Professor Geri Smyth

Emeritus Professor

Education

Personal statement

I’m a Professor in Education at the University where I have worked since the 1993 merger of Jordanhill College with the University. My research focuses on social justice in education, specifically on bilingualism and plurilingualism among teachers and pupils but also on issues around gender, race, ethnicity and refugee studies. My research translates directly into my teaching both locally and internationally, with undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as with educational practitioners. I work multinationally and with a range of humanities and social science disciplines. I am currently the co-Editor of the European Journal of Teacher Education.

Publications

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Publications

What languages do you speak? A reflexive account of research with multilingual pupils and teachers: Smyth Geri; Language and Education Vol 30, pp. 143-157 (2016); https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2015.1103259
Methodologies for Researching Cultural Diversity in Education : International Perspectives: Smyth Geri, Santoro Ninetta; (2014)
Rhetoric versus reality : how do teacher professional standards shape the development of culturally responsive practitioners?: Santoro Ninetta, Kennedy Aileen; (2014)
Becoming multilingual - bridges and barriers to change in a monolingual primary and high school: Smyth Geraldine, Sheridan Nathalie; Learning spaces for social justice international perspectives on exemplary practices from preschool to secondary school (2013) (2013)
Who are the teachers and who are the learners? teacher education for culturally responsive pedagogy: Smyth Geraldine; Preparing teachers for the 21st century (2013) (2013)
Critical reflections on refugee integration : lessons from international perspectives: Smyth Geraldine, Stewart Emma, Da Lomba Sylvie; Journal of Refugee Studies Vol 23, pp. 411-414 (2010); https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feq043

More publications

Teaching

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Teaching

My main teaching concerns support for bilingual learners in the classroom. This is provided for BA, BEd and PGDE programmes. I am Course Director for the Post Graduate Certificate in Supporting Bilingual Learners. I also provide teaching input on ethnographic research methods and writing for publication to postgraduate research students and I contribute to the MSc in Educational Psychology on issues around diversity and social justice in education. I have been a visiting lecturer in several international settings including, most recently, Canada, Australia and Malta.

Research

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Research Interests

My research mainly focuses on linguistic, ethnic and cultural diversity in education. This includes the educational experiences of children whose first language is not the language of the classroom and the ways in which linguistic and cultural capital of pupils and teachers is utilised and valued in education. I am interested in utilising methodologies which will enable the voice of participants to truly be reflected in the research findings and in giving consideration to power relationships in the research process. My research is predominantly ethnographic and increasingly uses an intersectional lens to investigate the data. I am co-convenor of the World Education Research Association International Research Network (WERA-IRN) on Intersectionality, Methodologies and Knowledge Mobilization for Social Justice in Education.