David Leat

david.leat@newcastle.ac.uk

My day job is in the Education section in Faculty of Humanities and Social Science and my Open Lab interests lie at the intersection where formal and informal learning meet digital technology.

In previous lives I have worked in a field centre and been a classroom geography teacher and a geography teacher trainer. My research interests are in innovative methods, such as thinking skills and project-based learning and exploring why it is so difficult for schools to change. Formal, test-driven education looks increasingly anachronistic.

I am a director of the Research Centre for Learning and Teaching (CfLaT) which has a focus on reform and change for greater social justice and mobility. Most of our research is conducted in partnerships with teachers, schools, community organisations and public services.

Outside of work, I am a keen runner, bird ringer, horticulturalist and grandad.