Aside from teaching, Chris is currently leading a research project entitled ‘Socially Distant Stories from Beyond the Screen’ to explore the impact of hybrid theatre in education approaches to Initial Teacher Education. Working with colleagues from Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Worcester and Big Brum Theatre in Education Company, it is intended to understand the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on the development of early career teachers as they prepare for the teaching profession.
Chris holds a position on the Advisory Board for Big Brum Theatre in Education Company.
Chris is also a school governor at Longford Primary Academy, Cannock.
Chris works in the School of Education as route leader for PGCE Secondary drama. As part of this role, he teaches about drama pedagogy, professional studies and professional enquiry. He also teaches on the MA Education and Masters in Learning and Teaching (MLT) programme.
Socially Distant Stories from Beyond the Screen is a cross-institutional research project to explore the impact of a hybrid theatre in education programme on the development of early career teachers.
Chris supervises a range of Masters students and Doctoral candidates.
Chris was also involved with researching the relationship between drama and democracy in secondary schools as part of the Democracy through Drama project. This European wide project was in collaboration with a range of secondary schools, drama teachers and their pupils. See here and here
Chris also undertook some evaluative work on behalf of Big Brum Theatre in Education Company. The ‘Human Spaces’ project aimed to explore how Young people have been given a space to explore what it means to be human. See here and here