Back to National Teaching Fellow Listing Page

Professor David Read

After learning his trade in the secondary school classroom, Professor David Read spent a decade in higher education where he pioneered a range of teaching innovations, establishing himself as a leading figure in UK chemistry education and gaining international recognition for his work. He constantly interacts with colleagues across the UK, sharing work and picking up novel ideas for implementation in his own practice.
Year
2017
Institution
University of Southampton
Job Title
Professorial Fellow in Chemical Education
After learning his trade in the secondary school classroom, Professor David Read spent a decade in higher education where he pioneered a range of teaching innovations, establishing himself as a leading figure in UK chemistry education and gaining international recognition for his work. He constantly interacts with colleagues across the UK, sharing work and picking up novel ideas for implementation in his own practice. His goal is to bring chemistry to life and make it accessible to students through creative use of technology, breaking down barriers which hinder progress when studying the subject. His foundation is the evidence-based enhancement of teaching and learning, which facilitates the dissemination of his work through publications and conferences and helps him to build a profile as a proponent of high quality scholarship of teaching and learning at a national level. Impact of work David's contributions since 2007 include the introduction of in-class voting technology, lecture capture and flipped teaching, which has been promoted nationally and internationally, encouraging widespread adoption of these approaches. His work on assessment and feedback relating to practical work is enhancing the student learning experience and provoking debate on the future of laboratory teaching. His capacity to innovate is increasing through the work of his PhD students who are developing and evaluating novel teaching approaches via their research, and this will be a continuing area of focus for him. Plans for the future He has recently re-ignited his passion for working closely with colleagues over a period of time, helping them reflect on their teaching and establish frameworks for ongoing enhancement of their practice.   He is mentoring a growing number of research-focused colleagues in applying for Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy and is taking this opportunity to embed a philosophy of teaching which leads to long-term enhancement of the student experience. Looking ahead, David is keen to expand on this by developing programmes of CPD for academics that support them in developing the skills required to meet the demands of teaching in the TEF era. He believes recognition as an NTF offers the credibility to do this effectively and engage the greatest number of colleagues in this endeavour.

Advance HE recognises there are different views and approaches to teaching and learning, as such we encourage sharing of practice, without advocating or prescribing specific approaches. NTF and CATE awards recognise teaching excellence in a particular context. The profiles featured are self-submitted by award winners.