Home | Reviews | News | Websites

About | Biography | Research | Publications

Welcome to this site!

I believe that a key part of any site is making the work transparent to others. So, on this page I've included an outline of my work in addition to a brief overview of the development of the work of the Teaching Ecology Group.

About this site:

This site is the latest incarnation of an initiative started in the late 1980s when the British Ecological Society (BES) was concerned about the level of ecological education especially in schools. An interested group of teachers formed a new sub-group of the BES, the Teaching Ecology Group. By 1989, a small newsletter had been produced and circulated to the members. This expanded so that by the early 1990s it was a 40+ page work sent out 2 or 3 times a year to ecological educators aeround the world. I came on board initially as a book reviewer following my work in UK education. Production editor was added soon after until I moved to Australia. Still wishing to keep this work going I designed the first website to promote the reviews. This is the fourth version of a site which is getting, pleasingly, increasing recognition for around the world for its work. This means it's far easier to get material for review which in turn promotes the site etc.! Of course, if you have any suggestions, please contact me.

Biography:

Academic Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. - Modelling the Urban Land Conversion System - Reading University, UK
  • M.A. (Distinction) - Organisation, Planning and Management - Reading University, UK
  • B.Sc - Geography and Geology (Hons). - London University, UK
  • PGCE - Geography education. - Cardiff University, UK.

Professional Experience:

  • Education - Australia and the UK. Courses taught: Environmental Science, Geography, Wildlife Conservation, Archaeology, History, Urban Studies, Forestry, Geology, Information Technology, Financial Analysis, Customer Service, Tourism, Mathematics, Statistics, Horticulture. 
  • Assessment - 2000+ - HSC examiner, Geography; 1995-96 University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. IGCSE Examiner Geography;1994-96 University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate. MENO Thinking  Skills Service: Examiner in Critical Thinking and Communication; 1984-86 Welsh Joint examination Board. CSE/O Geography - examiner.1981-1996 University of London Examination and Assessment Council. A level  Environmental Studies (1981-94) - question writer, subject panel member, examiner:  A level Geography (1995 +) - examiner.
  • Other - 1976-81 Department of the Environment, UK. Assistant supervisor at Castle Acre Priory, Norfolk. i/c site conservation, artifact conservation, site science and safety. Tutor in fieldwork and site science to post-graduate students. Production of reports.

To top

Research:

Environmental Science and Education:

When I started in Environmental Education it was just being introduced as an 'A' level (senior school exam) in the UK. This was before the welter of books we have today and so, much time was spent just gathering the information and designing curriculum models that would work. Some of these got published, some didn't and all got re-worked over the years! They must have travelled because they've been brought to my attention in places as far afield as Dorset and Australia. My focus has been the integrative nature of environmental analysis (i.e. the creation of holisitic models and how this can be communicated) with a current emphasis on strategy and policy.

Research Focus: Curriculum design, learning strategies, ICT usage and web design, holisitc analysis.


Urban Analysis:

The majority of work was for my PhD where I was involved in analysing council documents, planning records and development applications. This continued with the development of the model that was part of the doctoral thesis. Given that this was a new perspective on the development process it is a goal to continue this work and see how the model develops in new areas and times.

Research focus: Urban growth, land conversion and politics.


Management:

I've argued in a number of papers that management is best studied using a theoretical perspective. I think the best approach is via theoretical phenomenology similar to that developed by T Barr Greenfield in the 1980s. The great idea is that perception is given the same power as reality (which I reckon explains many organisations today). I started to develop this into a model of organisational micropolitics. As a sideline in another area I got the chance to look at computer economics which is nowhere near as well researched as people think and where, even today, money can be wasted!

Research focus: Organisational micropolitics


Archaeology:

This really started the whole research thing when I started work on a Medieval priory in Norfolk, UK. I ended up working as the site scientist and conservator. This was around the time environmental archaeology was being developed - there is nothing better than being in the vanguard of a new research area. We got the chance to look at Medieval palaeohydraulics (river management!) before the site got filled in again. As far as I know this is a unique site!

Research focus: Palaeoenvironmental analysis

To top

Publications:

Books:

Papers:

  • 2001 - 'Timber, sediments and hydrology' in Wilcox R. Excavation of a Monastic Grain-Processing Complex at Castle Acre Priory, Norfolk, 1977-1982. Norfolk Archaeology.
  • 1996a. The Cross-Cultural Impact of Educational Globalisation.*
  • 1996b. Perception and Reality: Principal's Training Needs and Supply in Australia and the United Kingdom.*
  • 1996c. Is the National Curriculum an Exercise in Deskilling? A Critique of the UK National Curriculum in Relation to Future needs.* * = All in Watson K, et al. Educational Dilemmas. Cassells
  • 1996d. Globalisation: Rhetoric and Reality: Int. J. Ed. and Development 16(4).
  • 1996e. Globalisation - training of principals. (invited conference paper - IJED Conference, Oxford).
  • 1994 - Modelling the land conservation process - Env. And Plan A.26. pp 803-819.
  • 1991 - Subversion and the organisation: some theoretical considerations. Ed. Man. and Admin. pp 30-37.
  • 1990 - Microcomputer maintenance in schools. J. Comp. Assisted Learning. pp 34- 47.
  • 1989 - Micro-computer repairs; A study of policy and response in an English LEA. Ed. Man. And Admin. pp 133-139.

Other:

  • Regular contributor as books review editor (this site!)
  • Series of articles in the Environmental Education press
  • Newspaper articles.

To top