Mary Oliver

Contact

• workRoom B3 Dearing
  Jubilee Campus
  Wollaton Road
  Nottingham
  NG8 1BB
  UK
• work0115 748 4791
• fax0115 846 6600
• Mary.Oliver@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

I am a science teacher, and have taught in schools in Bristol, Copenhagen and Perth, Western Australia, before taking up a research position in science education at UWA and moving to Nottingham in February 2014. I have worked with pre-service science teachers in Australia and was Director of the Australian Biology Olympiad for several years, serving on the Steering Committee of the International Biology Olympiad.

Expertise Summary

I have expertise in science education, specifically exploring classroom interactions, professional development and factors associated with student achievement. I use large data sets such as PISA, TIMSS and the NPD to explore associations between achievement, instructional strategies and school- and student-level factors . I have supervised doctoral students using both / or quantitative and qualitative approaches in their work.

Teaching Summary

Learning

Educational Neuroscience

Science education

Comparative education

Research Summary

My main interest is in how people learn. I am researching into the effects of a cognitive acceleration program (CASE) on students, pupils and teachers, both the cognitive and affective domains. I am… read more

Recent Publications

• OLIVER, M.C., 2017. Science Olympiad students: a case study of aspiration, attitude and achievement. In: TABER, K.S. and SUMIDA, M., eds., Policy and Practice in Science Education for the Gifted:: Approaches from diverse national contexts Routledge. (In Press.)
• OLIVER, M.C. and VENVILLE, G., 2017. Bringing CASE in from the Cold: the Teaching and Learning of Thinking Research in Science Education. 18
• M.C.OLIVER, A.WOODS-MCCONNEY, D.MAOR and A.MCCONNEY, 2017. Female senior secondary physics students' engagement in science: A qualitative study of constructive influences International Journal of STEM Education. 16
• OLIVER, M. and VENVILLE, G., 2015. Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education: The CASE for thinking through Science. In: WEGERIF, R. and LI, L., KAUFMAN, J., eds., Handbook of Teaching for Thinking Skills Routledge. 378-387

• View all publications

Current Research

My main interest is in how people learn. I am researching into the effects of a cognitive acceleration program (CASE) on students, pupils and teachers, both the cognitive and affective domains. I am interested in what students and teachers think and understand about science, inquiry and engagement in science and using evidence to close the attainment gap. My current projects include investigating how informal science learning (outside the classroom) experiences can be used to support learning and why very able girls are underrepresented in Physics.

Past Research

I have been involved in research to explore and investigate students' attitudes towards science, gifted science students' passion for science, effects of a two year teacher professional development programme on students and teachers and teachers' understanding of educational neuroscience.

Future Research

I would like to understand how we can support pupils' learning, sel​f-concept and attainment, de-mystify science and use technology to develop model-based reasoning.

• OLIVER, M.C., 2017. Science Olympiad students: a case study of aspiration, attitude and achievement. In: TABER, K.S. and SUMIDA, M., eds., Policy and Practice in Science Education for the Gifted:: Approaches from diverse national contexts Routledge. (In Press.)
• OLIVER, M.C. and VENVILLE, G., 2017. Bringing CASE in from the Cold: the Teaching and Learning of Thinking Research in Science Education. 18
• M.C.OLIVER, A.WOODS-MCCONNEY, D.MAOR and A.MCCONNEY, 2017. Female senior secondary physics students' engagement in science: A qualitative study of constructive influences International Journal of STEM Education. 16
• OLIVER, M. and VENVILLE, G., 2015. Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education: The CASE for thinking through Science. In: WEGERIF, R. and LI, L., KAUFMAN, J., eds., Handbook of Teaching for Thinking Skills Routledge. 378-387
• MILLAR, S., OLIVER, M. and VENVILLE, G., 2015. Cognitive Acceleration. In: Encyclopedia of Science Education Springer Science. (In Press.)
• VENVILLE, G. and OLIVER, M., 2015. The Impact of a Cognitive Acceleration Programme on Students in an Academically Selective High School Thinking Skills and Creativity. 15, 46-60
• A.PRICE, J.MCGRANE and M.OLIVER, 2015. What’s working memory to do with it?: A case study on teenagers. Teaching Science. (In Press.)
• WOODS-MCCONNEY, A, OLIVER, M., MCCONNEY, A., MAOR, D. and SCHIBECI, R., 2014. Science Engagement and Literacy: A Retrospective Analysis for Students in Canada and Australia. International Journal of Science Education. 36(10), 1588-1608
• MCCONNEY, A., OLIVER, M.C., WOODS-MCCONNEY, A. and MAOR, D., 2014. Inquiry, Engagement, and Literacy in Science: A retrospective, cross-national analysis of PISA 2006. Science Education. 98(6), 963-980
• TAO, Y., OLIVER, M. and VENVILLE. G., 2013. Chinese and Australian Children's Understanding of the Earth: A Cross Cultural Study of Conceptual Development Cultural Studies of Science Education. 8(2), 252-283
• WOODS-MCCONNEY, A., OLIVER, M., MCCONNEY, A., MAOR, D. and SCHIBECI, R., 2013. Science Engagement and Literacy: A Retrospective Analysis for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Students in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia Research in Science Education. 43(1), 233-252
• TAO, Y., OLIVER, M. and VENVILLE. G., 2013. A comparison of approaches to the teaching and learning of science in Chinese and Australian elementary classrooms Journal of Research in Science Teaching. 50(1), 33-61
• GORDON, N., SMITH, T. and OLIVER, M.C., 2013. Thinking Science in the Smart State Queensland Science Teacher. 39(1), 4-7
• OLIVER, M. and VENVILLE. G., 2012. Developing a ‘Thinking’ Science Classroom. In: VENVILLE, G. and DAWSON, V., eds., The Art of Teaching Science 2. Allen & Unwin. 174-193
• ANDERSON, M. and OLIVER, M., 2012. Of All the Conferences in All the Towns in All the World, What in Heaven’s Name Brought Us to Neuroeducation?. In: DELLA SALA, S. and ANDERSON, M., eds., Neuroscience in Education: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Oxford. 356-361
• DULLARD, H. and OLIVER, M., 2012. “I can feel it making my brain bigger”: Thinking Science Australia Teaching Science. 58(2), 7-11
• TAO, Y., OLIVER, M. and VENVILLE. G., 2012. Long-term Outcomes of Early Childhood Science Education: Insight from a Cross-national Comparative Case Study on Conceptual Understanding of Science International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. 10(6), 1269-1302
• OLIVER, M., VENVILLE. G. and ADEY, P., 2012. Implementation of a Cognitive Acceleration Program in a Low Socio-Economic High School in Regional Australia International Journal of Science Education. 34(9), 879-901
• TAO, Y., OLIVER, M. and VENVILLE. G., 2012. Chinese and Australian Year 3 Children’s Conceptual Understanding of Science: A Multiple Comparative Case Study International Journal of Science Education. 34(9), 879-901
• OLIVER, M. and VENVILLE. G., 2011. An exploratory case study of Olympiad students’ attitudes towards and passion for science International Journal of Science Education. 33(16), 2295-2322
• OLIVER, M., 2011. Towards an understanding of neuroscience for educators Studies in Science Education. 47(2), 207-231
• OLIVER, R., RYBAK, K., GRUBER, C., NICHOLLS, G., ROBERTS, G., MENGLER, J. and OLIVER, M.C., 2011. Increasing engagement in science through an authentic crop protection experiment for Year 9 for school students working with scientists Teaching Science. 57(3), 13-19
• MCCONNEY, A., OLIVER, M., WOODS-MCCONNEY, A. and SCHIBECI, R., 2011. Bridging the Gap? A Comparative, Retrospective Analysis of Science Literacy and Interest in Science for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australian Students International Journal of Science Education. 33(14), 2017-2035
• OLIVER, M.C., 2011. Teaching and Learning Evolution: Testing the Principles of a Constructivist Approach through Action Research Teaching Science. 57(1), 13-18
• OLIVER, M.C., 2011. Evaluation of the Scitech Beginning Science Teacher Mentoring Program in the Goldfields UWA.
• VENVILLE. G., OLIVER, M., LONGNECKER, N. and RENNIE, L., 2010. Selecting Science Subjects: Why Students Do, Why They Can’t! Teaching Science. 56(3), 19-26
• OLIVER, M., MCCONNEY, A. and MAOR, D., 2009. Listening to the learners: Mentees’ perspectives of a mentoring program for first-year science teachers Teaching Science. 55(4), 6-11
• OLIVER, M.C., 2009. Ethics and research: a gap analysis of the framework and compliance
• OLIVER, M., MECZES, A. and VENVILLE. G., 2008. Evidence-based thinking skills program improves students’ attainment: An AUS-CASE project SCIOS. 44(3),