Gaynor Riley, Senior Lecturer

Gaynor Riley

Senior Lecturer

Gaynor Riley is a Senior Lecturer in Primary Mathematics and teaches across both graduate and undergraduate courses in ITE at Leeds Beckett University.

Gaynor worked as a primary school teacher in Leeds for 18 years. She taught across all age ranges and held a number of posts in school, including Key Stage leader, Deputy Head and Acting Head teacher. Her interest in Primary Mathematics developed at a time when the National Numeracy Strategy was in its infancy and she was able to influence practice both within her own school and across the city in her seconded post as Mathematics Advisory Teacher for Leeds LEA.

Gaynor's current teaching cohorts present from a range of educational backgrounds and abilities. Gaynor therefore ensure that her lectures are accessible to all learners providing challenge, support and reinforcement as required. Using a range of pedagogical approaches enables students to access learning and ensures breadth of knowledge, theory and understanding.

She is currently working with colleagues to support a more research informed approach to mathematics teaching as well as taking the lead on the Ofsted QTS priority area, mathematics, in preparation for the universities next inspection.

Current Teaching

  • BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS
    • L4 Teaching and Learning (Professional Studies module tutor)
    • L4 Teaching and Learning of Mathematics 1
    • L5 Teaching and Learning of Mathematics 2
    • L5 Introduction to Subject Specialism (Mathematics subject lead)
    • L5 Core subjects at KS1 (3-7) Mathematics Lead
    • L6 Becoming a Subject Coordinator (Mathematics Subject Lead)
  • PGCE Primary Mathematics (3-7) (5-11)
  • BA ECE 2+2 Core Subjects at KS1 (Mathematics Subject Lead)
  • Also
    • Dissertation supervisor
    • Personal Tutoring for Undergraduates
    • Link Tutor for Primary ITE School experience supporting School Based Mentors

Research Interests

Gaynor continues to spend time in primary schools including developing partnerships with schools to enrich her students' teaching experience by organising and delivering University teaching in the schools themselves to deepen student teachers' understanding of theory into practice. It is clear that school-based action research must become an integral part of ITE provision. She believes teachers need to become intelligent consumers of research and skilled in applying evidence based teaching in their classrooms. She is interested in analysing student feedback and evaluation. She recently joined two colleagues from Carnegie Faculty to contribute a Mathematics perspective to a collaborative research project focusing on student reflective evaluations.

Gaynor Riley, Senior Lecturer

Selected Outputs

  • Sutcliffe R; Linfield R; Riley G; Archer J; Cummins E (2019) Presentations from the 10th TEAN (Teacher Education Advancement Network) Conference.

  • Sutcliffe R; Linfield R; Riley G (2020) Re-valuing the role of the Personal Tutor : Face to face meetings to engage student teachers in professional conversations A research summary working paper by Ruth Sutcliffe, Rachel Linfield and Gaynor Riley.

  • Sutcliffe R; Linfield RS; Riley G (2017) CONES: Compulsory Online Named Evaluations by Students – to quantify, evaluate and reflect?.

  • Sutcliffe R; Linfield R; Riley G (2019) Inspiring trainee teachers to engage with and use feedback. In: 10th TEAN Annual Conference, 9 May 2019 - 10 May 2019, Aston Conference Centre.