University of Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle University has one of the largest EU research portfolios in the UK. It is a member of the prestigious Russell Group, comprising 20 leading institutions in the UK. UNEW has been coordinator in 63 of the 160 FP7 projects it has been awarded since 2007, totalling €53 million.

The Research centre for Learning and Teaching – CfLaT (see: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/cflat/) is renowned for its experience in terms of research design and methodology, project management, and knowledge of the policy and practice area. We aim to research learning and teaching in a range of contexts, particularly in schools and other formal educational contexts, in order to develop understanding for those who want to improve the quality of education. CfLaT has acknowledged expertise in a number of areas especially in the application and development of innovative pedagogies, such as learning to learn and thinking skills approaches, in the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) and researching classroom interaction and discourse. Recent projects include:

Participation of young people in research (AHRC)
Out of school activity and the education gap (Nuffield)
Evaluation of ‘Thinking Differently – Young People and Alcohol’ (JRF)
Co-curate North East: creating sustainable routes for North East communities to digitally transform and co-produce open cultural resources (AHRC)
Interactive dual language immersive learning space (Erasmus+)
Entrepreneurial competencies for school leadership teams (Erasmus+)
Innovation and the Application of Knowledge for More Effective Policing (HEFCE Catalyst)

All these projects target multiple outputs to maximise impact and engagement within the Centre, the School, Faculty and University, as well as within the practice community and beyond and we are interested in three fields for potential impact and for outcomes: Research; Practice and Policy.

CfLaT collectively has extensive experience in designing and conducting research and evaluations using qualitative methods (including interviews, observations, visual methods and case study approaches), alongside experience of conducting large-scale postal and online questionnaire surveys. We use a variety of analytical techniques as appropriate to the design and aims of the research. Our projects have given us considerable experience in conducting in-depth interviews with, e.g., Head teachers; service providers; and policymakers, and we regularly involve children and young people in our research using appropriate skills and methods built up over several years.

We have strong existing relationships with schools, colleges and LAs across the country and we are particularly careful to ensure that participating organisations receive some benefit from their participation, usually in the form of feedback on how their work fits within a broader national pattern.

Meet the Team

The FaSMEd Co-ordinating Team

The FaSMEd Project is co-ordinated by the team at Newcastle University who are all based in the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching at Newcastle University.

Dr Jill Clark

Principal Research Associate and Executive Director of the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching (ECLS)
Email: Jill.Clark@ncl.ac.uk
Telephone: (0191 208) 5637
FASMED Co-ordinator

David Wright

Senior Research Associate in the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching (ECLS)
Email: d.g.wright@newcastle.ac.uk
Telephone: (0191) 208 3431
FASMED Scientific Co-ordinator

Lucy Tiplady

Research Associate in the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching (ECLS)
Email: Lucy.Tiplady@newcastle.ac.uk
Telephone: (0191) 208 7449
FASMED Project Manager

David Leat

Professor of Curriculum Innovation and Executive Director of the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching (ECLS)
Email: david.leat@newcastle.ac.uk
Telephone: (0191) 208 6578
FASMED Expert Adviser