My Story
As with many things in life, my literacy journey has been long and varied, full of twists and turns along the way. As a teenager I became deeply interested in languages and studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of Cambridge, achieving a first-class Masters.
This experience gave me a unique grounding in the historical development of English and its linguistic roots. In my early twenties I embarked on a PhD at the University of Aberdeen to write a history of the development of books in medieval Ireland and Scotland. I have published a number of articles on this subject and continue to do so when time allows!
I currently work as a secondary-school literacy tutor which is how I first became interested in dyslexia. Through delivering wide-ranging literacy interventions, I realised that some children did not have secure phonic knowledge to access the secondary curriculum, a problem which often starts at primary school. This inspired me to study for my level 5 Certificate in Literacy, Support and Intervention for Dyslexia with the British Dyslexia Association last year. It has been so rewarding to put this knowledge into practice and see young learners’ confidence and skills grow.
My experience lies in teaching secondary-aged children and adults at graduate and post-graduate level but, as a mother of two, I am happy to teach younger learners too.
Dr Beth Duncan
