Departmental homepageDr Morag Morrison-Helme has been part of the Faculty of Education since 2002, following a career in secondary teaching and in teacher education at Griffith University and QUT in Australia. With a background in Drama and Applied Theatre, her work spans international contexts including Australia, the UK, Sweden, Kazakhstan, and China. Her research is underpinned by a deep commitment to transformative pedagogy, with particular expertise in experiential, embodied and arts-based learning. She has led and contributed to numerous projects exploring conflict resolution, social justice, democratic teaching, pupil voice and the re-engagement of disaffected learners through peer teaching. Her practice-based research draws from real-world educational settings and emphasises reflective practice as a foundation for meaningful professional development. Her work champions the role of the arts in fostering ethical, inclusive and culturally responsive approaches to education.
Current Undergraduate Teaching (BA Education Tripos): Performance, Education and Society (Part II Core Paper); Research Dissertation Supervision (Part II); Creativity and Thinking (Part II Optional Paper).
Current Postgraduate Teaching: PhD Pathways – Research Methods; MEd – Transforming Practice; Continuing Education – Certificate of Advanced Teaching (English).
Dr Morrison-Helme’s research focuses on the transformative role of the arts in education, spanning schools, professional training and healthcare contexts. She specialises in applied drama and embodied learning as tools for fostering reflection, empathy and collaboration. Her work explores conflict, ethics and social justice through creative pedagogies that centre pupil voice, peer teaching and democratic practice. International projects such as DRACON have informed her interest in using the arts to address complex interpersonal and societal challenges. She is particularly committed to arts-based research methods that support inclusive, culturally responsive and emotionally engaged learning. Across disciplines, her research highlights how performance and creativity can deepen professional development and reframe educational relationships. Dr Morrison-Helme’s work continues to advocate for the arts as essential to building ethical, resilient and reflective learning communities.
Wigert H, Berg L, Arveklev S, Morrison-Helme M, Lepp M (2021) Experiences of conflict in clinical practice for nursing students, explored through Forum Play. Nursing education in Practice Vol 56 105177 p.1-7 Elsevir
John O'Toole, Dale Bagshaw, Bruce Burton, Anita Grünbaum, Margret Lepp, Morag Morrison, Janet Pillai (2019). Researching Conflict, Drama and Learning: The International DRACON Project. (Springer)
Lunden M, Lundgren S, Morrison-Helme M, Lepp M (2017) Professional development for radiographers and post graduate nurses in radiological interventions: Building teamwork and collaboration through drama. Radiography. Nov. 2017. Vol 23: 4 p.330-336. Elsevier
Burton B, Lepp M, Morrison M & O'Toole J (2015) Acting to Manage Conflict and Bullying Through Evidence-Based Strategies (Springer International Publishing)
