Lyndsay Grant
Learning Researcher
Lyndsay Grant is a learning researcher with expertise in learning in families, social software, social and educational inequalities and participatory approaches to learning and design. Her research has focused on the potential for new technologies and media to support young people’s learning both in and out of school, and in making connections between the two. Her research interests also include exploring young people’s active participation in matters that concern them and in participatory and playful learning experiences. Her research approach is informed by a commitment to social justice that starts with valuing the voices and experiences of participants in the research process. She is experienced in conducting interdisciplinary empirical qualitative research in a range of settings, including schools, museums and science centres and online. She has edited and published in academic journals and written and presented for practitioner, policy and industry audiences.
Research Interest Areas
- Learning in the family and home-school relationships
- Social software / web 2.0 in schools
- Learning with digital technologies in museums and science centres
- Critical literacies in a digital world
- Participatory and playful approaches to learning
Current Project
- Home-School Relationships - an empirical research project investigating children’s active role in mediating the relationship between their home and school lives. Children, parents and teachers are participating in the project to explore the following two questions: What factors support learners in successfully negotiating relationships between home and school learning; and how might digital technologies support learners to mediate home-school relationships?
Previous projects
- Learning in Families - researching the landscape of learning in families with digital technologies.
- Dream Catcher - capturing young children’s thoughts and feelings to connect early years settings and home.
- BBC Blast (MSc research project) - empirical research exploring how far the BBC Blast initiative offers inclusive opportunities for creativity and learning.
- MobiMissions - a location-based, social, mobile phone experience enabling players to engage with their environment and community.
- Space Mission: Ice Moon - pupils use video-conferencing facilities and interactive materials to help resolve a disaster in space.
Previous Posts
- Commissioning Publisher for Primary Literacy, Pearson Education (1999-2005)
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Grant, L. (2009) ‘“I Don’t Care Do Ur Own Page”: a case study of using wikis for collaborative writing in a UK secondary school.” Special issue: ‘Learning and social software – researching the realities’ of Learning, Media and Technology 34 (2).
- Selwyn, N. and Grant, L. (2009) Researching the realities of social software use - an introduction. Special issue: ‘Learning and social software – researching the realities’ of Learning, Media and Technology 34 (2).
Other publications
- Grant, L. (2009) Learning in Families: A review of research evidence and the current landscape of Learning in Families with digital technologies. Bristol: Futurelab.
- Grant, L. (2008) Designing Educational Technologies for Social Justice. Bristol: Futurelab.
- Grant, L. (2007) Learning to be part of the knowledge economy: digital divides and media literacy. Bristol: Futurelab.
- Grant, L. (2006) Mobile, Collaborative and Location-based Learning: a case study of the MobiMissions prototype. Bristol: Futurelab.
- Owen, M.; Grant, L.; Facer, K. and Sayers, S. (2005) Social Software and Learning. Bristol: Futurelab.
External Grants
Research leading to the publication of the Futurelab Handbook on Designing Technology-Enhanced Learning for Social Justice (CfBT, £52,000)
Awards
BETT Award 2006 for English Key Stage 1 and 2: ‘Feargal Fly: Private Eye’ original interactive, non-linear fiction text as part of the commissioned series of Longman Digitexts.
Conferences/Presentations
- “So it's all, you know, getting your face around” Online creative communities and educational inequalities. British Educational Studies Association (BESA) Annual Conference, July 2009, Staffordshire University.
- Designing technology-enhanced learning environments to promote educational equality and social justice: Does how you design matter? Association for Learning Technology Conference (ALT-C) September 2008, Leeds University.
- Informal Learning, educational equality and new technologies. This Learning Life 2. Bristol University, 20 June 2008, Bristol.
- Designing with Learners (with Clara Lemon). Bristol Design Festival Visual Karaoke. 16 June 2008, Bristol.
- Web 2.0: Definitions and Issues (panel moderator). ‘Bringing Web 2.0 Innovation to Our Schools: Leadership and Policy Challenges’ Symposium at CoSNs K-12 School Networking Conference. 9 March 2008, Washington DC, USA.
- Harnessing the nation’s talents for education – the potential of social software? Presenting and facilitating Ministerial Exchange at Moving Young Minds International Education Leaders Conference. 8 January, London.
- Mobile Learning Exchange (with Dan Sutch). Handheld Learning Conference, 10-12 October 2007, London.
- “Writing’s What Gets You Your Grades, Not Pictures”: Using wikis as a tool for collaborative knowledge-building. In Symposium: ‘What’s So Social about Social Software and Why Should Educators Care?’ at Computer Assisted Learning Conference (CAL'07), 26-28 March 2007, Dublin.
- ‘MobiMissions’: A locative, mobile and collaborative game using cellular networks. Computer Assisted Learning Conference (CAL'07), 26-28 March 2007, Dublin.
- Mobile Learning: Breaking down barriers. BETT 2007, London.
- How might trends in Social and Open Source Software transform learning? Futurelab Research Insights Day, 30 November, 2006.
- Space Mission: Ice Moon: Students Working as Scientists. Developing Innovative Video Resources for Students Everywhere Conference (DIVERSE) 5-7 July 2006, Glasgow.
Professional bodies
Visiting Fellow at University of Bristol (Graduate School of Education)
Member of the DCSF Parental Engagement Consultative Group
lyndsay [dot] grant [at] futurelab [dot] org [dot] uk
0117 915 8231