It is with great sadness we announce that our colleague, friend and all-round lovely person Tom Burns, has passed away. Tom was an extraordinary man who lived an extraordinary life. His life was made extraordinary by circumstances and by dint of his own personality and spirit – Tom was a very likeable person with a wonderful sense of humour and had a spirit of adventure. He was an inspirational figure and pioneer in the evolution of Learning Development. He had a tremendous ability to draw on personal experience to tell stories that engaged and inspired his colleagues, peers and students in all walks of life.
Tom delighted in all aspects of teaching and learning and leaves an enduring legacy. For his work with London Metropolitan University and for his work in the wider Learning Development Community. Tom was an Associate Teaching Professor in the Centre for Teaching Enhancement at London Metropolitan University, developing innovations with a special focus on praxes that ignite student curiosity, and develop power and voice. Always interested in theatre and the arts and their role in teaching and learning, Tom has set up adventure playgrounds, community events and festivals for his local community, and fed arts-based practice into his learning, teaching and assessment practices. Tom was co-producer of the innovative #Take5 blog that shares great practice with LondonMet staff and also nationally and internationally as part of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE). He is co-author of Teaching, Learning and Study Skills: A Guide for Tutors and Essential Study Skills: The Complete Guide to Success at University (5th Edition) and co-editor of the book Collaboration in Higher Education: A New Ecology of Practice, published by Bloomsbury (summer 2023). Tom was a Certified Leading Practitioner in Learning Development and University Teaching Fellow and was part of the #creativeHE collective that won the Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) by AdvanceHE 2022. Tom was one of the co-founders of the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education, was a leading participant in its LearnHigher CETL and has been a member of the ALDinHE Mentoring Group for many years, taking part in the Mentoring pilot – and was happy to mentor others. Tom was also interested in writing as a learning process, collaborative writing as a method of enquiry and creativity as liberatory practice.
Tom was a remarkable man. He became an advocate and spokesperson for so many, always supporting inclusivity and diversity. He welcomed everyone and used his personal experience to influence policies and practice, and made a difference to so many people’s lives. Forthright and outspoken as he often was, he was also kind, warm-hearted, generous, fun and joyful. Many of us have so much to thank Tom for, in supporting our careers and spurring us on to do good and make a difference. Tom had an amazing capacity to give so much of himself to others, and to touch many lives, even to those that only ever worked virtually with him, he made them feel that they had met in person and had always been friends. Tom will be much missed by his many friends, his colleagues and members of the various organisations in which he was involved.
We pass on our heartfelt sympathy to Sandra and family at this difficult time and would also like to extend support and well wishes to all those of you who worked with Tom and will no doubt be greatly affected by his passing.
Tom leaves behind people that are the better for having known him and who will remember him fondly and talk about him often.
The Association for Learning Development in Higher Education Steering Group and the Learning Development Community