FEATURED AUTHOR

Jonathan Firth

Teaching Fellow
University of Strathclyde

Jonathan Firth is an author, researcher, psychology teacher and teacher trainer. He writes books and resources for both students and teachers, including psychology textbooks for high school level. Jonathan has been a teacher for over 20 years at various levels, and now works at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. His research focuses on memory, learning, and metacognition.

Subjects: Cognitive Psychology, Education

Biography

I am a research-engaged teacher. My teaching focuses on psychology at school level (both teaching, and mentoring new student teachers), and the psychology of education, again including working with student teachers.

In terms of research, I focus on the application of cognitive psychology to education, and in particular long-term memory and transfer. I am very interested in how the order in which examples are studied can influence students’ learning of concepts, and have conducted research based around the spacing effect and - in particular - interleaving.

More broadly, I believe that an understanding of human memory and the processes involved in learning should form part of a teacher’s professional knowledge, in part to to help insulate them against top-down interference in their pedagogical judgements. I developed an undergraduate module entitled ‘Memory, belief and misconception’ which explores teachers’ professional understanding of memory and their belief in learning myths, and I also work actively in promoting and supporting teachers’ research engagement (including ‘practitioner enquiry’).

Additionally, I continue to engage in scholarship relating to the teaching of Psychology at pre-tertiary level, and have written or co-authored five school psychology textbooks, one of which is now in its second edition.

Areas of Research / Professional Expertise

Personal Interests

Travel, poetry, cooking, gaming, politics, time with my family.

Books

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