Jonathan Halls

Contact

• workRoom C85 Dearing building
  Jubilee Campus
  Wollaton Road
  Nottingham
  NG8 1BB
  UK
• work0115 951 4448
• Jonathan.Halls2@nottingham.ac.uk

Biography

Dr Halls is an Assistant Professor in Learning Sciences, at the Learning Sciences Research Institute, School of Education, University of Nottingham.

Teaching Summary

• MA Digital Teaching and Learning
• BA Education - Learning & Development

Research Summary

My research is in the area of Early Years education, focusing on the preconceptions (misconceptions) children bring to formal education. Specifically, this includes a) how preconceptions are… read more

Recent Publications

• JONATHAN HALLS and SHAARON AINSWORTH, 2023. Gamebooks for Environmental Education: Designing for Content and Pedagogy In: ISLS Annual Meeting 2023.
• HALLS, J. G., AINSWORTH, S. A. and OLIVER, M. C., 2021. Using dialogic interventions to decrease children’s use of inappropriate teleological explanations International Journal of Science Education.
• HALLS, J. G., TOMÁS, C., OWEN, J. S. and HAWWASH, K., 2021. Mapping out the landscape of literature on assessment in engineering education: European Journal of Engineering Education European Journal of Engineering Education.
• CHRIS BRIGNELL, TOM WICKS, CARMEN TOMAS and JONATHAN HALLS, 2019. The impact of peer assessment on mathematics students’ understanding of marking criteria and their ability to self-regulate learning MSOR Connections. 18(1), 46-55

• View all publications

I am currently accepting new doctoral students wishing to explore the following research areas:

• The development of preconceptions, or misconceptions (e.g., teleological explanations), and how these can be challenged.
• Designing effective learning environments in Early Years education, particularly early science education.
• Environmental education, with a focus on supporting belief and behaviour change. This may relate to individual-level behaviour or how individuals can drive community change.
• Belief and behaviour change more broadly.
• Choice-based games, incl. gamebooks (e.g., choose your own adventures) and video games as an educational resource.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss these areas further.

Current Research

My research is in the area of Early Years education, focusing on the preconceptions (misconceptions) children bring to formal education. Specifically, this includes a) how preconceptions are influenced by socio-cultural factors and b) how they can be challenged though the design of educational materials and learning environments. In terms of subject areas, I research science & environmental education, in early education but also across life. Within these areas my work focuses on the design of educational materials to support conceptual, belief and behaviour change. Regarding educational approaches, I have a particular interest in dialogic education and the use of choice-based games for learning.

These interests are reflected in past projects. For example, gamebooks for environmental education, which started as a 3-year project funded by the British Academy. This project explores climate change education for primary-level children. Specifically, it investigates how gamebook-based lessons can be designed to develop children's understanding that their actions can have a positive impact in the fight against climate change. My doctoral work investigated young children's preconceptions in science education (specifically teleology) and how group discussion about the nature of scientific explanations can challenge such preconceptions.

• JONATHAN HALLS and SHAARON AINSWORTH, 2023. Gamebooks for Environmental Education: Designing for Content and Pedagogy In: ISLS Annual Meeting 2023.
• HALLS, J. G., AINSWORTH, S. A. and OLIVER, M. C., 2021. Using dialogic interventions to decrease children’s use of inappropriate teleological explanations International Journal of Science Education.
• HALLS, J. G., TOMÁS, C., OWEN, J. S. and HAWWASH, K., 2021. Mapping out the landscape of literature on assessment in engineering education: European Journal of Engineering Education European Journal of Engineering Education.
• CHRIS BRIGNELL, TOM WICKS, CARMEN TOMAS and JONATHAN HALLS, 2019. The impact of peer assessment on mathematics students’ understanding of marking criteria and their ability to self-regulate learning MSOR Connections. 18(1), 46-55
• HALLS, J. G., AINSWORTH, S. E. and OLIVER, M. C., 2018. Young children’s impressionable use of teleology: the influence of question working and questioned topic on teleological explanations for natural phenomena The International Journal of Science Education. 40(7), 808-826
• HALLS, J. G., AINSWORTH, S. E. and OLIVER, M. C., 2016. The influence of question wording on children’s tendencies to provide teleological explanations for natural phenomena In: . Proceedings of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences 2016. 2. 775-779