Dr Len Newton

Contact

• workRoom C71 Dearing Building
  Jubilee Campus
  Wollaton Road
  Nottingham
  NG8 1BB
  UK
• work0115 951 4480
• len.newton@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

I am a member of the Centre for Research in Schools and Communities (CRSC) and is Associate Professor of Education. He is the Director of Undergraduate Programmes in the School of Education and an Associate of the Learning Science Research Institute at The University of Nottingham.

Before moving into the higher education sector, I had many years experience of teaching science in secondary schools and colleges and a longstanding involvement in initial science teacher education and professional development. I have worked with adult learners in a range of educational settings from adult basic education to working with undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral research students. I previously held appointments at Loughborough University and University of Leicester, and have worked in distance education as an associate tutor with the Open University. I am a Member of the Society of Biology, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

I have a long standing interest in the educational uses of Information and Communication Technology; my doctoral thesis was an instrumental collective case study of the teaching of practical investigative science with IT. It identified and theorised the roles adopted by teachers and learners and their emerging productive interactions. A number of issues emerged from these studies which have triggered my interests in related fields. For example, the role of leadership issues in classroom and departmental settings; including the leadership and management of innovation in the classroom, inquiry-based pedagogies and the use of ICT for handling management information at the classroom level.

More recently, my research work has focused on science teachers' ongoing professional learning. A particular interest has been the use of tools for electronically mediated collaborative discussion of digital video of classroom episodes. Much of this work has involved beginning science teachers working in inquiry settings.

I am Editor of Research in Science and Technological Education and a member of the Editorial Board of International Journal of Science Education.

Research Summary

His current research interests therefore include:

Use of digital video for teacher education Pedagogies of science education Interactions in inquiry-based learning environments Learning and teaching science using Information and Communications Technology The STEM policy agenda 14-19 Education

Recent Publications

• SORENSEN, P., NEWTON, L. and MCCARTHY, S., 2012. Developing a Science Teacher Education Course that Supports Student Teachers’ Thinking and Teaching about the Nature of Science. Research in Science and Technological Education. (In Press.)
• NEWTON, L.R. AND SORENSEN, P., 2010. Science teacher development through constructive engagement with digital video: some experiences from the field In: International Seminar, National Science Learning Centre York.
• NEWTON, L. AND SORENSEN, P, 2008. Interactive Classroom Explorer in Science Teachers’ Professional Development. Nottingham University: Jubilee Press..
• SORENSEN, P, NEWTON, L. R and MCCARTHY, S. AND YOUENS, B., 2007. Irreconcilable pedagogies in science education? In: British Educational Research Association (BERA). (In Press.)

• View all publications

Len is a member of the Centre for Research in Schools and Communities. His research supervision areas include:

• information and communication technologies for teaching and learning science
• investigational science
• pupils' perspectives on ICT in science education
• science teacher professional education

Research proposals: please email Len if you would like to discuss the appropriateness of your research topic. See also: School of Education research supervision areas.

• SORENSEN, P., NEWTON, L. and MCCARTHY, S., 2012. Developing a Science Teacher Education Course that Supports Student Teachers’ Thinking and Teaching about the Nature of Science. Research in Science and Technological Education. (In Press.)
• NEWTON, L.R. AND SORENSEN, P., 2010. Science teacher development through constructive engagement with digital video: some experiences from the field In: International Seminar, National Science Learning Centre York.
• NEWTON, L. AND SORENSEN, P, 2008. Interactive Classroom Explorer in Science Teachers’ Professional Development. Nottingham University: Jubilee Press..
• SORENSEN, P, NEWTON, L. R and MCCARTHY, S. AND YOUENS, B., 2007. Irreconcilable pedagogies in science education? In: British Educational Research Association (BERA). (In Press.)
• SORENSEN P and NEWTON, L. R., 2007. Developing scientific IDEAS through Digital Video. In: ASE /Bera SIG Joint Research Conference Annual Meeting of the Association for Science Education (ASE). (In Press.)
• SORENSEN P.AND NEWTON, L. R., 2007. The Professional Development of Teachers through Interaction with Digital Video In: American Educational Research Association (AERA). (In Press.)
• NEWTON, L. R. AND SORENSEN P, 2007. Professional Development in Argumentation through Technology-Mediated Discussion In: European Science Education research Association (ESERA). (In Press.)
• NEWTON, L., 2006. Supporting teachers' professional development through ICT: reflections on two case studies. In: TATNALL, A., OKAMOTO, T and VISSCHER, A., eds., Knowledge Management for Educational Innovation: IFIP WG 3.7 7th conference on information technology in educational management (ITEM), Hamamatsu, Japan, July 23-26, 2006 New York: Springer. 43-51
• PETE D SORENSEN AND LEN R NEWTON, 2006. Interactive Classroom Explorer in Science Teachers’ Professional Development
• SORENSEN P and NEWTON, L. R. AND HARRISON, C., 2006. The Professional Development Of Teachers Through Interaction With Digital Video. In: British Educational Research Association (BERA). (In Press.)
• MCCARTHY, S, YOUENS, B and SORENSEN, P. AND NEWTON, L., 2006. Professional development beginning at recruitment: a case study of secondary science teachers in the UK. In: International Society for Teacher Education (ISTE). (In Press.)
• NEWTON, L.R., 2005. Data information and questions of pupil progress: food for thought, challenges for ICT. In: TATNALL, A., OSORIO, J. and VISSCHER, A., eds., Information technology and educational management in the knowledge society: IFIP TC3 WG3.7, 6th international working conference on information technology in educational management (ITEM), July 11-15, 2004, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain New York: Springer. 1-10
• NEWTON, L.R., 2005. Socrates Comenius 2.1 Project "TICEC: Examining Case Studies in Teacher Education with the Aid of ICT"
• NEWTON, L.R., 2005. External Evaluator's Report of TTA 'Mentoring Project'
• NEWTON, L., 2003. Management and the use of ICT in subject teaching: integration for learning. In: SELWOOD, I.D., FUNG, A.C.W. and O'MAHONEY, C.D., eds., Management of education in the information age: the role of ICT Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 11-20
• NEWTON, L. and ROGERS, L., 2003. Thinking frameworks for planning ICT in science lessons School Science Review. VOL 84(ISSU 309), 113-120
• NEWTON, L.R., 2003. Management Systems in the classroom.. In: , ed., Management of Education in the Information Age - Role of ICT. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston.
• VISSCHER, A., WILD, P., SMITH, D. and NEWTON, L., 2003. Evaluation of the implementation, use and effects of a computerised management information system in English secondary schools British Journal of Educational Technology. VOL 34(PART 3), 357-366
• NEWTON, L.R. and ROGERS, L., 2001. Teaching science with ICT London: Continuum.
• ROGERS, L. and NEWTON, L., 2001. Integrated learning systems: an `open' approach International Journal of Science Education. 23(4), 405-422
• NEWTON, L.R. and ROGERS, L.T., 2000. Integrated learning and data-logging in science - an open approach In: British Educational Research Association (BERA).
• NEWTON, L. R., 2000. Data-logging in practical science: research and reality International Journal of Science Education. VOL 22(PART 12), 1247-1260
• NEWTON, L.R., 2000. ICT in secondary science education: what should we teach the teachers? In: Sixteenth IFIP World Computer congress, International Conference on Educational Uses of Technology (ICEUT).
• NEWTON, L.R., 2000. Sense and Responsibility : Changing roles in the Data-logging classroom. In: Annual meeting of the Association for Science Education (ASE).
• NEWTON, L.R., 2000. Integrated Learning and Data-logging. In: Annual Meeting of the Assosciation for Science Education (ASE).
• NEWTON, L.R., 1999. Practical work, computers and the changing role of the teacher Science Education International. 10, 9-12
• NEWTON, L.R., 1999. Data-Logging in the science classroom: approaches to innovation In: Second International Conference of the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA).
• NEWTON, L.R., 1999. Making more of data-logging In: Sexteenth International Conference on Technology in Education (ICTE99).
• NEWTON, L. R., 1998. Gathering Data: does it make sense? Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education. VOL 7(NUMBER 3), 379-394
• NEWTON, L.R., 1998. Discerning Data-Logging Education in Science. 178, 20-21
• NEWTON, L.R., 1998. Talking Data-logging. In: ASE Annual Meeting.
• NEWTON, L., 1997. Graph talk: some observations and reflections on students' data-logging School Science Review. VOL 79(ISSUE 287), 49-54
• NEWTON, L. R., 1997. Information Technology in biology teaching: challenges and opportunities Journal of Biological Education. VOL 31(NUMBER 4), 274-278
• NEWTON, L. and ROGERS, L., 1996. Teaching physics at Advanced level: a question of style PHYSICS EDUCATION -LONDON-. VOL 31(NUMBER 5), 265-270
• SORENSEN, P., NEWTON, L. and MCCARTHY, S., Developing a Science Teacher Education Course that Supports Student Teachers’ Thinking and Teaching about the Nature of Science. Research in Science and Technological Education. 30, (In Press.)