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Dr Karen Horsley

Profile summary

  • Central Academic Staff
  • Senior Lecturer in Education (Early Years)
  • Faculty of Wellbeing, Education & Language Studies
  • School of Education, Childhood, Youth & Sport
  • Education
  • karen.horsley

Professional biography

Karen is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood. Karen's first degree is in Early Childhood Studies which she completed at the University of East London. SheÌýwas a Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at the University of East LondonÌýbefore joining ¿ìèÊÓƵ in January 2015. Karen has worked with children, parents and professionals in a variety of early years settings including local primary schools, nurseries, a women's refuge and a child development centre. Karen has been awarded Early Years Professional Status (EYPS), and she is a Senior Fellow of The Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).Ìý

Karen'sÌýDoctorateÌýin Education exploredÌýyoung migrant children's ‘funds of knowledge’ through documentary photography. Her ongoing researchÌýwith the Open University aligns with a committment toÌýEquity,ÌýDiversity and Inclusion in Research.Ìý

Research interests

Karen's research involvesÌýhowÌýdocumentary photography can makeÌývisibleÌýyoung children's lived experiencesÌýandÌýpartcipationÌýin Early Childhood.Ìý

Karen was awarded herÌýDoctorate in Education:

'Exploring young migrant children's ‘funds of knowledge’ through documentary photography'

Horsley, K. (2022) Exploring Young Migrant Children's 'Funds of Knowledge' Through Documentary Photography. EdD thesis. ¿ìèÊÓƵ. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.0001428d

In this qualitative participatory case study, the ‘funds of knowledge’ (González et al., 2005) of three young children, whose families have migrated to the UK, are foregrounded, and rendered visible, through documentary photography. The children’s intuitive and wise photography, at home and in a nursery, expresses the richness of their aesthetic authorial voices, with others, as pedagogical resources. At a time of unpreceded global migration, this study interweaves theoretical and practicalÌýinsights from early childhood, documentary photography,Ìývisual sociology, literature and art, to offer a new framework for layered listening. The framework celebrates diversity with innovative and creative possibilities for re-imagined ECEC contexts, and beyond, as human spaces and channels for ongoing, culturally responsiveÌýconversation, theory and practice.

Karen's research has also explored the use of documentary photography to 'slow down' with practitioners and children in ECEC practice:

Horsley, K. (2021) Slowing Down: Documentary Photography in Early Childhood. International Journal of Early Years Education. vol. 29, no.4, pp.438-454 [Online]. DOI: 10.1080/09669760.2020.1850430

Karen's research interests are: Young children's diverse voices andÌýparticipation;Ìývisual research methods; participatory and creative culturally responsive approaches; young migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking children's and families' funds of knowledge; visual stories, slow pedagogies; digital pedagogies;Ìýdeveloping international partnerships withÌýcollective dialogues that are open to new ways of seeing and knowing.Ìý

Teaching interests

Karen's teaching interests and experiences span a wide variety of Early Childhood / Early Years modules with students on the Extended degree at the University of East London (UEL) and Undergraduates at UEL and ¿ìèÊÓƵ.

¿ìèÊÓƵ

  • E109 Exploring Perspectives on Young Children's Lives and LearningÌý(Module Chair in presentation and production of E109 remake)
  • E110 Young Children's Play and Creativity
  • E229ÌýListening to Young Children Living and Learning: Critical Reflections
  • E105 Professional Practice in the Early Years (Module Chair)
  • E100 The Early Years: Developing Practice

UEL

  • ED0007 Key Concepts in Early Childhood (Extended degree)
  • ED0003 Becoming an Early Childhood Undergraduate (Extended degree)
  • ED1009 Introduction to Early Childhood Studies
  • ED1034 Developing Learning in Early Childhood
  • ED1000 Critical Reading and Writing
  • ED2037 International Placement in International Settings
  • ED3000 Research Project supervisor
  • ED6014 Children, Culture, Globalisation

Karen holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGTLHE).

Ìý

Publications

(2021)
Horsley, Karen
International Journal of Early Years Education, 29(4) (pp. 438-454)

(2019-05-20)
Canning, Natalie; Horsley, Karen and Payler, Jane
BERA Research Intelligence(140) (pp. 22-23)

(2017)
Canning, Natalie; Payler, Jane; Horsley, Karen and Gomez, Chris
International Journal of Early Years Education, 25(3) (pp. 292-307)

(2014-10-01)
Horsley, Karen and Penn, Helen
Management in Education, 28, Article 9(4) (pp. 175-179)

(2017-07-14)
Horsley, Karen
In: Goodliff, Gill; Canning, Natalie; Parry, John and Miller, Linda eds. Young children’s play and creativity: Multiple Voices.
ISBN : 9781315446844 | Publisher : Routledge and ¿ìèÊÓƵ

(2013-10-04)
Silberfeld, Carolyn Helena and Horsley, Karen
In: Ang, Lynn ed. The Early Years Curriculum: The UK context and beyond (pp. 12-32)
ISBN : 1408223325 | Publisher : Routledge | Published : Abingdon

(2024-10-23)
Horsley, Karen
In : Children’s Research Centre 20th Anniversary Conference: Sharing research methods and processes for empowering children and young people (23 Oct 2024, ¿ìèÊÓƵ, UK)

(2021)
Horsley, Karen
In : 29th EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association) 2021 Online festival. (1-17 Sep 2021, University of Zagreb, Croatia.)

(2016-08-31)
Horsley, Karen
In : 26th EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association) Conference, 2016 (31 Aug - 3 Sep 2016, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland)

(2016)
Canning, Natalie; Payler, Jane and Horsley, Karen
In : 26th EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association) Conference, 2016 (31 Aug - 03 Sep 2016, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland)

(2022-03-17)
Horsley, Karen
edd thesis ¿ìèÊÓƵ

(2024-02-05)
Horsley, Karen
Early Childhood Blog, EC@OU; ¿ìèÊÓƵ

(2020-07-30)
Horsley, Karen
¿ìèÊÓƵ