Key details
Janet Morris
Senior Lecturer, Programme Leader for Early Years
Janet Morris is a Senior Lecturer for Early Years in the School of Education at the University of Greenwich.
In 2015 Janet gained her Master's degree in Education and is currently studying for a Doctorate in Education (Early Childhood) at the University of Sheffield.
Janet originally studied Physiology at the University of Leeds and then took a post graduate qualification in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, qualifying as a state registered dietitian and working in the NHS in a range of community and acute settings, including managing the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Lewisham Hospital.
In 2000, she retrained as a primary teacher, specialising in Early Years, commencing as a nursery and reception teacher spanning 11 years, the last three years as an early years leader of an Early Years Foundation Stage Unit, co-leading a middle leadership development programme for a cluster of local schools. Janet is also a trained Forest School leader, maintaining her professional practice with applied teaching in a partnership school.
Janet began lecturing at the University of Greenwich in 2012, with responsibility for both the undergraduate and postgraduate primary education programmes. She leads Year 2 undergraduate students on school experience, personal and professional tutoring, academic development and pastoral care. Janet contributes to lecturing undergraduates on science in primary education and leads on a course she developed on Engaging Primary Learners for the newly established Accelerated Degree.
Her main areas of lecturing include: teaching and learning in the EYFS both indoors and out; developing as a specialist teacher in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS); Science in the primary curriculum; Expressive curriculum; Understanding the world; and Education and Professional Studies, with a focus on behaviour management.
Posts held previously:
- 2009-12, Early Years Leader/Nursery teacher, John Ball School, Blackheath
- 2001-09, Nursery and Reception teacher, John Ball School, Blackheath
- 1996-2000, Clinical Dietetic Services Manager, Lewisham Hospital
- 1988-96, Senior Dietitian specialising in diabetes, (Paediatrics) Community Development, Greenwich District Hospital
- 1986-88, Basic grade Dietitian, Whittington Hospital
Responsibilities within the university
- Senior lecturer and Early Years programme lead, Department of Primary Education
- Course leader on Engaging Primary Learners (2-Year Accelerated Degree)
- Lecturer on the EYFS
- Link tutor to students on placement
- Supervising undergraduate research projects
Research / Scholarly interests
Janet's research interests is about the role of parents in a young children's educational attainment and how they can be supported by primary schools. She is particularly focused in how parents of disadvantaged children can be supported in developing the home learning environment to support speech and language development, and the contexts which promote intergenerational conversation.
She is also interested in participants' voices in research and applying this to service developments. This was the focus of her Master's degree dissertation, where she researched the experiences of undergraduate students on school placements and how this could be used to improve support for students.