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Sai Loo

Sai Loo* (廬世胤) (BSc, MA, PhD, FETC, ACA, FHEA) is an academic at UCL Institute of Education, University College London, England.
 * Perhaps an explanation of his name is required. Sai Loo is written in the Western style i.e. the first name is followed by the family name. The traditional Chinese characters are written in the conventional Chinese format i.e. the family name, Loo (廬 ), followed by the first name or name given to his generation, Sai (世) and his actual name, Yan (胤 ). He prefers to be called by his first name rather than by the actual name.

Personal history relating to education, professional activities, and professional websites. He attended St. Michael’s Institution and Gresham’s School for his compulsory education. He then read Economics at Loughborough University before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant where he went onto work in the private sector. Following that, he taught accounting and finance at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes at various universities and travel and tourism at a further education college before gaining a teaching certificate in the post-compulsory education sector, a Masters degree and a PhD at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London (UCL).

At UCL Institute of Education, he teaches on doctoral and MA programmes. He has taught on teacher education programmes for the post-compulsory/further education and higher education sectors, and education-related postgraduate provisions in areas such as research methodologies.

Some of the professional websites can be accessed at: https://ucl.academia.edu/SaiLoo; http://www.routledge.com/authors/i15172-sai-loo; http://iris.ucl.ac.uk/iris/browse/profile?upi=SYLOO79

Research interests His areas of research interests are in the micro perspectives of ‘occupational education’, which relate to the interdisciplinary approaches to identifying, defining and applying knowledge in work, learning and teaching settings. His projects and publications have focused on the further and higher education sectors, and professional education especially around teacher education (teacher educators and teachers) and professional practices in work-related settings of the knowledge economy and clinical disciplines. He has over 100 publications to date (articles, conference proceedings and keynotes) of which 85 percent of these are single authored. Some of these are included below.

Significant publications  Loo, S. (2007) Learning to be teachers of adult numeracy. Journal of Education for Teaching, 33(4, 425-440. This article investigates how teacher education programmes provide adequate preparation for its prospective teachers using adult numeracy teacher education in the post-compulsory education sector in England and findings from related two research projects. The article uses Bernstein’s recontextualization process in studying how prospective teachers learn to be teachers, and the perception of prospective teachers regarding the weaknesses of their courses. Editor’s comments: Sai Loo makes use of Bernstein’s research to assist in understanding the nature of teacher education for those working in the field of adult numeracy. Further education provision has long been a Cinderella of teacher education, in the UK at least. There are significant difficulties in identifying the way in which teacher education programmes might connect to post-16 provision and this paper highlights the more important of these.

 Loo, S. (2014) Placing ‘knowledge’ in teacher education in the English Further Education teaching sector: an alternative approach based on collaboration and evidence based research. British Journal of Educational Studies, 62(3), 337-354. This paper focuses on teacher education in the English further education sector, where the teaching of disciplinary and pedagogic knowledge is an issue. Using research findings, the paper advocates an approach based on collaboration and informed research to emphasize and integrate knowledge(s) in situated teaching contexts despite working in a climate of competition as advocated by the current neo-liberal government. Reviews: Editor’s comments: Sai Loo reflects many of the concerns expressed by contributors writing about the compulsory school sector in his article on teacher education in Further Education in England. In common with other authors, he cites Michael Young’s notions of ‘powerful knowledge’ as being fundamental to teacher education. In most curriculum areas in FE, teachers require a craft or professional background of experience, which Loo explores in relation to their ‘on the job’ training, making the case for underpinning theoretical knowledge as an essential feature of teacher development. Loo is also critical of the abandonment of compulsory training in the sector, echoing the concerns of educators in other sectors that high quality training is essential. He takes Bernstein’s concept of re-contextualisation, which he draws on in an empirical study of a group of FE trainee teachers. In conclusion, Loo offers ‘a curriculum solution to the current under-developed and inconsistent approach to integrating disciplinary and pedagogic knowledge in FE teacher education in England’.

 Loo, S. and Jameson, J. (Eds.) (2017) Vocationalism in Further and Higher Education: Policy, programmes and pedagogy. Abingdon: Routledge [Series: Routledge Research in Education]. This research monograph presents a collection of research-based papers on the ‘English model’ of vocationalism and higher education. It argues that negative societal and political perceptions have hindered the debate about the significance and relevance of vocational education and training provision to learning, work and the economy. In this book, the writers offer unique solutions to the difficult questions that have emerged from their investigations into vocationalism in England.

 Loo, S. (2017) Creative Working in the Knowledge Economy. Abingdon: Routledge [Series: Routledge Advances in Organizational Learning and Knowledge Management]. This book analyses how a particular group—creative knowledge workers—carry out their jobs and learn within it. Using empirical research from advertising and software development in Europe, Singapore and Japan, it develops a new conceptual framework to analyze the complexities of creative knowledge work. It offers critical insights into how these workers apply their creative knowledge work capacities towards the production of innovative products and services, as well as using their creative abilities and knowledge to fashion both digital and tangible goods in the knowledge economy. Reviews: “A strength of the book is in its portrayal of creative working practices in the two sectors. The case study chapters are effective in conveying the relationality and diverse forms of expertise that characterise commercial creative work. Here, the writing works well, a fluid style that reflects the creative, relational and (often) ephemeral nature of the work discussed in the advertising and information technology sectors. The book therefore contributes to a body of literature on occupational knowledge and learning by providing detailed insight into the dynamics of working practices and their knowledge requirements… this is a stimulating book containing useful insights into creative knowledge work, with particular success in profiling some of the dynamic practices of the advertising and information technology sectors. It also demonstrates that it is possible to develop meaningful characterisations of creative work practices that cut across national contexts and sectors. The author does not take the reader for granted, carefully explaining terms and summarising points helpfully, making the book an accessible and engaging read.”

 Loo, S. (2018) Teachers and Teaching in Vocational and Professional Education. Abingdon: Routledge. This research monograph introduces a critical understanding of how teachers deliver occupational or vocational courses at various academic levels. Including wider coverage of work-related programmes and based on empirical research, this book uses the term occupation-related to refer to programmes spanning several academic levels and education sectors, including the further and higher education sectors. The book disassociates the English context of work-related studies, where issues of the academic-vocational division and socio-cultural dimensions have hampered critical investigations of this under-researched topic. Also, it offers a conceptual framework from the perspectives of teachers in their teaching and work-related settings derived from the understanding and development of Bernstein’s recontextualization process, Reviews: “The literature reviews in chapters 2 and 3 constitute an essential resource for introducing emerging VET researchers and scholars to the theoretical complexities of this field, but in an accessible and engaging manner. Loo has made a considerable contribution to thinking around occupational teacher development, and has pointed to the gaps with regard to appro¬priate teaching strategies and further codification of his findings through additional research.”

 Loo, S. (2019) Further Education, Professional and Occupational Pedagogy: Knowledge and Experiences. Abingdon: Routledge. The overall theme of this book relates to the teaching and learning of work-related provisions in further and higher education. The book covers topics such as FE teachers' emotional ecology, their professional identities, a systematic literature review of FE teachers' professional identities, a reconceptualisation of widening participation from a teaching perspective, pedagogic implications of teachers in professional education, and curriculum formation of creative professionals in higher education. Reviews "In this collection, Sai Loo explores professional knowledge and identity, the wider professional curriculum and the relationship between occupational expertise and pedagogy, widening participation, and the construction of knowledge and competence. These themes, and more, are discussed and brought together through robust theoretical as well as empirical inquiry. Sai Loo relates these themes to curriculum, to knowledge, to policy, and to teaching, drawing on the work of key theorists including Basil Bernstein, Michael Eraut, and Christopher Winch. This admirable volume has much to offer for researchers across both the further and higher education sectors."

 Loo, S. (2019) (Ed.) Multi Perspectives of Teaching and Learning for Occupational Practice. Abingdon: Routledge. Multiple Dimensions of Teaching and Learning for Occupational Practice offers a collection of international perspectives on work-related education and training at further/Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), higher and professional levels. The book provides a new area of study of occupational education with tripartite dimensions concerning learning, teaching and working. Reviews "This research monograph presents the concept of "occupational practice" as a possible common denominator across different educational levels and systems, academic disciplines and countries. The total of 13 contributions were written by highly esteemed international researchers from various disciplines and countries. The approach of "occupational education", based on this concept, could become a central leitmotif that can bridge the educational world to the world of work across disciplines, levels, systems and countries. Such a boundary object is missing so far. I welcome and appreciate this comprehensive and comparative approach because it asks the fundamental question - what is the pattern that connects? I can confirm what the editor notes: This research monograph is suitable to open the ground for a possible new area of education."

1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu_(surname_%E7%9B%A7) 2.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Taizu_of_Song 3.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael%27s_Institution 4.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham%27s_School 5.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loughborough_University 6.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCL_Institute_of_Education 7.https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cjet20/33/4?nav=tocList 8.https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rbje20/62/3?nav=tocList 9.https://www.routledge.com/Vocationalism-in-Further-and-Higher-Education-Policy-Programmes-and-Pedagogy/Loo-Jameson/p/book/9781138498655 10.https://www.routledge.com/Creative-Working-in-the-Knowledge-Economy-1st-Edition/Loo/p/book/9781138211391 11.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00071005.2017.1381431 12.https://www.routledge.com/Teachers-and-Teaching-in-Vocational-and-Professional-Education-1st-Edition/Loo/p/book/9781138056978 13.https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/hup2/ijrvet/article/view/396 14.https://www.routledge.com/Further-Education-Professional-and-Occupational-Pedagogy-Knowledge-and/Loo/p/book/9781138484900 15.https://www.routledge.com/Further-Education-Professional-and-Occupational-Pedagogy-Knowledge-and/Loo/p/book/9781138484900 16.https://www.routledge.com/Multiple-Dimensions-of-Teaching-and-Learning-for-Occupational-Practice/Loo/p/book/9781138585713 17.https://www.routledge.com/Multiple-Dimensions-of-Teaching-and-Learning-for-Occupational-Practice/Loo/p/book/9781138585713