In 1964, Kenneth Tobin began teaching high school science and mathematics in rural Western Australia. He continued as teacher and curriculum developer for a decade, after which he became a teacher educator at Graylands Teachers College, later to become part of Edith Cowan University. In Australia, Tobin has had faculty appointments at the Western Australian Institute of Technology (now Curtin University) and has been an adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology, and Murdoch University. Tobin came to the United States in 1987 and was a tenured professor at Florida State University (10 years), University of Pennsylvania (6 years), and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (15 years), where he is presently Presidential Professor of Urban Education.
Since 1973, Tobin has been involved in research on teaching, learning, and learning to teach science. His present research focus is on mindfulness, emotion, wellness, and sustainability. His emphasis is on educating the public, birth through death, emphasizing literacy for sustainable and happy/healthy lifestyles. Specifically, his ongoing research focuses on breathing while talking.
Key Publications:
Since 1973, when Tobin published his first journal article, he has published 210 refereed journal articles, 29 books, and 140 book chapters. Tobin’s Google Scholar Citations lists 16,634 citations and an h-index of 67. A breakdown of the citations reveals 50 sources that have been cited 100 or more times, the highest being a coauthored chapter on instructional strategies for teaching science (915 citations since 1994). Tobin’s 2017/18 publications include five co-edited books, one with Stephen Ritchie (Eventful learning: Learning emotions); two with Lynn Bryan on critical issues for science education and reframing research in science education; and two with Malgorzata Powietrzynska, both concerning mindfulness and wellness. In similar vein, Tobin was guest editor of a special issue of Learning: Research and Practice on Mindfulness in education. He has also published 3 journal articles and 6 book chapters in 2017/18.