Professor Barry Hymer
Professor Barry Hymer
Barry is professor of psychology in education in the Education Faculty of the University of Cumbria. He is an experienced secondary and primary school teacher and chartered educational psychologist, and the author of seven books and numerous papers and articles in the field of learning and teaching. He has been a national trainer for SAPERE (the Society for the Advancement of Philosophical Enquiry and Reflection in Education), for NACE (the National Association for Able Children in Education), and for Osiris Educational and he is Consultant Editor for the SAGE journal Gifted Education International. As the Director of Still Thinking UK Ltd, Barry was a freelance trainer and educational consultant for ten years, and in this role he made keynote and workshop contributions to over 500 national and international conferences, and worked in a training and consultancy capacity with many thousands of teachers, students, parents, governors, teaching assistants and inspector-advisers. He retains a limited capacity for direct work in schools and LAs, and this work is managed directly by Osiris Educational.
A commitment to evidence-led, non-deterministic and learner-centred approaches to education underpins Barry’s research foci, and his writing, teaching and his in-service presentations, and he eschews quick educational fixes and a focus on teaching in favour of deep learning experiences and a focus on learning. He has particular interests in thinking skills and creativity, intrinsic learning motivation and independent learning, wise learning environments (with Deb Michel he co-founded the Centre for Wise Education in 2010) and in contextual, growth-oriented approaches to gift-creation. His Gifted & Talented Pocketbook has been a bestseller and it presents a learning-focused alternative to traditional approaches to G&T education – a theme that is also in evidence in the Routledge International Companion to Gifted Education, which Barry co-edited with Tom Balchin and Dona Matthews in 2009.
Barry received his undergraduate degrees in English and psychology from the universities of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (cum laude). He obtained his MPhil from Cambridge University and an MSc from Southampton University – where he also obtained his PGCE (with distinction). Barry’s doctoral thesis at Newcastle University took the form of a ‘living theory’ action research enquiry into his practice as an educator in the field of giftedness.
A background teaching in secondary and primary schools in North Yorkshire and Hampshire was followed by a decade practising as an educational psychologist with Cumbria LA from 1991 to 2001. Barry also established and co-ordinated this LA’s Able Pupil Project from 1996 to 2001. From September 2001 to August 2004 Barry had a part-time contract as a senior educational psychologist in the Barrow Education Action Zone, co-developing a number of projects and CPD initiatives (e.g. Philosophy for Children, the BarroWise Project, Dilemma-Based Learning) for teachers and other educators.
Barry has served on the National Committee of NACE (the National Association for Able Children in Education), and for five years he was the book review editor for the NACE journal Educating Able Children. In 1999 Barry was asked to provide oral and written evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee Inquiry into the education of able children. He has also been an Associate Tutor at Oxford-Brookes University. In 2003 Barry’s work received international recognition when he was presented with the ICPIC (International Council for Philosophical Inquiry with Children) Award for Excellence in Interpreting Philosophy with Children. The citation for this award noted that his work “Speaks to the richness of children’s imaginative play and their ability to stretch sensory images to the fullest”.
Barry lives on the borders of North Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire with his wife and daughters. His passions for Van Morrison, walking, wild camping, chess, poultry-keeping, shepherd huts and foraging for edible fungi, are only minimally shared by other members of his family.
Barry has some limited capacity for training and consultancy work in schools and LAs, and this aspect of his work is managed exclusively by Osiris Educational. These services are in high demand and if you wish to explore the possibility of Barry working in your school or LA, please contact his PA, Katie Grainger, directly: email K Grainger or tel. 01790 755783. Katie will be able to discuss issues around availability, terms, etc.