Tom Nicholson
Name: Thomas William Nicholson
Current Position: Professor of Literacy Education
School of Education
Massey University at Auckland
Albany Campus
Contact details
Phone: (09) 414 0800 ext 41281
Direct phone: 443 9685
Mobile: 021 1085 923
Home: 373 2753
Home address: 10 Cracroft Street, Parnell, Auckland
e-mail:
Part A – Academic details
Qualifications:
BA, MA from University of Sydney
Teachers Certificate from Sydney Teachers College
PhD in Education from University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
Academic Positions Held:
2006- present Massey University at Albany, School of Education, Professor of Literacy Education
1990-2006 The University of Auckland, Faculty of Education, Associate Professor (1990-2001) and Professor (Personal Chair) (2001-2006)
1977-1990 University of Waikato - Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor
1974-1977 University of Minnesota - PhD student and Instructor
1972-1974 Research and Planning Office, Education Department of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia - Research Officer
1967-1972 Bonnyrigg High and Campbelltown High, Sydney, Australia - English/History Teacher
Part B - Peer esteem
International Awards:
2009 - Elected member, Reading Hall of Fame, International Reading Association, Newark, Delaware
“Elected to the Reading hall of Fame by a vote of the membership for distinguished contributions to literacy research, theory and/or practice.”
Onassis Foreigners Fellowship, 2002-2003, Alexander Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, Athens, Greece
Outstanding PhD Dissertation Award, International Reading Association
Research rankings
New Zealand Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF)University Research Rating –Grade = A
Government Committees
2010 - Appointed to Independent Advisory Group (AIG) to the Minister of Education
1999 - Appointed to New Zealand Expert Literacy Group, appointed by Minister of Education
Other
- Letters of congratulation on induction to Reading Hall of Fame from the Minister ofEducation Anne Tolley, and from the Massey University Vice Chancellor Steve Maharey, and from the editors of Reading Research Quarterly, and p. 29 of New Zealand Reading Forum journal
- Invitation to meet with the Prime Minister of New Zealand to discuss Education issues, 29 June 2009
- Visit from three Members of Parliament to Albany campus (Louise Upston, Cam Calder, and Allan Peachey) to discuss Education issues
International Committees
Chair, International Literacy Project Grants, International Reading Association
Professional service
2001- 2010
Directed After-School Reading Programs and Summer Schools of Reading–more than 650 pupils tutored, ages ranging from five years to adults - funded by private donations, charities, and businesses - $10,000 per annum (varies)
2009 - Member, Te Wananga o Hoani Waititi Council, Auckland
University scholarships
2007-2010- Smart Kids Scholarship – This is a graduate scholarship that I negotiated with Smart Kids Publishers of $1000 awarded annually to the best graduate student at Albany in the Literacy Education program
Invited international memberships
Developmental Disorders of Language and Literacy (DDOL)- Australia (invited)
National Council for Research in Language and Literacy (NCRLL) (invited)
Visiting Scholar
Visiting Scholar, Center for Cognitive Science, University of Texas at Austin
Visiting Scholar, School of Education, Stanford University
Visiting Scholar, Australian Council for Educational Research
Visiting Scholar, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Invited international lectures
Stanford University
University of Texas at Austin
Columbia University, City University of New York
University of Minnesota
Free University of Amsterdam.
Invited/sponsored speaker – International meetings
Israeli Language and Literacy Association – Tel Aviv
International Reading Association – Chicago meeting
Prince Edward Island University, Canada
National Dyslexia Foundation – Big Island, Hawaii
NATO Institute – Il Ciocco, Italy
Successful Learning Conference - Sydney
National Dyslexia Foundation – Kauaii, Hawaii
Language Arts Foundation – Oklahoma City
International Reading Association – Texas
Australian Reading Association - Brisbane
Journal Reviewing:
Current Advisory Review Boards
Australian Journal of Learning Disabilities
Australian Journal of Language and Literacy
Past Advisory Review Boards
National Reading Conference Yearbook
Scientific Studies of Reading
American Educational Research Journal
Journal of Literacy Research
Reading Research Quarterly
Reading Psychology
Publications Committee, International Reading Association
The Reading Teacher
Ad-Hoc Reviewer
Applied Psycholinguistics
Reading and Writing (ranked as one of the top ten journals in Education and Educational Research)
Journal of Educational Psychology
International Journal of Development and Disabilities
New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies
Australian Journal of Education
Set – A Journal for Teachers
Part C –Contributions to the research environment
Grants and Consultancies:
2010 Video demonstrations of adult reading assessments. Commissioned by Tertiary Education Commission
2010 Review of “Starting Points Assessment Guide”. Commissioned by Tertiary Education Commission.
2010 Reading intervention project, funded by MSA Charitable Trust, $350,000 (in progress)
2010 Books in Homes Summer School Project, funded by MSA Charitable Trust, $30,000 (in progress)
2010 Pilot trial - Skype literacy project, funded by Lion Foundation, $60,000 (in progress)
2009 Consultant to Fairfax media’s early childhood First Books, Book Bank and the ‘Have you Read with your Child Today?’ advertising and awareness campaign. $1,000
2007-2008 –Reading intervention in three schools in South Auckland. 2-year project. $450,000
2001-2010 – After School Reading Program – $100,000
Longitudinal survey of 5-year-old children to study their reading and writing development. Research grant, The University of Auckland. $8,000
Attitudes of young people to the media. Consultant to AC Nielsen in developing a research proposal for the Broadcasting Standards Authority. No fee.
Follow-up survey of reading and writing development of 9-year-old children attending schools in east, south and central Auckland. $2,000
“Struggletown”. Funded by New Zealand Business Roundtable. The children were-assessed a year after the study was completed, to establish the extent to which the effects of the special instruction had endured over time. $50,000
Study of reading in secondary school classrooms. $50,000 plus support from Ministry of Education
National survey of secondary school subject teachers’ views of reading. Funded by Ministry of Education. $2,000 plus support from Ministry of Education
National evaluation of "On the way to reading", a radio series for parents presented on National Radio. $2,000 plus support from National Radio.
Expert witness review of commercial reading materials. Funded by the New Zealand Commerce Commission. $5,000
Evaluation of Reading Tests. Commissioned by Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). $1,000
The Reading Process (Distance Learning - Course of Study). Ministry of Education. $9,000
Total – over 1 million dollars
Part D – Teaching and Supervision
Current - Massey University - Auckland
Postgraduate Diploma of Education (Teaching)
Master of Education (Literacy)
209.102 Human Development
MEd and PhD supervision
1990-2006 - The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Undergraduate
Introduction to Developmental Psychology (Stage 1)
Current Issues in Education (Stage 1)
Child Development (Stage 2)
Learning and Reading Disabilities (Stage 3)
The Reading Process (Stage 3)
Research Topic (Stage 3)
Graduate
The Psychology of Reading (Graduate)
Children’s Reading and Writing Difficulties (Graduate)
Research Methods in Education (Graduate)
Research Topic (Graduate)
1977- 1990 – University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Teaching Reading (Stage 3)
Reading Problems (Stage 3)
Language and Cognition (Stage 3)
Reading: Advanced Study (Graduate)
Language and Cognition: Advanced Study (Graduate)
Research Thesis Supervision:
I have supervised more than 40 postgraduate Masters and PhD theses/dissertations. I am currentlysupervising 3PhD thesis students and one Master’s thesis. I have co-supervised several PhD and masters theses with the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Science at The University of Auckland
Student awards: One of my PhD students won an international award – National Reading Council (NRC) Student Research Award. One of my graduate MA thesis students won The University of Auckland Habens Prize.
Student Evaluations of Teaching:
- During my teaching career student reports on my ability as a lecturer havebeen very high, in the 90 and 100 percent range (results available on request).
- During my teaching career classes have had large enrolments, e.g., Stage 1 100-750 students, Stage 2 60-80, Stage 3 40-55, and graduate courses 14-25.
Part E - Service 1977-present
Massey University committees
2009 Professorial promotions Committee
Albany Leaders Committee
College of Education Massey committee
College Research Committee
College Professorial Committee
University-wide committees at other Universities
University Council
Senate
Postgraduate and Scholarships Committee
Leave Committee
Assessment Committee
Human Subjects Ethics Committee
Education PBRF Committee
Faculty of Arts Committees
Staffing Committee
Appointments Committee
Promotions Committee
Research Committee
Board of Undergraduate Studies (BUGS)
Library Committee
Outstanding Teacher Award Committee
Faculty of Education Committees
Staffing Committee
Research Committee
School of Education Committees
Co-Head of School of Education (2001-2003)
Finance adviser
ACE/UoA Institute Committee
Chair, Timetable Committee
Chair, Undergraduate Committee
Chair, Finance Committee
Chair, International Committee
Chair, Space Committee
Chair, Curriculum Group
Chair, Students Committee
Other administrative experience
Association of University Staff (AUS - Waikato) Executive Committee
President, Waikato Reading Association
Part F - Publications
Part A. Books
- Nicholson, T., & Dymock, S.J. (2010). Teaching reading vocabulary. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research. 145 pp.
- Dymock, S.J., & Nicholson, T. (2007). Teaching text structures: A key to nonfiction reading success. New York: Scholastic, 240 pp.
- Nicholson, T. (2006). Phonics handbook. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons. 416pp.
- Nicholson, T. (2005). At the cutting edge: The importance of phonemic awareness in learning to read (2nd ed.), Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 119 pp.
- Dymock, S.J., & Nicholson (2002). Teaching reading comprehension. Supplementary material: Transactional (teacher’s guide). Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Council for Educational Research
- Dymock, S.J., & Nicholson (2002). Teaching reading comprehension. Supplementary material: Transactional (student worksheets). Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
- Dymock, S.J., & Nicholson, T. (2001). Teaching reading comprehension. Supplementary material: Narrative (student worksheets). Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Council for Educational Research
- Dymock, S.J., & Nicholson, T. (2001).Teaching reading comprehension. Supplementary material: Narrative (teacher’s guide). Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
- Nicholson, T. (2000). Reading the writing on the wall. Debates, challenges and opportunities in the teaching of reading. Melbourne: Thomson, 347 pp.
- Dymock, S. J., & Nicholson, T. (1999). Reading comprehension. What is it? How do you teach it? Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 86 pp.
- Nicholson, T. (1999). At the cutting edge: Learning to read and spell for success (rev. ed.) Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 84 pp.
- Thompson, G. B., & Nicholson, T. (Eds.) (1999). Learning to read: Beyond phonics and whole language. New York: Teachers College Press and International Reading Association, 269pp.
- Nicholson, T. (1997). Solving reading problems across the curriculum (rev. ed.). Wellington, NZ/Melbourne, Australia: New Zealand and Australian Councils for Educational Research, 96 pp.
- Nicholson, T. (1994). At the cutting edge: Recent research on learning to read and spell (1st edition). Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 50 pp.
- Thompson, G.B., Tunmer, W.E., & Nicholson, T. (Eds.) (1993). Reading acquisition processes. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters, 156 pp.
- Nicholson, T. (1991). Overcoming the Matthew effect: Solving reading problems across the curriculum (1st ed.). Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research, 98 pp.
- Nicholson, T. (1988). Reading and learning in the junior secondary school. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Education, 48 pp.
- Nicholson, T. (1984). The process of reading: An introduction to theory and practice in the teaching of reading. Sydney, Australia: Horwitz Grahame, 71pp.
- Nicholson, T. (1982). An anatomy of reading (2nd edition). Sydney: Martin Educational, 119 pp.
- Nicholson, T. (1973). An anatomy of reading (1st ed.). Adelaide: Education Department of South Australia, 190 pp.
Part B. Other publications
Dymock, S.J., & Nicholson, T. (in press). 'High Five!’ Strategies to enhance comprehension of expository text. The Reading Teacher, 64(3)
Nicholson, T, & Tunmer, W.E. (2010). Reading. In C. Rubie-Davies (Ed.), Educational psychology: Concepts, research, and challenges. London: Routledge.
Nicholson, T, & Townsend, M.A. (2010). Children’s friendships. In C. Rubie-Davies (Ed.), Educational psychology: Concepts, research, and challenges. London: Routledge.
Tunmer, W.E., & Nicholson, T. (2010). The development and teaching of word recognition skill. In P.D. Pearson et al. (Eds), Handbook of reading research (Vol. 4). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Dymock, S.J., & Nicholson, T. (2010). "Every story has a problem". How to improve student narrative writing in grades 1-3. In B.Moss & D. Lapp (Eds.), Teaching the texts children need to succeed in the elementary grades (1-3) (pp. 26-44). New York: Guilford Press.
Dymock, S.J., & Nicholson, T. (2010). "Every story has a problem". How to improve student narrative writing in grades 4-6. In B.Moss & D. Lapp (Eds.), Teaching the texts children need to succeed in the elementary grades (4-6)(pp. 26-42). New York: Guilford Press.
Nicholson, T. (2008). Achieving equity for Maori children in reading by 2020. New Zealand Annual Review of Education, 18, 159-182.
Tunmer, W.E., Nicholson, T., Greaney, K., Prochnow, J.E., Chapman, J.W., & Arrow, A.W. (2008). PIRLS before swine: a critique of the National Literacy Strategy. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 43(2), 115-119.
Nicholson, T., & Ritter, A. (2008). How reliable are informal reading inventories? A brief report. Reading Forum NZ, 23 (3), 28-33.
Nicholson, T. (2008, Sept-Dec). Dyslexia – Researchers in denial. Learning Difficulties Australia Bulletin, 40 (3 and 4), 10-11.
Nicholson, T. (2008, 16 June). How to tell the difference between dyslexia and other reading problems. The Education Weekly, 19, 3
Nicholson, T. (2008, 13 June). Dyslexia – what is it and how do you deal with it? Education Review, p. 6.
Nicholson, T. (2008, March). Report on the First Reading and Writing Conference, University of Stavanger, Norway. Learning Difficulties Australia Bulletin, p.15.
Nicholson, T. (2007). “How many sounds in ox?” A survey of linguistic knowledge that teachers might need to teach reading and spelling effectively. Set 2, pp. 29-34.
Nicholson, T. (2007, October). Dyslexia – Recent changes in New Zealand’s official recognition of dyslexia. Learning Difficulties Australia Bulletin, 39 (4), pp. 3-5.
Nicholson, T. (2006, April 21). Controlled research: Tom Nicholson calls for greater rigour in educational research. NZ Education Review, p. 7.
Nicholson, T. & Ng, G.L.(2006). The case for teaching phonemic awareness and simple phonics to preschoolers. In R.M. Joshi & P.G. Aaron(Eds.), Handbook of orthography and literacy (pp. 637-648). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Nicholson, T. (2006). How to avoid reading failure: Teach phonemic awareness. In A. McKeough, L.M. Phillips, V. Timmons, & J.L. Lupart (Eds.), Understanding literacy development: A global view (pp. 31-48). Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum.
Nicholson, T. W. (2005). Phonics in action 1hr 30min. Unpublished DVD. Centre for Flexible & Distance Learning University of Auckland, Auckland, NZ Video
Nicholson, T. (2005). The Nelson inquiry: Will it be sound and fury signifying nothing? Learning Difficulties Australia Bulletin, 37, (2), 7-8.
Nicholson, T. (2005). Literacy for some. Delta: Policy and Practice in Education, 56, (2), 65-68
Nicholson, T. (2005, April 19). Reading vouchers would boost thousands of children. New Zealand Herald.
Nicholson, T. (2005). Reading problems and conduct disorder. Proceedings of conference on severe conduct disorders,Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, July.
Nicholson, T. (2004). Do children read words better in context or in lists? A classic study revisited. In D. Wray (Ed.), Literacy: Major themes in education. Vol.2., Reading processes and teaching (pp. 29-44). London: Routledge-Falmer.
Nicholson, T. (2005). Academic underachievement and behaviour: An axiomatic link? In P. Garner, F. Yuen, P. Clough, & T. Pardeck (Eds.), Handbook of emotional and behavioural difficulties in Education (pp. 155-166). London: Sage Publications.
Nicholson, T. (2003). Risk factors in learning to read, and what to do about them. In B. Foorman (Ed.), Preventing and remediating reading difficulties: Bringing science to scale (pp. 165-196). Timonium, MD: York Press.
Milne, R.D., Nicholson, T., & Corballis, M.C. (2003). Lexical access and phonological decoding in adult dyslexic subtypes, Neuropsychology, 17, 362-368.
Nicholson, T. (2002). The social and political contexts of reading: Contemporary literacy policy in Aotearoa New Zealand. In P. Adams & H. Ryan (Eds.), Learning to read in Aotearoa New Zealand (pp. 22-50). Palmerston North: Dunmore Press.
Nicholson, T. (April, 2002). Small is beautiful. North and South, p. 96.
Nicholson, T. (March, 2002). To work or not to work? North and South, p. 96.
Nicholson, T. (September, 2001). The reading debate of the 1990s: Academics taking a stand. Inaugural professorial lecture. Audio-cassette, General Library, The University of Auckland, 50 min..
Nicholson, T. (November, 2001). School at four? North and South, pp. 94-95
Nicholson, T. (October, 2001). Phonics strikes back. North and South, pp. 94-95.
Nicholson, T. (September 2001). Teacher drain. North and South, pp. 94-95.
Nicholson, T. (August, 2001). Caught in the Middle? North and South, pp. 94-95.
Nicholson, T. (July, 2001). Boys will be boys. North and South, pp. 94-95
Nicholson, T. (June, 2001). Great teacher expectations. North and South, pp. 95-96
Nicholson, T. (May, 2001). Special education struggle. North and South, pp. 101-102
Nicholson, T. (April, 2001). Need extra help? North and South, pp. 94-95
Nicholson, T. (March, 2001). The decile wars. North and South, pp. 95-96
Nicholson, T. (February, 2001). Myths and legends. North and South, p. 101.
Nicholson, T. (2001, December 12). Surveys aside, we’ve too many illiterate children. New Zealand Herald
Nicholson, T. (2000). Whole language versus phonics. In J. Soler & J. Smith (Eds.), Literacy in New Zealand. Practices, politics and policy since 1900 (pp. 82-97). Auckland: Longman.
Nicholson, T. (December, 2000). Santa Claus is coming to town. North and South, p. 101
Nicholson, T. (November, 2000). Memory strategies. North and South, p. 101
Nicholson, T. (October, 2000). Fear of failure. North and South, p. 101
Nicholson, T. (August, 2000). Friends – Who needs them? North and South, p. 101
Nicholson, T. (July, 2000). State or Private? North and South, pp. 98 - 99
Nicholson, T. (July 14, 2000). A close reading of the gaps. New Zealand Education Review, p. 9
Nicholson, T. (May, 2000). Sacred skills.North and South, pp. 102 - 103
Nicholson, T. (May 5, 2000). Thumbs up for phonics. NZ Education Review, May 5, 2000, p.8
Nicholson, T. (March 31, 2000). America’s cup of reading, New Zealand Education Review,p. 8
Nicholson, T. (January 14, 2000). Getting ahead of traffic. New Zealand Education Review, p. 7
Nicholson, T. (2000). Teaching phonemic awareness and phonics. Auckland: The University of Auckland Television Unit.
Gibbs, C. J., & Nicholson, T. (Winter, 1999). When you’ve heard it all before and still can’t read. Effective School Practices, 17, 80-86.
Nicholson, T. (1998). The flashcard strikes back. The Reading Teacher, 52, 188-192.
Nicholson, T. (1999). Family, literacy and society. In G. B. Thompson & T. Nicholson (Eds.), Learning to read: Beyond phonics and whole language (pp. 1-24). New York: Teachers College Press.
Nicholson, T. (1999). Reading comprehension processes. In G. B. Thompson & T. Nicholson (Eds.), Learning to read: Beyond phonics and whole language (pp. 127-149). New York: Teachers College Press.
Nicholson, T. & Tan, A. (1998). Word identification processes. In G. B. Thompson & T. Nicholson (Eds.), Learning to read: Beyond phonics and whole language (pp. 150-173). New York: Teachers College Press.
Fletcher-Flinn, C. M., White, C. Y., & Nicholson, T. (1998). Does Reading Recovery improve phonological skills? Queensland Journal of Educational Research, 14, 4-28.
Nicholson, T. (1998). Phonological awareness and learning to read. In L. van Lier & D. Corson (Eds.) Encyclopedia of language and education [Vol. 6: Knowledge about language] (pp. 53-61). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer.
Nicholson, T. & Lam, R. (1998). Whole-language teachers and phonics: Not “do they” but “how much is enough?” Set: Research Information for Teachers, 2 (article 6).
Nicholson, T. (1998). Pride and prejudice: Reading in New Zealand. In J. Biddulph (Ed.), Language/literacy education: Diversity and challenge (pp. 19-22; 26-32). Hamilton, New Zealand: New Zealand Council for Teacher Education.
Nicholson, T. (1998). Effective schooling for tomorrow (summary points). In M. Sinclair (Ed.), Conference Proceedings, OECD/NZ Conference “Combating failure at school” (p. 19). Wellington: Ministry of Education.