Samantha Twiselton

Professor Samantha Twiselton is the Director of Sheffield Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam University.

The new Institute brings the University's broad teacher and related workforce education offer together with two research centres, the Centre for Science Education and the Centre for Education and Inclusion Research. It is a leading centre of education recognised for its excellence and innovation in teaching and learning that is school embedded, underpinned by research and scholarship and delivered through deep, partnership working. As such its work is responsive to employer needs, flexibly developed and underpinned by a depth and breadth of outstanding, leading edge academic and practitioner expertise.

Professor Twiselton was previously Executive Dean in the faculty of education at the University of Cumbria where she worked for six years. Prior to that she held a number of senior academic roles in teacher education at St Martin's College, having previously taught in schools.

With a wealth of experience in teacher education, curriculum development and language and literacy, Professor Twiselton has been heavily involved in influencing Government policy on teacher training, such as the introduction of masters level Initial Teacher Education and ways in which universities can support and embrace the move to a school-led system. She was also involved in facilitating the advisory committee set up to help design the primary national curriculum under the previous Government. While at Cumbria, Professor Twiselton led the Initial Teacher Education branch of ESCalate, the Higher Education Academy Subject Centre, set up to develop and disseminate excellence in learning, teaching and assessment in the discipline and she set up TEAN - the Teacher Education Advancement Network, which continued this work when HEA subject centres were discontinued.

Sam is currently a member of the advisory panel for the Carter Review of ITT and has been heavily involved in visiting providers, meeting with experts and analyzing a wide range of evidence from across all routes.