Dr Lynn McNair OBE (O.B.E)

Lecturer in Early Childhood and Froebel

Biography

Background

Dr Lynn McNair OBE is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Practice and Froebel at the University of Edinburgh.  An internationally recognised Froebelian scholar, Lynn's work explores children's rights, slow pedagogy, social justice, democratic practice, nature pedagogy and the professional identities of those who work with young children.  With more than four decades of experience in early learning and childcare, her research is underpinned by a commitment to creating educational environments where children are listened to, trusted and afforded the time and space to flourish. 

Awarded an OBE in 2009 for service to early learning and childcare, Lynn is a trained Froebelian, having completed her Froebel qualification at the Froebel Institute, Roehampton University, London.  She is an award-winning author whose research has informed policy, professional learning and practice nationally and internationally.  Her work is characterised by close collaboration with practitioners, children and communities, reflecting her belief that meaningful educational research is based in relationships and lived experience.

Lynn's work is guided by a deep commitment to egalitarianism, emancipation and democracy.  She believes that children are rich, capable and resourceful citizens whose ideas and experiences deserve to be taken seriously.  Much of this philosophy was shaped not only through her professional life but through motherhood.  Watching her children, Kurt and Mischa, play freely, explore the world with curiosity and construct meaning through their own experience critically influenced her understanding of childhood and continues to shape her scholarship today.

For Lynn, to make time is to make childhood possible.

CV

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Qualifications

2022 Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

PFHEA is the highest category of Fellowship awarded by Advance HE and recognises sustained strategic leadership and impact in higher education.  

Froebelian Endorsed Tutor

2016  PhD Education, University of Edinburgh 

Thesis title: Rules, rules, rules and we’re not allowed to skip. An exploratory study: Listening to children’s voices about the transition to primary one. 

Supervised by: Professor John Davis, Moray House School of Education and Professor John Ravenscroft, Moray House School of Education

2010 Diploma in Child Development, University of Aberdeen

2006  MSc in Early Childhood Education, University of Strathclyde. Dissertation title: A Socio – Cultural Approach to Literacy Development.Supervised by: Emeritus Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop, University of Strathclyde

2004  Froebel in Childhood Education, Roehampton University, London

2003 Diploma in Leadership and Management, Stevenson College, Edinburgh

2002 Teaching Qualification in Further Education (TQFE), Telford College, Edinburgh

2000  Post Development Award (PDA)in Early Education, Telford College and Stevenson College, Edinburgh

Responsibilities & affiliations

  • SERA Member (invited to join). (2025 - )
  • Childhood and Youth Studies Research Group: www.ed.ac.uk/education/childhood-and-youth-studies
  • Research Award (nomination) Education Sciences for: Bridging Froebel and AI: Reconceptualsiing Play Pedagogy in a Chinese Context.
  • Symposium Organiser (Invited): Scottish Educational Research Association (SERA) Conference: Education in a Fragile World: Past, Present and Future (November 2024), invited by Konstantina Papaspyropoulou.
  • Advisory Board Member: Roehampton University London, invited by Sigrid Brogaard Clausen. Responsibilities include steering and guiding the research team, developing dissemination strategies, and making policy recommendations.
  • Advisory Board Member: Cattanach Foundation (current involvement with strategic leadership and research dissemination).
  • Member: European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) (since 2023).
  • Focus Group Participant: UNICEF UK, invited by Fatou Drammeh, part of Rights-Based Early Years Focus Group (August 2023).
  • Institutional Member: Association for Visual Pedagogies (since 2022).
  • Member: The Child, Law and Policy Network (since 2022).
  • Founding Member: UNESCO Family Support Research Network.
  • Founding Member: Edinburgh’s Froebel Network.
  • Associate Member: Thrive Outdoors Scotland (Ongoing Project: Can a nature kindergarten work at the Royal Botanical Gardens?) (since September 2021).
  • QAA Subject Benchmark Advisory Panel Member for Early Childhood Studies (since 2021).

 

Undergraduate teaching

Programme Director (co) for the BA in Early Childhood Practice course.

Programme Director for the Froebel in Childhood Practice courses (at the point of writing 11 cohorts are being offered to students throughout Scotland).

 

Postgraduate teaching

MSc Education: Early Childhood Practice and Froebel pathway (I am the pathway co-ordinator).

Academic Cohort Lead for the pathway.

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

Supervision interests - Early childhood education;  Friedrich Froebel; transition; pedagogy; power; philosophy of education; Scottish education;; play.

Current PhD students supervised

PhD supervisor for:

 

  • Kirsten Moore: Re-imagining Scottish Primary Education: A Froebelian Lens (Lead Supervisor)
  • Costica Darie: The Spiritual Dimension of Froebelian Pedagogy: Its Essence and Relevance in Contemporary Early Childhood Education (Principal supervisor).
  • Emma Brodie: To What Extent Does Playing the Piano (Piano Lessons). Impact Performance in Children. (2025 -) [Principal supervisor].
  • Lisa MacDonald: An t-ionnsachadh bòidheach: Exploring Opportunities, Potentials and Challenges in Gaelic 0-5 Education (2019 -) [Co-supervisor].
  • Luke Addison: Froebelian Pedagogy in the Anthropocene: The Everyday Lives of Children and Their Entanglements with More-than-Human Others (2019 -) [Principal supervisor].
  • Fatemeh Sadeghi: A Socially and Culturally Compatible ECE Curriculum: A Narrative Approach to Employing the Sociocultural Features of a Context While Adapting International Curriculums and Teacher Training Courses in Iran (2021 -) [Principal-supervisor].
  • Konstantina Papaspyropoulou: Play, Play-Based Learning, Playful Learning: Which Term Would Froebel Use? An Exploration of the Influential Factors That Contribute to the Development of Different Play Opportunities in the Early Years in Glasgow (October 2022 - ) [Principal -supervisor].

                                                                                                                                                              

 

 

Past PhD students supervised

PhD Supervision

  • Hazhari Ismail: “Exploring the Education Access Policy in Promoting Equitable Quality in Early Childhood Education: A Phenomenology Study from Public Preschool Teachers’ Perspective in Malaysia (2021 – 25) [Principal Supervisor].
  • Sara Abahussain: Exploring the Impacts of Public Kindergarten Expansion Project in Relation to Class Equity in the Kingdom of Saudi (2020 - 2024).
  • Fatma Busra Aksoy Kumru: Exploring Children’s Participation in Scottish Early Learning and Childcare Contexts Through Adopting a Froebelian Lens (2023).
  • Krystallia Kyritsi: Creativity in Primary Schools: Investigating Perspectives on Creativity and Equity within Scottish Primary Education (2018).

MSc Supervision

MSc Dissertation supervision, MSc Childhood Studies, University of Edinburgh

Yan Supei (Emma): Title ‘An Opportunity to Bring Play Culture Back: Mosaic Approach in Anji Play (completed 2018)

 

Research summary

My research and publications in early childhood education, particularly focusing on Froebelian pedagogy, have significantly impacted local, national, and international audiences. My research encompasses a wide range of topics, including early childhood, principles of liberal education and environment, children’s human rights, children’s interaction with nature, and pedagogy as a critical and political practice. Additionally, I explore themes such as practitioner inquiry, young children’s transitions, anti-racist practice, neoliberalism, social justice, democracy, civic education, economic inequalities, cultural and ideological hegemony, and alternative pedagogical approaches.

I have presented my work at 137 conferences and events worldwide, earning recognition for my articles, which have attracted interest both locally and globally. My contributions to early education and Froebelian pedagogy are well-regarded, leading to frequent invitations to write as a main author or co-author. Notably, two of my books received nominations for awards, and I won the ‘Professional Book’ award twice from Nursery World (September 2013 and September 2021).

The Scottish Government regularly consults me to share insights on various topics and for participation in conferences and projects. Most recently, I contributed to the ‘Shared Inspection Framework’ (July 2024), designed to improve the inspection of all Early Learning and Childcare services. This framework emphasises self-evaluation and aims to support practitioners and providers in delivering high-quality care and education.

My research has also influenced policy at the parliamentary level. I contributed to commissioned research for Thrive at Five, a charity in England, which informed the English Parliament’s decision to expand childcare benefits and hours in the Spring Budget of 2023. This policy initiative will continue to evolve under the current government.

In addition to my research

 and writing, I am actively involved in peer reviewing for prestigious journals such as the European Early Childhood Research Journal, The Curriculum Journal, and Journal of Early Childhood Research. I hold an editorial role for the Global Educational Review and serve as a Special Topic Editor for the Video Journal of Education and Pedagogy. Furthermore, I regularly review book proposals for major publishers, including Routledge, Sage, Bloomsbury, and Taylor & Francis, often providing testimonials that are included in published works.

My commitment to enhancing the status of early years professionals is evident through my participation in initiatives led by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and the Scottish Government. For instance, two of my Froebel students played crucial roles in developing the national guidance document Realising the Ambition: Being Me (Education Scotland, 2020). Additionally, my collaboration with the Common Weal organisation significantly influenced the Scottish Government’s Blueprint for Early Years, which led to the establishment of a fully degree-led profession, the expansion of funded early learning hours to 1440, and the creation of a fully accredited workforce.

With over four decades of experience in early childhood practice and Froebelian pedagogy, I am particularly passionate about social justice issues. I have actively promoted practitioner research through various projects and networks, supporting numerous master’s and PhD students to complete their studies successfully.

Current research interests

The value of Early Years Qualifications: Quality, Skills & Progression. Building on It is rocket science: professionalising the early childhood workforce in the UK, a Nuffield Foundation-funded project, this follow-on study aims to identify the core knowledge, skills and values that early years qualifications (EYQs) at both entry and leadership levels should provide in order to ensure more consistent , high-quality practice and improved outcomes for children. Our research (Early Education 2025) demonstrates the need for trusted high-quality EYQs to improve recruitment, career progression, workforce status and settings quality. However, evidence is needed to determine what constitutes a high-quality EYQ and the processes needed in the implementation of qualifications to secure sector trust and confidence in the quality of EYQs. Drawing on evidence from across types of provision. Engagement with stakeholders including learners, employers, training providers and awarding bodies, will synthesise the knowledge, skills and values for the UK's four nations.

Past research interests

The following research projects indicate where my interests lie: Four Nations Project: Amount: £5,000 (Nuffield) Years: 2025 – 2026. Co-investigator for the Scottish arm of the Four Nations project. Exploring workforce development / issues. Froebelian Futures (formerly Hub and Spoke Programme) Amount: £450,000 (The Froebel Trust) Years: 2021–2024 Major role in application; aims to develop a transformational pedagogy of practitioner inquiry and embed Froebelian principles in ELC settings across Scotland and beyond. The Play-Café Project: What Would Froebelian Play Cafés Look Like? Amount: £43,306.32 (The Froebel Trust) Years: 2021–2023 Co-writer; explores the potential of Froebelian principles in informal learning environments like play cafés, emphasising children’s rights and experiences. Safe, Inclusive Participative Pedagogy: Improving Early Childhood Education in Fragile Contexts Amount: £1.8 million Year: 2020 Co-Investigator; international project focusing on developing inclusive pedagogy in fragile contexts, involving partners from Brazil, Eswatini, Palestine, and South Africa. Telling Life Stories: Developing a Froebelian Approach to Documenting Children’s Experiences in the Early Years Amount: £7,760.00 Years: 2018–2020 Major role in application; explored documentation methods for children’s learning, challenging standardisation in early childhood education. Exploration of the Froebel Storytelling Approach During COVID-19 Year: 2020 Co-Investigator; studied how Froebelian storytelling supported young children’s experiences during the pandemic, gathering perspectives from practitioners in England, Scotland, and New Zealand. Mentoring for Success: Co-Producing a Meaningful Workplace Mentoring Scheme Amount: £1,500 Year: 2020 Co-investigator; developed a workplace mentoring scheme involving students and employers. Edinburgh Futures Initiative Research Awards: How Can Business and Public Play Spaces and Cafes Be Reimagined for Children? Amount: £5,000 Year: 2019 Co-Investigator; researched social justice in public play spaces, focusing on children’s rights. Quality for Whom? Perspectives on ‘Quality’ in Scottish ELC Expansion Year: 2019 Principal Investigator; examined practitioners’ perspectives on quality in early learning and childcare. Social and Emotional Experiences in Transition through the Early Years Year: 2016–present Co-Investigator; ongoing research tracking young children’s transitions from babyhood to primary school. Pedagogies of Educational Transitions Year: 2015 Involved in funding for exchange of European POET members, presenting findings in various countries.

Knowledge exchange

I was invited to present the Scottish specific recommendations from the EY4N research to the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Children, Young People and The Promise at Bute House (5 February 2026), to inform pre-manifesto policy development.

 I have made a significant impact in early childhood education, recognised by my O.B.E. for services to the field (2009). My research focuses on knowledge exchange, public engagement, and professional improvement. I developed and have directed the Froebel CPD Certificate since 2010, generating over £3 million for MHSES in Continued Professional Development revenue. This qualification, praised in the Siraj Blatchford Report for the Scottish Government, has been a key driver of quality pedagogy and was recently added to the Scottish Social Services Council’s CPL Directory for Early Learning and Childcare (February 2024).

In May 2024, I organised the ‘Repositioning Power in Early Childhood Conference,’ opened by Interim Head of School, Sam Fawkner. I have presented at 136 conferences/public events, viewing these experiences as reciprocal opportunities for knowledge exchange. My work with early learning settings provides insight into practice, while also informing my own perspectives.

As an External Examiner for the University of the Highlands and Islands and the University of Strathclyde, I have provided independent assessments of academic standards and contributed to improvements through formal reports. These roles have allowed me to engage with students, academic staff, and other professionals, fostering mutual learning. I also served on panels for final-year student presentations, engaging with professionals from the Scottish Government and higher education institutions.

As a visiting scholar at the University of Strathclyde, I have shared knowledge on Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin and participatory methodologies with young children. Additionally, I contributed to the Safe Inclusive Participatory Pedagogy project, exchanging ideas with international colleagues.

I have collaborated with the Scottish Government on the Creative Bravery Project, ‘Play and Imagination,’ alongside Sophie Hadaway (Art Council, Wales), Hanneke Scott (Scott Sculptors, USA), Caroline Walsh (Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh), and Mairi Ferris (Inspiring Scotland), which led to the development of a nature kindergarten at RBGE.

In August 2022, I presented alongside Prof. Kay Tisdall on children’s rights in early years to colleagues and students at UCL’s Institute of Education. I was also invited by Louise Scott (Deputy Chief Social Researcher – Scottish Government) to share my insights at the ‘Evidence in Policy’ event (November 2022).

Affiliated research centres

Project activity

The Early Years Qualification in the Four Nations project is a collaborative programme of research examining the early childhood workforce across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  The project explores how qualification pathways, professional identities and national policy contexts shape the early childhood workforce and influence children's experiences of education and care.

Working collaboratively across the four nations, the research team will analyse policy, workforce evidence and stakeholder perspectives to identify both shared challenges and distinctive national approaches.  the project aims to inform workforce policy, professional learning and future qualification pathways, contributing to a stronger and more suitable early childhood workforce across the UK.

 

Current project grants

Early Years Qualification 4N (EYQ4N) Project:
Amount: £333.510.20 (Nuffield)
Years: 2026 – 2028
Co-investigator for the Scottish arm of the EYQ4N project. Exploring workforce qualifications.

Past project grants

Four Nations Project:
Amount: £5,000 (Nuffield)
Years: 2025 – 2026.
Co-investigator for the Scottish arm of the Four Nations project. Exploring workforce development / issues.
Froebelian Futures (formerly Hub and Spoke Programme)
Amount: £450,000 (The Froebel Trust)
Years: 2021–2024
Major role in application; aims to develop a transformational pedagogy of practitioner inquiry and embed Froebelian principles in ELC settings across Scotland and beyond.
The Play-Café Project: What Would Froebelian Play Cafés Look Like?
Amount: £43,306.32 (The Froebel Trust)
Years: 2021–2023
Co-writer; explores the potential of Froebelian principles in informal learning environments like play cafés, emphasising children’s rights and experiences.
Safe, Inclusive Participative Pedagogy: Improving Early Childhood Education in Fragile Contexts
Amount: £1.8 million
Year: 2020
Co-Investigator; international project focusing on developing inclusive pedagogy in fragile contexts, involving partners from Brazil, Eswatini, Palestine, and South Africa.
Telling Life Stories: Developing a Froebelian Approach to Documenting Children’s Experiences in the Early Years
Amount: £7,760.00
Years: 2018–2020
Major role in application; explored documentation methods for children’s learning, challenging standardisation in early childhood education.
Exploration of the Froebel Storytelling Approach During COVID-19
Year: 2020
Co-Investigator; studied how Froebelian storytelling supported young children’s experiences during the pandemic, gathering perspectives from practitioners in England, Scotland, and New Zealand.
Mentoring for Success: Co-Producing a Meaningful Workplace Mentoring Scheme
Amount: £1,500
Year: 2020
Co-investigator; developed a workplace mentoring scheme involving students and employers.
Edinburgh Futures Initiative Research Awards: How Can Business and Public Play Spaces and Cafes Be Reimagined for Children?
Amount: £5,000
Year: 2019
Co-Investigator; researched social justice in public play spaces, focusing on children’s rights.
Quality for Whom? Perspectives on ‘Quality’ in Scottish ELC Expansion
Year: 2019
Principal Investigator; examined practitioners’ perspectives on quality in early learning and childcare.
Social and Emotional Experiences in Transition through the Early Years
Year: 2016–present
Co-Investigator; ongoing research tracking young children’s transitions from babyhood to primary school.
Pedagogies of Educational Transitions
Year: 2015
Involved in funding for exchange of European POET members, presenting findings in various countries.

Conference details

Please see CV for further details:

University of Postdam invited lectures

University of Strathclyde Visiting Scholar lecture

St Andrew Debating Society

International invited Froebel lectures

Canadian visitors session

BBC / CBeebies invited contributions

 

 

Invited speaker

Conference Presentations:

  1. Presentation: Dialogising Relational Pedagogy. (Group presentation with international colleagues) RCEN Conference, Gold Coast, Australia. (16.06.2026).
  2. Presentation: An Exploration into the Spiritual Dimensions of Froebelian Philosophy and Pedagogy.  RCEN Conference, Gold Coast, Australia. (15.06.2026).
  3. Presentation: Dialogising of Philosophies and Theories, Orienting ECE Approaches.  Invited by the Froebel Trust. (Group presentation with international colleagues) (04.2026).
  4. Presentation: Wonder in the Basket: Curiosity, Rights, and Discovery in Early Years Practice. Invited by the Children and Young People’s Hub, U of E. (05.2026).
  5. Presentation: Scotland: Outdoor Play.  Invited by Inspiring Scotland to present to colleagues from Canada. (05.2026).
  6. Presentation: ‘Holding Education Relationally: An invitation to think, feel and connect differently’. BA Conference, MHSES (01.05.2026).
  7. Presentation: Selected Highlights from the Scottish Covid-19 Comparative Report on School Closures: Surprises and Outliers. (Will. C. Smith., Lynn. J. McNair, Fatih Aktas, May, 2025).
  8. Presentation: ‘What is this play of the little ones?  The great drama of life itself, The Croft, Leith, (April, 2025).
  9. Keynote Presentation at the Repositioning Power in Early Childhood conference, John McIntyre Conference Suite, Pollock Halls. Children’s Leadership: Child-Led Research. (May 2024).
  10. Presentation at the Repositioning Power in Early Childhood conference, John McIntyre Conference Suite, Pollock Halls. Anti-Racist Practice in Early Education. (May 2024).
  11. Keynote Presentation at Banquet Hall, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.  Playing with Slow: A Froebelian Lens (May 2024).
  12. Keynote Presentation at the Trades Hall, Glasgow. Froebelian Leadership in 2030: Nurturing Tomorrow’s Visionaries (October 2023).
  13. Keynote Presentation at the South Ayrshire Local Authority Conference on Creativity.  ‘Creativity and Self-Expression’ (October 2023).
  14. Invited to present a workshop at the South Ayrshire Creativity Conference.  ‘Slow Pedagogy: A Froebelian Lens’ (October 2023).
  15. Keynote Presentation at the Play Works Conference: A Scottish Conference on Play - Thrive Outdoors. ‘Discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary: The power of everyday awe’.  (September 2023).
  16. Invited to present a workshop at the Play Works Conference: A Scottish Conference on Play. Thrive Outdoors. (September 2023).
  17. Invited to present at a Pecha Kucha event. ‘Ditching the Curriculum’.  We Play Festival. Scottish Storytelling Centre. (September 2023).
  18. Invited by Emeritus Professor Aline-Wendy Dunlop to present at the Scottish Educational Research Association - Early Years Network. ‘An ethnographic approach to carrying out transition research with young children.’ (September 2023).
  19. Presenter: ‘The image of the child: how it impacts on pedagogical documentation’. European Early Childhood Education Research Association (August/September 2023).
  20. Presenter: ‘An ethnographical approach to carrying out transition research with young children’. European Early Childhood Education Research Association (August/September 2023).
  21. Presenter (invited to present) Importance of Play / Slow Pedagogy and the Unhurried Child.  Little Busy Bees.  Tayport: Dundee (August 2023).
  22. Potsdam University, Berlin. Invited to present: ‘Froebel and Early Years Practice’ (July, 2023).
  23. Presenter (invited to present) Froebel: Gift for Our Future Conference: ‘Practitioner Inquiry’ (May 2023).
  24. Keynote at the Celebration of Realising the Ambition and 1140 Hours Curriculum in West Dunbartonshire: Childhood a Period in its own Right: Participatory Transition Processes (May, 2023).
  25. Keynote at the Froebel Falkirk Festival: Childhood a Period in its own Right: Participatory Transition Processes (April, 2023).
  26. Presenter (and co-organiser) of Pedagogical Provocations.  Twitter Conference (October 2022).
  27. Keynote at the 31st Annual EECERA Conference ‘Cultures of Play: Actors, Affordances and Arenas’.  Hosted in partnership with the University of Strathclyde (August 2022).
  28. “Relationships and Key Insights”.  Cross-Disciplinary Insights and Innovations. ISSETT book launch.  (Invited to Present) (September 2022).
  29. Keynote: “Nourished by Froebelian Principles” Hosted by East Dunbartonshire Council.  (September 2022).
  30. Presentation at BERA Annual Conference: “Race and the Space in Between: Reflections on anti-racist practice in early years” Hosted by the University of Liverpool. (September 2022).
  31. Keynote at the 31st Annual EECERA Conference ‘Cultures of Play: Actors, Affordances and Arenas’. “Connected Cultures; identifying and celebrating Scotland’s actors, affordances, and arenas of play through stories and practice”.  Hosted in partnership with the University of Strathclyde (August 2022)
  32. Presentation at the 31st Annual EECERA Conference ‘Cultures of Play: Actors, Affordances and Arenas’.  “What does it mean to be a child”.  Chaired by Lynn McNair: The Intersections of Transitions in Early Childhood with Concepts of the Child, Play and Children’s Culture. Hosted in partnership with the University of Strathclyde (August 2022).
  33. Presentation at the 31st Annual EECERA Conference ‘Cultures of Play: Actors, Affordances and Arenas’.  “Enhancing the flow of knowledge: Practitioners as Researchers”. Hosted in partnership with the University of Strathclyde (August 2022).
  34. Froebel and Childhood Practice: Celebration Event.  Dumfries & Galloway.  Keynote :’Child-Led Pedagogy’ (June, 2022).
  35. The Royal Society of Edinburgh (March 2022). Living Alongside Our Children: Taking Children’s Rights Seriously (Invited to present).
  36. Children’s Parliament (December 2021) Children’s Rights in the Early Years: Year of Childhood. (Invited to present).
  37. Vivid Life and Learning: Rendering Through Lived Stories. Online presentation: Doran International Early Childhood Centre (22 August 2021). (Invited to present by my PhD student, Fatemeh Sadeghi).
  38. ‘Connectivity Between Social Justice and Play: Learning from our wise elders’. (Keynote). International Froebel Conference (1- 4 June 2021). Online.
  39. Centre for Research into the Education of Marginalised Children and Young Adults (CREMCYA).  Presents: Towards Decolonised Futures: An Interdisciplinary Conference Challenging the Politics of Knowing and Being (May 27/28, 2021). Online presentation: ‘An Alternative Vision: Uncovering Practitioner Bias.
  40. Early Years Scotland Annual Conference (May 15 2021).  Invited to present.  Online presentation: ‘Transition Journeys – Which Path to Take?’ 
  41. Conference on Childhood Studies: Childhood and Time. (May 10-12/2021). Online presentation: ‘Telling Life Stories: Making the Complex Visible in Systems that Prefer Simplicity.
  42. Froebel in Scotland:  Froebel Gathering. Invited to Present.  Online presentation organised by the Froebel Trust (21 April 2021).
  43. Vivid Life and Learning: Rendering Through Lived Stories. Invited to present. Online presentation: University of the Highlands and Islands (20 April 2021).
  44. Becoming Self-Aware: Responding to a changing world (Keynote). BA Childhood Practice Conference: Connections in Childhood (23 March, 2021). Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh
  45. Finnish Society for Childhood Studies, Childhood and Time. IX . Tampere University, Finland (2020). Paper accepted.
  46. Methodological Possibilities Through a Lived Story Approach: A Pedagogy of Sustainable Ethics.  EECERA 2020: Zagreb, Croatia. Paper accepted.
  47. Ministry of Agriculture (Early Years) Government of Hungary. (October 2019) Invited to present.  Title of paper: Nature Kindergarten, Froebel and Risk: A Scottish Perspective.  McNair, L. J.
  48. McNair, L.J., Addison, L.J., & Higgins, L. (2019) Invited to present: Froebel’s Principles Today Technical University Liberec, Czech Republic – Froebel’s Principles Today.
  49. Nature Kindergarten, Froebel and Risk: A Scottish Perspective.  Ministry of Agriculture (Early Years), Government of Hungary (2019). Invited to Present: McNair, L.J and Addison, L.J.
  50. Education Scotland ‘Are We Offering a Creative Curriculum?’ Ensuring a creative response to the refreshed narrative on Scotland’s curriculum. (November, 2019). Keynote: Creativity in Learning. McNair, L. J.
  51. Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference (August 2019). London: England. Presentation: From Learning Stories to Lived Stories.
  52. Keynote speaker (2019): “Telling Lived Stories: Developing a Froebelian Approach to Documenting Children’s Experiences”. Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 11; Looking inwards, looking outwards, looking forwards’. Edinburgh: John McIntyre Building.
  53. EECERA 29th Annual Conference ‘Early Years Making it Count’ (August 2019) Thessaloniki, Greece. Presentation: ‘Quality for Whom? – Perspectives on ‘quality’ in the context of the ELC expansion.  McNair, L.J.
  54. Potsdam University, Berlin (26 June 2019) Invited to present: ‘What do child-centred practices and spaces look like and why bother?
  55. Holyrood Events Conference ‘Early Learning and Childcare Expansion: Delivering the Workforce’.  Whitespace, Edinburgh (12 June 2019). Invited to Present: ‘Quality to whom?’ – Perspectives of Quality in the context of the Scottish ELC expansion. McNair, L.J.
  56. BA Childhood Practice Conference, University of Edinburgh (28 March 2018) Invited to present: ‘What do child-centred practices and spaces look like and why bother? McNair, L.J.
  57. Holyrood, Whitespace, Norloch House, Edinburgh (14 March, 2019). Invited to present: ‘Stimulating Play and Learning: Creating Early Years Environments’: McNair, L.J.
  58. University of Edinburgh: Seminar for Childhood and Youth Studies. (7 March, 2019).  Invited to present: What do child -centred practices and spaces look like and why bother?  McNair, L.J.
  59. Stories from our Research Practice Froebel Trust Conference, Roehampton University, London (2 March, 2019). Invited to present: ‘Telling Lived Stories: developing a Froebelian approach to documenting children’s experiences in the early years.  McNair, L.J.
  60. Invited to present: ‘ACEs, resilience and the early years’ – Dr Ariane Critchley and Dr Lynn McNair.  Seminar Centre for Research on Families and Relationships seminars on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and resilience. University of Edinburgh. 25 February 2019.
  61. Invited to present: ‘“Why am I in all these pictures?” Issues of voice, labour and access in digital learning stories. University of Strathclyde. 28 November 2018.
  62. Care and Learning Alliance, Inverness, Scotland (27 September, 2018) Keynote speaker: ‘Play is the highest form of research’. McNair, L.J.
  63. University of Strathclyde (19 June 2018) Keynote speaker: ‘Children Making Changes: An Investing in Children Approach to Scotland’. McNair, L.J.
  64. Glasgow Early Years Annual Conference, Glasgow City Council (7 June, 2018). Keynote speaker: ‘Lived Stories’ McNair, L.J.
  65. The 8th International Froebel Society Conference ‘Education for Peace: Froebelian Contributions at Global and Local Level’.  Hiroshima Prefectural Citizen’s Culture Center, Hiroshima, Japan (6 -8th September, 2018). Presenter: ‘Telling Life Stories: developing a Froebelian approach to documenting children’s experiences in the early years’. McNair, L.J.
  66. Children’s Rights Conference, Midlothian Council.  Midlothian, Scotland. (21 May, 2018).  Invited to Present: ‘Lived Stories’.McNair, L.J.
  67. Froebel Gathering Day.  Richmond, London (21 April, 2018). Invited to Present: “Rules, rules, rules and we’re not allowed to skip”: Exploratory Study Listening to the Children’s Voices about the Transition from Primary One”.  McNair, L.J.
  68. Scottish Government (January 2018).  Invited to present: ‘Participatory pedagogy: a robust and ethical approach to play, dialogue, and equalities in early years.’ McNair, L. J.
  69. Inspired Kindergartens: Annual Conference for Teachers.  Tauranga, New Zealand. (11 November, 2018) Keynote speaker: “A Child’s Work”.  McNair, L. J.
  70. Edinburgh Froebel Network.  Froebel: Gifts for Our Future Annual Conference (7 October, 2018). Keynote speaker: “Rules, rules, rules, and we’re not allowed to skip: Exploratory Study Listening to the Children’s Voices about the Transition from Primary One” McNair, L. J.
  71. Scottish Government (September, 2017).  Invited to present: ‘Participatory pedagogy: a robust and ethical approach to play, dialogue, and equalities in early years ‘. McNair, L.J.
  72. EECERA, University of Bologna, Italy, 27th Annual Conference ‘Early Childhood Education Beyond the Crisis, Social Justice, Solidarity and Children’s Rights’. (29 August – 3rd September 2017).  Presenter: ‘Institutionalised Ageist Practices’. McNair, L.J.
  73. University of Jyvaskyla. Finland (July, 2017).  Invited to present to students and staff: “Rules, rules, rules, and we’re not allowed to skip: Exploratory study listening to children’s voices about the transition from primary one”.  McNair, L J.
  74. McNair L and Davis J M (2017) Young Children Empathy and Froebelian Philosophy and Practice. UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre 8th Biennial Conference: Rediscovering Empathy: Values, Relationships and Practice in A Changing World. June. Galway. 
  75. McNair L and Davis J M (2017) The Froebel Approach to Early Education. Holyrood Magazine Developing the Early Years Workforce Conference Edinburgh June 2017. 
  76. Scottish POET team seminar.  Transition as tools for change. Early Years Research Seminar, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand (16 November 2016). Invited to present: ‘Rules, rules, rules and we’re not allowed to skip’: Listening to young children’s perspectives on transition; which is located within the field of Childhood Studies and draws on anthropology, philosophy, psychology and sociology.’  McNair, L.J.
  77. New Zealand Association for Research in Education, 24th RECE Annual Conference, ‘Reconceptualising Early Childhood Education’, Wairakei Resort - Taupo, New Zealand (30 October – 3 November 2016). He kōrero, he kaupapa, he whāriki - Kia tipu whakaritorito: Re-weaving theories and practices to re(construct) critical questions, new imaginings and social activism. Presenter: ‘Reconceptualising Creativity.  This seminar exposed the work of post-structural theorists, e.g., Baudrillard’. McNair, L.J.
  78. UNESCO, Paris, ‘Developing a European Family Support Network’ (7th – 8th September 2016). Invited to present: Children and Youth Perspectives on Intersectionality.  McNair, L.J.
  79. Early Years Annual Conference, Bishopbriggs Academy. (27th June 2016) Invited to present: ‘Taking a dialogic ‘look’.  McNair, L.J.
  80. EECERA, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland, 26th Annual Conference, ‘Happiness, Relationships, Emotion and Deep Level Learning’. (31st August – 3rd September 2016). Symposium presentation: ‘Parents’ and Children’s Perspectives on Transitions’. McNair, L.J.
  81. Pedagogies of Educational Transitions, ‘Connecting Policy and Practice’, Canberra, Australia (March, 2016) Seminar. ‘Starting School in Scotland: The bairns are daein’ fine’. McNair, L.J.
  82. Pedagogies of Educational Transitions, ‘Doctoral Students Perspectives’, Charles Sturt University, Albury Australia (19 February, 2016) Seminar.
  83. Nursery World, Annual Conference, London: England (6 February, 2016) Invited to present: ‘Rules, rules, rules and we’re not allowed to skip’.  McNair, L.J.
  84. International Family Day Care Conference, ‘My Rights, My Voice: Celebrating the Rights of the Child. Edinburgh, Scotland, (22-25 Jul, 2015).  Invited to present: The Importance of Play. McNair, L.J.
  85. International Childhood and Youth Research Network. 3rd International Conference, Nicosia, Cyprus. (10-12 June 2015).  Presenter: Rules, rules, rules and we’re not allowed to skip.’ Exploratory study listening to children on the transition to primary school.  McNair, L. J.
  86. Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth, 4th International Conference, ‘Celebrating Childhood Diversity’, University of Sheffield (9-11th July, 2013) Invited to Present: ‘Understanding Diversity: Young Children, Social Justice and Changing Worlds’. McNair, L.J.
  87. Davis, JM, Aruldoss V, and McNair L (2013) Understanding Diversity: Young Children, Social Justice and Changing Worlds4th International Conference: Celebrating Childhood Diversity 9th - 11th July University of Sheffield.
  88. International PhD Symposium on Children’s Rights, University of Liverpool (12th January 2013). Presenter: Children and Parents’ Perspectives: the missing piece of the puzzle in understanding young children’s transitions. McNair, L. J.
  89. Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth, 5th International Conference, University of Sheffield (1st-3rd July 2014).  Presenter: Engaging with diverse participant groups: putting reflexivity into practice in ethnographic research. McNair, L.J.

 

Organiser

Making Time: Slow Pedagogy (Individual presentation) (16.07.2026).

Dialogising Relational Pedagogy. (Group presentation with international colleagues) RCEN Conference, Gold Coast, Australia. (16.06.2026).Organiser of the International Froebel Conference 2020 (postponed due to covid:19).

Wonder in the Basket: Curiosity, Rights, and Discovery in Early Years Practice. Invited by the Children and Young People’s Hub, U of E. (05.2026).

Presentation: Scotland: Outdoor Play.  Invited by Inspiring Scotland to present to colleagues from Canada. (05.2026).

Presentation: ‘Holding Education Relationally: An invitation to think, feel and connect differently’. BA Conference, MHSES (01.05.2026).

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 11; Looking inwards, looking outwards, looking forwards’. September 2019. Edinburgh: John McIntyre Building.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 10; ’. September 2018. Edinburgh: Assembly Rooms George Street.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 9;  September 2017. Edinburgh: John McIntyre Building.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 8;  September 2016. Edinburgh: John McIntyre Building.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 7; September 2015. Edinburgh: John McIntyre Building.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 6; ’. September 2014. Edinburgh: John McIntyre Building.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 5;  September 2013. Edinburgh: John McIntyre Building.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 4 September 2012. Edinburgh: John McIntyre Building.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 3; September 2011 Edinburgh: Godfrey Thomson Hall. MHSE.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 2; ’. September 2010 Edinburgh: Godfrey Thomson Hall.

Edinburgh Froebel Network: Gifts for our Future 1;  September 2009. Edinburgh:  Godfrey Thomson Hall.

 

 

 

 

Participant

International Froebel Society, ‘What does it mean to understand Froebel?’ – Working on, with and according to Froebel today’. Germany. (23-25 June 2016).

Pioneer Conferences, ‘Elinor Goldshmied A Radical Pioneer for People under Three. A Celebration of the life, principles and practice of Elinor Goldshmied.  University of Roehampton, London. England (5th October, 2013).

Papers delivered

  1. Presentation: Dialogising Relational Pedagogy. (Group presentation with international colleagues) RCEN Conference, Gold Coast, Australia. (16.06.2026).
  2. Presentation: An Exploration into the Spiritual Dimensions of Froebelian Philosophy and Pedagogy.  RCEN Conference, Gold Coast, Australia. (15.06.2026).
  3. Presentation: Dialogising of Philosophies and Theories, Orienting ECE Approaches.  Invited by the Froebel Trust. (Group presentation with international colleagues) (04.2026).Please see CV

Editor for the Global Educational Review (GER) (2021) https://ger.mercy.edu/index.php/ger/information/authors

External Examiner for the GA/BA Childhood Practice Courses - University of the Highlands and Islands (2019 - 2022).

External Examiner for the BA Childhood Practice - University of Strathclyde (2021 - 2024).

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