Position

Associate Professor, sociology, philosophy, education and technology.

Co-convenor of the Knowledge, Power and Politics (KPP) research cluster

Associate Executive Editor, Cambridge Journal of Education 

Digital Education Futures Initiative

Fellow, Wolfson College

E-mail Address

sw10014@cam.ac.uk

Phone

+ 44 (0) 1223 767584

Qualifications

• PhD (University of Nottingham)
• MA ERM - Educational research methods (University of Nottingham)
• MEd (Open University)
• PGCE Secondary Mathematics (University of Sheffield)
• MA Chemical Engineering (University of Cambridge)

Membership of Professional Bodies/Associations

• British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics (BSRLM)
• British Education Research Association (BERA)
• European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (ERME)
• European Sociological Association (ESA)

Profile

My research and scholarship is interdisciplinary and is concerned with very practical and real issues in and around education but involves a level of abstraction in order to comprehend and explains these issues in a more general scientific way. 

The range of practical aspects that I have been involved include the professional learning of teachers, the role of social media, populism and science in influencing education policy in England and Australia. More recently on the integration of chatGPT in education (see my blog post on this https://chatgptineducationandsociety.wordpress.com)

Recent talks, presentations and public engagements

ChatGPT in Higher Education (1 June, 2023). Invited speaker, Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya

Transcidisciplinary research in education (1 June, 2023). Invited speaker, Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya

ChatGPT interview (31 May,  2023). BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Chris Mann Show.

ChatGPT talk and workshop for staff (24 May 2023). Hills Road Sixth Form College, Hills Road, Cambridge, UK.

ChatGPT in education (23 May, 2023). Keynote and panel for first year PhD conference. Institute for Manufacturing, University of Cambridge.

ChatGPT in education (5.40pm BST, 19 May 2023). Voice of Islam Radio https://voiceofislam.co.uk/drive-time/

The Role of ChatGPT in Modern Education: Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethics (18 May, 2023) Digital Education Futures Initiative (DEFI) Webinar

Assessing the Impact of ChatGPT on Higher Education: Preliminary Insights and Analysis. (10 May, 2023). Wolfson College, Cambridge

ChatGPT education and schools. (20 April, 2023). The Pat Kenny Show, Newstalk Radio, Ireland.

Making use of ChatGPT in teaching and learning (27 March, 2023). Diversifying Assessment Forum, Centre for Teaching and Learning, University of Cambridge

Making use of ChatGPT in teaching and learning (8 March, 2023), Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.

ChatGPT, education and society (19 January, 2023), Knowledge Power Politics research group, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. 

Principal and Recent Publications

Pre-prints

Watson, S., Romic, J., & Lien, V., (2023) ChatGPT与社会、教育和技术的纠缠进化：系统理论视角. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.16108.13448

Watson, S., (2023). ChatGPT and the Entangled Evolution of Society, Education, and Technology: A Systems Theory Perspective. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.19272.39689

Watson, S., (2022). Scientific communication in educational policymaking: the case of new right think tanks in England and Australia. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.32036.14728

Watson, S., (2022). Organisations of legitimacy: new right think tanks in England and Australia. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/363214118_Organisations_of_legitimacy_new_right_think_tanks_in_England_and_Australia

Watson, S. (2022). Toward a systems theory approach to mathematics education. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.30987.57124

Watson, S. (2022). Scholar-activism: knowledge, populism, politics and society. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.17565.79844

Journal Articles

Marschall, G., Watson, S., Major, L., & Kimber E. (In review). A phenomenological study of a novice mathematics teacher’s instructional decision making.

Watson, S. (2023). A educação matemática como um sistema da sociedade. Revista de Educação Matemática (REMat). https://doi.org/10.37001/remat25269062

Barnes, N., & Watson, S. (2022). The moral positioning of education policy publics: how social media is used to wedge an issue. Critical Studies in Education.  DOI: 10.1080/17508487.2022.2153372

Marschall, G., & Watson, S. (2022). Teacher self-efficacy as an aspect of narrative self-schemata. Teaching and Teacher Education, 109, 103568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103568

Watson, S., & Barnes, N. (2021). Online educational populism and New Right 2.0 in Australia and England. Globalisation, Societies and Education 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2021.1882292

Watson, S. (2021). New Right 2.0: Teacher populism on social media in England. British Educational Research Journal. 47(2), 299–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3664

Watson, S. (2020). George Spencer-Brown’s laws of form fifty years on: Why we should be giving it more attention in mathematics education. Mathematics Teaching-Research Journal Online, 12(2), 161–187. commons.hostos.cuny.edu/mtrj/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/09/v12n2-George-Spencer-Brown-s-laws-of-form-fifty-years-on.pdf

Watson, S., & Marschall, G. (2019). How a trainee mathematics teacher develops teacher self-efficacy. Teacher Development, 23(4), 469-487. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2019.1633392

Watson, S. (2019). The politics of ability and online culture wars. FORUM, 61(1), 67–75. http://doi.org/10.15730/forum.2019.61.1.67

Major, L., & Watson, S. (2018). Using video to support in-service teacher professional development: The state of the field, limitations and possibilities. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 27(1), 49–68. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2017.1361469

Book Chapters

Watson, S. (forthcoming). Toward a Systems Theory Approach to Mathematics Education. In Ongoing advancements in the philosophy of mathematics education. Springer.

Bamber, S., & Watson, S. (forthcoming). Teaching the lesson. In S. Morgan, D. Swanson & R. Archer (Eds.) A practical guide to mentoring beginning mathematics teachers. Routledge

Watson, S., Dawes, M., & Marschall, G. (forthcoming). The role of mentoring when learning through experience. In S. Morgan, D. Swanson & R. Archer (Eds.) A practical guide to mentoring beginning mathematics teachers. Routledge

Watson, S. (2018). Educating the working class. In I. Gilbert (Ed.), The working class, poverty, education and alternative voices (pp. 14–29). London: Bloomsbury.

Watson, S. (2017). A manifesto for control: democracy, scholarship, activism and solidarity. In L. Rycroft-Smith & J.-L. Dutaut (Eds.), Flip the system UK: a teachers’ manifesto (pp. 68–75). London: Routledge.

Watson, S., & Dawes, M. (2016). Learning mathematics: a cognitive focus. In S. Johnston-Wilder, C. Lee, & D. Pimm (Eds.), Learning to teach mathematics in the secondary school: a companion to school experience (4th ed.) (pp. 32-51). Routledge: London

Watson, S., & Crawford, M. (2016). Connecting leadership, professional development and affect. In B. Apelgren, P. Burnard, & N. Carbaroglu (Eds.), Transformative teacher research: theory and practice for the twenty-first century (pp. 73-86). Sense Publishers.

Book Reviews

Conference Papers

Marschall, G., & Watson, S. (2019). Social Cognitive Theory as an integrated theory of mathematics teachers’ professional learning. Presented at the Conference of the International Group of Psychology in Mathematics Education (PME-43), University of Pretoria.

Watson, S. (2019). Revisiting teacher decision making in the mathematics classroom: a multidisciplinary approach. Presented at the Eleventh Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME-11), Utrecht University.

Watson, S. (2019). Bridging theory and practice: a posthuman perspective on mathematics teacher education. Presented at the 15th International Conference of The Mathematics Education for the Future Project, Theory and Practice: An Interface or A Great Divide?, Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland.

Major, L., Watson, S., & Kimber, E. (2016). Teacher change in post-16 mathematics: a multiple case analysis of teachers in the Zone of Enactment. Presented at the 13th International Congress on Mathematics (ICME-13), Hamburg, July 2016.

Major, L., Watson, S., & Kimber, E. (2015). Developing instructional and pedagogical design for the Cambridge Mathematics Education Project: A Design-based research approach. In Adams, G. (Ed.) Proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning Mathematics (BSLRM) 35(2). BSRLM Day Conference, University of Durham.

Watson, S. (2014). The impact of professional development on the teaching of problem-solving. Proceedings of the 8th British Congress on Mathematics Education. University of Nottingham.

Nardi, E., Biza, I. & Watson S. (2014). What makes a claim an acceptable mathematical argument in the secondary classroom? A preliminary analysis of teachers’ warrants in the context of an Algebra Task. Proceedings of the 8th British Congress on Mathematics Education. University of Nottingham.

Watson, S. (2013). Understanding mathematics teachers’ professional development from the perspective of social learning theory. In: B. Ubuz, C. Haser, & M. A. Mariotti (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th Congress of European Research in Mathematics Education (CERME-8), Antalya, Turkey  (pp.  3287-3295). Ankara: Turkey

Watson, S. (2012). The effects of professional development on teaching self-efficacy. In: The proceedings of the 12th International Congress of Mathematics Education, Seoul, South Korea.

Watson, S. (2012). Developing teaching efficacy for inquiry-based learning. The Fibonacci Project European Conference Inquiry Based Scienceand Mathematics Education: Bridging the gap between education research and practice, University of Leicester.

Watson, S., & Evans, S. (2012). Observing changes in teachers' practice as a consequence of taking part in professional development: developing a protocol for the observation of lessons In: C. Smith (Ed.), Informal proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning of Mathematics, University of Sussex.

Swan, M. & Watson, S. (2011). Designing professional development for mathematics teachers: A case study. In: Ubuz, B, (Ed.) Proceedings of the 35th Conference of the International Group for Psychology of Mathematics Education, vol 1. p. 414.

Watson, S. (2011). The influence of teaching efficacy and professional life-stage on secondary mathematics teachers' use of problem-solving in their teaching In: C. Smith (Ed.), Informal proceedings of the British Society for Research into Learning of Mathematics, University of Oxford.

Textbooks and teaching materials

Steel, T., Thomas, C., Dawes, M., & Watson, S. (2015). GCSE Mathematics for AQA/Edexcel/OCR Higher/Foundation problem-solving book. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Commissioned reports

Haßler, B., Major, L., Warwick, P., Watson, S., Hennessy, S. & Nicholl, B. (2016).
Perspectives on Technology, Resources and Learning: Productive Classroom Practices, Effective Teacher
Professional Development. Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.

Haßler, B., Major, L., Warwick, P., Watson, S., Hennessy, S. & Nicholl, B. (2016).
A short guide on the use of Technology for Learning: Perspectives and toolkit for discussion. Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge.

Reports

Watson, S. (2009). Implementing collaborative planning in the mathematics department of a secondary school. Teacher Enquiry Grant Report for the NCETM.

Professional journals

Tomalin, J., Watson, S., Swan, M., Mason, J. and Watson, A. (2012). Mathematical friends and relations. Mathematics Teaching. 226.

PhD Thesis

Watson, S. (2014). The impact of professional development on mathematics teachers’ beliefs and practices (Unpublished PhD thesis). University of Nottingham.