Alasdair Tweedale

Academic qualifications

BA (Hons) in Childhood Studies, PGDE in FE and Skills

Email

atweedale@ucb.ac.uk

"My students appreciate how passionate I am about my subject area, and say that my energetic teaching style makes learning more fun."

I’m an early years and behaviour specialist with a strong interest in contemporary approaches to working with children, their families, and the other adults who support them.

My work is shaped by current research and theorists in early years and education, as well as by practical parenting strategies. I focus on interacting with children in ways that respect their individuality and promote independence.

I’ve worked in nurseries since 2011, caring for children from six months to five years while completing my studies. Along the way, I spent a year in a secondary school as a cover member of staff teaching all year groups and subjects, before moving fully into education in 2021. Since then, I’ve taught early years in college and spent three and a half years working with Level 2–5 early years apprentices. These experiences have given me a comprehensive overview of child development, from babies through to young people, and a strong idea of what effective practice looks like in real settings. Of course, I bring all of the insights I gained into my classroom for my students’ benefit.

In my teaching, I encourage students to think differently about what it means to support children - particularly how we “teach” children, and our role in facilitating learning, rather than lecturing at them. I also emphasise that we must give them opportunities to take appropriate risks, and ownership of their own learning. As Alfie Kohn says: “children learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not following directions.”

My students appreciate how passionate I am about my subject area, and say that my energetic teaching style makes learning more fun. I’m proud when the approaches I teach are used in practice, and when my students report back that they’ve had a positive impact on children.

I’m open about my own educational journey: I was in lower sets at school, diagnosed with dyslexia at 17 and ADHD as an adult. My advice to new students is that the Primary and Secondary educational system is not designed for the majority of people, making me, and many others feel like we are not smart, and not able to achieve.

Due to my own challenges, I’m well-placed to support students that struggled at school and reassure them that college can be a fresh start. I always say, you just need to find something you are passionate about that you can make a career with and learn how you best learn. With that, you can do almost anything.

Outside of work, I enjoy attending Japanese Jiu Jitsu sessions and listening to Happy Families by Dr Justin Coulson, a podcast designed for parents looking for practical advice. I often remind people that it’s ok to make mistakes around children. The important part is acknowledging it, speaking with them about it, and how you plan on doing better next time that happens. This role models to them that it’s ok to make mistakes and offers them tools to help them reflect and develop.