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Lecturer aims to bring lessons from the forest into the classroom
Paul Brenham-Foster, Senior Lecturer in Primary at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), has been presented with a Level 3 Forest School Practitioner Award following a year of training and delivering sessions with local schools. The training, which included an initial week introducing the ethos and theory behind forest school, sits alongside an online portfolio covering health and safety, ecology, delivery of sessions, theories of play, learning and development. Both of these were followed by a practical assessment week, out in the woods, which explored a number of aspects including camp fire cookery, safe use of tools and fire, planning for holistic development and nature study skills. The Forest School Association defines Forest School as: ‘an inspirational process, which offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment with trees. It is a specialised learning approach that sits within and complements the wider context of outdoor and woodland education.’ The ethos is shared by thousands of trained practitioners across the UK and beyond. Its roots reach back to early years pioneers in outdoor learning and overseas to Scandinavia. As part of the approach, all participants are viewed as: equal, unique and valuable competent to explore & discover entitled to experience appropriate risk and challenge entitled to choose, and to initiate and drive their own learning and development entitled to experience regular success entitled to develop positive relationships with themselves and other people entitled to develop a strong, positive relationship with their natural world Following his award, Paul discussed why he became involved in the initiative and what he hoped its impact could be on the students at BGU: “Having worked in the Foundation Stage for over 20 years, the importance of outdoor learning and the Forest School approach affirms my own personal philosophy on teaching and learning within Early Years.” “With the increased focus schools have on mental health and well-being, it is important our trainees have an awareness of approaches such as Forest School as they begin their careers.” “The aim is for all trainees across the Primary programmes to experience the sessions as a participant and to begin to understand some of the theory behind the approach and hopefully be inspired to train as a Forest School practitioner at some point in their career.” Paul is currently researching how the Forest School approach can be used within school’s to promote children’s mental health and well-being and the importance of risky play in children’s development. If you’d like to find out more about innovative and diverse primary education course visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
Collaborative learning community drives student satisfaction in latest NSS results
Following the release of this year’s National Student Survey (NSS) results Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is pleased to have again received high satisfaction levels from its graduating students. Seeing the overwhelming majority of our student body engaging with the NSS this year has been immensely satisfying and we’d like to thank our students for providing valuable feedback to us on the issues that are important to them. Creating an environment where students feel that they can not only make their voices heard but be an active part of developing their university experience is a key element of our drive for excellence. Dr Rob Boast, Executive Dean Learning, Teaching & Student Engagement, is leading this collaborative partnership between staff and students and is excited to see where it can take BGU in the future: “At BGU we are dedicated to placing the student voice at the heart of what we do so it is fantastic to see our efforts reflected in the increasing satisfaction scores. For areas such as ‘Student Voice’ and ‘Learning Community’ BGU has outperformed the average for the sector. The NSS provides an excellent opportunity for us to evolve and improve as an institution and we look forward to further engaging with our students on their experiences so that together we can continue creating a positive and rewarding learning environment.” BGU also saw increased scores in a number of other areas including ‘Academic Support’ and ‘Assessment & Feedback’, which was also above the average for the sector. For BGU Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Scott Fleming, these areas of increased satisfaction also demonstrate the value of the challenge laid down by the NSS to universities: “Following previous surveys we introduced a number of new initiatives to increase satisfaction in our academic support and feedback so it is incredibly rewarding to see that work receiving a positive response from our students. However it is important that we, along with all our fellow universities, see the NSS as a challenge to keep striving for consistently high satisfaction across the entire student experience and continuously improve as an institution rather than an opportunity to rest on the success of specific areas. We are committed to ensuring our students enjoy a level of quality throughout their time with us and I look forward to seeing what we, working in partnership with our students, can continue to accomplish over the next five years of our new University Strategy”. To find out how you can become a part of BGU’s collaborative learning community you can visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
BGU PhD student presents at International Conference on Dream Research
Anthony Bloxham, Psychology PhD student at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), presented his research at the 36th International Association for the Study of Dreams (IASD) Conference held in Kerkrade, The Netherlands. Anthony’s research, part-funded by the IASD's Dream Science Foundation, describes a psychological experiment conducted in collaboration with The University of Lincoln, which aims to understand the nature of dreaming and its links with memory processes. The presentation was delivered as part of a research symposium at the conference, on the subject of memory reactivations in sleep and the developing use of virtual reality (VR) in dreams research. A number of renowned dream researchers from all over the world were in attendance and listened to the presentation. Other speakers at this symposium included Jayne Gackenbach (USA), an expert on how video games influence dreams, and Claudia Picard-Deland (Canada), PhD student at the University of Montreal, who independently conducted a very similar experiment to Anthony's. The talks were well-received and generated insightful discussion among those who were present. Reflecting on his experience after the conference, the opportunity to share and discuss his work with international peers was one of Anthony’s key highlights from the event: "I really enjoyed visiting the conference in The Netherlands and presenting my work, as well as getting to meet many of the researchers whose work has inspired and informed my own. My greatest thanks to them. Kate Adams who used to be at BGU was there, and it was nice to see her again." Our academics and students are regularly invited to present at conferences around the world, you can follow all their travels on our news page and find out how you can start your own adventures on our course pages. -
BG Futures Summer Social Brings Entrepreneurial Talents Together
The BG Futures Summer Social organised by Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) BG Futures Team returned this year to once again provide an informal opportunity for BGU based organisations and entrepreneurs to come together to celebrate the year’s successes. Held in the on-campus BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre the event offered a welcome opportunity for the current physical and virtual tenants to come together. A number of students who have been successfully developing their own business ideas with the support of the BGU Enterprise Club were also in attendance. All the organisations based in BG Futures are between one month, and three years old and are supported by Becky Goodman; Enterprise Development Manager along with the BG Futures Careers, Employability and Enterprise Team. New additions to the BG Futures community since the last Summer Social include Wilesmith, TaylorWalsh and Early Bird Lifestyle Support BG Futures has a broad remit ranging from careers guidance and support to enterprise development and application for further study. The team take great care of BGU alumni looking to start their own ventures and provide a bespoke support offer for up to two years after graduation, enabling them to continue to flourish by delivering employability advice and assistance applying for jobs or further study. With opportunities open to non-alumni as well, the on-campus business and enterprise centre equips new businesses and entrepreneurs with a base for their creativity and includes incubation units, a Hot-Desk room and Virtual Office facilities. If you have got a vision for your own business but aren’t sure where to begin then the BG Futures team are the perfect place to start. With facilities and expert support available in their incubation centre, they’ll be able to get you on the road to success. Visit our website or contact them today to see how you can start your own adventure. -
BGU lecturer joins academic and literary legends in exploring a balanced curriculum for children
Aimee Quickfall, Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years in the School of Teacher Development at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), has contributed a chapter to a new book on the primary curriculum.'A Broad and Balanced Curriculum in Primary Schools: Educating the whole child' identifies the pressures of standardised testing and the focus on English and maths as impacting factors on teaching time, and asks how teachers can ensure that the curriculum truly is broad and balanced. Contributors provide an exploration of the current challenges in the curriculum as well as guidance on how to tackle them. Aimee's chapter looks at using philosophical inquiry with primary age children and how an hour a week of thinking deeply and discussing interesting questions together can improve teamwork, mutual respect, problem-solving skills, as well as writing, reading and mathematics achievement. Contributors include children's literary legend and former Children's Laureate, Michael Rosen; and Professor Teresa Cremin, Professor of Education (Literacy) at The Open University in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies and is available now through a number of outlets. Speaking following the book's publication Aimee expressed her delight at being involved: "I am delighted to have been invited to contribute to this very important book, which reflects how passionately the School of Teacher Development team at BGU feel about a broad and balanced curriculum for our teacher trainees and their pupils" If you’re interested in a future in education, our BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS (3 year undergraduate degree), BA (Hons) Primary Teaching Studies with QTS (15 month top up degree), and PGCE courses are the perfect ways to begin or continue your adventure on the path to becoming a fantastic teacher! If you have any questions, our Enquiries Team are ready to help. Contact them today or visit our website to find out how to take your next steps. 'A Broad and Balanced Curriculum in Primary Schools: Educating the whole child' is edited by Susan Ogier and published by Sage. -
BGU join the Lincoln Book Festival 2019 to Celebrate the life and legacy of Queen Victoria
This September staff and students from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) joined the Lincoln Book Festival to celebrate the bicentenary of the births of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert with ‘V for Victoria!’ with a series of events from 23rd to 28th September capturing the ways in which the city connects the life and legacy of Queen Victoria. From the most recent publications on Queen Victoria, the British Empire and Victorian authors such as, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, John Ruskin, and Janet Ross, but also Ada Lovelace, Charlotte Brontë’s publisher, William Smith Williams, there were exciting events for a variety of interests. BGU has been collaborating with the Festival for a number of years and that relationship further increased this year spearheaded by Dr Claudia Capancioni, Programme Leader for English at BGU, whose specialism is Victorian Literature. Staff and students were actively involved in the festival programme’s activities with our trainee PGCE students in English and Drama and staff opening the festival by leading workshops for school pupils who took part in a creative writing competition, Flash Fiction, and the creative writing programmes run by First Story and Writing East Midlands with the Society of Authors for Fiction. Later in the week BGU sponsored ‘If Words Could Kill’, an evening with Claire Harman and Ambrose Parry (aka Chris Brookmyre and Dr Marisa Haetzman). There was murder most foul in this two-part author event with Harman’s Murder by the Book, which focuses on a true crime murder that shocked Victorian London, and the thrilling new novel, The Way of the Flesh, Parry wrote about the hunt for a killer in 1847 Edinburgh. The University's involvement continued on Friday with Dr Capancioni introducing Janet Ross, a Victorian historian and biographer who entertained guests such as William Gladstone, Robert Browning, Mark Twain and Virginia Woolf at Poggio Gherardo, her villa near Florence. In Leaves from Our Tuscan Kitchen: or How to Cook Vegetables, Janet recorded the recipes of Giuseppe Volpi, her cook for over 30 years, which her guests loved and requested - George Frederic Watts in particular. Published in 1899 and still in print, it appeared at a time when vegetables were considered only as an adjunct to the main course, this recipe book has become an established resource for all British chefs interested in Italian food. Together with The Cheese Society and The Straw Collection, ‘In the Tuscan Kitchen of Janet Ross’ offered a taste of Ross’s recipes through sampling the cheese she used, accompanied by Tuscan wines. Since the summer, the city of Lincoln has contributed to an array of national events including the series organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, which will be the topic of the forthcoming lecture by the V&A director, Tristram Hunt, at Lincoln Cathedral on 10 October. If you are interested in finding out more about studying English at BGU, visit our website, contact our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
How my time on the English Language and Teaching course has helped me grow my skills and confidence
By Melanie Oakes - 2nd Year BA English Language and Teaching (formerly TESOL & Linguistics Student) After having my son this course is the best thing I’ve done, it’s made me feel a lot better about who I am. I never really had a huge interest in education while I was at school, I missed almost a year due to illness, and even after I returned I struggled to engage with my subjects due to a real lack of confidence. The end result was that I left school with only 3 O Levels. Despite my family attempting to support me by claiming I was artistic rather than academic I ended up feeling like the one member of my family who wasn’t clever with both my sisters gaining 10 O Levels and going on to careers in Law and Healthcare. I carried this stigma for years until my son started Primary School and I noticed he was struggling with similar issues to my own. When he was later diagnosed as dyslexic it spurred me on to find out if that could be affecting me too. With the aid of the Nottingham Dyslexia Association I was able to finally obtain some evidence of both my dyslexia and, for the first time, my own intelligence. With their encouragement I began to explore the possibilities of a future at university. I already had an interest in languages and could speak basic Swedish so I decided to look into TEFL short courses. While undertaking a learning session for one in Lincoln I met a BGU student who praised the university and offered to put me in touch with the course lecturers. The next thing I knew I was being offered a place on the undergraduate course. I came to an open day for mature students and had a brilliant time, all the lecturers were great and really easy to connect with. They clearly understood that everyone had their own unique motivations for joining higher education and they wanted to help support them. I felt like a fraud at first due to my age and previous academic struggles, but as I’ve gone through the course my belief and confidence in myself has grown immeasurably. It’s taken a lot of hard work and meant I’ve had to learn a whole new set of skills, including how to use PowerPoint, but I’ve loved studying historical linguistics and the spread of English globally, they’ve been fascinating subjects that have answered a number of lifelong questions. In fact, I’ve found the whole subject so stimulating, except for referencing! Even with my Dyslexia, ADD and Fibromyalgia I’ve been able to succeed at BGU and I’m now beginning to explore the potential of a master’s degree. It’s all been a lot to balance at points, particularly being a single mother, but what I’ve gained from the course both mentally and in terms of my self-esteem has been so worth it. I would totally encourage anyone who was thinking of going on this course to do it. You won’t regret it. It’s highly interesting, you learn and experience things you never thought you would and it ultimately opens up so many doors to you; for example, I’m now doing 1:1 teaching with a lady from Hong Kong to help improve her English. You should never think you’re too old to go for something, it can be hard to get to grips with new technology but there are lots of avenues for support including CELT and Student Advice along with many opportunities to broaden your mind. Give it a go. If you’re interested in following in Melanie’s footsteps you can find more information on our BA English Language and Teaching course by visiting our website, talking to our Enquiries Team or joining us on one of our Open Days. -
Raising Mental Health Awareness at Bishop Grosseteste University
In 2018, the Office for National Statistics produced its first estimates of Higher Education student suicides, an area which typically until then was difficult to quantify. By amalgamating different data sets (Death Registration Records and Higher Education registration data) they were able to see a better picture of this area. Their research showed, that whilst the rate of suicide of Higher Education students in England and Wales is significantly lower than the general population, tragically university student suicide rates have gone up over the last decade. -
What it means to be human explored in new publication
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) recently celebrated the release of a significant publication that aims to bring a new understanding of what it means to be human. -
BGU joins fellow East Midlands Universities in support for Armed Forces Covenant
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) joined eight other universities from the East Midlands to celebrate the updating of their Armed Forces Covenants in a joint ceremony held at the University of Leicester last week. The revised agreements include new, clear-cut promises to support Armed Forces personnel.
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