- Of Note- Four Ways Taking Notes have Enriched My Life Gilbert, Francis. 2024. Of Note- Four Ways Taking Notes have Enriched My Life. Blue Door Press Blog,
- Four reasons we should all learn about Green Careers (+ some top job hunting tips!) Gilbert, Francis. 2024. Four reasons we should all learn about Green Careers (+ some top job hunting tips!). Educational Studies blog,
- ‘I need you to jump out of your seat and go plant more flowers!’ What do primary school children in Lambeth want for their local parks? Gilbert, Francis. 2024. ‘I need you to jump out of your seat and go plant more flowers!’ What do primary school children in Lambeth want for their local parks? Educational Studies Blog,
- Four ways education can make the world more socially just Gilbert, Francis. 2024. Four ways education can make the world more socially just. Educational Studies blog,
- Becoming the falconer: productive feedback for the redrafting of creative writing Tom, Dobson and Gilbert, Francis. 2024. Becoming the falconer: productive feedback for the redrafting of creative writing. New Writing, 21(3), pp. 259-278. ISSN 1479-0726
- Teaching Mindfulness in an Unmindful System Gilbert, Francis. 2024. Teaching Mindfulness in an Unmindful System. British Journal of Educational Studies, 72(3), pp. 359-378. ISSN 0007-1005
- Selective amnesia and the political act of remembering English teaching Pitfield, Maggie; Gilbert, Francis; Asamoah Boateng, Claudia and Stanger, Camilla. 2023. Selective amnesia and the political act of remembering English teaching. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 31(5), pp. 1059-1077. ISSN 1468-1366
- Review of Creativity in the English Curriculum: Historical Perspectives and Future Directions by Lorna Smith Gilbert, Francis. 2023. Review of Creativity in the English Curriculum: Historical Perspectives and Future Directions by Lorna Smith. Changing English, 30(4), pp. 425-427. ISSN 1358-684X
- Angela Kreeger: Subject of the miracle of modern medicine and psychoanalysis. Gilbert, Francis. 2022. Angela Kreeger: Subject of the miracle of modern medicine and psychoanalysis. Educational Studies Blog,
- Review of Out of Time: Poetry From the Climate Emergency Gilbert, Francis. 2022. Review of Out of Time: Poetry From the Climate Emergency. Writing in Education, 86(Spring), pp. 57-59. ISSN 1361-8539
- Why and how should we encourage young people to research their local parks and green spaces? Gilbert, Francis. 2022. Why and how should we encourage young people to research their local parks and green spaces? Centre for Language, Culture and Learning Blog,
- Review of Real-World Writers: A Handbook for Teaching Writing with 7-11 Year Olds by Ross Young and Felicity Ferguson Gilbert, Francis. 2022. Review of Real-World Writers: A Handbook for Teaching Writing with 7-11 Year Olds by Ross Young and Felicity Ferguson. Teaching English, 28(Spring), p. 86. ISSN 2051-7971
- The Time Devil runs amok: How I improved my creative practice by adopting a multimodal approach for a specific audience. Gilbert, Francis. 2022. The Time Devil runs amok: How I improved my creative practice by adopting a multimodal approach for a specific audience. Writing in Practice, 7, pp. 120-132. ISSN 2058-5535
- The Reciprocal Rebellion: Promoting Discussion in Authoritarian Schools Gilbert, Francis. 2022. The Reciprocal Rebellion: Promoting Discussion in Authoritarian Schools. Changing English, 29(3), pp. 232-250. ISSN 1358-684X
- Diagrarting: Theorising and practising new ways of writing Gilbert, Francis. 2022. Diagrarting: Theorising and practising new ways of writing. New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, 19(2), pp. 153-182. ISSN 1479-0726
- Affective digital presence: how to free online writing and drawing? Gilbert, Francis and Matthews, Miranda. 2021. Affective digital presence: how to free online writing and drawing? Journal of Writing in Creative Practice, 14(2), 29. ISSN 1753-5190
- Letting it all spill out: the benefits of venting for creative writing teachers and students Gilbert, Francis; Daly, Grainne and Riley, Peggy. 2021. Letting it all spill out: the benefits of venting for creative writing teachers and students. Writing in Education, 84, ISSN 1361-8539
- Teaching Creative Writing Online: Research-Informed Strategies Gilbert, Francis. 2021. Teaching Creative Writing Online: Research-Informed Strategies. Writing in Education, 83, pp. 89-91. ISSN 1361-8539
- What’s Next? Ecoliteracies and creative writing Gilbert, Francis. 2021. What’s Next? Ecoliteracies and creative writing. Writing in Education, 83, pp. 12-19. ISSN 1361-8539
- Different ways of descending into the crypt: methodologies and methods for researching creative writing Gilbert, Francis and Macleroy, Vicky. 2021. Different ways of descending into the crypt: methodologies and methods for researching creative writing. New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, 18(3), pp. 253-271. ISSN 1479-0726
- Why teach creative writing? Examining the challenges of its pedagogies Gilbert, Francis. 2021. Why teach creative writing? Examining the challenges of its pedagogies. Changing English, 28(2), pp. 148-168. ISSN 1358-684X
- Lockdown lessons: Teaching and working during the Covid-19 crisis Gilbert, Francis. 2020. Lockdown lessons: Teaching and working during the Covid-19 crisis. Writing in Education, 81, pp. 31-40. ISSN 1361-8539
- Finding a new path: Building affective online learning spaces for creative writing and arts practice Matthews, Miranda and Gilbert, Francis. 2020. Finding a new path: Building affective online learning spaces for creative writing and arts practice. British Educational Research Association,
- Finding a new path: Building affective online learning spaces for creative writing and arts practice Gilbert, Francis and Matthews, Miranda. 2020. Finding a new path: Building affective online learning spaces for creative writing and arts practice. BERA Blog,
- Whatever Happened to the New Man? Gilbert, Francis. 2020. Whatever Happened to the New Man? Blue Door Press Blog,
- 8 Ways To Teach spelling, punctuation and grammar Gilbert, Francis. 2020. 8 Ways To Teach spelling, punctuation and grammar. Teaching English, 22, pp. 49-52. ISSN 2051-7971
- Teaching 1984 in the surveillance culture of schools Gilbert, Francis and Pitfield, Maggie. 2019. Teaching 1984 in the surveillance culture of schools. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 18(1), pp. 85-99. ISSN 1175-8708
- Mindfulness and Creative Writing Gilbert, Francis. 2019. Mindfulness and Creative Writing. Writing in Education(77), ISSN 1361-8539
- The Teachers' Standards and English Teaching Gilbert, Francis. 2019. The Teachers' Standards and English Teaching. Teaching English(19), pp. 33-36. ISSN 2051-7971
- Riding the Reciprocal Teaching Bus A teacher’s reflections on nurturing collaborative learning in a school culture obsessed by results Gilbert, Francis. 2018. Riding the Reciprocal Teaching Bus A teacher’s reflections on nurturing collaborative learning in a school culture obsessed by results. Changing English, 25(2), pp. 146-162. ISSN 1469-3585
- Aesthetic literacy and autobiography Gilbert, Francis. 2018. Aesthetic literacy and autobiography. Writing in Practice, 4, ISSN 2058-5535
- Mindfulness and English Teaching Gilbert, Francis. 2018. Mindfulness and English Teaching. Teaching English, 16, pp. 54-56. ISSN 2051-7971
- Where did all the male teachers go? Gilbert, Francis. 2017. Where did all the male teachers go? The Times, ISSN 0140-0460
- Dreaming of a Better World Gilbert, Francis. 2017. Dreaming of a Better World. Teaching English,
- The Creative Writing Teacher’s Toolkit Gilbert, Francis. 2017. The Creative Writing Teacher’s Toolkit. Writing in Education, 2017(73),
- The Dark Alleyway Gilbert, Francis. 2016. The Dark Alleyway. Writing in Education, 70(2016), ISSN 1361-8539
- We need to reform the academy system – and stop the power-hungry super-heads Francis, Gilbert. 2016. We need to reform the academy system – and stop the power-hungry super-heads. The Guardian, ISSN 0261-3077
- Aesthetic Learning, Creative Writing and English Teaching Gilbert, Francis. 2016. Aesthetic Learning, Creative Writing and English Teaching. Changing English, 23(3), pp. 257-268. ISSN 1358-684X
- Freedom and the new English GCSEs Gilbert, Francis. 2016. Freedom and the new English GCSEs. Teaching English,
- The Party in the Snow Gilbert, Francis. 2016. The Party in the Snow. GLITS-E, 2015/6(5),
- Corbyn? Blimey, yes! Gilbert, Francis. 2015. Corbyn? Blimey, yes! Politico EU,
- 'Sacked': Extract from the novel Who Do You Love? Gilbert, Francis. 2014. 'Sacked': Extract from the novel Who Do You Love? Glits-e: a Journal of Criticism, 4,
- 'But sir, I lied – The value of autobiographical discourse in the classroom' Gilbert, Francis. 2012. 'But sir, I lied – The value of autobiographical discourse in the classroom'. English in Education, 46(2), pp. 198-211. ISSN 0425-0494
- Novel extract from Who Do You Love? Gilbert, Francis. 2012. Novel extract from Who Do You Love? Glits-e: a Journal of Criticism, 2,
Dr Francis Gilbert
Staff details
Position
Senior Lecturer in Education, Head of MA in Creative Writing and Education, Academic Co-Director of the Connected Curriculum & Interim Head of Department.
Department
f.gilbert (@gold.ac.uk)
Links
Goldsmiths Research Centres/Groups
Francis researches creativity in its many guises, often focusing upon imaginative teaching and creative writing.
Dr Francis Gilbert is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies. Both his teaching and research focus upon developing new and exciting ways of teaching in a range of contexts, in formal and informal settings, and to different age groups. He specialises in the teaching of creative writing.
Academic qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts (BA) English Literature (Sussex University) 1989
- Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in English and Drama (Cambridge University) 1991
- Masters (MA) in Creative Writing (University of East Anglia) 1992
- Diploma in Journalism (London College of Printing) 1998
- Post-graduate Certificate in Teaching for Higher Education (PG Cert) (Goldsmiths College) 2012
- PhD in Creative Writing and Education (Goldsmiths College) 2015
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (Goldsmiths College) 2018
Teaching and supervision
Francis Gilbert is Head of the MA Creative Writing and Education, Head of MA Programmes in Education, and Academic Co-Director of the Connected Curriculum. He supervises PhD students in the department of Educational Studies.
On the MA Creative Writing and Education, he tutors on:
Teaching and Research, the Publishing Industry and the Dissertation modules
On the Connected Curriculum, he lectures on:
Everything is Text, Researching our Lives and World, and the Goldsmiths Project modules.
Research interests
Innovative pedagogies
In his role as teacher-educator, Francis has published widely (12 books, 4 edited books, 38 articles, 4 book chapters) on developing ways to educate teachers and pupils in new collaborative pedagogies which embrace both in-person and online learning. His research is original in the ways it shows how online pedagogies can foster co-operative learning between students, using strategies like Reciprocal Teaching and Communities of Practice Theory.
He has also researched the teaching of literature and collaborative learning strategies in secondary schools (2017-2022, Goldsmiths strategic fund, £5K): this has involved working with a number of organisations such as the National Maritime Museum.
He has researched creative learning in primary schools. Working with the i2Media team and PunchDrunk Enrichment (Hamlyn Foundation £37K), he co-supervised research into finding ways of effectively evaluating and assessing the impact of the creative learning that PunchDrunk nurture in their partnership schools.
His research now is moving into examining imaginative and effective pedagogies in Higher Education, looking at how ‘block’ or ‘common’ curricula – known as the Connected Curriculum at Goldsmiths -- can be productively implemented and run. The research methodology combines creative research (asking participants to write poems/stories etc about their experiences), qualitative and quantitative methods.
New creative research methodologies
In his role as a researcher into creative writing, he has pioneered new ways of thinking about creative writing research methodologies, publishing the first articles to systematically breakdown how and why creative writing can be researched. He has explored this from a number of different angles, illustrating how tried and tested research methodologies like Action Research and autoethnography can be used by creative writers to research their own practice and other people’s.
Featured publications
2024:
Becoming the falconer: productive feedback for the redrafting of creative writing
Offers new insights into how feedback can be given on drafts of creative writing, drawing upon the authors’ autoethnographic reflections
2024:
Teaching Mindfulness in an Unmindful System.
First case study of its kind into mindfulness, showing how the teaching of mindfulness can be problematic in a high-stakes, exam-driven education system.
2023:
Selective amnesia and the political act of remembering English teaching
Draws attention to the amnesia that has meant that emancipatory pedagogies, formerly commonplace in global education systems have been forgotten.
2022:
Diagrarting: Theorising and practising new ways of writing
Reconceptualises the concept of spider diagrams/Mindmapping: the neologism of ‘diagrarting’ is more supportive of innovative learning. The word combines diagramming, art and dialogue. Diagrarting now
2021:
The Reciprocal Rebellion: Promoting Discussion in Authoritarian Schools.
This case study shows how an English teacher managed to successfully use Reciprocal Teaching in her classroom.
Grants and awards
2024:
British Academy SHAPE funding
The British Academy SHAPE funding provided grants to run the Parklife Project
2020:
Goldsmiths Strategic Fund
The Goldsmiths' Strategic Fund provided the initial funding for the Parklife Project
Publications and research outputs
Book
- Snow on the Danube Gilbert, Francis. 2019. Snow on the Danube. London: Blue Door Press. ISBN 9781916475403
- The Mindful English Teacher: A Toolkit for Learning and Well-Being Gilbert, Francis. 2018. The Mindful English Teacher: A Toolkit for Learning and Well-Being. London: FGI Publishing. ISBN 978-1974255863
- Who Do You Love Gilbert, Francis. 2017. Who Do You Love. London: Blue Door Press. ISBN 978-1539626183
Edited Book
- Freeing Creative Voice Sweeney, Carrie; Januchowski-Hartley, Stephanie and Gilbert, Francis, eds. 2024. Freeing Creative Voice. London: Centre for Language, Culture and Learning. Goldsmiths, University of London. ISBN 9781913694098
- Diversity and Inspiration Friedland, Deborah; Troiano, Gabriel and Gilbert, Francis, eds. 2022. Diversity and Inspiration. London: Gold Publishing (Centre for Languages, Culture and Learning). ISBN 9781913694074
- Creative Power: Investigating Creative Writing & Its Value Gilbert, Francis, ed. 2022. Creative Power: Investigating Creative Writing & Its Value. London: Gold Publishing (Centre for Languages, Culture and Learning). ISBN 9781913694081
Edited Journal
- Writing in Practice Gilbert, Francis, ed. 2020. Writing in Practice, Writing in Practice, 6. 2058-5535
Book Section
- Using creative writing to fuel creativity Gilbert, Francis. 2025. Using creative writing to fuel creativity. In: Jen Katz-Buonincontro and Todd Kettler, eds. The Oxford Handbook of Creativity and Education. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 495-511. ISBN 9780197698181
- A Century of Teaching Creative Writing in Schools Macleroy, Vicky and Gilbert, Francis. 2021. A Century of Teaching Creative Writing in Schools. In: Andrew Green, ed. The New Newbolt Report: One Hundred Years of Teaching English in England. Oxford: Routledge. ISBN 9781003141891
- The Haunted House: Teaching Creative Writing Through Collaborative Learning to 9-13 year olds Gilbert, Francis. 2020. The Haunted House: Teaching Creative Writing Through Collaborative Learning to 9-13 year olds. In: Emma Branking; Francis Gilbert and Carinya Sharples, eds. Inspire: Exciting Ways of Teaching Creative Writing. Centre for Language, Culture and Learning, pp. 107-125. ISBN 9781913694043
Article
- Towards boundary crossing: primary and secondary school teachers teaching creative writing and its redrafting Gilbert, Francis and Dobson, Tom. 2025. Towards boundary crossing: primary and secondary school teachers teaching creative writing and its redrafting. English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 24(1), pp. 17-32. ISSN 2059-5727
- The British Library, research and creative writing Gilbert, Francis. 2024. The British Library, research and creative writing. Francis Gilbert's website,
- What can the opera ‘Carmen’ teach us about domestic violence? Gilbert, Francis. 2024. What can the opera ‘Carmen’ teach us about domestic violence? Blue Door Press Blog,
Conference or Workshop Item
- Creative Writing and English: collaboration, connection, crossovers Gilbert, Francis. 2024. 'Creative Writing and English: collaboration, connection, crossovers'. In: Creative Writing and English: collaboration, connection, crossovers. The English Association, United Kingdom 7 March 2024.
- How can we harness the power of creativity? Gilbert, Francis. 2022. 'How can we harness the power of creativity?'. In: Creative Power Conference. Goldsmiths, University of London, United Kingdom 9 December 2022.
- Decolonising Creative Writing Conference presentation Gilbert, Francis; Leena, Dhingra and Steve, Roberts. 2020. 'Decolonising Creative Writing Conference presentation'. In: Decolonising Creative Writing. United Kingdom 11 December 2020.
Audio
- Lines of Work: Teacher Francis Gilbert on Rousseau Gilbert, Francis. 2016. Lines of Work: Teacher Francis Gilbert on Rousseau.
Film/Video
- 6 Ways to Become a Better Teacher of Creative Writing Gilbert, Francis. 2024. 6 Ways to Become a Better Teacher of Creative Writing.
Project
- What is the impact of the Parklife Project? A special report from Blue Gate Fields Primary School Gilbert, Francis. September 2022 - July 2024 What is the impact of the Parklife Project? A special report from Blue Gate Fields Primary School.
- Spreading good practice: developing the Parklife Toolkit Gilbert, Francis. September 2022 - July 2024 Spreading good practice: developing the Parklife Toolkit.
- Exciting Developments in the Parklife Project! A Community Garden will be coming soon! Gilbert, Francis. 2022. Exciting Developments in the Parklife Project! A Community Garden will be coming soon!.
Report
- Inquiry: Urban Green Spaces Gilbert, Francis. 2023. Inquiry: Urban Green Spaces. Discussion Paper. UK Parliament, London.
Thesis
- Who Do You Love? The Novel of my Life (Creative Writing thesis) and Building Beauty: the Role of Aesthetic Education in my Teaching and Writing Lives (commentary on the Creative Writing thesis) Gilbert, Francis. 2015. Who Do You Love? The Novel of my Life (Creative Writing thesis) and Building Beauty: the Role of Aesthetic Education in my Teaching and Writing Lives (commentary on the Creative Writing thesis). Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London
Professional projects
Francis has organised a number of conferences at Goldsmiths, including ones on Reading for Pleasure and Teaching Creative Writing. He has run a project with the Widening Participation Team which encourages young people in local schools, hospitals and charities to write creatively, leading to their work being published in an anthology at the end of the academic year (2016-2023). He has also worked with the Horniman Museum, Lewisham’s School Climate Network and Goldsmiths’ Widening Participation team to run careers’ days for school children to help them learn about ‘green careers’ (2024).
Research projects
2022-2024:
New forms of ecological research
Francis’s work on the Parklife project (externally funded by British Academy SHAPE, 20K, and Goldsmiths Strategic Fund 5K) which he set up in 2022, has generated funding and much interest.
Media engagements
2024:
Why do children misbehave in school?
An appearance on Vanessa Feltz's Talk TV programme
2024:
Why are children excluded from school?
An appearance on Vanessa Feltz's Talk TV programme
Conferences and talks
2024:
The Creative Writing Retreat: Making Learning more Creative
A 'retreat' run by MA students on the MA Creative Writing and Education
2023:
Freeing Creative Voice
A conference run by the Centre for Language, Culture and Learning
