Jo Bowers

Research Groups:
• Education and Social Research Group (ESRG)

Memberships:
• Editor, English 4-11,
• United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA)
• Welsh Representative of (UKLA)
• English Association (EA)
• EA Children's Literature in Education Special Interest Group (SIG)
• S.A.P.E.R.E. (Society for the Advancement of Philosophical Enquiry and Reflection in Society)         

Research Interests:
• Literacy
• Children's Literature and reading for Pleasure:

• Developing teachers and trainee teachers subject knowledge to develop children's reading for pleasure
• Developing reading teachers: How do PGCE trainee teachers develop knowledge of children's literature in the 21^st century?
• Using an on-line community to support and develop primary teachers' subject knowledge of children's literature

• Picture books and talk
• Philosophy for Children

Other publications

Editor and contributor of English 4-11: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/english-association/primary/english-4-11 https://ukla.org/publications/english-4-11
Bookshop Memories Revisited: In favour of small independent bookshops (2016) http://www.letterpressproject.co.uk/media/file/BMLetterpressFinal.pdf
Welsh Soundbites contributed to: Cremin, T. & Arthur, J. (2014) Learning to Teach in the Primary School (3rd Ed.) Oxon: Routledge.
Bowers, J. and Davis, S. (2013) Why teachers should read more children's books. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/jul/25/teachers-read-more-childrens-books Accessed on 24.02.14
PISA Training Materials, Welsh Government (2013): http://learning.wales.gov.uk/learningpacks/pisa/?lang=en
Through the Magic Mirror: The World of Anthony Browne – resource pack for teachers (2012) http://learning.wales.gov.uk/learningpacks/pisa/?lang=en

Research & Enterprise: Funded Projects

• Tidy – a collaborative project with Arts Active writing a research evaluation report on a creative project involving poets,  musicians and visual artists working with pupils to create a song and artwork inspired by their response to themes of waste, water, energy, transport, healthy living and global citizen ship. The songs and the art installations will then be showcased at a special performance at St David's Hall. (2017)
• Tidy – a collaborative project with Arts Active devising and writing resources for KS2 teachers to support a creative project involving poets, musicians and visual artists working with pupils to create a song and artwork inspired by their response to themes of waste, water, energy, transport, healthy living and global citizen ship. The songs and the art installations will then be showcased at a special performance at St David's Hall. (2017)

• Reverse Strategic Insight Plan (SIP) with the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA): Using an on-line community to support and develop primary teachers' subject knowledge of children's literature (September 2015 to date)

• Messy– a collaborative project with Arts Active devising and writing a literacy and art-based teaching resource pack for KS2 teachers to deliver a cross-curricular mask making project. (2017)
• Strategic Insight Plan (SIP) - Exchange of knowledge between Cardiff Metropolitan University,  CEWC-Cymru and National Museum of Wales focussing upon Philosophy for Children (P4C) (March/April, 2012)
• Through the Magic Mirror: The World of Anthony Browne A resource pack for teachers. (March/April, 2012)
• Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)  training packs  - Welsh Government on thinking skills and  metacognition in relation to PISA, Cardiff Met (October 2012 to April 2103) http://learning.gov.wales/resources/learningpacks/pisa/introduction-to-metacognition/?lang=en

Research & Enterprise: Project Management Activity

• Principal Leadership for Existing Leaders one week course – for Principal Leaders from schools in India (June, 2017)
• Evaluation contract for EAS consortium (Jan-July 2017)
• Advanced Quality Assurance in Higher Education programme, School of Education (March 2016)
• Teacher Assessment Materials (TAMs) for GCSE Science. Tender from Welsh Government (December 2015 to June 2016)
• Advanced Quality Assurance in Higher Education programme, School of Education (March 2015)
• Strategic Management and Leadership in Higher Education, Programme School of Education (March 2015)
• Conference: UKLA regional: Literacy Across the Curriculum Cardiff Metropolitan University (February 2015)
• On-line modules to address Scientific Literacy. Tender for Welsh Government (March 2014)
• Teacher resources for Science PISA and GCSE. Tender for Welsh Government (January 2014)
• Conference: Reading for Pleasure: Creating Lifelong Readers. Cardiff Metropolitan University. (June, 2013)
• Conference: P4C and Thinking in the Curriculum, Cardiff Metropolitan University. (June, 2012)
• Triple Children's Laureate event, Cardiff Metropolitan University. (March 2012)
• Strategic Insight Plan (SIP) - Exchange of knowledge between Cardiff Metropolitan University,  CEWC-Cymru and National Museum of Wales focussing upon Philosophy for Children (P4C) (March/April, 2012)

Jo is Associate Dean for Enterprise and Principal Lecturer in the School of Education at Cardiff Metropolitan University.

Jo Bowers graduated from the Cardiff University in 1987 with a degree in English Literature and Archaeology. From there she went on to work in the National Museum of Wales in an interactive exhibition for a year, taking primary school children through hands-on activities to bring Welsh History to life. It was this experience that led Jo to apply for a postgraduate degree in Primary Education at Cardiff Metropolitan University (then known as UWIC). While waiting to start her teaching degree, Jo worked in a bookshop. Jo graduated as a primary teacher in 1990 and worked as a classroom teacher for twenty years, fifteen of these as a Literacy Coordinator and ten as part of a senior management team within the school. During these years she also gained a Language Diploma from Cardiff Metropolitan University (UWIC) and registered qualified trainer status in Philosophy for Children (P4C). For the last three years of her time as a primary school teacher Jo worked part-time in school and the rest of the time ran her own business as a freelance literacy consultant and part-time lecturer.

Jo joined the School of Education at Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2008 and has taught across the School on a variety of postgraduate and undergraduate programmes linked to Literacy and Primary Education. She gained her MA in Education within her first two years of appointment. Jo is the Welsh regional representative for the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA), has been editor for the English Association's Literacy magazine for primary teachers, English 4-11 for four years and now sits on the Editorial Board and the EA's Children's Literature Special Interest Group (SIG). She has a lifelong interest in children's literature and developing children's reading for pleasure and teachers' subject knowledge of children's literature. Her other main areas of interest are using philosophical enquiry to develop thinking skills and talk in the primary classroom.

•External Examiner – PGCE (Primary), Institute of Education, University College London (2017 to date)
•External Mentor: For newly qualified teachers undertaking statutory induction and university tutor at Cardiff University for the Masters in Educational Practice (MEP), Welsh Government, Cardiff. (January 2013-2015)
•External Examiner – PGCE (Primary), Kingston University (2012-2016)
•Registered SAPERE Philosophy for Children Trainer (P4C)
•Editor - English 4-11, United Kingdom Association (UKLA) & English Association (EA) (2013-2017)
•Editorial Board - English 4-11, United Kingdom Association (UKLA) & E

• PGCE Primary Language and Literacy

Forthcoming events:

• Wellbeing conference – delivering a workshop on reading and wellbeing at "Powering Down in a Frenetic World: the importance of wellbeing in education, 12^th January 2018, Cardiff Metropolitan University
• One day Introduction to Philosophy for Children – 21^st June 2017, Cyncoed Campus, Cardiff Metropolitan University. Contact jbowers@cardiffmet.ac.uk for details
• Classroom Management Training - for primary and secondary pupils. To be delivered to Techniquest staff, May 2017

Recent events:

• Philosophy for Children: whole staff training in Coed Glas Primary School, Thornhill Primary School, Cwrt Rawlin Primary School, Gladstone Primary School (September-May 2016-17)

• TeachBites – Wednesday 29^th March 16:30 - 18:30 CSM, Llandaff Campus. A TeachMeet event for teachers to find out more about the Digital Competence Framework and effective pedagogy. 
• Conference – Roald Dahl Centenary Conference, Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy, Cyncoed Campus (4^th November 2016)
• Keynote – Roald Dahl and Reading for Pleasure, Roald Dahl Centenary Conference, Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy, Cyncoed Campus (4^th November 2016)
• Reading for Pleasure: Creating Lifelong Readers Keynote to open the School Library Association conference: Reading Outside the Box (14^th October 2016)
• Meet the Author: Jim Kay – award-winning illustrator of Harry Potter in The Heart Space on Thursday 6^th October 2016 CSE & CSAD in collaboration with Bloomsbury Publishing to launch illustrated Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. (6^th October 2016)
• Philosophy for Children: for lecturers from Early Years Education visiting from Thailand (September 2016)
• UKLA Research Symposium: Reading for Pleasure - What Next? OU, London (March 2016)
• Keynote:Teachers as Readers, Whatever it Takes, Leicester (October 2015)