Dr Murray Craig

Lecturer - MA (Hons) Physical Education: Year 4 Academic Cohort Lead; PGDE (Secondary) Physical Education: Subject Lead

Biography

Background

I am a lecturer at Moray House School of Education and Sport with the majority of my teaching, leadership and organisational roles occurring in Years 3 and 4 on the four year Undergraduate MA (Hons) Physical Education programme. Additionally, I am the strand leader for the Physical Education Post Graduate Diploma in Education (Secondary).

I have previously taught physical education in both England and Scotland.  After graduating from Liverpool John Moore’s University in 1995 with a BEd (Hons) in PE (with Science), my first teaching post was in Northamptonshire, teaching Secondary PE, as well as general Science, at Brooke Weston CTC in Corby.

I returned to Scotland in 1997 and took up a teaching position within the physical education department at George Watson’s College (GWC) in Edinburgh.  My teaching career was put on hold for a period of two years as I was fortunate to be offered the opportunity to play rugby on full-time professional basis with Edinburgh Rugby in 1997/98, and Exeter Rugby in 1998/99.

I returned to George Watson’s College in 1999 and taught curricular and certificated PE, as well as extra-curricular sport, for six years.  In 2005 I moved into further education lecturing in Sports Coaching and Sports Development at Edinburgh’s Telford College.  At this time I studied, on a part-time basis, for an MSc in Applied Sports Psychology at Staffordshire University, graduating in 2010.

In 2011 I moved in to higher education when I undertook a teaching secondment at Moray House.  Employed as a teaching fellow I delivered on a variety of courses across both the Undergraduate BEd (Hons) PE and PGDE-PE programmes.  Upon completion of the secondment in 2012 I took up a Bicentennial Teaching Fellow position, which involved the organisation and delivery of various courses across both the MA (Hons) and PGDE (Secondary) PE programmes.  In addition to my teaching commitments I studied, on a part-time basis, for a Docorate in Education at The University of Edinburgh, graduating in 2019. In 2023 I assumed a lecturing role at MHSES and continue to teach and lead aspects of both the UG and PG PE programmes at MHSES, as well as conduct and supervise research in PE, education and sport.

Qualifications

The University of Edinburgh - Doctorate in Education

Staffordshire University - MSc Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology

Liverpool JMU - BEd(Hons) Secondary Physical Education with Science

Undergraduate teaching

Year 3: Developing Talent [SCQF Level 10 - 20 credits] - Course Organiser

Year 4: Understanding School Leadership & Culture [SCQF Level 10 - 20 credits] - Course Organiser

Year 4: Professional Development & Leadership 2 [SCQF Level 10 - 40 credits] - Course Organiser

Year 4: Educational Studies [SCQF Level 10 40 credits] - Dissertation Supervisor

Postgraduate teaching

Curriculum & Pedagogy [SCQF Level 11 - 20 credits]

Curriculum Plus-1 (Primary Specialism) [SCQF Level 11 - 20 credits]

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Current PhD students supervised

Jack Moran (PhD) - Employing educational principles and practices in Talent Development Environments (TDE's)

Alexandra Homayoonpoor (PhD) - Promoting and developing high performance behaviours in schools

Past PhD students supervised

Denise Dewar (MSc) - [PE] Teacher Socialization in Scotland - A longitudinal study

Research summary

  • Teacher vision - The Vision Making Process
  • Digital Technologies and Pedagogies in Physical Education
  • Adopting Talent Development frameworks, concepts and principles in Education/Physical Education
  • Understanding Leadership as Pedagogy

Past project grants

December 2022 - Principal’s Teaching Award Scheme (PTAS) [Principal/Lead Investigator] Project Title: ‘Making connections to the ‘real’ world: further developing teacher vision in Initial Teacher Education’ Awarded £16,373

December 2021 - Principal’s Teaching Award Scheme (PTAS) [Co-Applicant] Project Title: ‘Hybrid Pioneers: A cross-institute Action Group 2021-2023’ Awarded £16,879

December 2020 - Principal’s Teaching Award Scheme (PTAS) [Co-Applicant] Project Title: Empowering student teachers to improve classroom practice using the Lesson Study model: teacher research for the next generation? Awarded £9,533.40

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