Karen Beswick

Karen Beswick is a Senior Lecturer at the Manchester Institute of Education (MIE), University of Manchester. She has 24 years of experience in education, spanning school teaching, teacher training, and higher education roles. Her expertise includes primary science education, teacher professional development, and curriculum design. She has held leadership roles in initiatives like North West Teach First and contributes as an external examiner at the University of Derby and Teach First.

Education: Master of Teaching and Learning from the University of Manchester (2016), focusing on assessment in higher education. She co-authored 'Curious learners in primary maths, science, computing and DT', nominated for the Association for Science Education's 'Book of the Year' (2017).

Her research interests center on pedagogical strategies for primary education, international curriculum comparisons, and enhancing formative feedback in higher education. She leads modules on academic writing and international primary curriculum studies in undergraduate programs and advises master's students in leadership in learning.

Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education), emphasizing equitable access and effective teaching practices. Recent publications explore policy impacts on teacher autonomy and strategies for fostering curiosity in STEM education.

Awards:

• Nominated for 'Book of the Year' by Association for Science Education (2017)

Advising & External Roles:

• External Examiner, University of Derby (since 2022)
• External Examiner, Teach First (since 2021)

She collaborates with institutions like the University of Cambridge on Qatar government education projects and contributes to teacher training programs across primary PGCE, School Direct, and SCITT pathways.