Dr Philip Howlett

Philip is an experienced educator at both Secondary and Higher Education levels, with interests in a variety of aspects of education, and Science education in particular.

philip.howlett@aru.ac.uk

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Background

Having gained a BSc in Geology, Philip worked as a research scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, during which time he completed a PhD in palaeontology. He then spent a year as a post-doctoral researcher at the Université Claude Bernard, Lyon (France), and also carried out consultancy work.

Philip became a Science teacher in 1991, and taught in comprehensive schools in Cambridgeshire and Essex. For eight years, prior to moving to Anglia Ruskin University in 2009, he was the Head of Science at a large comprehensive school in Essex.

Research interests

• The potential of mobile technologies in education, including using Augmented Reality and Stop Animation in pedagogy.
• Assessment for Learning (Formative Assessment) to enhance science teaching and student engagement.
• The use of metacognition in science education to challenge students in their understanding of scientific concepts.
• The impact of literacy and language in science education (in particular how this has changed over time).
• History of science and science education.

Areas of research supervision

Philip would be pleased to consider supervising doctoral students with the following research interests/topics:

• Motivation in science
• Use of mobile technology in training and education
• The teaching of science (in particular at school level)
• Language and science

Recent and current doctoral supervision as first supervisor:

• How Do Able Male Students’ Implicit Theories of Intelligence Impact On Their Engagement With Challenging Tasks? An exploratory case study (2016)
• Determine whether the use of interactive CGI simulation in distance learning allows learners to process germane information more effectively than conventional materials (current)
• An investigation onto the extent to which email is a socially constructed process within higher education management communities of practice (current)

Teaching

• Programme Director for the Professional Doctorate in Education (EdD)
• Course Leader for MA Education
• Teaching on the MA Education course and the EdD course

Qualifications

• University Teaching Fellow, Anglia Ruskin University (2013)
• PG Cert Learning and Teaching (HE), Anglia Ruskin University (2010)
• PGCE, University of Cambridge (1991)
• PhD, University College, London (1988)
• BSc (Hons) Geology, University of St Andrews (1983)

Memberships, editorial boards

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry
• Member of the Association for Science Education
• Member of the Geologists' Association
• Member of European Alliance for Innovation
• Member of Association for Learning Technology

Selected recent publications

Holley, D. and Howlett, P., 2016. Engaging Our School Teachers: an Augmented Reality (AR) Approach to Continuous Professional Development. EAI Endorsed Transactions on e-Learning, 3(10): e3

Sentance, S., Howlett, P., Holley, D. and Miller, M. 2014. Supporting students on placement in developing observational skills using mobile technology. Networks, 17, 25-33.

Sentance, S. and Howlett, P. 2014. Streamlining practice-based monitoring: a solution for staff, students and placement mentors. Networks, 17, 57-62.

Holley, D., Hobbs, M., Howlett, P. and Sawyerr, W. 2013. 'The Chaotic Science Lab': Supporting trainee science teachers – a cross departmental project. Networks, 16, 51-57.

Such, C., Davis, G., Miller, M., Howlett, P. and Everett, C. 2012. Exploring the impact of training on the use of interactive whiteboards (IWB) and how lecturers integrate their use in Higher Education Classrooms. Networks, 15, 17-21

Recent presentations and conferences

Holley, D., Howlett, P. and Rudman, N., 2016. Collaborate and create: co-designing a calmer classroom with children. Association of Learning and Technology Annual Conference: Connect, Collaborate, Create, University of Warwick, 6th-8th September 2016.

Howlett, P., Holley, D., and Rudman, N., 2016. Out of the mouths of babes. using children’s views in the preparation of training and development resources for student teachers. Anglia Ruskin University Annual Conference: Engage. 17th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Chelmsford, 23rd June 2016.

Holley, D. and Howlett, P., 2015. Engaging Our School Teachers: an Augmented Reality (AR) Approach to Continuous Professional Development. 2nd EAI International Conference on e-Learning e-Education and Online Training (e-LEOT), Novedrate, Italy, 16th-18th September 2015.

Holley, D., Hobbs, M. and Howlett, P., 2015. Visual Transformations: developing Augmented Reality (AR) in the classroom. [Workshop]. Look/Make/Learn: Visual Transformations in Learning, Teaching and Assessment, The Association for Learning Development in HE Conference, London Metropolitan University, London, 12th May 2015.

Howlett, P., 2014. Animated learning as an alternative way of developing understanding [Workshop]. Anglia Ruskin University Annual Conference: Engage. 15^th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Cambridge, 1^st July 2014.

Howlett, P. and Holley, D., 2014. Using visual approaches for qualitative research and (re)conceptualising science [Workshop]. Look/Make/Learn: Visual Transformations in Learning, Teaching and Assessment, The Association for Learning Development in HE Conference, London Metropolitan University, London, 28^th January 2014.

Holley, D. and Howlett, P.J., 2013. ‘Tagging’ critical learning incidents for learning: a design for students on the move (apps). BERA Annual Conference, University of Sussex, Brighton. 3-5^th September 2013.

Sentance, S., Howlett, P. and Holley, D. 2013. Supporting students on placement in developing observational skills using mobile technology. Anglia Ruskin University Annual Conference: Engage. 14^th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Chelmsford, 20^th June 2013.

Sentance, S. and Howlett, P. 2013. Streamlining practice-based monitoring: a solution for staff, students and placement mentors. Anglia Ruskin University Annual Conference: Engage. 14^th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Chelmsford, 20^th June 2013.

Holley, D., Howlett, P., Lee, C., Sentance, S. and Miller, M. 2013. Changing Places: learning on the move. Anglia Ruskin University Staff Research Conference, Cambridge, 15^th January 2013

Holley, D., Hobbs, M., Howlett, P. and Sawyerr, W. 2012. Second life science lab. The Association for Information Technology in Teacher Education Summer Conference, St Anne’s College, Oxford, 5-7^th July 2012.

Holley, D., Hobbs, M., Howlett, P. and Sawyerr, W. 2012. The chaotic classroom in 3D. Anglia Ruskin University Annual Conference: Engage. 13^th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Cambridge, 25^th June 2012.

Such, C., Davis, G., Miller, M., Howlett, P. and Everett, C. 2011. Exploring the impact of training on the use of interactive whiteboards (IWB) and how lecturers integrate their use in Higher Education Classrooms. Anglia Ruskin University Annual Conference: Innovate.12^th Annual Learning and Teaching Conference, Chelmsford, 28^th June 2011.