Rachael Jefferson-Buchanan

I am a lecturer in Human Movement Studies (Health and PE) and Creative Arts within Charles Sturt University's School of Education on the Albury-Wodonga campus. I hold a BEd (Hons) in physical education, dance and special educational needs, and an MA in dance studies. I gained a PhD at Charles Sturt University in 2019; my thesis was entitled: ‘A genealogy of the governance of the body in physical education in England from 1902 to 2016’. I also have a postgraduate certificate in Applied Social Research, a diploma in Research on Yoga in Education (RYE UK), and a Level I certificate in mindfulness (MTIA). I have more than thirty years of experience in education, which has involved designing, teaching and leading physical education and arts activities. During this period, I have fought tirelessly for inclusion, particularly in terms of gender and ethnicity. In 2020 I worked as the senior international expert on a UNICEF-Montrose project in Myanmar, creating modules and teacher training materials for the 'Playing Sports Together' project. This programme supported all students, from diverse communities, studying in schools in Rakhine State, with the overarching goal of contributing to inclusion and a sense of togetherness, through educational activities. I have spent most of my teaching/lecturing years in international contexts, as after two years of teaching in the UK (my country of origin), I moved to Switzerland where I was head of physical education and GCSE Performing Arts at the International School of Geneva for more than 13 years. In 2004 I returned to my home country to take up a senior lecturer post in physical education, dance, education studies and primary professional practice at Bath Spa University, coordinating the primary postgraduate physical education programme, creating and teaching dance, health and movement modules on the undergraduate degree, and supervising masters students in the Professional Masters Programme. In February 2013 I began my current lecturing post at Charles Sturt University. I have extensive experience in writing and leading professional development for teachers within the UK and for several years I have taken on a more international role as the lead consultant for physical education in Cambridge Assessment International Education/Cambridge University Press Asian (Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Myanmar) and Nile Egyptian schools projects. Moreover, I was the UK consultant for Fundamental Movement Skills (STEPS PD) for 5 years, which served to intensify my passion for working with teachers, students and children in the early years sector. This role was also a catalyst for the writing of my book: ‘Fundamental Fun: 132 activities to develop fundamental movement skills’, as well as my PhD research. My research interests include physical education, sport, PE/sport pedagogy and policy, inclusion (gender, ethnicity), sociology, genealogy (body governance), fundamental movement skills, dance, mindfulness, and yoga.