Dr Kevin Smith
Senior Lecturer
- smithk26@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 (0)29 208 70975
- Room 2.27, Glamorgan Building
- Media commentator
Overview
I am a Senior Lecturer in Education in the School of Social Sciences. My academic interests primarily focus on curriculum theory and theorising, as well as critical/radical approaches to education. My research involves both quantitative and qualitative approaches to understanding the various dimensions of education and my scholarship has been influenced by the work of John Dewey, Paulo Freire, William Pinar, Henry Giroux, Nel Nodding, Antonia Darder, Peter McLaren, Michael Apple, and Elliot Eisner (to name a few!). I particularly enjoy personal narrative and autobiographical approaches to curriculum theorising and much of the curriculum work developed in the United States during the 70s-90s.
I also have a blog where I (and others) write about various topics in education including curriculum, our current climate crisis, anti-racist curricula and other topics. You can access the blog here: https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/drkevinsmith/
Biography
I am originally from the United States, where I was a secondary school technology teacher in Cincinnati. In 2011, I was the Fellow in Curriculum at the Institute of Education at the University of the South Pacific in 'Atele, Tonga. From 2013-2017, I was a Research Associate at the Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research & Data (WISERD). Currently, I am a Senior Lecturer in Education in the School of Social Sciences.
I received my PhD in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in curriculum and cultural studies from Miami University in Oxford, OH, USA. I also completed my Masters in Education in Curriculum and Teacher Leadership with an emphasis on multicultural education at Miam University. I received his Bachelors degree in Business Information Technology Education from Utah State University in Logan, UT, USA.
Honours and awards
- Welsh Crucible (2016)
- Outstanding Personal Contribution Award, Cardiff University (2014)
- International Teaching and Research Fellow, University of Wales Trinity Saint David (2008)
Professional memberships
- Member of the British Educational Research Association
- Member of the British Educational Studies Association
Academic positions
- 2016 - Present: Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University
- 2013 - 2016: Research Associate, Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research & Data (WISERD), Cardiff University
- 2011 - 2013: Fellow in Curriculum, Institute of Education, University of the South Pacific
Speaking engagements
- 2021. Keynote: Citizenship Education and the curriculum for Wales framework. Citizenship and Education in Global Contexts workshop. University of Portsmouth.
- 2021. Keynote: Teaching and the Pursuit of Wisdom. Aiming for Excellence Conference. University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
- 2021. Invited speaker, Teaching & Teacher Agency, BrewEd virtual conference.
- 2019. Keynote, Adventures in Curriculum: Curriculum work in international contexts, Miami University, Department of Educational Leadership student event.
- 2019. Keynote, Finding Purpose in Practice, British Education Studies Association 2019 Conference.
- 2019. Panel speaker, Are you experienced? Curriculum and the creation of educational experiences, British Curriculum Forum.
- 2018. Panel member, Close to practice research, The Future of Educational Research in Wales Conference.
- 2018. Panel member, Critical pedagogy and the new curriculum for Wales, Race Alliance Wales event.
- 2011. Keynote, Educational Research in our 'Sea of Islands,' Vaka Pasifika Education Conference, University of the South Pacific.
Committees and reviewing
- Associate Editor, British Educational Research Journal
- Editorial Board, Wales Journal of Education
Publications
2022
- Rhys, M. and Smith, K. 2022. "Everything we do revolves around the exam": What are students' perceptions and experiences of learning Welsh as second language in Wales?. Cylchgrawn Addysg Cymru 24(1), article number: 1. (10.16922/wje.24.1.1)
- Smith, K. 2022. Ambulare. The Currere Exchange Journal 6(1), pp. 107-115.
2020
- Smith, K. 2020. Editorial: Education for our planet and our future. [Online]. British Educational Research Association. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/editorial-education-for-our-planet-and-our-future
2019
- Smith, K. 2019. Priorities, purpose and efficacy: How identifying aims/purposes in education can make us better teachers. [Online]. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/drkevinsmith/priorities-purpose-and-efficacy-how-identifying-aims-purposes-in-education-can-make-us-better-teachers/
- Smith, K. 2019. Are you experienced?. [Online]. British Educational Research Association. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/are-you-experienced
- Smith, K. 2019. Aphorisms & axioms: finding purpose in teaching. [Online]. Cardiff University Blog: Cardiff University. Available at: https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/drkevinsmith/aphorisms-axioms-finding-purpose-in-teaching/
2018
- Smith, K. 2018. Through adversity comes strength: Educational policy reform and developing research capacity in Wales. [Online]. British Educational Research Association. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/through-adversity-comes-strength-educational-policy-reform-and-developing-research-capacity-in-wales
2017
- Power, S. and Smith, K. 2017. ‘Heroes’ and ‘villains’ in the lives of children and young people. Discourse 38(4), pp. 590-602. (10.1080/01596306.2015.1129311)
- Smith, K. and Horton, K. 2017. Teaching and educational research in Wales: how does teachers' engagement with educational research differ in Wales from those in England?. Wales Journal of Education 19(1), pp. 125-141. (10.16922/wje.19.1.7)
- Smith, K. 2017. Fy ardal/my neighbourhood: how might pupils' orientations to their neighbourhood contribute to a pedagogy of place?. Environmental Education Research 23(5), pp. 597-614. (10.1080/13504622.2015.1118747)
2016
- Smith, K. 2016. Living, not just learning, the Welsh language. [Online]. British Educational Research Association. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/living-not-just-learning-the-welsh-language
- Smith, K. 2016. Curriculum, culture and citizenship education in Wales: investigations into the curriculum Cymreig. Palgrave Studies in Global Citizenship Education and Democracy. London: Palgrave McMillan. (10.1057/978-1-137-54443-8)
- Power, S. and Smith, K. 2016. Giving, saving, spending: what would children do with £1 million?. Children & Society 30(3), pp. 192-203. (10.1111/chso.12132)
2015
- Smith, K. 2015. Learning Welshness: does the Curriculum Cymreig positively affect pupils' orientations to Wales and Welshness?. Education, Citizenship and Social Justice 10(3), pp. 199-216. (10.1177/1746197915583939)
- Smith, K. 2015. Fy Ardal/My Neighbourhood: Pupils' perceptions of place - a pedagogy for living in Wales. [Online]. British Educational Research Association. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/fy-ardalmy-neighbourhood-pupils-perceptions-of-place-a-pedagogy-for-living-in-wales
- Smith, K. and 'Otunuku, M. 2015. Heliaki: transforming literacy in Tonga through metaphor. The SoJo Journal: Educational Foundations and Social Justice Education 1(1), pp. 99-112.
2014
- Smith, K. 2014. Critical discourse analysis as curriculum development in Pacific island nations: a comparative model for critical investigations of culture and curriculum. In: 'Otunuku, M., Johansson-Fua, S. and Nabobo-Baba, U. eds. Of Waves, Winds and Wonderful Things: a Decade of Rethinking Pacific Education. Suva, Fiji: University of the South Pacific Press, pp. 185-197.
- Smith, K. 2014. Critical hits and critical spaces. In: Paugh, P., Kress, T. and Lake, R. eds. Teaching towards Democracy with Postmodern and Popular Culture Texts. Imagination and Praxis SensePublishers, pp. 239-256., (10.1007/978-94-6209-875-6_15)
2013
- Smith, K. 2013. Covert critique: Critical pedagogy 'under the radar' in a suburban middle school. International Journal of Critical Pedagogy 4(2), pp. 127-146.
- Smith, K. 2013. The Tau'olunga: A pacific metaphor for a caring, critical pedagogy. In: Kress, T. and Lake, R. eds. We Saved the Best for You: Letters of Hope, Imagination and Wisdom for 21st Century Educators. Imagination and Praxis: Criticality and Creativity in Education and Educational Research Vol. 1. Sense Publishers, Boston, pp. 61-64.
2012
- Smith, K. 2012. The one-room schoolhouse today: living history, looking forward. In: Poetter, T. S. ed. 10 Great Curricula: Lived Conversations of Progressive, Democratic Curricula in School and Society. Charlotte, N.C.: Information Age Publishing, pp. 1-28.
Teaching
I both convene and teach on a number of undergraduate and post-graduate modules, such as...
- An Introduction to Education (UG, first year)
- The Sociology of Education (UG, second year)
- Radical Education (UG, third year)
- Principles and Practice of Research Design (Masters)
- Critical Perspectives in Social Science (Masters)
- Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century (Doctoral/Masters)
- Comparative Approaches to Understanding Curriculum (Masters)
- Social Contexts of Education (Doctoral)
The module 'Radical Education' is near and dear to my heart. Undergraduate students can take this module as part of their final year with us in SOCSI. This interdisciplinary module encourages students to draw upon their knowledge of social theory and social science research methods in engaging and investigating pedagogical approaches organised through various, philosophies of education, with the aim of these investigations including a better, autobiographical understanding of what education means to them, as well as inviting students to consider various pedagogical approaches they believe can best provide the educational experiences (and outcomes from those experiences) the Earth and its inhabitants deserve.
Prior to my position at Cardiff University, I have also convened/lectured on modules including Curriculum Studies, Curriculum Theory, Philosophies of Education, Introduction to Social Inclusion and Socio-cultural Foundations of Education.
Research Interests
My research interests include curriculum and curriculum theorising, as well as critical and radical approaches to education. By radical I mean thinking about how we recognise and understand the "roots" of educational problems, with the aims of solving these issues set broadly against the backdrop of social transformation. By social transformation, I mean, thinking purposefully and carefully about how to create a socially just and inclusive society and considering the role education plays in meeting those aims.
Current Research
I am currently researching a number of projects relating to the development and implementation of the new curriculum for Wales. Approaches to Welsh language as a second language instruction, school climate and action research as a method for implementation and evaluation of curricular/pedagogical practice, democratic education, citizenship, and autoethnographic, ethnographic and narrative curriculum theorising.
Supervision
- General Education Studies
- Citizenship Education
- Curriculum Studies
- Curriculum theory & theorising
- Critical Pedagogy
- Radical Education
- Alternative Education/Homeschooling
