Who I am and what I do
I am a consultant specialising in
project and programme evaluation, and a lecturer in
applied linguistics at King's College, London
University. I am currently based in London and in
Kendal, Cumbria.
While the range of things I do might
look like rather an odd mixture, over the years this
diverse career has made sense, with one skill supporting
another. A lot of what I do can be described as pattern
recognition, because in all my areas of interest the
core skills continue to be those of asking the right
questions, listening to what people say, looking
carefully at what is in front of you, and recognising
what is salient and what is not.
At present,
therefore, alongside my continuing engagement with
teaching and research in written communication computer
assisted linguistic analysis, and language education, I
provide evaluation services for educational and social
projects and programmes, and documentary photographic
services for cultural organisations and NGOs. I hope to
keep on working this way for many years to come!
Photography
I have used a camera for as long as I can remember, and I have been working as a documentary photographer since the 1990s, with a particular interest in Education in Development. Alongside the professional work I undertake for international organisations, I also work in theatre and musical performance, as well as maintaining a personal practice. Current personal projects focus on the life and landscape of the area around Kendal (in the English Lake District) where I live for a large part of the year, although I also do travel and street photography when the opportunities arise. Examples of the range of work I am involved in can be found in the portfolios below.
Visual documentation
I provide visual documentation services to NGO and development organisations, and can deliver both still photography archives and broadcast quality interview video footage.
Music and musicians
I provide photographic services to leading artists and labels (notably ECM Records), with a particular interest in Jazz and Chamber performance
Theatre
Over the last decade I have been working with major arts organisations such as Teatr Polski, Warsaw, Opera up close and The King's Head Theatre, developing visual documentations of new productions and the life and wider activities of these contrasting companies.
Personal work
Alongside my work in social documentation, theatre and music, I maintain my personal photographic practice. A strong current interest is the landscape and life of the Lake District.
Consultancy
Evaluation
I offer a comprehensive evaluation service for small and medium size projects with a particular emphasis on social and educational programmes. My primary interests are in qualitative methodologies and the evaluation of projects as theories.
Project management training
I have provided project management and logical framework design training for universities, local NGOs and international organisations such as the British Council. I have a particular interest in the design of projects in educational settings.
For further information on my professional capacities, please visit the Consultancy page and my statement of capacities and competencies.
Education
I have been involved in teaching, research and teacher education since 1970, working in the UK and in countries in East Asia, South Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, and the UK. Although I no longer teach full time, the field of language education and issues concerned with written communication remain areas of significant interest.