Michelle Palser
Programme Leader for Childhood Studies with Applied Psychology BA (Hons); Senior Lecturer
Michelle is the Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer for the BA Childhood Studies with Applied Psychology course at University Centre Shrewsbury.
Michelle has a wealth of professional experience working with children and families. She has worked in a range of contexts including internationally in Australia, Belgium and Germany, and draws on these diverse experiences in her teaching. Having worked in the sector for 20 years she has seen the impact of policy development on the workforce and how this has impacted on all those who are committed to transforming children and young people’s lives. She is passionate about ensuring that the children’s and young people’s workforce have the confidence and ability to advocate for children and families in their work and that they have the skills to be a critically reflective professional to support positive change.
Michelle has a specialism in early childhood (0-8) and in her previous role at the University of Roehampton, was a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies teaching and leading a range of modules. She also had responsibility for overseeing the delivery of Foundation Degrees aimed at supporting the development of the Children’s and Young People’s workforce.
Michelle teaches and leads on a range of Childhood Studies modules within the BA Childhood Studies with Applied Psychology programme. Alongside this, she does some teaching on the BA Primary course and Working with Children, Young People and Families programme (WBIS).
She is currently engaged in archive research that explores the history of teacher training for Nursery teachers at the turn of the last century. Her work at Roehampton as part of Froebel College has influenced her interest in exploring how Froebel’s ideas influenced training programmes and provision for young children, and the way his ideas evolved to be influenced by other educationalists such as Dewey and Montessori.
Palser, M (2020) The Sharing and Fostering of Froebelian Principles within the Nursery School Movement In Palmer, A and Read, J (Ed) British Froebelian Women from the Mid-Nineteenth to the Twenty-First Century: A Community of Progressive Educators. London: Routledge
Palser, M (2019) Grace Owen (1873-1965): furthering the nursery school cause through communities of practice. Paper presented at the History of Education Society Conference. UCL, London, UK.
Palser, M and Quinn, S (2016) Teacher Trainees articulations of well-being in their pedagogic documentation. Paper presented at Early Childhood Research Centre Wellbeing Conference, University of Roehampton, London, UK
Frances, L., Palser, M and Quinn, S (2015). Teaching and learning through pedagogic documentation. Paper presented at the British Early Childhood Educational Research Association Conference, Birmingham, UK.
Palser, M (2013) My leadership Journey In Siraj, I. and Hallet, E., (Ed). Effective and caring leadership in the early years. London: SAGE.​ Pp126-129
BSc (Hons) with QTS Primary Education with Biological Science
MA Early Childhood Education
Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education
Michelle is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy