speakers

A few words about the conference's keynote speakers on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday 22 March 2014

Patricia Cochrane Founding Chief Executive CapeUK

Patricia is the founding Chief Executive Officer of CapeUK (www.capeuk.org) – and has worked at the highest levels of practice and policy within the United Kingdom. She is a graduate of University of Oxford, with a Masters from Sussex University and PGCE from London University. Patricia was previously the Creativity Advisor to the UK Government and continues to advise the Department for Education on issues relating to the use of arts and culture to improve learning and engagement among young people. Additionally, Patricia is a fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and a member of the Advisory Board of Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education.  Her published works include 'Building Creative Schools' – a dynamic approach to school development  'Are we really serious about creativity?', and 'Mixed messages or permissions and opportunities'. Specialising in professional development in relation to pedagogy, reflective practice and leadership for creativity, Patricia's knowledge comes from practice. She is a qualified teacher and also holds a Diploma in Counselling in Education Settings. Previously, Patricia worked as a Lecturer, Community Worker and Principal in London and two of the UK's biggest regional cities, Leeds and Sheffield. Patricia has also led a number of research projects in the field of learning and culture including a commission for 'Arts Council and museums, libraries and archives council in Yorkshire', 'the capacity of the cultural and creative sector to meet the cultural entitlement agenda in schools' and 'an analysis of the arts and community radio' for the Community Media Association. CapeUK is a charitable organisation which has led national and regional creative partnership programmes over the past 17 years playing a key role in advising Government and is currently working with Arts Council England to connect young people and schools to high quality arts and cultural experiences and learning opportunities. CapeUK is committed to improving the lives of children and young people – preparing them to face the future with creativity and self-belief.

Sunday 23 March 2014

Costas Constantinou University of Cyprus, Cyprus

C. P. Constantinou is Director of the Learning in Science Group at the University of Cyprus. He has a PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge and has worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Washington State University and as a Visiting Professor at the University of Washington. He is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Science Education and the Educational Research Review and he is serving as a reviewer in other international research journals including the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and Learning and Instruction. His research interests focus on the investigation of conceptual, reasoning, epistemological and other barriers that hamper the learning process in collaborative environments that are designed to promote inquiry as the process of science learning within epistemological frames that encourage a pervasive ownership of learning by all members of a learning community. The Learning in Science Group routinely uses the results of this research in the development of online learning environments, such as the STOCHASMOS platform, and research-based teaching-learning sequences to promote conceptual understanding and scientific thinking through the teaching of science as a process of inquiry. Dr Constantinou has co-ordinated a number of projects funded by the European Commission and the Cyprus Research Promotion Foundation. He has participated in the High Level Working Group that authored the report Europe needs more Scientists! in 2004 and was the Rapporteur in a group of experts that carried out the mid-term evaluation of the Science in Society program in FP6.