Sciences at Work
• Management & Leadership

Research Interests

• Child Behaviour
• Foucault and Power
• Early years policy
• Early years curriculum

Projects

• Early Years Curriculum and policy: the impact of the EYFS in nurturing behaviour Conference papers

Conference Papers

• Nelson, M. ‘Listening to behaviour as development in early years: A Mosaic Approach investigation of behaviour in early childhood in the UK’ Presented at BERA Conference, University of Sussex, Brighton 2017
• Nelson, M. ‘Schemas: what can we understand from young children’s patterns of behaviour?’ presented at the University of East London Early Years Researchers Conference 2016

Contact Details

E: michelle.nelson@beds.ac.uk