Scott Hughes

Major Field
Curriculum Studies

Contact Info
Email: scott.hughes@queensu.ca

Curriculum Vitae

Supervisor
Dr. Rena Upitis

 

Research Interests

• Happiness in Education
• Pedagogy
• Early Primary Education
• Experiential Learning
• The Arts, Athletics, and Nature at School

“Happiness and education are, properly, intimately related: Happiness should be an aim of education,

 and a good education should contribute significantly to personal and collective happiness”

(Noddings, 2003, p. 1).

 

Recent activity

• Hughes, S. (2012, July). Performing pedagogy: Engaged learning through action research. Paper presented at the International Innovations in Early Childhood Education conference, The University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada.

Doctoral Studies

I am a fourth year Doctoral student in Curriculum Studies at Queen's University, and I hold a M.Ed. from UBC. My research seeks to understand the phenomenon of children’s happiness in their early years of schooling. Specifically, I am exploring how teachers create happy classrooms and promote children’s happiness in the early primary grades. I am grateful to the many public, independent, Waldorf, Froebel, and Montessori teachers and children who welcomed me into their classrooms during the data collection phase of my study.

Research

I have worked as a research assistant for three projects led by Dr. Rena Upitis: School architecture, School gardens, and iScore. In one manner or another, all three projects seek to understand the complex relationship between pedagogy and the cultivation of lively, engaging spaces of learning for children. In addition, I am an active member of the Studio Committee, as the Coordinator of the Notes at Noon concert series.

University Teaching

I teach in the pre-service teacher education program at Queen’s. My courses are: CURR 393 (P/J Music); FOCI 238 (Early Primary Education); and PROF/PRAC 190/195 (Professional and Practicum Studies). In addition, I teach on-line Additional Qualification courses for the Continuing Teacher Education Department.

Public Education

Prior to starting my Doctoral studies, I worked in public education for 17 years: 14 as an early primary classroom teacher and 3 as a special education assistant. As a teacher, I co-created two large-scale musical theatre productions and video documentaries for children: Dreams (2000) and The Angel Diaries (2003); and recorded a children's CD titled Happiness Runs (2008). I also perform as a professional ensemble harpist. Selected credits include The Vancouver Opera Orchestra, The Calgary Philharmonic, The Vancouver Playhouse, The Kingston Symphony, and Winter Harp.