Michelle is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies within the School of Education at the University of Roehampton.  She originally trained as a primary teacher and taught in international schools for ten years before completing a Master’s Degree and joining Roehampton, initially as a research officer working on ESRC-funded projects before taking up her current post.  

Michelle’s research is located within the sociology of education, focusing on policy and practice in early childhood settings and primary schools.  She is committed to social justice and reflexive, inclusive approaches to research and teaching and is keen to explore the ways that theory can be used to challenge and counter performativity and inequity within educational institutions.  Her research interests include:

• Education policy, particularly curriculum and assessment 
• Neoliberalism and performativity
• Creativity in policy and practice
• Quality in early childhood 
• Creativity in learning and teaching
• The wellbeing of children and professionals
• Professional identity 
• Early childhood workforce issues
• Leadership
• Participatory research involving young children
• Bourdieusian and ethnographic methodologies
• Visual methods

Michelle teaches on the BA and MA Early Childhood Studies programmes and has taught on the BA Primary Education. Her teaching focuses upon:

• Professionalism and advocacy
• Early childhood and education policy, curriculum and assessment
• Leadership and teamwork
• Parent partnership
• Placement and professional practice 
• Research methods
• BA and MA dissertation supervision
• Education doctorate thesis supervision

• Fellow, Higher Education Academy
• British Education Research Association

• Co-investigator on Froebel Trust Funded project:  'Reception teachers' and heads of school perspectives and experiences of an observation-led baseline assessment that focuses on child-initiated activity'.  £20,000. Project Director:  Mathias Urban.  Co-investigators:  Sigrid Brogaard Clausen, Dr. Sally Howe, Dr. Sofia Guimaraes and Michelle Cottle 
• Research Officer on ESRC-funded project: 'Understanding Quality and Success in Early Years Settings: Practitioners' Perspectives' (ESRC RES-061-23-0012). £196,539.36. Project director: Dr. Elise Alexander.  
• Research Officer on an ESRC-funded project 'British Chinese Pupils' Identities, Achievement and Complementary Schooling' (ESRC RES 000 23 1513) Project Director: Professor Becky Francis. 
• Research Officer on a Froebel Trust funded project 'The Nature of Young Children's Talk in Music Making' Project Director: Dr. Angela Major