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Dr Fiona Shelton

Since winning the NTFS award in 2019, Fiona has moved to Leeds Trinity University as a Professor of Education and Pedagogy and is the founding Dean of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching.
Year
2019
Institution
University of Derby
Job Title
Dean of Students and Head of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Since winning the NTFS award in 2019, Fiona has moved to Leeds Trinity University as a Professor of Education and Pedagogy and is the founding Dean of the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Dr Fiona Shelton was Dean of Students and Head of the Centre for Excellence at the University of Derby.

She uses the power of story for transformative educational experiences and fosters an approach which encourages people to create, tell and share their stories. Fiona has worked in the education sector for 25 years, across different educational contexts from the compulsory sector, to the national policy level, to higher education.

At the heart of her work has been ensuring an excellent educational experience for all, regardless of their background. Fiona believes in the capacity of people and that everyone has potential, she therefore seeks to stretch and challenge people to achieve their best and to ensure that others do the same.

She uses the power of story for transformative educational experiences. Story is a powerful mechanism for teaching. As humans, we live storied lives. Stories can help us to learn and understand the impact that events, big ideas and discovery have on the world around us. Fiona believes that our intrinsic motivation to learn is stimulated when we understand the purpose and meaning of new knowledge. The use of storytelling and story-making provides puzzlement and surprise, which in turn requires the use of epistemic curiosity to solve a problem or reconcile ideas to make sense of difficult concepts. This is how she has strived to present learning opportunities to students over the span of her career. For the last 16 years, this has been evident in her research and practice on understanding young people’s gender identity in the context of education.

Working across different European countries, Fiona has worked in partnership with colleagues in schools and universities to challenge heteronormative practices and build anti-oppressive approaches to educational contexts. This enables young people to be themselves, to understand each other’s stories, bringing harmony and acceptance to replace hostility and ignorance. 

Fiona has recently established the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. The Centre comprises pedagogic practice and digital learning to support staff excellence in their classroom and research practice with the ultimate aim to create an impactful, authentic and active learning experience for all students. At its heart is a commitment to high-quality learning and teaching which promotes student engagement and success.

Advance HE recognises there are different views and approaches to teaching and learning, as such we encourage sharing of practice, without advocating or prescribing specific approaches. NTF and CATE awards recognise teaching excellence in a particular context. The profiles featured are self-submitted by award winners.