National & International Conference Presentations and Consultancy

2018

University of Wroclaw, Poland Reading, Experiences and Emotions conference June 2018
Academic paper: “Memory is the library of the mind:” Representations of memory in picturebooks (Invitation)

University of Athens, Greece IBBY World Congress August 2018
Academic paper: Dreaming of freedom: Exploring issues of conflict, migration and refugees in picturebooks (refereed paper)

University of Cambridge Research and Teaching conference September 2018
Academic paper: In search of a cohesive narrative in wordless picturebooks as art forms (refereed paper)

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2017

University of Valencia, Spain The Child and the Book Conference March 2017
Academic paper: Conflict, Peace And Human Rights Reflected In Picturebooks (refereed paper)

University of Worcester, England Reading Conference May 2017
Keynote speech: Reading and Responding to Visual texts (invitation)

University of Athens, Greece Conference and Seminar series May 2017
Keynote speech and five seminars - linked to children’s literature (invitation)

National Association of Teaching of English (NATE) Annual Conference. Nottingham, England, June 2017
Seminar: Contextualising British Values Through Visual Texts Dealing With Personal Identity, Cultural Awareness And Migration (refereed paper)

University of Wroclaw, Poland Reading, Experience and Emotions conference June 2017
Academic paper: Sketches from Conflict: Children’s Responses To Picturebooks Dealing With Conflict, War And Peace (invitation)

University of Padua, Italy International Picturebook Conference September 2017
Academic paper: Responses To Picturebooks Focussing On Homelessness In Modern Day Society (refereed paper)

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2016

National Association of Teaching of English (NATE) Primary Day Conference. Birmingham, England    November 2016
Seminar: Using challenging and controversial picturebooks with 4 – 11year old children (invitation)

University of Malta, Centre for Literacy    October 2016
Two full day professional development courses: Listening, Speaking and Reading 4-11years (invitation)

Kent University, Ohio, USA  Inaugural Marantz Picturebook Research Symposium    July 2016
Keynote speech: The Picturebook as Art Object (invitation)

UKLA International Conference  Bristol, England    July 2016 
Academic paper: “Here I Am - In The Play Box”: Developing Literacy and a Sense Of Self (refereed paper)

National Association of Teaching of English (NATE) Conference Stratford upon Avon, England    June 2016
Seminar: Responses to issues of immigration in picturebooks (refereed paper)

Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) National Library, Singapore    May 2016
Keynote speeches - Five key speeches linked to children’s literature spread over conference period (invitation)

University of Wroclaw, Poland The Child and the Book Conference    May 2016
Academic paper: Developing Literacy through Play, Talk and Stories (refereed paper)

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2015

University of Gdansk, Poland   International Picturebook Conference    September 2015
Academic paper: The Challenge Of Peace In Picturebooks Dealing With War, Conflict And Peace (refereed paper)

University of Worcester, England   22nd Biennial Congress of IRSCL    August 2015
Panel organiser (6 contributors): Exploring, Interrogating & Analysing Controversial Picturebooks (refereed paper)

University of Worcester, England   22nd Biennial Congress of IRSCL    August 2015
Academic paper: Historical Influences, Symbolism, & the Meaning of Life in Wolf Erlbruch’s  Duck, Death and the Tulip  (refereed paper)

University of Landau, Germany   Challenging Picturebooks Conference    June 2015  
Keynote speech: Challenging & Controversial Picturebooks: Creative & Critical Responses to Visual Texts (invitation)

University of Wroclaw, Poland  Researching Young Readers: Theoretical & Empirical Approaches    June 2015
Academic paper: Philosophy, Picturebooks and Children (refereed paper)

University of Valencia, Spain. Teaching Literature in English for Young Learners    May 2015
Keynote speech: Fostering Cultural Awareness Through Children’s Literature (invitation)

Academia Europaea and The University of Wroclaw, Poland    April 2015
Academic paper:The Digital Human…Making The Transition From Books To Digital Texts (refereed paper)

University of Aveiro, Portugal   The Child and the Book Conference    March 2015
Academic paper: Fracturing the Norm And Disrupting the Status Quo: Crossover Picturebooks that Challenge and Disturb (refereed paper)

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2014

University of Bydgoszcz, Poland   Word and Image Crossovers Conference    September 2014
Seminar: Reading Word and Image: Creative Responses to Picturebooks and Fine Art (refereed paper)

University of Brighton, England    UKLA International Conference    July 2014 
Seminar: Fusion texts: A New Kid on the Block  (refereed paper)

National Association of Teaching of English (NATE) conference Bristol, England    June 2014
Seminar:  Fusion texts as a new type of visual text (refereed paper)

University of Athens, Greece   The Child and the Book Conference    April 2014
Keynote speech: “What’s a memory?”: Past, Present and Future Memories in Picturebooks  (invitation)

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2013

University of Stockholm, Sweden    September 2013
Academic paper: From Comics, Graphic Novels and Picturebooks to Fusion Texts (refereed paper)

Liverpool Hope University UKLA International Conference    July 2013
Seminar: Addressing questions of migration, inclusion and equality through picturebooks (refereed paper)

University of Winnipeg, Canada, Centre for Research in Young People’s Texts and Cultures    June 2013
Academic paper: Words About Pictures research symposium (invitation)

East Midlands UKLA Regional Conference, England    June 2013
Keynote speech: Talking Beyond the Page Promoting Reading for Pleasure (invitation)

PRIMA International School Belgrade, Serbia    April 2013
Two full days professional development courses: Literacy and the Young Learner 4-11years  (invitation)

English Language Schools’ Association (ELSA) Paris    March 2013
Two workshop presentations: Teaching literacy to young ESL learners (invitation)

University of Padua, Italy The Child and the Book Conference    March 2013
Academic paper: Children’s Literature, Technology and Imagination (refereed paper)

COBIS International conference Paris, France    February 2013 
Two professional development literacy workshops (invitation)

International Schools’ conference Valetta, Malta    January 2013  
Two professional development literacy workshops (invitation)

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2012

Sections Internationales de Sèvres, Paris    November 2012
Workshop: The Power of Books: Reading about Books for Pleasure, for Learning and for Life (invitation)

IBBY World Congress Imperial College, London    August 2012
Academic paper: Exploring Issues of Migration in Picturebooks (refereed paper)

University of Leicester United Kingdom Reading Association (UKLA) International Conference    July 2012  
Seminar: Thought Provoking Picturebooks in the Changing World of Teaching (refereed paper)

National Association of Teaching of English (NATE) conference York, England    June 2012
Seminar: Audience, Response and Symbolism in Wolf Erlbruch’s Duck, Death and the Tulip (refereed paper)

University of Cambridge, England    March 2012
Academic paper: The Child and the Book: Philosophical Approaches to Children’s Literature (refereed paper)

English Language Schools’ Association (ELSA) Paris    March 2012
Three workshop presentations: Using children’s literature in the ESL classroom (invitation)

University of Freiburg, Germany    January 2012
Two seminar presentations on Gender and Challenging Picturebooks (invitation)

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2011

International Youth Library, Munich    September 2011
Research Scholarship to study children’s literature (final four weeks)

University of Tubingen, Germany    September 2011
Academic paper: History and Theory of the Picturebook (refereed paper)

University of Chester United Kingdom Reading Association (UKLA) International Conference    July 2011  
Seminar/ workshop Unconventional children’s literature (refereed paper)

IRSCL Conference , Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane    July 2011
Seminar/ workshop Controversial picturebooks and their audience (refereed paper)

British Film Institute and Film Education, Higher Education Conference London    May 2011
Workshop seminar Using short films and moving image texts to develop literacy (invitation)

International Schools Association Junior Schools Headteachers’ Conference Milton Keynes    March 2011
Keynote Speech: Multimodality and children’s literature (invitation)

National Association of Teaching of English (NATE) conference British Library, London    February 2011
Workshop seminar Controversial and ambiguous children’s literature (invitation)

COBIS International conference  Prague, Czech Repulic    February 2011
Keynote speech: Comics and Graphic Novels plus four seminar workshops (invitation)

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2010

Dubai, Teach ME conference    November 2010
Two professional development days on literacy for primary educators  (invitation)

Singapore, British Council   Animating Literacy Conference    September 2010
Keynote speech and five, one day workshops with ESL adults and with university professors (invitation)

University of Winchester    July 2010 United Kingdom Reading Association (UKLA) International Conference Presentation: Seminar/ workshop Creativity and Literacy (refereed paper)

Chicago, Illinois, USA  55th IRA Annual Convention    April 2010
Academic paper : academic symposium with 2 other international speakers (refereed paper)

Hildesheim University, Germany  Children’s Literature in Language Education Conference    February 2010  
Academic paper: Visual literacy and sequential art  (refereed paper)

Prague, Czech Repulic, COBIS International conference    February 2010   
Keynote speech and two full day seminar workshops Literacy in the EYS (invitation)

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2009

IBBY Conference Roehampton University, Froebel College    November 2009
Keynote speech: Comics and the work of Raymond Briggs ( invitation)

University of Glasgow, Scotland    September 2009
Academic paper: Reading the Visual Paper at academic Children’s Literature conference (refereed paper)

Toronto, Canada, 5th Annual Celebrating Literacy Conference    August 2009
Keynote speech and three workshop seminars (invitation)

Poetry and Childhood Conference British Library, London    April 2009
Academic paper: Poetry and the Early Years Child (refereed paper)

National Association of Teaching of English (NATE) conference    April 2009
Academic paper: Creative Connections K S 2 & 3 (invitation)

University of Cologne, Germany    March 2009
Academic paper: Children’s Literature (refereed paper)

Kuala Lumpur, British Council  Words and Beyond conference    February 2009
Keynote speech: Talking Beyond The Page : Reading And Responding To Picturebooks (invitation)

Belgrade, Serbia, Chartwell International School    August 2008
Two professional development days on literacy and mathematics with primary staff (invitation)

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2008

Liverpool Hope University  United Kingdom Literacy Association Conference    July 2008  
Academic paper: Presented two academic papers (refereed papers)

Madrid, Spain, King’s College Prize Giving ceremony    June 2008
Keynote speech: Prize Giving speech (invitation)

Lisbon, Portugal  COBIS International conference    February 2008  
Keynote speech and two seminar workshops  (invitation)

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2007

University of Barcelona Picturebook conference    September 2007
Academic paper at children’s literature conference (invitation)

Oakhouse International School, Barcelona    September 2007 
Two professional development days on literacy (invitation)

Santiago, Chile. University of Los Andes Associated British Schools of Chile (AFBS)    August 2007
Keynote speech and 4 full professional development days (Invitation)

Manchester Metropolitan University  Playing to Learn Conference    June 2007
Workshop Seminar: Literacy, Play and Learning: Children as Literacy Learners (invitation)

Liverpool Hope University  The Turn to Aesthetics Conference    June 2007   
Academic paper: Art and aesthetics in Children’s Literature (refereed paper)

Toronto, Canada  International Reading Association (IRA)  Annual Convention    May 2007  
Academic symposium with 6 international speakers.  

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2006

Kentucky, Tennessee, USA National Council for Teachers of English Annual conference (NCTE)    Nov 2006 
Acadenic symposium with 10 international speakers: Critical literacy in the Early Years

Lisbon, Portugal, St Julian’s English Speaking School    October 2006
Keynote speech plus two professional day literacy workshops KS1 and KS2 (Invitation)

Merchant Taylor’s Independent School, Liverpool    June & September 2006
Professional development day with children and staff (invitation)

University of Nottingham United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA) Conference    July 2006
Academic paper (refereed paper)

Chicago, Illinois, USA  International Reading Association (IRA) Annual Convention    May 2006
Academic symposium with 8 international speakers.  

Santiago, Chile, Associated British Schools of Chile    April 2006
Professional development days with children and teachers – various schools in Santiago, Chile (invitation)

Association of Junior Independent Schools (AJIS) Conference Grange School, Cheshire    February 2006
Keynote speech to Independent School Headteachers (invitation)

National Association of Teaching of English (NATE) conference    January 2006
Full day presentation Creating Opportunities for Reader Response and Critical Literacy (refereed paper)

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2005

Marbella, Southern Spain, King’s College Annual Conference    December 2005
Keynote speech plus workshop for primary delegates. (invitation)

Brunei, Darussalam CfBT & Brunei English Language Teachers’Association Conference (BELTA)    August 2005
Keynote speech to over 600 conference delegates and workshop to over 130 delegates (invitation)

Kuala Lumpur, British Council    August 2005
Professional Literacy consultancy support, five workshops and presentations (invitation)

University of the Andes  Santiago, Chile Associated British Schools of Chile    August 2005
Professional literacy workshop presentations (invitation)

Brisbane, Australia  Australian Literacy Educators’ Association (ALEA) Convention     June 2005  
Academic paper and workshop presentation (refereed paper)

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