Rhiannon Love

Rhiannon's EdD focussed on Teacher Identity and how Initial Teacher Education might prepare and awaken trainee teachers to possible neoliberal narratives in education, offering Freire's Problem Posing Education as a possible alternative approach.

Rhiannon is currently Route Leader for the PGCE Secondary RE programme as well as a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education, responsible for the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Religious Education curriculum content.

Prior to this, she gained 17 years’ school teaching experience across the Primary and Secondary age ranges in a variety of different types of schools.  Whilst working in primary education, Rhiannon led RE and worked closely with the Diocese to support other RE leaders.

In addition to her work with RE, Rhiannon has been involved with Philosophy for Children in Primary Schools over the past 9 years, gaining her Level 1, 2 & 3 SAPERE accreditation and in 2014 became an accredited Level 1 Trainer.  She has embedded Philosophy for Children into the undergraduate and postgraduate Initial Teacher Education programmes at the university, enabling students to achieve their Sapere Level 1 Philosophy for Children accreditation.  

Higher Education Teaching Qualification

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Rhiannon's main areas of expertise include Primary Religious Education and Philosophy for Children (P4C). Rhiannon is an accredited SAPERE trainer for P4C and runs whole school training. In addition she runs open training courses on P4C and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development in association with the Diocese of Portsmouth and Winchester.

Rhiannon is a co-opted member of Hampshire SACRE, representing Higher Education (HE), as part of this role she is a member of the Monitoring Sub Group, which specifically looks at monitoring schools’ provision for RE – both primary and secondary. In addition, Rhiannon is a member of the South Central RE Hub  - which is a joint venture with other SACRE groups in the South Central area, aimed at providing coherent RE advice, support and training to teachers and schools.

In partnership with Hampshire Inspection and Advisory Service (HIAS) and in conjunction with SACRE, Dr Alasdair Richardson and Rhiannon have been involved in the founding of a ‘Reading and Research Group’ to promote and encourage research amongst practising RE primary and secondary teachers – this was made possible with a grant from Culham St Gabriel’s Trust and the group meets half termly at the University of Winchester.

@DrRhiannonLove

Rhiannon was awarded a UCET travel scholarship in 2015 to attend a P4C conference in Vancouver and Seattle, to explore different approaches to embedding P4C in ITE.

Rhiannon is a member of Hampshire P4C Steering Group and RE Steering Group.

Rhiannon represents HE on the Diocesan Board of Education (Winchester and Portsmouth Diocese).

Articles

Peer–reviewed

• Love, R. (2019). Encouraging the teacher-agent: resisting the neo-liberal culture in initial teacher education. Childhood and Philosophy, 15, 1-27.

• Love, R. (2018). Taking it slow: enhancing Wellbeing through Philosophy for Children. In Parecidos de familia. Propuestas actuales en Filosofía para Niños. Family Resemblances. Current Trends in Philosophy for Children. Madrid:Anaya.
• Love, R. (2016) The case for Philosophy for Children in the English Primary Curriculum. Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis, 36(1)

Non-Refereed

• 2015 Primary RE News 61 Thinking about RE: Using Philosophy for Children to enhance the Religious Education provision of Initial Teacher Education
• 2013 Primary RE News 58 Effective learning through linking Religious Education and literacy

Chapters

• Love, R. & Richardson, A. (2020) Religious Education - What is it trying to do? In: Bower, V. (ed.) Debates in Primary Education. London: Routledge, 168-187.
• Love, R. (2018) “Taking it slow: enhancing Wellbeing through Philosophy for Children.” In Parecidos de familia. Propuestas actuales en Filosofía para Niños. Family Resemblances. Current Trends in Philosophy for Children. Madrid: Anaya.