Profile

Aaron Jell is a qualified Secondary School teacher with over fifteen years of teaching experience in mainstream and Special Educational Needs schools of all ages; specialist therapeutic teacher for traumatised and vulnerable young people with complex social, educational, behavioural and health needs; and educational consultant and creative practitioner in the UK and African countries. He has led educational and creative workshops in East, West and Southern Africa as well as conducted monitoring, evaluation and learning reviews of educational projects in Sierra Leone and Uganda. 

He has a Masters Degree with Distinction in Education and International Development from the University of London's Institute Of Education, a Graduate Teacher Certificate of Education (GTCE), having achieved Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) in 2001, and a First Class BA (Hons) Degree in Art, Design and Media.
 
Aaron is married with 3 children, has a keen interest in reading and fine art and is an active artist, professional graphic designer and amateur writer/novelist.   

Education

I believe that education saves lives. In more and less developed contexts around the world young people are empowered by education - by schools, teachers, mentors, social workers, elders and family in its widest sense - to expand their understanding of the world, engage with the world to build for a better life and earn a living in it. 

My teaching and therapeutic practice is child-centred in the broadest sense meaning that it situates the child in their wider social, familiar and cultural context seeking to engage holistically, often beyond the classroom.   

International Development

My involvement with international development is rooted in my passion for education and therapeutic intervention for disaffected, traumatised and vulnerable young people. I also have family connections with West Africa and visit the region often. I have been involved in supporting educational projects in East, West and Southern Africa both remotely and on the ground as an educational consultant, lead-reviewer, teacher/mentor and creative practitioner. The focus of my studies has been in education and therapeutic pedagogy in post-conflict/fragile states - contexts which, while having the greatest need for quality (therapeutic) education, often face the greatest barriers to receiving it.   

Creative Practice

I am passionate about art, about the ability of the creative process to encourage and inspire us to engage with new experiences, ourselves, one another and the world around us. I believe that art is just as valuable as a personal/social expression and experience as it is a creative outcome, perhaps sometimes more valuable as a process than a product. My own creative practice is broadly multidisciplinary, encompassing fine art painting and sculpture, kinetic and recycled sculpture, poetry and spoken word, performance art, audio-landscaping, digital montage and graphic design. 

Digital Media

Many years working in and teaching digital media has honed my graphic design skills and allowed me to add a graphic digital dimension to not only my own creative practice but also to the corporate identity of others. My graphic design portfolio includes logo and branding, literature and publications, product design and advertising for companies, charities and individual professionals.