Dr Annabel Watson

About me:

I am an Associate Professor researching writing development, and teaching across MA and initial teacher education programmes. I also supervise several doctoral students. I have been shortlisted several times for the Exeter Students' Guild Teaching Awards: for Research-Inspired Teaching in 2015, for Best Feedback Provider in 2016, for Best Supervisor in 2020, and in 2017 I was awarded Most Supportive Staff Member. 

My research interests focus primarily on the teaching of writing. I am a member of the Graduate School of Education's Centre for Research in Writing, and I have been part of a team conducting research which investigates the potential that a contextualised and rhetorical approach to teaching grammar might have for improving students' writing ability and metalinguistic understanding. As well as informing seminars for students at Exeter, this research has also resulted in the publication of teaching resources through NATE and Pearson, an OUP grammar book, and a number of popular CPD courses and workshops for teachers. I have also worked on projects considering teacher agency, particularly in relation to selecting literary texts and to the teaching of English online during the Covid lockdowns. My PhD examined Teacher's Beliefs and Practices in Grammar Teaching.

Prior to working at Exeter, I taught English and Media Studies in schools in Greater London and the South West.

Interests:

My research interests lie within language and literacy, and particularly students' writing development. I've worked on a number of projects related to the teaching of grammar for writing, the teaching of English online, and teacher agency and cognition. I also have an interest in the use of technology to teach writing. My PhD research examined teachers' beliefs about teaching grammar.

Qualifications:

My doctorate was awarded in 2013. Other qualifications include MSc (Exeter), DipEd (Exeter), PGCE (Roehampton), MA (Cantab).

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.