Sean MacBlain PhD is a distinguished author and academic whose publications include: MacBlain (Sage, 2014) How Children Learn; Gray and MacBlain (Sage, 2015) Learning Theories in Childhood, now going into its 3rd edition; MacBlain, Long and Dunn, (Sage, 2015) Dyslexia, Literacy and Inclusion: Child-centred Perspectives; MacBlain, Dunn and Luke (Sage, 2017) Contemporary Childhood. A number of Sean's publications are used ... Read moreby students, academics and practitioners worldwide. Sean is currently a senior academic at Plymouth Marjon University where he previously held the positions of Research Lead for the Centre for Professional and Educational Research, Research Coordinator for the School of Education and Deputy Chair of the Ethics Committee. Sean also worked previously as a Senior Lecturer in Education and Developmental Psychology at Stranmillis University College, Queens University Belfast. In addition to this, Sean has also worked for over twenty years as an educational psychologist and continues in this field as an independent practitioner. Sean is married to Angela and lives in Somerset, England. Sean MacBlain will be discussing key ideas from Contemporary Childhood in the SAGE Early Years Masterclass, a free professional development experience hosted by Kathy Brodie. To sign up, or for more information, click here. Jill Dunn is a senior lecturer in Stranmillis University College, Belfast. She was a primary school teacher working in Foundation Stage and Key Stage One classrooms before moving into teacher education. Jill teaches widely across the BEd and PGCE Early Years programmes. However, her main interests lie in the teaching of literacy in the early years. Jill has just completed her EdD in 2013 and her dissertation focused on children's views on using popular culture to teach writing. She has been involved in a number of funded research projects on literacy and is currently involved in an evaluation of iPads in the Early Years. Jill lives in Lisburn, Northern Ireland with her husband Ian and two daughters Holly and Katy. Show Less