News 2012-2013
"C.A Lewis, A life" book gets published
Professor Alister McGrath publishes his latest book "C.S Lewis, A Life" about one of the best known and most discussed children's book authors of the 20th century. Fifty years after his death, Lewis remains one of the most influential popular writers of our age.
Company of Educators Award Winner, 1 March 2013
The Department is pleased to announce that Jo Holgate, one of our partnership school mentors, received an ‘Inspirational educator’ award from the Company of Educators (
see here for more information on the Company). Head of Science at Chelsea Academy school, Jo was nominated for the award by
Justin Dillon, Professor of Science and Environmental Education, and
Melissa Glackin, Lecturer in Science Education in the department. She was recognised by the Company for her dedication to science teaching and her long-standing work with pre-service teachers. We congratulate Jo on her award.
Professor Meg Maguire wins King's Teaching Excellence Award.
The Department of Education and Professional Studies is pleased to announce that Meg Maguire, Professor of Sociology of Education has been awarded a King’s Teaching Excellence Award. Meg teaches on issues related to the sociology of urban schooling, social justice and policy analysis at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her research interests include teachers’ lives, age and ageism, women in education and teacher education.
Teaching Excellence Awards were introduced by the College in 2002 to provide students with an opportunity to recognise teaching staff from each School. Staff and students may make nominations based on the motivation and interest encouraged by the teaching, the organisation and management of the module or programme and the levels of interaction and innovation. More information about the Teaching Excellence Awards can be found on the College’s Learning & Teaching pages.
Professor Sharon Gewirtz, the Head of DEPS, commented: 'We are delighted that the high quality of Meg’s teaching and the unstinting care she shows towards all of her students has been recognised in this way’.
"Saying no to 'gizit' is plain prejudice"
An article on dialect prejudice by DEPS researcher
Julia Snell was published in this Sunday's The Independent in response to negative and uninformed views about non-standard English in recent media and educational debates - (
read full article here)
Julia's work was also mentioned on the Today programme on Radio 4 last week, which featured an interview with DEPS lecturer Dr Simon Gibbons on the same issue.
The HapTEL project, led by Professor Margaret Cox OBE, has been selected for the 2012 Research project of the year King’s Award.
The King’s Awards were established in 2007 to recognise the excellence and contributions of the College community. This is the first year we have invited nominations from all staff and students and the response has been tremendous, reflecting the outstanding work being carried out by individuals across the College.
Professor Brian Street publishes five books in 2012
Language, Ethnography and Education: Bridging New Literacy Studies and Bourdieu, Routledge (Co-authored with Mike Grenfell, Kate Pahl and Jennifer Rowsell); Adult Literacy and International Development: Stories from the Field, NIACE (Co-authored with Alan Rogers); English: a Changing Medium for Education, Multilingual Matters: London (Co-edited with Constant Leung); Literacy and Numeracy in Latin America: local perspectives and beyond, Routledge (Co-edited with Judy Kalman); Introductory Readings in Anthropology, Berghahn (Co-edited with Hilary Callan and Simon Underdown).
Professor Margaret Brown awarded Kavli Education Medal by the Royal Society.
Professor Margaret Brown has been recognized by the Royal Society with a Kavli Education Medal for her significant impact on science and mathematics education.
The recipients of the Society’s awards and medals this year represent the best of the best in science yet again. Science can improve our health and quality of life, help solve the world’s biggest problems, and support sustainability.
These outstanding scientists work across a range of disciplines and their research could have real impact. (read full article)
Call for new educational 'middle tier' to oversee schools
In a report just published by the RSA, Robert Hill, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King's, calls for a new educational ‘middle tier’ in which city mayors, regional or sub-regional authorities appoint commissioners to develop and steer a shared educational strategy. The report - The Missing Middle: the Case for School Commissioners, downloadable
here - argues that governmental distrust of poor and mediocre local authorities has meant that responsibility for overseeing academies and the creation of new free schools has been centralised to the DfE. Hill says that this is ‘not a rational or sustainable system’ and he sets out a new vision, based on the evidence from other countries and London Challenge, for an educational ‘middle tier’ in which city mayors, regional or sub–regional authorities appoint commissioners to develop and steer a shared educational strategy.
The new commissioners would be charged with identifying school improvement priorities; co-ordinating place planning and school competitions across local authorities; commissioning specialist services for vulnerable children; challenging local authorities to do more to improve schools; and working with groups of schools to ensure all schools are part of school improvement networks.
The report also argues for a more transparent competition regime for new schools and failing schools operating within a framework set by an independent regulator.
MA Child Studies programme goes global
The Department of Education & Professional Studies is launching a new programme, MA International Child Studies. The new programme responds to a growing demand for a master's qualification that adopts global perspectives on childhood issues. (more..)
hapTEL project invited to exhibit at the Science Museum Lates exhibition
Every last Wednesday of the month between 18.30 and 22.00 hours.
On Feb 29th, there were 4700 visitors and a lot of interest in our project.
For more about Science Lates click here and for a BBC review and video of the project, click here.
Patient-professional partnerships not yet realistic
In a new discussion paper, published by The Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Alan Cribb, Professor of Bioethics and Education at King’s, says that policy attempts to push the ‘involvement’ agenda will not succeed, and may even be counter-productive, unless the practical and ethical challenges and dilemmas surrounding the agenda of shared-decision making are explicitly addressed and fully reflected in policy initiatives and practice development. The paper, downloadable here, is based on research funded by the AHRC.
The Department of Education &Professional Studies launches the fourth edition of the best selling book, Becoming a Teacher
This term, the Department of Education & Professional Studies launched the fourth edition of the best selling book, Becoming a Teacher. Issues in Secondary Education, published by Open University/McGraw Hill This is edited by Justin Dillon and Meg Maguire and contains chapters by more than thirty three members of the Department of Education and Professional Studies. This book has been a consistent best seller and was recently translated into Chinese in collaboration with the People’s Education Press. Read more about Becoming a Teacher.
Meg Maguire gives key note at The Universities Council for the Education of Teachers conference
Professor Meg Maguire presented a keynote paper at the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) conference in November. Her paper addressed the implications of and background to the Schools White Paper (2010) The Importance of Teaching.
2011 The Universities Council for the Education of Teachers acts as a national forum for the discussion of matters relating to the education of teachers and professional educators, and to the study of education in the university sector and contributes to the formulation of policy in these fields.