Skip page header and navigation

Nanna Ryder BA, MEd., PGCE (Primary), PGCE (HE), FHEA

Image and intro

staff silhouettes female icon

Senior Lecturer

Institute of Education and Humanities

Tel: 01267 676795 
Email: n.ryder@uwtsd.ac.uk

Role in the University

  • Lecturing on the BA Primary Education with QTS, National MA Education (Wales) courses
  • Supervising dissertations on the National MA Education (Wales) and MA Wellbeing and Professional Learning courses

Background

Nanna decided to return to study after raising a family and working in nursery and primary schools in Ceredigion as a learning assistant for many years. She undertook a degree in Early Years Education and a PGCE (Primary) course in Trinity College and was then a primary teacher for a time at a rural primary school in Ceredigion.

She was appointed a lecturer in the School of Education Studies and Social Inclusion in 2008. As part of her role, she lectured on the Education Studies course and the Foundation Degree in Inclusive Studies for Teaching Assistants on the Carmarthen campus and locations in Powys and Pembrokeshire.

In 2010, she received a fellowship from the Higher Education Academy to develop the Welsh medium Special Educational Needs provision within the Faculty of Education and Training. Following this, she focused on the Additional Learning Needs and Wellbeing on the BA Primary Education with QTS and PGCE Primary and Secondary courses in the South West Wales Centre for Teacher Education, also contributing to modules relating to professional studies, the Foundation Phase and mathematics and numeracy.

She is currently teaching on the BA course and MA courses within the Centre as well as working on a number of research projects.

Academic Interests

  • Teaching and leading modules on the Additional Learning Needs pathway (ECEW7002/7009/7010) and the Emotional Health, Mental Health and Wellbeing module (ECEW7005) on the National MA Education (Wales) programme
  • Supervising a dissertation on the National MA Education (Wales) programme
  • Supervising a MA Wellbeing and Professional Learning dissertation (ECGE7002P)
  • Teaching and leading a level 6 module on the BA programme (ECAD6013/C)
  • Contributing towards undergraduate and postgraduate lectures in the following fields:
  • Additional Learning Needs
  • Children’s rights
  • Emotional and social wellbeing
  • Health and Wellbeing in the Curriculum for Wales

Research Interests

For her Masters, Nanna researched the language difficulties of Welsh medium higher education students and the support for them as well as how to support boys with specific language difficulties and dyslexia. Her doctoral dissertation topic is ‘What are the perceptions of Key Stage Two (7-11 years) teachers, learning support assistants and learners of emotional and social wellbeing in the context of the Curriculum for Wales?’

Between 2017 and 2019 she was a member of the CAMAU research project The CAMAU project | UWTSD in conjunction with the University of Glasgow, working on progress within the Health and Wellbeing Area of Learning and Experience for the Curriculum for Wales. Since 2022, she has been a senior researcher on the follow-up project, CAMAU i’r Dyfodol Camau ir Dyfodol | University of Wales Trinity Saint David (uwtsd.ac.uk), working with the University of Glasgow again, looking at the way schools in Wales interpret and incorporate progress within the curriculum.

She is also working on a Welsh Government funded project with Wrexham Glyndŵr University and NAEL on developing professional learning resources for schools based on the Emotional and Mental Wellbeing Framework.

Expertise

  • Additional Learning Needs and inclusion of children and young people
  • Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia)
  • Autism Spectrum Condition
  • Children’s emotional and social wellbeing
  • Children’s voice and rights
  • Health and wellbeing in the Curriculum for Wales