About Nick

I am a Senior Teaching Fellow in Secondary Education (Physics) at Moray House, Edinburgh. I teach on the PGDE Primary Science, PGDE Secondary Physics and General Science, Primary BEd, the MA Primary Science strands and the new 2-year MSc in Transformative Learning and Teaching.

Screen Shot 2016-03-03 at 16.58.32

A lecture on teaching forces to BEd third year students at Moray House, February 2016
(Image Credit: Barrie Barreto, University of Edinburgh)

I am a GTCS registered teacher of Physics, Science and Mathematics. I took my PGCE at Moray House, graduating in 2004 and serving an unforgettable probationary year at Buckhaven High School, Methil.

From 2005 to 2012, I taught Physics and Mathematics at Kirkcaldy High School with a 2-year secondment as Principal Teacher of Physics at Glenwood High School during 2008-10. During this time I created a number of web resources for pupils and teachers, including “Mr. Hood’s World-Wide-Whatsit”, which despite having been shut down, parts of it survive in translation – see here, for example. There are snapshots at the Internet Archive as well other experiments like an online classroom on Moodle. My teacher community site at sptr.net has been superseded in 2019 by the IoP’s Talk Physics.

I was a marker for the SQA Higher Physics exam in 2012-13 and the Advanced Higher Physics Investigation in 2013.

The Institute of Physics (IoP) is active in supporting education. I served as a member of the IoP in Scotland committee (from September 2011 – September 2014) and am an active member of the IoP’s education committee (since February 2010).

Before becoming a teacher, I was often contracted to deliver training courses in industry on programming, databases, object-oriented design and project management. Specific technologies include Microsoft Visual Basic, Access, SQL Server and IIS; Adobe PDF (the language); MySQL; Linux and Apache.

I am able to offer specific technology updates and seminars such as the Channels of Engagement half-day workshop for SSERC in 2010. Other CPD delivered includes:

  • 2018 STEM Education for Primary and Secondary Teachers in Beijing
  • 2018 STEM Education (JESIE Summer School, Edinburgh)
  • 2017 STEM Education (JESIE Summer School, Edinburgh)
  • 2015 Inquiry Graphics for Fife Physics Teachers In-Service Day
  • 2011 Professionally relevant structures A workshop related to CfE
  • 2010 Online survey tools A workshop
  • 2009 The Rank Prize Fund’s Optoelectronics College, IoP Stirling Meeting, with Michael Walker, Robert Gordon’s College