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Prof Steve Higgins, BA (Oxon), PGCE, PhD

Contact Prof Steve Higgins (email at s.e.higgins@durham.ac.uk)

Media Contacts

Available for media contact about:

• Education: Expertise regarding the effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) for learning in schools.
• General policy: Expertise regarding the effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) for learning in schools.
• Subject specialists: Expertise regarding the effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) for learning in schools.

Biography

Steve Higgins is Professor of Education at Durham University.

His research interests include the areas of effective use of information and communications technology (ICT) and digital technologies in schools, understanding how children's thinking and reasoning develops, and how teachers can be supported in developing the quality of teaching and learning in their classrooms. He has a particular interest in the educational philosophy of Pragmatism and the implications for teaching and learning. He is currently a member of the TLRP/TEL-funded SynergyNet research team, investigating the use of multi-touch tables in classroom learning.

Steve joined the School in September 2006 from Newcastle University, where he was the founding Director of the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching. Before working in higher education he taught in primary schools in the North East where his interest in children’s thinking and learning developed.

His teaching areas include primary mathematics, new and emerging technologies and supporting effective professional development of teachers, particularly using approaches which focus on the development of children's thinking, reasoning and understanding. He supervises doctoral students in these area. Steve teaches across a number of undergraduate and post-graduate programmes including PGCE, Masters and taught doctorate programmes.

Completed Supervisions (since 2008)

The Impact of the Interactive Whiteboard on Medical School Students' ESL Essay Writing

Evaluating the Effectiveness of the E-learning Experience in Some Universities in Saudi Arabia from Male Students’ Perceptions

The effectiveness of a CALL multimedia classroom on L2 learners' achievements, attitudes and the word solving strategies' frequencies and the perceptions of helpfulness, when compared with learners in traditional classrooms: A quasi-experimental study

The Effectiveness of Using E-learning, Blended Learning and Traditional Learning on Students' Achievement and Attitudes in a Course on Islamic Culture: an Experimental study

What is 'digital literacy'? A Pragmatic investigation

An Exploratory Study on the Beliefs and Practices of Teacher-Child Interactions of Selected Early Childhood Educators in Singapore

Research Interests

• Classroom Interaction and Discourse in Primary Schools
• Digital technologies and Learning
• Meta-analysis and Research Evidence in Education

Publications

Books: authored

• Goodbourn, R., Hartley, T., Higgins, S. & Wall, K. (2009). Learning to Learn for Life 3: Research and Practical Examples for Secondary Schools. Continuum Publishing.
• Barmby, P., Bilsborough, L., Harries, T. & Higgins, S. (2009). Primary mathematics: Teaching for understanding. Buckingham: Oxford Univesity Press.

Books: sections

• Higgins, S.E. (2013). Matching Style of Learning. In International Guide to Student Achievement (Educational Psychology Handbook). Hattie, J. & Anderman, E.M. London: Routledge. 337-438.
• Higgins, S.E. (2012). Impact evaluation: a case study of the introduction of interactive whiteboards in schools in the UK. In Research Methods and Methodologies in Education. Arthur, J., Waring, M., Coe, R. & Hedges, V. Sage. 131-136.
• Hall, E., Wall, K., Higgins, S., Stephens, L., Pooley, I & Welham, J. (2010). Learning to Learn with Parents: lessons from two research projects. In Action Research in Education: Volume 3: Key Examples of Action Research in Schools within International Settings. Campbell, A. & Groundwater-Smith, S. London: Sage Publications. 3: 121-135.
• Barmby, P., Harries, A.V. & Higgins, S.E. (2010). Teaching for understanding/understanding for teaching. In Issues in teaching numeracy in primary schools. Thompson, I. Open University Press. 45-57.
• Higgins, S.E. (2010). The impact of interactive whiteboards on classroom interaction and learning in primary schools in the UK. In Interactive Whiteboards for Education: Theory, Research and Practice. Thomas, M. & Cutrim-Schmid, E. Hershey, Pa: IGI Global. 86-101.

Conference papers

• Mercier, E., Higgins, S.E., Burd, E.L. & Joyce-Gibbons, A. (2012), Multi-Touch Technology to Support Multiple Levels of Collaborative Learning in the Classroom, in van Aalst, J., Thompson, K., Jacobson, M.J. & Reimann, P. eds, Short Papers, Symposia and Abstracts 2: The Future of Learning: 10th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2012).
• Mercier, E., McNaughton, J., Higgins, S. & Burd, E. (2012), Orchestrating Learning in the Multi-touch Classroom: Developing Appropriate Tools, in van Aalst, J., Thompson, K., Jacobson, M.J. & Reimann, P. eds, Short Papers, Suymposia and Abstracts 2: The Future of Learning: 10th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS 2012).
• Mercier, E., Higgins, S. & Burd, E. (2011), Interdisciplinary design research: developing educational technology, 14th Biennial Conference of the European Association of Research into Learning and Instruction. Exeter.
• Hatch, A., Higgins, S.E., Joyce-Gibbons, A. & Mercier, E. (2011), NumberNet: Using Multi-tough Technology to Support Within and Between Group Mathematics Learning, in Spada, H., Stahl, G., Miyake, N. & Law, N. eds, 1: Connecting CSCL to Policy and Practice: CSCL2011. 176-183.
• Alagha, I., Burd, E., Higgins, S. & Mercier, E. (2011), SynergyNet Exploring Design and Pedagogy in a Supported Collaborative Learning to Policy and Practice, in Spada, H., Stahl, G., Miyake, N. & Law, N. eds, Vol. III - Community Events Proceedings: 9th International Conference on Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL 2011). Hong Kong, China, International Society of the Learning Sciences, 1081-1082.

Journal papers: academic

• Mercier, E.M. & Higgins, S. (2013). Collaborative learning with multi-touch technology: Developing adaptive expertise. Learning and Instruction 25: 13-23.
• Wall, K., Higgins, S., Remedios, R., Rafferty, V. & Tiplady, L. (2013). Comparing Analysis Frames for Visual Data Sets: Using Pupil Views Templates to explore perspectives of learning. Journal of Mixed Methods Research 7(1): 22-42.
• Wall, K., Higgins, S., Hall, E. & Woolner, P. (2012). 'That's not quite the way we see it': the epistemological challenge of visual data. International Journal of Research & Method in Education iFirst: 1-20.
• Woolner, P., McCarter, S., Wall, K. & Higgins, S. (2012). Changed learning through changed space: When can a participatory approach to the learning environment challenge preconceptions and alter practice?. Improving Schools 15(1): 45-60.
• Al-Qahtani, A.A.Y. & Higgins, S.E. (2012). Effects of traditional, blended and e-learning on students' achievement in higher education. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 29(3 ): 220-234.
• Higgins, S., Mercier, E., Burd, E. & Joyce-Gibbons, A. (2012). Multi-touch tables and collaborative learning. British Journal of Educational Technology 43(6): 1041-1054.
• Barmby, Patrick, Bolden, David, Higgins, Steve & Tymms, Peter (2012). Predicting success on a Bachelor of Arts Primary Education degree course. Educational Research 54(3): 323-330.
• Higgins, S., Mercier, E., Burd, E. & Hatch, A. (2011). Multi-touch tables and the relationship with collaborative classroom pedagogies: A synthetic review. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning 6(4): 515-538.
• Albaaly, E. & Higgins, S. (2011). The impact of interactive whiteboard technology on medical students' achievement in ESL essay writing: an early study in Egypt. Language Learning Journal 40(2): 207-222.
• Baumfield, V.M., Hall, E., Higgins, S. & Wall, K. (2009). Catalytic tools: understanding the interaction of enquiry and feedback in teachers' learning. European Journal of Teacher Education 32(4): 423-435.
• Resing, W., Elliott, J.G. & Higgins, S.E. (2009). Reasoning in children and adolescents. Educational and Child Psychology 26(3).
• Wall, K., Higgins, S., Glasner, E., Mahmout, U. & Gormally, J. (2009). Teacher enquiry as a tool for professional development: investigating pupils' effective talk while learning. Australian Educational Researcher 36(2): 93-117.
• Barmby, P., Harries, T., Higgins, S. & Suggate, J. (2009). The array representation and primary children's understanding and reasoning in multiplication. Educational Studies in Mathematics 70(3): 217-241.
• Woolner, P., Hall, E., Higgins, S., McCaughey, C. & Wall, K. (2007). A sound foundation? What we know about the impact of environments on learning and the implications for Building Schools for the Future. Oxford Review of Education 33(1): 47-70.

Manuals

• Higgins, S., Katsipataki, M., Kokotsaki, D., Coleman, R., Major, L.E. & Coe, R. (2013). The Sutton Trust - Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning Toolkit.

Other media: research

• Thomas, J., Graiosi, S., Higgins, S., Coe, R., Torgerson, C. & Newman, M. (2012). Teaching meta-analysis using MetaLight. BMC Research Notes 5(571).

Other publications: research

• Higgins, S., Baumfield, V., Newton, D. & Elliott, J. (2009). Developing effective multimedia instruction for expert learners. American Journal of Psychology 567-569.

Reports: official

• Torgerson, C.J., Wiggins, A., Torgerson, D.J., Ainsworth, H., Barmby, P., Hewitt, C., Jones, K., Hendry, V., Askew, M., Bland, M. Coe, R., Higgins, S., Hodgen, J., Hulme, C. & Tymms, P. (2011). Every Child Counts: The Independent evaluation executive Summary. Department for Education (DfE).
• Torgerson, C.J., Wiggins, A., Torgerson, D.J., Ainsworth, H., Barmby, P., Hewitt, C., Jones, K., Hendry, V., Askew, M., Bland, M., Coe, R., Higgins, S., Hodgen, J., Hulme, C. & Tymms, P. (2011). The Every Child Counts Independent Evaluation Report to DfE.
• Higgins, S., Kokotsaki, D. & Coe, R.J. (2011). Toolkit of Strategies to Improve Learning: Summary for Schools Spending the Pupil Premium. Sutton Trust.
• Higgins, S., Kokotsaki, D. & Coe, R.J. (2011). Toolkit of Strategies to Improve Learning: Summary for Schools Spending the Pupil Premium: Technical Appendices. Sutton Trust.
• Wall, K. Hall, E., Baumfield, V. Higgins, S., Rafferty, V., Remedios, R. , Thomas, U., Tiplady, L. Towler, C. & Woolner, P. (2010). Learning to learn in schools phase 4 and Learning to learn in further education. Newcastle
• Wall, K., Hall, E., Higgins, S., Leat, D., Thomas, U., Tiplady, L., Towle, C. & Woolner, P. (2009). Learning to Learn in Schools Phase 4 Year One Report. Campaign for Learning.