Dr Ruth Hewston

Head of Department for Education and Inclusion and Principal Lecturer

Senior Leadership Team

Contact Details

email: r.hewston@worc.ac.uk
tel: 01905 542264

Ruth joined the University of Worcester in 2009 having worked in both teaching and research led Higher Education Institutions for over ten years. Prior to joining the University of Worcester, she was employed as a Senior Research Fellow within the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY) and the Centre for Educational Development Appraisal and Research (CEDAR), both at the University of Warwick. She has also held posts at the University of Leicester, University of Wolverhampton and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She is now Head of Department for Education and Inclusion.

Over the past 18 years, she has led and contributed to a number of national and international projects in inclusive education, giftedness and supporting learners with additional educational needs. In 2012-2015 Ruth was involved in the GUIDE Project, funded by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme, which developed a professional training package for teachers across Europe working with learners with additional needs in mainstream settings.

Aside from her academic interests, Ruth is also a volunteer Research Networker for the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) and a Patient for Public Involvement (PPI) Advisor for CLARHC West Midlands Maternity and Child Health Theme. Ruth also contributes as a volunteer and lay member to projects in obstetric care, including as a co-applicant on a number of research grants in public health and maternity care at the University of Birmingham.

Ruth is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA). She is also an Associate Fellow (AFBPsS) and Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) with the British Psychological Society.

Qualifications

  • PhD Entitled “Using music to regulate mood”
  • MA Psychology for Musicians
  • PGCert Mentoring and Coaching for Leadership in Education (with Distinction)
  • PGCert Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (with Distinction)
  • Dip Psych Diploma in Psychology
  • BA (Hons) Performing Arts

Teaching & Research

Teaching Interests

  • Inclusive Education 
  • Learning support 
  • Education of gifted, talented and highly able learners 
  • The psychology of learning and teaching 
  • The psychosocial study of education

Research supervision

Dr Hewston supervises PhD and EdD students and would welcome enquiries regarding further study in the following areas: 

  • Inclusive education 
  • Education of gifted, talented and highly able learners 
  • Experiences of high ability among children and young people, including their social and emotional needs 
  • Parenting children of high ability 
  • The psychology of education, particularly in areas of teaching and learning 
  • Music Education

Professional Bodies

  • Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
  • Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA)
  • Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS)
  • Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society (CPsychol)
  • Affiliate member of the Academy of Social Sciences (ASS)
  • Member of the British Educational Research Association (BERA)
  • Member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA)
  • Volunteer Research Networker and Member National Childbirth Trust (NCT)

 

Publications

Book chapters

Smith, S. & Hewston, R. (forthcoming 2018). ‘Opening the Door to the Virtual School’: Enhancing Student Engagement Through Online Learning Communities’. In Flexible Pedagogies in Practice: Implementing Flexibility.

Hewston, R. (2018). ‘Gender Diversity’ In Understanding inclusion: Core concepts, policy and practice, Woolley, R. (ed.). London: Routledge.        

Campbell, R. J., Eyre, D., Hewston, R., Muijs, R. D. Neelands, J. G. A. & Robinson, W. (2009) The social origins of students identified as gifted and talented in England: A geo-demographic analysis’. Gifted and Talented Education. Eyre, D. (ed.), London: Routledge.

Journal articles 

Kenyon, S., Johns, N., Duggal, S., Hewston, R., & Gale, N. (2016). Improving the care pathway for women who request Caesarean section: An experience-based co-design study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 16, 348.

Hewston, R. M., Lane, A. M., & Karageorghis, C. I. (2008). Development and initial validation of the music mood-regulation scale (MMRS). E-Journal of Applied Psychology, 1(1), 15-22.

Campbell, R. J., Eyre, D., Hewston, R., Muijs, R. D., Neelands, J. G. A., & Robinson, W. (2007). The social origins of students identified as gifted and talented in England: A geo-demographic analysis. Oxford Review of Education, 33(1), 103-110.

Campbell, R. J., Robinson, W., Neelands, J., Hewston, R. & Mazzoli, L. (2007). Personalised learning: Ambiguities in theory and practice. British Journal of Educational Studies, 55(2), 135-154.

Hewston, R., Ayre, C., & Dodds, R. (2007). Colic in Babies: An NCT Evidence Based Briefing. New Digest, 38, 23-28.

Hewston, R., Ayre, C., & Dodds, R. (2007). Researching colic: A crying matter. Part 1: Causes and risk factors. The Practising Midwife, 10(10), 20-23.

Hewston, R., Ayre, C., & Dodds, R. (2007). Researching colic: A crying matter. Part 2: Treatments. The Practising Midwife, 10(11), 30-33.

North, A. C., Hargreaves, D. J., MacKenzie, L. C., & Law, R. M. (2004). The effects of musical and voice “fit” on responses to advertisements. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34(8), 1675-1708.

Lane, A., Hewston, R., Redding, E. & Whyte, G. P. (2003). Mood changes following modern-dance classes. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 31(5), 453-460.

Research reports

Hewston, R., Neelands, J., & Raynsford, J. (2008). Raising the quality of creative process and product in youth theatre and widening representation and access in youth theatre. Technical Paper. Report commissioned by the National Association of Youth Theatres.

Neelands, J., Hewston, R., & Raynsford, J. (2008). Access and Excellence: Towards a national debate of Youth Theatre Practices. Report commissioned by the National Association of Youth Theatres.

Hewston, R. (2007). An Interim HEFCE Evaluation of the CAPITAL Centre: Creativity and Performance In Teaching and Learning. Warwick: University of Warwick.

Muijs, D., Mazzoli, L., Hewston, R., & Campbell, J. (2007). The National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth: Second Post-18 annual survey of students. Occasional Paper 20.

Mazzoli, L., Campbell, R. J., & Hewston, R. (2006). The second annual survey of the workloads and support needs of gifted and talented coordinators in secondary schools in England. Occasional Paper 15.

Campbell, R. J., Muijs, D., Mazzoli, L., Hewston, R., Neelands, J., Robinson, W., & Eyre, D. (2006). Engagement with school, identity and self-esteem: The characteristics of gifted and talented students in England Occasional Paper 11.

Campbell, R. J., Neelands, J., Robinson, W., Mazzoli, L., & Hewston, R. (2006). Personalised learning: ambiguities in theory and practice. Occasional Paper 13.

Robinson, W., Campbell, R. J., Mazzoli, L., & Hewston, R. (2006). Developing expertise: School-based case studies. Occasional Paper 12.

Campbell, R. J., & Hewston, R. (2005). Policy implications of the first annual survey of the workloads and support needs of gifted and talented co-ordinators in secondary schools in England Occasional Paper 4a.

Campbell, R. J., Muijs, R. D., Neelands, J. G. A., Robinson, W., Eyre, D., & Hewston, R. (2005). The social origins of students identified as gifted and talented in England: A geo-demographic analysis Occasional Paper 8.

Hewston, R., Campbell, R. J., Eyre, D., Muijs, R. D., Neelands, J. G. A., & Robinson, W. (2005). A baseline review of the literature on effective pedagogies for gifted and talented students. Occasional Paper 5.

Hewston, R. (2005). The first annual survey on the workloads and support needs of gifted and talented coordinators in secondary schools in England. Occasional Paper 4.

Selected conference papers (since 2005) 

Hewston, R., Smith, S. & Woolley, R. (2015) Developing teacher education across Europe: Experiences of partnership working. Teacher Education Policy in Europe Network (TEPE) 2015 Conference,  University of Dundee, May 2015. 

Hewston, R., Smith, S. & Woolley, R. (2015) Experiences of education professionals supporting learners with additional needs in European Union partner countries. The 6th Teacher Education Advancement Network Conference: Knowing About Teaching, Aston University, May 2015. 

Smith, S. & Hewston, R. (2015) Using Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and a VLE to Promote Independent Learning. Enhancing Student Engagement through Online Learning Communities, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 20th April 2015. 

Hewston, R. (2008) The Gifted and Talented Child: An Holistic View. Northamptonshire Annual Head Teachers Residential Conference, 6-7 March, Northampton.

Hewston, R. (2007) The role of symbolic gesturing in family communication. The Inaugural International Conference on Music Communication Science, Sydney, Australia, 5-7 December, 2007.

Hewston, R. (2007) The effects of lullaby education on infant vocal development. The Inaugural International Conference on Music Communication Science, Sydney, Australia, 5-7  December, 2007.      

Hewston, R. (2007). Socially and cultural acquired aspects of giftedness and talent. The National Association for Gifted Children: Igniting Ideas and Innovation in Giftedness, Minneapolis, 7-11 November, 2007.

Hewston, R. & Cadwallader, S. (2007) Developing expertise: Effective pedagogy for talented young singers. The 3rd Conference on Interdisciplinary Musicology (CIM07), Estonia, 15-19 August, 2007. 

Hewston, R. (2007) Effective pedagogy for creative learning: a personalised model. The 17th Biennial World Conference for Gifted and Talented Children. Warwick, 10- 15 August 2007. 

Hewston, R. (2007). Engagement with school, social identify and self-esteem. The 24th Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted Conference, Kansas, 13-15 July, 2007. 

Hewston, R. (2007) Personalisation as a framework for visual and performing arts education. Redesigning Pedagogy: Culture, Knowledge and Understanding Conference,  National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 28 - 30 May 2007. 

Hewston, R. & Campbell, R.J. (2007) Personalised learning: Ambiguities in theory and practice. Redesigning Pedagogy: Culture, Knowledge and Understanding Conference, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 28 - 30 May 2007. 

Hewston, R. (2007). The gifted and talented coordinator role: Challenges and experiences. Enhancing gifted and talented education in secondary schools: A conference for gifted and talented coordinators and senior managers. The Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (CEDAR), University of Warwick, 25 May 2007. 

Hewston, R. & Cadwallader, S. (2007). Socialising the concept of ‘giftedness’ in music. The Fifth International Research in Music Education Conference, University of Exeter, 10-14 April, 2007. 

Hewston, R. & Cadwallader, S. (2007) Music Mentoring in Action. The Fifth International Research in Music Education Conference, University of Exeter, 10- 14 April 2007. 

Hewston, R. (2007). The role of home musical environment and parental attitudes on student success in music. The American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Chicago, 9-13 April, 2007. 

Hewston, R. (2007) Multiple exceptionalities and the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth: Current Members’ Profiles. The American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting and Exhibition, Chicago, 9-13 April, 2007.

Hewston, R. (2007). Classroom teaching for talented young performers. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, Annual Arts Conference, Harrogate, 7 March 2007. 

Hewston, R. (2007). The personalisation of creative learning: A case study. The 3rd Global Conference on Creative Engagements: Thinking with Children, Sydney, Australia, 9-11 February 2007. 

Campbell, R. J., Eyre, D., Hewston, R., Muijs, R. D., Neelands, J. G. A. & Robinson, W. (2006). The social origins of students identified as gifted and talented in England. The 10th Conference of the European Council for High Ability: Values and Foundations in Gifted Education: Reflections on the Ethics of Multiple Intelligences, Lahti, Finland, 13-16 September, 2006. 

Campbell, J., Eyre, D., Hewston, R., Muijs, D., Neelands, J. & Robinson, W. (2005). The education of gifted and talented children: Some deficiencies in pedagogical theorising. The 16th Biennial World Conference of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, New Orleans, 6 - 10 August 2005. 

Hewston, R., Campbell, R. J., Eyre, D., Muijs, R. D., Neelands, J. G. A., & Robinson, W. (2005). The education of gifted and talented students: Deficiencies in pedagogical theorising. Redesigning Pedagogy: Research, policy, and practice. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 30 May – 1 June, 2005.

Invited contributions

Supporting Gifted and Talented Students. Research based on co-authored papers on effective pedagogies for gifted and talented students and practitioner research featured as Research of the Month (RoM) for the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE), June 2007. 

Introduction to the National Teacher Research Panel Inside Information publication special issue on practitioner research (2007).   

 

 

 

External Roles

External examiner:

2015 - present: Leeds Trinity University external examiner for their FdA Early Years, FdA Supporting Learning and Additional Needs and FdA Children and Families in Social Contexts 

2017 - present: Guildhall School of Music and Drama external examiner for the PgCert Performance Teaching 

Membership of editorial boards and reviewing panels:

Ruth has previously served on the editorial boards for the British Journal of Music Education (2007-2010), the International Journal of Music Education (2006-2013) and has acted as a guest and book reviewer for Gifted Education International, Thinking Skills and Creativity, the Journal of Infant and Child Development and Teaching and Learning in Medicine: An International Journal. She has also regularly reviewed abstract submissions for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) (since 2006), the British Educational Research Association (BERA) (since 2015) annual conferences and was Vice-Chair of the Programme Committee for the 17th Biennial World Conference for Gifted and Talented Children at the University of Warwick in 2007. In 2016 Ruth was also an invited External Reviewer Panel Member for the HEA Global Teaching Excellence Awards (GTEA) 2017.

Membership of external committees:

Patient and Public Involvement Advisor (PPI) CLAHRC (The Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care) West Midlands, Maternity and Child Health Theme Steering Committee

Lay member and co-applicant on a number of research grants in public health, maternity and obstetric care at the University of Birmingham.

Lay member of the British Maternal and Fetal Medicine Society (BMFMS) Intrapartum Care Clinical Studies Executive Group (IC-CSG), University of Birmingham (2011-2016)