BERA Skill Builder Series: Effective Chairing – practical advice and support

This session is for anyone who chairs sessions at BERA conference and events, anyone who would like to do this in the future, and for others who are interested in this vital aspect of conference and event organisation more generally.

In this session we will cover the basic expectations of session chairs, including;

We will also explore some scenarios based on our real-life experiences of chairing conference and event sessions for BERA and other research associations, and discuss as a group possible solutions and courses of action, plus sources of support both before and during the conference and event sessions.

Louise Kay is a lecturer in early childhood in the School of Education at the University of Sheffield. She is a qualified teacher and has worked across all three primary key stages, with the majority of her career spent teaching in the early...

Dr Tracy Ann Hayes is an associate professor of education at Plymouth Marjon University. An educator, researcher and writer, she is first-generation in her family to access higher education. With a background in youth and community work, science...

The 2026 BERA Conference was held 8th-10th September 2026 at the University of Manchester. The conference included the Presidential Address for Professor Mhairi C Beaton.