Travis T. Fuchs is a SSHRC Canada Postdoctoral Fellow at Brock University, an Honorary Norham Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Department of Education, and Researcher in Residence at Crofton House School. He is a co-founder of the Oxford Education Deanery Sustainability Team.
His current projects include teacher climate change and sustainability education, teachers’ engagement in and with research as forms of professional development, and instructional approaches which leverage socioscientific issues in science learning contexts.
Dr Fuchs is a recipient of numerous awards for his research in teacher professional development and science education, including the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship, SSHRC Canada Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement, Killam Doctoral Scholarship, and Vancouver Poppy Fund. He is a recent recipient of the SSHRC Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship and was nominated by the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Education for the Governor General’s Gold Medal as the top doctoral student at the university.
Dr Fuchs earned undergraduate degrees in science (BSc Hons) and education (BEd) from McMaster and Western Universities, respectively and is a licensed teacher in Ontario and British Columbia. He completed graduate training at Harvard (EdM), Oxford (Recognized Student), and the University of British Columbia (PhD).
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles
- Fuchs, T.T. (2023). A framework for climate change education in critical geography. Geography, 108(2), 95-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167487.2023.2217632
- Fuchs, T.T. & Jellema, E. (2023). Socioscientific issues and COVID-19: Responding to curriculum reform through action research. Canadian Journal of Action Research, 23(2), 41-68. https://journals.nipissingu.ca/index.php/cjar/article/view/612
- Fuchs, T.T., & Tan, Y.S.M. (2022). Frameworks supporting socially responsible science education: Opportunities, challenges, and implementation. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 22(1), 9-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-022-00200-x
- Fuchs T.T., Sonnert, G., Scott, S.A., Sadler, P.M., & Chen, C. (2022). Preparation and motivation of high school students who want to become science or mathematics teachers. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 33(1), 83-106. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2021.1908658
- Fuchs, T.T., Bonney, K., & Arsenault, M. (2021). Leveraging student misconceptions to improve teaching of biochemistry and cell biology. The American Biology Teacher, 83(1), 5-11. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2021.83.1.5
- Fuchs, T.T., & Arsenault, M. (2017). Using test data to find misconceptions in secondary science. School Science Review, 98(364), 31-36. https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/school-science-review/issue-364/using-test-data-find-misconceptions-secondary-science
- Fuchs, T.T., Sadler, P.M., & Sonnert, G. (2015). High school predictors of a career in medicine. Journal of Career and Technical Education, 30(1), 9-28. https://doi.org/10.21061/jcte.v30i1.711
- Fuchs, T.T. (2013). Effects of habitat complexity on invertebrate biodiversity. Immediate Science Ecology, 2, 1-10. https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/ISE/article/view/4627
Conference Proceedings
- Fuchs, T.T., & Arsenault, M. (2018). Secondary biology misconceptions: Using 23 years of test-data to inform pedagogy. Conference proceedings of the National Association of Biology Teachers Professional Development Conference, 10th Annual NABT Biology Education Research Symposium, San Diego, USA. https://nabt.org/files/galleries/Fuchs_Arsenault.pdf
Referred Practitioner Articles
- Harding, T., & Fuchs, T. (2021). Not another climate change headline: The case of a Canadian teacher professional development program. Education in Science, 286, 15-17. https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/education-in-science/issue-286/feature-climate-change-education
- Fuchs, T. (2019). Dwelling between curriculum-as-planned and curriculum-as-lived in science class. Canadian Teacher Magazine, Winter, 18-19. https://canadianteachermagazine.com/2019/01/19/dwelling-between-curriculum-as-planned-and-curriculum-as-lived-in-science-class/
- Fuchs, T. (2016). LGBTQ inclusivity in the science classroom. Canadian Teacher Magazine, Jan, http://www.canadianteachermagazine.com/issues/2016/CTM_JanFeb16/docs/CTM_JanFeb16_web.pdf
The Oxford Education Deanery hosted two teacher learning events on 27 July, attended by a wide range of teachers and headteachers from primary and secondary schools around the country.
The first event focused on noticing, rehearsing, analysing and refining practice in the Early Years classroom. Led by Professor Kathy Sylva and Dr Sandra Mathers, the day included a mix of theory and interactive activities to support the identification of effective strategies to foster children’s language development. The comments from participants below are testament to the value the teachers placed on the event:
“The whole session had a profound impact on me. I am so interested to hear more about research which was delivered in a clear way”
“It has empowered me and inspired me to find out more and look at my own practice”
“What a brilliant day, made me proud to be in early years. Thank you”
Alongside the Early Years event, Professor Victoria Murphy, Professor Steve Strand, Dr Faidra Faitaki and Dr Hamish Chalmers developed a day of input focused on improving the educational experiences of students for whom English is an Additional Language. The day covered bilingual language development across the skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. There were also sessions exploring multilingualism in the classroom and the assessment of EAL learners.
“Super interesting and relevant presentations”
“The breadth of research covered in the sessions was truly remarkable”
“It felt like what teachers do in the classroom really matters to you”
“It was a really helpful digest of all the research I don’t have time to keep on top of, with expert commentary”
We rounded off the day of learning with a formal dinner hosted at Kellogg College, which was an excellent chance for participants to continue their conversations and build networks.
The Education Deanery events aim to provide a conduit for our researchers to share their work directly with teachers, and for teachers to contribute to ongoing discussions about the research agendas of the department.
Over the weekend, the Oxford Education Deanery held the first of its suite of teacher learning events this year: the Sustainability Education Colloquium.
A group of 25 educators from Oxford and beyond kicked off the event on Friday with a seminar and sustainable dinner at St Anne’s college, with discussions and knowledge sharing around climate-related challenges, and the implications of these for secondary school policy. The following day was spent at the education centre at Wytham Woods, where the group pooled views and experiences and debated potential ways that schools can help address climate change and sustainability objectives. The discussions were supported by input from university researchers in education, climate, biodiversity, and psychology.
Dr Hamish Chalmers, Co-Director of the Education Deanery, said: “On a weekend that followed the hottest British June on record and five days of the hottest global temperatures ever, this colloquium was timely and starkly relevant. The more tropical than temperate storm experienced at the Woods on Saturday served only to underscore the issues and the challenges.”
The event was convened with the Deanery by Honorary Norham Fellow, Dr Kim Pollgreen and recognised student, Travis Fuchs. Kim and Travis led the day with talks about efforts at Wytham to understand the effects of climate change, the effects of climate anxiety on student wellbeing, practical approaches to educating about climate change, and steps schools are making to address sustainability goals – for example, the tree planting programme initiated by the Cherwell School.
The Education Deanery events aim to provide a conduit for our researchers to share their work directly with teachers, and for teachers to contribute to ongoing discussions about the research agendas of the department. Dr Laura Molway and Dr Hamish Chalmers, co-directors of the Education Deanery, were delighted with the success of the event and look forward to hearing from colleagues in other disciplines in the department who would like to hold similar events in the future.
The department’s 2018-19 annual report is now available to download. The report documents the department’s activities and achievements across the last academic year and offers an opportunity to discover the research and teaching programmes that we facilitated during 2018-19.
Highlights include:
- Activities from our 100th anniversary year, including a timeline of department milestones from 1919 to 2019
- Research, impact, engagement and knowledge exchange activities from across our three research themes
- Teaching and learning achievements, from scholarship awards to alumni career destinations
- A recap of our top news and events, including an infographic summarising our year in review
Download the report here.
This seminar – intended for teachers as well as university colleagues – will examine the research claims that demonstrate the importance of working memory to the development of reading and mathematics.
There have been strong claims about the possibility of training children in working memory to improve their school performance. Ann will talk about the need for caution about whether we can train children in working memory in ways that will really help their progress in school. There is much stronger evidence that we can use what is known about memory to improve children’s performance by shaping instruction to avoid over-loading children’s working memory. There is also evidence that regular retrieval practice can be used to strengthen retention and recall. Ann’s presentation will review the relevant research and critically examine suggestions for teaching based on these ideas.
About the speaker
Dr Ann Dowker is a University Research Lecturer at the Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford. Her interests include many aspects of developmental psychology and the psychology of individual differences. She is particularly interested in language development; the development of ‘theory of mind’ and its relationship to other cognitive abilities; cultural and linguistic influences on cognition; and mathematical development and cognition. She has carried out extensive research on individual differences in arithmetic in both children and adults, and on the phenomenon of ‘mathematics anxiety’.
About the department of education
In 2019, the University of Oxford’s Department of Education celebrates the 100th year since the passing of a statute creating what was known in 1919 as the University Department for the Training of Teachers. To celebrate our centenary a year-long series of activities will be delivered to address some of the department’s top initiatives for 2019, answer some of the big questions facing education today and to reveal the advancements the department has made to the study of and research in the field of education. Join us as we mark our 100th year and discover more about our anniversary here.
To receive more event details from the Department of Education, join our mailing list.
Please note that this event has been cancelled
Are you a secondary school teacher in your first few years of teaching? Come along to a day full of fresh ideas and update your knowledge of the latest educational research and its applicability in practice.
The programme will include a keynote speech, a choice of hands-on workshops and an opportunity to hear from practicing teachers who have completed cutting-edge, subject-specific research in their classrooms.
View the programme here.
Registration is required.
Tickets cost £30.
Hamish is the Course Director of the MSc Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching (ALLT). He lectures and supervises on the MSc Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition (ALSLA) and the MSc Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching (ALLT).
He is director of the International Database of Education Systematic Reviews (IDESR.org), a database of published systematic reviews in Education and a clearinghouse for protocol registration of ongoing and planned systematic reviews. He convenes the REAL (research in EAL) group at the Department. He is co-director of the Oxford Education Deanery.
Hamish’s research interest centres on evaluation of pedagogical approaches to teaching children who use English as an Additional Language (EAL). In particular, his research focuses on the use of the first language as a pedagogical tool for multilingual learners in English medium classrooms. His methodological interest is in randomised trials and systematic reviews. He is also an advocate for user engagement in research and public understanding of science.
Hamish welcomes expressions of interest for doctoral study in the field of EAL, bilingualism and bilingual schooling, international schooling, and instructed language learning. He is particularly keen to hear from prospective students wishing to conduct systematic reviews and experiments in these areas.
Publications
Books
- Chalmers, H. (Ed.) (2022). The researchED guide to English as an Additional Language. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational
Journal articles
- Chalmers, H., Brown, J., & Koryakina, A. (2023). Topics, publication patterns, and reporting quality in systematic reviews in language education. Lessons from the international database of education systematic reviews (IDESR). Applied Linguistics Review, doi: 10.1515/applirev-2022-0190
- Chong, S-W., Bond, M., & Chalmers, H. (2023). Opening the methodological black box of research synthesis in language education: where are we now and where are we heading? Applied Linguistics Review, doi: 10.1515/applirev-2022-0193
- Jitpaisarnwattana, N. & Chalmers, H. (2022). Can I MOOC to Catch up? The Effects of Using an LMOOC as a Remedial Tool for EFL Students in Thailand. English Language Teaching, 15(1), 37-52. doi: 10.5539/elt.v15n1p37.
- Müller, L., Morris, A., Sharples, J., Chislett, J., Rose, N., Chalmers, H. (2020). How to assess claims about cognition and learning: The ACE concepts. Impact, Issue 8, Spring 2020, 60-63.
- Chalmers, H. (2019) Why all the fuss about Randomised Trials? researchED Magazine, February 2019, 13-14.
- Chalmers, H. and Crisfield, E. (2019). Drawing on linguistic and cultural capital to create positive learning cultures for EAL learners. Impact, Issue 5, Spring 2019, 40-43.
Book Chapters
- Chalmers, H. & Murphy, V. (2022). Multilingual Learners, linguistic pluralism and implications for education and research. In Macaro, E., & Woore, R. (Eds.) Debates in Second Language Education. Abingdon: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003008361-6.
- Murphy, V. & Chalmers, H. (2022) The impact of language learning on wider academic outcomes. In K. McManus & M. Schmid (eds.), How special are early birds?: Foreign language teaching and learning, pp. 165-188. Berlin: Language Science Press. Doi: 10.5218/zenodo.6811470
Reports
- Murphy, V. Arndt, H., Briggs Baffoe-Djan, J., Chalmers, H., Macaro, E., Rose, H., Vanderplank, R. & Woore, R. (2020). Foreign language learning and its impact on wider academic outcomes: A rapid evidence assessment. London: EEF.
- Chalmers, H. (2019) The Role of the First Language in English Medium Instruction. Oxford:OUP.