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Overview
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Honorary Staff in the School of Education +44 (0) 191 33 48311

Biography

Andrew Davis’s career includes eight years in primary schools, six at Cambridge University and over twenty at Durham University where he is a Research Fellow. He has worked for the Quality Assurance Agency as a Subject Specialist Reviewer and directed Argument Matters, a strand of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth Durham summer school for four years. He is Assistant Editor of the Journal of Philosophy of Education and secretary of the Durham Branch of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain.

He contributes to Combined Social Sciences, Combined Arts, Education Studies, Primary PGCE, Secondary PGCE and MA.

Please check out link for current projects and publications: http://ajdav35.wix.com/andrew-davis-educ

A Critique of Pure Teaching Methods and the Case for Synthetic Phonics Video of the UCL/IOE 22nd November 2017 event

Andrew Davis was interviewed by Richard Marshall for for 3:16 Educational Assessment, Religious Pluralism, Synthetic Phonics and Other Educational Issues - 3:16

Blog Links

Are Faith Schools Indoctrinatory? https://blogs.warwick.ac.uk/faithschooling/entry/are_faith_schools/

And 'Is Homework Detrimental to Children's Well-being?http://theqstn.com/questions/218215/is-homework-detrimental-to-children-s-wellbeing

Publication Information

To get a free download of "To read or not to read: decoding synthetic phonics" (published online December 13th 2013) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/2048-416X.2013.12000.x/abstract

View launch of "To read or not to read: decoding synthetic phonics" (held January 29th 2014 at the Institute of Education, London University) at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8n52lgaxzfi9d82/TrdlBd2s6-#lh:null-PESGB2.mp4

Summary articles and selected media coverage of "To Read or not to Read..":

Don’t let reading wars hold back more able children - available https://theconversation.com/dont-let-reading-wars-hold-back-more-able-children-22468

A Plague on the Fundamentalism of synthetic phonics- at http://news.tes.co.uk/b/opinion/2014/01/28/39-a-plague-on-the-fundamentalism-of-synthetic-phonics-39.aspx

Brief clip from Radio 5 live coverage at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01qpxlv

Interview - available at http://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/other/1142017/interview-andrew-davis-research-fellow-durhamuniversitys-school-education

News report about "To read or not to read" plus comments - at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25917646

Reading lessons: why synthetic phonics doesn't work http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2014/mar/04/reading-lessons-phonics-world-book-day?CMP=twt_gu

Research interests

  • Primary mathematics
  • Philosophy and psychology of mathematical learning
  • Assessment
  • Reading and phonics
  • Researching teaching methods

Media Contacts

Available for media contact about:

  • General policy: assessment, inspection, tracking standards
  • Subject specialists: maths in primary schools
  • Subject specialists: Reading and phonics
  • Subject specialists: Researching teaching methods

Publications

Authored book

  • Davis, A., Goulding M. & Suggate, J. (2017). Mathematical Knowledge for Primary Teachers. Taylor and Francis.
  • Davis, A. & Winch, C. (2015). Educational Assessment on Trial. Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Barnes, L P & Davis, A (2015). Religious Education: Educating for Diversity. Bloomsbury.
  • Suggate, J., Davis, A. & Goulding, M. (2010). Mathematical Knowledge for Primary Teachers. Routledge.
  • Davis, A. (2008). Educational Assessment and Accountability: a critique of current policy. Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain.
  • Suggate, J., Davis, A. & Goulding, M. (2006). Mathematical Knowledge for Primary Teachers. David Fulton.
  • Suggate, J., Davis, A. & Goulding, M. (2001). Mathematical Knowledge for Primary Teachers. David Fulton.
  • A.J. Davis (1999). Educational Assessment: a critique of current policy. Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain.
  • A.J. Davis (1998). The Limits of Educational Assessment. Blackwell Publishers.
  • Suggate, J., Davis, A. & Goulding, M. (1998). Mathematical Knowledge for Primary Teachers. David Fulton.

Book review

  • Davis, A.J. (2018). Neuroscience and Education: A Philosophical Approach. Educational Theory

Chapter in book

  • Davis, A.J. (2014). Homework on Trial. In Philosophical Perspectives on Compulsory Education. Papastephanou, M. Springer. 157-169.
  • Davis, A. (2009). Ian Hacking, Learner Categories and Human Taxonomies. In New Philosophies of Learning. Cigman, R. & Davis, A. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. 83-97.
  • Davis, A. (2009). Learning. In The SAGE Handbook of Philosophy of Education. Bailey, R., Carr, D., Barrow, R. & McCarthy, C. London: Sage Publications.
  • Davis, A. (2008). Lookism', Common Schools, Respect and Democracy. In The Common School and the Comprehensive Ideal. Halstead, M. & Haydon, G. (eds) Wiley-Blackwell. 306-321.
  • Davis, A. (2007). Consistency, Understanding and Truth in Educational Research. In Philosophy, Methodology and Educational Research. Bridges, D. & Smith, R. (Eds) Blackwell. 75-88.
  • A.J. Davis (2003). The Measurement of Learning. In The Companion to the Philosophy of Education. Curren, R. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. 272-283.

Conference Paper

  • Davis, A. (2018), Can Neuroscience contribute to the science of learning?, Chartered College of Teaching.

Edited book

  • Davis, A. (2016). Dyslexia: Developing the Debate. Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Cigman, R. & Davis, A. (2009). New Philosophies of Learning. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Journal Article

Monograph

  • Davis,A. (2017). A Critique of Pure Teaching Methods and the Case of Synthetic Phonics. Bloomsbury Academic.