Sally Johnson

    • BSc, MA, PGCC, PGCE
    • Director, Science Learning Centre London
  • Faculty:
    • Faculty of Children and Learning
  • Department:
    • Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
  • Centre:
  • Summary:
    • I became Director of the Science Learning Centre in April 2007. My experience spans thirty years of science teaching and teacher development in the UK and five other countries. This includes twelve years as Science Education Lecturer on the PGCE programme at King's College London, through which I am very well acquainted with many of the schools and science teachers in the London region. From 2004 I was seconded to the Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme managing a wide range of professional development projects including Learning Skills for Science.
  • Teaching:
    • At the Science Learning Centre I manage a team of eight people to develop and deliver professional development courses for secondary science teachers, FE lecturers, primary teachers and science co-ordinators, technicians and teaching assistants. In the last year we held over 80 courses for 1,700 people at our Centre and with partner organisations across London.
  • Research:
    • • 2008 – 2009: I am currently managing a TDA funded Network for Learning research project in collaboration with Shirley Simon (head of GEMS). The aim is to gather evidence about highly effective practice in Initial Teacher Education and Early Professional Development at ten schools across London that are regarded as excellent in this work. This is part of a wider project involving five HEIs across England
      • 2002 – 2004: Co-ordinator Science Enhancement Programme at King's project – SEPAK. GATSBY funded research and development to enrich initial teacher education
      • 2001-2004: King's College London, co-ordinator of British Council funded HED Link programme in South Africa
      • 1999-2003: King's College London, Director of Nuffield funded research in South Africa – 'Teaching Science to Large Classes Project'.
  • Professional Activities:
    • • National Co-ordinator of Initial Teacher Training and Continuing Professional Development projects for Gatsby Science Enhancement Programme. Responsible for over twelve teacher development projects. Organiser of Continuing Professional Development courses involving 4,000 participants across the country of which I was the trainer at 42 events.
      • External examiner for International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO
      • Member of the science expert advisory panel for the Specialist Schools Trust
      • Member of Secondary National Strategy interactive teaching expert group
      • Member of the Institute of Biology
      • Member of the Association of Science Education
  • Conferences/presentations:
    • Johnson, S. (2003) Developing science subject knowledge through pairing of trainees during teaching practice. Proceedings BERA conference, Edinburgh

      Johnson, S. (2002) Who wants to be a science teacher: a five year study of recruitment in London. Proceedings BERA conference, Exeter

      Johnson, S. (2002) Researching teacher development in the use of Translation Activities across southern Africa. Proceedings 10th Annual SAARMSTE conference. Durban: University of Natal.

      Johnson, S. and Harrison, C. (1998) Exploring Issues of Success: A consideration of some of the outcomes of the NISTEP Project. San Diego: NARST Conference

      Johnson, S., Monk, M. and Swain, J. (1998) Models of teacher development and change: blind variation and selective retention. Utrecht: ICASE Symposium
Sally Johnson

Staff profile

Contact details

  • Email:

  • Postal address:
  • Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
    Institute of Education
    University of London
    20 Bedford Way
    London WC1H 0AL

  • Office location:
  • Room 906
    20 Bedford Way, WC1H 0AL

Publications

  • Johnson, S., Monk, M., Botha, T. and Hodges, M. (2004) 'Teaching Science to Large Classes in South Africa', School Science Review 86(314), 15-22.
  • Johnson, S., Scholtz, Z, Hodges, M. and Botha, T. (2003) 'An approach to delivering sustainable teacher development in large science classes', African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 7, 85-96.
  • Johnson, S., Sadeck, M and Hodges, M. (2002) 'Developing science process skills in special schools in South Africa', Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs 2(1),
  • Johnson, S., Monk, M., Watson, R., Hodges, M., Sadeck, M., Scholtz, Z., Botha, T. and Wilson, B. (2000) 'Teacher Change in the Western Cape, South Africa: taking a big step in science education', Journal of In-service Education 26(3), 569-582.
  • Johnson, S., Monk, M. and Hodges, M. (2000) 'Teacher Development and Change in South Africa: a critique of the appropriateness of transfer of northern/western practice', Compare 30(2), 179-192.
  • Johnson, S., Monk, M. and Swain, J. (2000) 'Constraints on development and change to science teachers' practice in Egyptian classrooms', Journal of Education for Teaching 26(1), 9-24.
  • Johnson, S., Monk, M. and Watson, R. (2000) 'Teacher development in large classes: a project in progress', Science Teacher Education 28, 10-12.
  • Monk, M., Johnson, S. and Swain, J. (1999) 'Modelling adaptation in the evolution of an in-service programme: blind variation and selective retention in school based observation activities', Journal of In-service Education 24(3), 429-444.
  • Monk, M. and Johnson, S. (1995) 'How do you know that?: an epistemological challenge', Science Education International 6(4), 21-24.