Dr Anjali Shah
Senior Lecturer
Biography
I am a Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education, working primarily with PGCE students and specialising in secondary education. My work explores how pre-service teachers can engage with curriculum content from diverse and critical perspectives to promote inclusivity and equity in their classrooms. My research interests span a broad perception of diversity, including mature entrants to teaching, educators from minoritised backgrounds, and how shifting identity when becoming and being a teacher impacts professional development. I use identity as a lens to examine issues in education, drawing on cultural and family positioning to form meaningful connections to experiences. Additionally, I explore the development of decolonised and diverse curricula and how workplace organisation and culture shape educational settings. Beyond my academic responsibilities, I collaborate with businesses, schools, and other institutions to promote understanding of equality and diversity. I am an active member of my university’s Widening Participation Committee and Athena Swan and have previously led institutional strategy to advance race equality.
Teaching and Supervision
Anjali teaches on the PGCE Secondary programme specialising in Science education as well as on professional studies and enrichment modules. Anjali has also taught on taught components of Level 8 Education Doctorate programmes including Research Methodologies and Preparing for Thesis as well as examining a PhD viva. Anjali supervises Level 6 UG and MA dissertations and carries out assessment on Level 6 UG and Level 7 PGCE Primary programmes.
Research and Knowledge Exchange
Anjali's research interests focuses on the experiences of career changers entering the teaching profession, with a particular emphasis on identity shifts and their impact on professional development and retention within the teaching profession. She has a strong focus on anti-racist teacher education and broader conceptions of diversity, bias, and representation within the teacher workforce and curricula, as well as the career trajectories of minoritised teachers. Through this work she has delivered CPD session to cohorts of students and current teachers as well as targeted CPD for Masters programme lecturers. She has worked with a number of external organisations and in 2021 was invited as a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition ofher work on anti--racism in education and schools. Additionally, Anjali examines the development of decolonised and diverse curricula, alongside workplace organisation and culture in education settings. Her work aims to foster more inclusive and equitable practices within schools and teacher education programs.