Dr Benjamin Knight

Qualifications:

BA(Ed) Music and Primary Education; MA in Education; Education Doctorate

Position:

Senior Lecturer in Education. Director of Project Zulu

Department:

ACE - Education and Childhood

Telephone:

+441173284176

Email:

Benjamin3.Knight@uwe.ac.uk

Social media:

About me

Background & Teaching

I was a teacher and school senior leader for eleven years and now teach future teachers and school leaders on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. I supervise masters and doctoral education research and teach masters modules in educational research and school leadership.

Research Interests

My principal research interests are teacher professional development, classroom pedagogy and leadership in complexity. My doctoral research used complexity theory and social network analysis to analyse small-group learning. I am interested in researching complex challenges facing teachers and school leaders.

I am the founder and Director of a UWE social enterprise initiative called Project Zulu which runs several projects to develop educational aspiration and opportunities in South African township schools. These include pedagogy and teacher education, computing, engineering, health and Special Needs education, sports coaching and various student teaching programmes. I co-ordinate research across these activities along with regional government and university partners.

Civic Engagement

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, have held governorships at several local schools and was a founding Director of Cathedral Primary School in Bristol. Until 2018 I was a trustee of St George's Bristol. 

Consultancy

My consultancy work covers topics including complexity and school leadership, leadership mindsets, teacher professional judgement and critical decision-making.

Current Doctoral Supervision (as Director of Studies):

A Comparative Study of Chinese Higher Education teachers' Experiences of Doctoral Programs in England and Thailand: Opportunities and Challenges in Foreign Environment.

Exploring the feasibility and educational relevance of a positive psychology intervention, PERMA, for supporting the Wellbeing and Performance of male Franchise Cricketers.

Hands in Action: A Small-Scale Case Study on Manipulatives and Conceptual Understanding of decomposition and exchange through Activity Theory.  

Funded Projects

Nuffield Foundation RDA Grant (£27.6k, PI, 2026–27): Smartphone Experience and School Policy – analysing pupil, parent and teacher perspectives to inform evidence-based school policy.

States of Guernsey (£4,643.50, PI, 2026–27): Smartphone Experience & School Policy Project – commissioned analysis of pupil, parent and teacher survey data to inform school-level and island-wide policy.

British Academy GCRF (£31.6k, Co-I, 2021–24): Book levelling app project – supporting teacher and preservice teacher development in reading pedagogy in rural and township schools through development of a pedagogical smartphone app.

Area of expertise

Teaching and learning, school leadership, complex systems thinking, professional judgement, group processes.

Publications

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