Adjunct Professor
msands@bilkent.edu.tr
Biography:
Margaret Sands joined Bilkent University in 2000 as Visiting Professor and Director of the new Graduate School of Education, a post she held until January 2017.
She began her career as a school teacher at a large comprehensive school in London, and then moved to become head of the biology department at King Edward VI Camp Hill School in Birmingham. During this time she was seconded from school to work for one year as a member of the biology team of the Nuffield Foundation science curriculum reform. Following the publication of the Nuffield Advanced Level biology project books, she was appointed to the University of Nottingham School of Education, where she later became the director of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education program.
She was chief examiner for Advanced Level biology for many years at the Joint Matriculation Board in England, and was also an inspector of schools. She is the author, co-author or editor of over forty books, including school biology text books.
During her career, while at Nottingham University, she was invited as a consultant by the British Council, Unesco, the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank to work in a number of countries, cooperating with governments and science educators in each country to help to develop science education. This included Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Chile, Egypt, Kuwait, Libya and Saudi Arabia. She also worked in Nepal for three years as chief technical adviser for the Unesco/UNDP nation-wide project on science, mathematics and English education at high school level. And, in 1995, she first came to Turkey as team leader for the World Bank’s technical assistance to the YÖK teacher education four-year project.
Education:
PhD, Science Education, University of Nottingham,
PGCE,, University of London
BSc, Botany, University of London, Bedford College,
Research Interests:
Science education; Assessment; Environmental issues; Curriculum development and reform
Selected Publications and Presentations:
J. O’Dwyer, N. Aksit, M. K. Sands, “Expanding educational access in Eastern Turkey: A new initiative”. Int. J. of Educational Development. Vol. 30, No.2, pp. 193-203, (2010).
G. M. Grossman, M. K. Sands, B. Brittingham “Teacher education accreditation in Turkey: The creation of a culture of quality” Int. J. of Educational Development. Vol 30, No. 1, pp.102-109, (2010)
G M. Grossman, M. K. Sands, “Restructuring reforms in Turkish teacher education: Modernization and development in a dynamic environment” Int. J. of Educational Development, Vol. 28, No.1, pp. 70-80, (2008),
Problems in Ecology Bell and Hyman 1978
Problems in Animal Physiology John Murray 1975.
Other Notes of Interest:
Margaret Sands was elected in 2003 as a member of the Athenaeum Club, London; a club, initially for men, for those who have attained some distinction in science, engineering, literature or the arts. Fifty-one Nobel Laureates have been members. Women were admitted as members from 2002.