Dr Leena Robertson
Director of Primary and Early Years Programmes
Department: School of Arts and Education
Contact
- Telephone: +44 (0)20 8411 4768
- E-mail: L.Robertson@mdx.ac.uk
Qualifications
PhD (Education) Title of thesis: Early Literacy in Parallel Literacy Classes: young bilingual children learning to read
MA (Education, Language and Literature) and BEd (Hons) QTS
Research Interests
Leena’s long term research interests include language, culture and learning and diversities and social justice in multilingual urban schools and early years settings.
Leena's current research project - "a day in the life of a bilingual practitioner" - draws on socio-cultural theories of learning and explores young bilingual children's learning in early years settings.
Teaching Interests
Leena started her teaching career in England some 30+ years ago. She has worked as a teaching assistant, playgroup leader, community school teacher and a primary school teacher in and around London. For the past 14 years Leena has worked in two universities; currently she is the Director of Primary and Early Years Programmes and the PGCE Early Years Programme Leader.
As a Principal Lecturer Leena teaches on a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and supervises doctoral students.She is interested in meeting the needs of adult learners from both traditional and non-traditional academic backgrounds, as well as those from various international backgrounds. She also supervises teacher training students and engages in mentor training in London schools.
Biography
Curriculum/subject area
Pedagogy, early years education, English, inclusion
Current work
Programme Leader PGCE Early Years
Selected publications
Leena's latest co-edited books are:
Hill, D. and Robertson, L. H. (eds.) (2009). Equality in the Primary School: Promoting good practice across the curriculum. London: Continuum
Conteh, J., Martin, P. and Robertson, L. H. (eds.) (2007). Multilingual Learning Stories in Schools and Communities in Britain. Stoke-On-Trent: Trentham Books Ltd.
Official reports:
Robertson. L. H. (2007) The Role of Community Groups and Community Language Schools in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Report for Multiverse. Online www.multiverse.ac.uk
Languages spoken
Leena's first language is Finnish; she speaks and writes it fluently.
