Keith J. Topping, PhD

Director of the Centre for Paired Learning; University of Dundee, Scotland, UK

Dr. Keith Topping’s research interests are in the development and evaluation of methods for non-professionals (such as parents or peers) to tutor others one-to-one in fundamental skills (such as language, reading, or math) and higher order learning across many different subjects, contexts, and ages. He also has interests in electronic literacy and computer-aided assessment and in behavior management and social competence in schools. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. He has extensive experience working with teachers, children, and parents in numerous school districts, as well as with government and non-governmental organizations, in the U.K., U.S., and elsewhere. Dr. Toppings’s publications include 21 books, 52 chapters, 172 peer-reviewed journal papers, 34 distance learning packages, and other items. He presents, trains, consults, and engages in collaborative action and research around the world.

Dr. Topping’s work with LENA has focused on using LENA in contexts where the primary spoken language is something other than English. He is also using LENA to investigate the language acquisition of typically developing children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.