Position/Status

Teaching associate

E-mail Address

cp433@cam.ac.uk

Phone

+ 44 (0)1223 767600

Qualifications

• MEd Science Education, University of Cambridge
• PGCE Secondary Science (with Biology), University of Cambridge
• BSc (Hons) Biology, Newcastle University

Profile

Charlie Pettit joined the Faculty of Education in 2020. He currently co-leads the secondary Biology PGCE, and acts as a supervisor on the MEd Transforming Practice course. In addition, Charlie works in the leadership team of a multi-academy trust, supporting a number of primary and secondary schools across Cambridgeshire. Charlie is the Early Career Teacher induction lead for the primary schools within his trust, and has also continued to teach science at secondary and sixth form level in a local secondary school.

Prior to his current roles, Charlie has been Head of Science in a Peterborough school, and has supported Science teachers and students across a broad range of schools as a Science education consultant. He completed his own PGCE in 2009, and completed his MEd in 2012, both at the University of Cambridge.

Charlie's research interests are in teaching and learning, including plant awareness disparity in 11-18 students and pre-service teachers. Charlie is a reviewer for the Journal of Biological Education, and for School Science Review.

Charlie provides teaching and learning workshops for STEM learning, The Association for Science Education and the Princes Trust Institute. In addition, Charlie has been a consultant for the Cambridge Partnership for Education, Cambridge University Press and Assessment, and The Khazakhstan Center of Excellence.

Charlie also engages in teaching and learning resource development for the Faculty of Education, the Gurdon Institute Public Engagement team, Science and Plants for Schools, and the Princes Trust Institute. 

Academic Area/Links

• Initial teacher education 
• Early Career Teacher education
• Science education
• Primary and secondary curriculum development and enrichment

Publications

Pettit, C. (2024). Book review. Using Graphic Novels in the STEM Classroom: By William Boerman-Cornell, Josha Ho, David Klanderman and Sarah Klanderman. Pp 168. London: Bloomsbury Academic. 2023. British Journal of Educational Studies, 1–3.

Ryan, T., Kopanitsa, M., Indersmitten, T., Nithianantharajah, J., Afinowi, N., Pettit, C., Stanford, L., Sprengel, Rolf., Saksida, Lisa., Bussey, T., O'Dell, T., Grant, S., Komiyama, N. Evolution of GluN2A/B cytoplasmic domains diversified vertebrate synaptic plasticity and behavior. Nat Neurosci 16: 25–32.

van de Lagemaat, L., Stanford, L., Pettit, C., Strathdee, D., Strathdee, K., Elsegood, K., Fricker, D., Croning, M., Komiyama, N., Grant, S. Standardized experiments in mutant mice reveal behavioural similarity on 129S5 and C57BL/6J backgrounds. Genes Brain Behav. 16(4): 409-418.