Masterliness in the Teaching Profession

Linda la Velle is Professor of Biology in Education at the Plymouth Institute of Education, Plymouth University, UK. Her research interests are in the areas of teacher education and professional development in general and science education (new technologies and ethical issues) more specifically. Although her background is in secondary education, she firmly believes that pedagogic issues and enquiry span the educational phases and transferability is the key to research-based improvement of outcomes for all learners, through the life course. Recent research includes the HEFCE-funded Action on Access project (2009-10); Comenius Regio-Funded projects (2011-13) with UK school partners: Active Inclusion for Sustaining Communities (with the Ministry of Education in Cyprus) and Towards the development of deeper learning and transferable lifelong skills through the use of European Key Competencies (with the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain). Projects for 2013-14 include a further Comenius project with Devon County Council and Santiago: Improving attitudes and learning in a second language through the increased use of ICT. Publications since 1987: 4 authored books; 6 book chapters; 10 official reports; 27 papers in international refereed journals; 33 international conference presentations/papers.