Wednesday 2nd June 2021 saw the celebration and inaugural lecture of newly appointed professor, Gordon Ade-Ojo.
Gordon started his academic career as a theoretical linguist but subsequently moved into literacy in the Lifelong Learning sector. Before joining the university 17 years ago, Gordon worked in the FE sector in various roles including as a Head of school at Southwark college. Over the last two decades, Gordon’s research interest has overlapped with his practice. His focus has been on Adult literacy policy but with an unwavering focus on the impact of policy on learning and learners, as well as on practitioners. In this context, Gordon has produced over 80 research items including articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, books, and monograph reports on funded projects.
The event was online and over 100 attendees logged on to hear Gordon’s lecture and congratulate the new Professor. The event was opened by ILD Director, Professor Rosana Pacella, with an introduction by Pro Vice Chancellor, Derek Moore. Messages of support and congratulations flooded the chat function which showed how popular Professor Ade-Ojo really is.
In his lecture ,Gordon focused on the Adult Literacy policy, by illustrating the alternative narratives through the lens of the Skills for Life policy. Drawing on some of his previous research, Gordon showed how there were other narratives that informed the emergence of the policy itself, alternative narratives on how the policy has impacted on practitioners and more importantly, alternative narratives on the impact of the policy on some learners. Gordon concluded by suggesting that seeking alternative narratives is a worthwhile endeavour as it promotes the role of educational research as an avenue for developing not just technical but also cultural knowledge, helps students to develop the element of criticality and reminds practitioners of the importance of listening to the voice(s) of learners and gaining a wider understanding of the needs of learners.
Gordon also took the audience through his own personal journey and revealed that he is one of 155 black professors in the UK – out of 23,000. The University of Greenwich is extremely proud of Professor Ade-Ojo and would like to wish him all the best for the future!
