Mary James
Position/Status
Professor and Associate Director of Research
E-mail Address
mej1002@cam.ac.uk
Phone:
+44 (0) 1223 767623
Qualifications
BEd, MA, PHD
Membership of Professional Bodies/Associations
- Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
- Fellow Commoner, Lucy Cavendish College Cambridge
- Member of the British Educational Research Association
- Member of the UK Assessment Reform Group
Profile
Professor Mary James is formally retired but works part-time for the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education as Associate Director of Research. She also continues to do some consultancy on a negotiated basis.
From 2002 to 2008 she was Deputy Director of the UK-wide ESRC Teaching and Learning Research Programme and had responsibility for supporting school-based projects. In 2006 she was awarded an ESRC Programme Director's Fellowship to enable her to do some synthesis of programme findings and to disseminate outcomes internationally. From 2001-2005 she was also director of one of the largest TLRP projects: 'Learning How to Learn – in classrooms, schools and networks'.
She is a member of the Assessment Reform Group . Since 2000 she has been an adviser to the Education Bureau in Hong Kong on its ten year programme of reform in curriculum and assessment.
She was a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, then Reader in the University of Cambridge School of Education from 1989 until her move to a Chair of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London in 2005. Previously she was a Research Fellow at the Open University, although she began her career by teaching RE, English and Social Studies in three secondary schools.
Academic Area/Links
Leading Learning for School Improvement
Research Topics
- Assessment, especially assessment for learning
- Learning How to Learn
- Teaching, learning and curriculum in schools
- Teacher learning
- Leadership for learning
Principal Recent Publications
Books
James, M., McCormick, R., Black, P. et al., (2007) Improving Learning How to Learn, in classrooms, schools and networks, London: Routledge, 250pp
James, M. et al., (2006) Learning How to Learn: tools for schools, London: Routledge, 106pp
Articles in journals
James, M. and McCormick, R. (2009) Teachers learning how to learn, Teaching and Teacher Education, 25, 7, pp. 973-982.
Daugherty, R., Black, P., Ecclestone, K. James, M. and Newton, P. (2008) Alternative perspectives on learning outcomes, The Curriculum Journal, 21, 3, pp. 243-254.
James, M. and Pollard, A. (2008) What have we learned from TLRP?, Education Review, 21,1, pp. 90-100.
James, M. (2007) Ten key messages from the UK's biggest ever educational research programme, Learning and Teaching Update, Issue 6, July/August, pp. 5-7.
James, M. (2007) What makes a good local school for every child? It's the quality of teaching and learning, stupid!, CSCS Journal, 18,1, Summer, pp. 8-9.
James, M. (2006) Balancing rigour and responsiveness in a shifting context: meeting the challenges of educational research, Research Papers in Education, 21,4, pp. 365-380.
James, M. and Pedder, D. (2006) Beyond method: assessment and learning practices and values, The Curriculum Journal, 17,2, pp. 109-138.
James, M., Black, P. McCormick, R., Pedder, D. and Wiliam, D. (2006) Introduction: learning how to learn, in classrooms, schools and networks: aims, design and analysis, Research Papers in Education, 21,2, pp. 101-118 (Special Issue on LHTL Project)
Black, P., McCormick, R., James, M. and Pedder, D. (2006) Assessment for learning and learning how to learn: a theoretical inquiry, Research Papers in Education, 21,2, pp. 119-132 (Special Issue on LHTL Project)
Pedder, D., James, M. and MacBeath, J., (2005) How teachers value and practise professional learning, Research Papers in Education, 20,3, pp. 209-243.
James, M. and Brown, S., (2005) Grasping the TLRP nettle: a preliminary analysis and some enduring issues surrounding the improvement of learning outcomes, The Curriculum Journal,16,1, pp. 7-30 (TLRP Special Issue).
James, M., Pollard, A., Rees, G. and Taylor, C. (2005) Researching Learning Outcomes: building confidence in our conclusions , The Curriculum Journal, 16,1, pp. 109-122 (TLRP Special Issue).
Chapters in books
James, M., (2008) Assessment and Learning: in S. Swaffield (Ed.) Unlocking Assessment, London: Routledge, pp.20-36..
James, M. and Pedder, D., (2006) Professional learning as a condition for assessment for learning: in J. Gardner (Ed.) Assessment and Learning, London: Sage, pp. 27-43.
James, M., (2006) Assessment, teaching and theories of learning: in J. Gardner (Ed) Assessment and Learning, London: Sage, pp. 47-60.
Booklets/leaflets
Mansell, W., James, M. and the Assessment Reform Group (2009) Assessment in schools. Fit for purpose? A Commentary by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme. London: ESRC, TLRP. 32pp. Download from; http://www.tlrp.org/pub/commentaries.html
James, M. and Pollard, A. (2008) 'Learning and Teaching in Primary Schools: insights from TLRP', Primary Review Research Survey 2/4, 28pp.
James, M. (2008) Only Connect! Improving teaching and learning in schools, (Professorial lecture delivered at the Institute of Education, University of London on 17th October 2007), London: Institute of Education, 28pp.
James, M. and Pollard, P., (2006) Improving teaching and learning in schools: a commentary by the Teaching and Learning Research Programme, Swindon, ESRC, 48pp.
Pollard, A. and James, M. and with individual contributions from the directors of five TLRP projects, (2004) Personalised Learning: a TLRP Commentary, Swindon, ESRC, 28pp.
Assessment Reform Group, (2002) Assessment for Learning: 10 Principles,
Cambridge University Faculty of Education.
Other research and evaluation reports
2007 An Investigation of Personalised Learning Approaches used by Schools,
(with J.Sebba, N. Brown, S.Steward and M. Galton) University of Sussex for
the DfES, 77pp.
2006 Representing Context in a Research Archive of Educational Evaluation
Studies (with P.Carmichael, J.Elliott and D. Bridges) (End of Award Report
ref: RES 346 25 3003), ESRC accessible at; www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk
2005 Learning How to Learn – in classrooms, schools and networks
(with R. McCormick and B.Marshall)(End of Award Report
ref: L 139 251 020), ESRC accessible via: www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk
2001 Hertfordshire Progress File Demonstration Project: local evaluation report,
(with A.Fox) University of Cambridge, Faculty of Education. 62pp.