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BGU Academic Leads on Sexual Crime Prevention at International Conference
Helen Elliott, Lecturer in Psychology & Counselling at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), presented her research at the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders (IATSO) in Vilnius, Lithuania last month. The premise of Helen’s research is to support initiatives to inform possible prevention of sexual crime by individuals in the community who have a sexual attraction to children. Carried out in partnership with Rebecca Lievesley from Nottingham Trent University the project is also designed to promote a public-health approach to working with this group, who are stigmatised and ostracised, and suffering psychologically because of this. Whilst preventative efforts to stop the sexual abuse of children are on the rise, along with more individuals are actively seeking treatment before they offend, much of the information that goes into these measures is informed from individuals who have already been convicted. Helen’s research aimed to address this gap in knowledge by exploring the experiences of those living in the community, with a sexual attraction to children, who do not want to offend. Offering them a chance to tell their story in an open environment to better inform the support measures available to them and thus prevent potential sexual crimes. The project’s findings highlighted core themes regarding isolation and fear, particularly in relation to the huge stigma associated with this attraction, and how highly prevalent shame-based narratives during formative teenage years led to the living of a "double life" for those attracted to children. Presenting the research at IATSO on 29 August, Helen made a number of important recommendations including: Therapies should be more accessible for adolescents who are beginning to feel different from their peers and confused about their feelings towards children. This attraction needs to be acknowledged within educational contexts and by those working with children, creating a more informed and comfortable dialogue around sexual health. Delivering sexual health education from a ‘pragmatic’ and ‘sex positive’ standpoint (as is common in the Netherlands) as opposed to a ‘sexual abstinence’ stance. Importance of clear reporting rules to enhance engagement in support services. Education to reduce stigma among professionals. Consider friends and family within prevention services – support for individual’s support network = indirect support for individual. Issues around wellbeing and the health needs of this group are being missed and require full focus – anxiety, depression, shame, and stigma. The conclusion reached by Helen and her colleagues was that whilst the conflation of a minor-attracted person and an adult child molester continues, so do the subsequent harmful consequences. This includes hindering disclosure, which could manifest into poor mental health outcomes, or risk becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, with individuals believing that the only path in life is giving into one’s sexual desires. With one-third of child sexual abuse being committed by those under 18, we need to question whether some young people could be finding themselves with this attraction and unaware of its implications or how to manage it. If you’re interested in researching human behaviour and mental wellbeing, then our Psychology and Counselling courses could be the perfect place to start. Visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team today for more information. -
Using the past to inspire the future of teaching
Trainee teachers from the English and Drama PGCE courses at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) made a trip to London to see Othello at the Globe Theatre. -
BGU Lecturer Helps Promote Social Innovation in Malaysia
Dr Elinor Vettraino, Head Coach and Programme Leader for Business and Enterprise at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was one of five team coaches selected to support the development of social innovation in projects in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The SITEL project (Social Innovation through Team Entrepreneurial Learning) created by the University of Westminster and funded by the British Council, was an intensive Trans and Multi-Disciplinary five day workshop designed to foster an eco-system for developing resilient social enterprise through entrepreneurship education. The focus of the programme was to provide opportunities for early career researchers from both Malaysia and the UK to learn from each other and explore opportunities for building long-lasting research connections to explore solutions to social innovation challenges in the area. Dr Vettraino was delighted to be involved in the project: “It was a privilege to be asked to coach a team in this project and to have the opportunity to add real value to research in the region which will lead to real action.” The project Dr Vettraino was involved with was an agro-tourism farm-stay located close to Mount Kinabalu. Research into the challenges for the local community indicated the need for technology to support the development of irrigation systems, as well as training to support the youth of the area to stay and continue to work in the community. Dr Vettraino added that the future applications of the project team’s efforts created exciting avenues for community development: “Funding is available to take forward some of the project ideas that were generated during the programme and it is fantastic to have been involved in genuine development of opportunities for the people in the area.” Dr Vettraino is head of the Business and Enterprise area at BGU. You can find more information on the exciting opportunities offered by BGU’s Business courses on our website or by contacting our Enquiries Team. -
PGCE Students Unleash their Wild Side for Innovative Learning Experience
PGCE Secondary Physical Education and Dance trainees at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) went on a trip to Sherwood Forest GoApe where they spent several hours enjoying a unique learning opportunity in the tree top adventure. The PGCE GoApe experience is used as a cohesive activity for prospective teachers to experience learning opportunities out of the classroom. Building bonds with one another and understanding how to work independently and together to achieve difficult tasks. The session consisted of three hours of climbing, swinging and jumping through different layouts and unique crossings. The high ropes course for new and returning adventurers alike continued to challenge all in different ways and to successfully complete it the trainees were required to utilise their strengths and work together as a team supporting one another. All of this builds back into the skills they will need in their future careers and this year’s group found it worthwhile experience with one saying: "The trip was extremely useful for team building and communication between participants, and would be a really useful classroom tool. It was really enjoyable." Whilst another of their teammates discussed how it could be built back into their future work: "It helped all participants realise and experience the various aspects of the hidden curriculum. This kind of activity would be brilliant to take a small group of A-Level or GCSE pupils." You can find more information on the wide range of innovative PGCE courses offered by BGU on our website. Or contact our Enquiries Team to find out how to begin your journey into teaching. -
BGU Explore New Avenues for International Educational Partnerships
Dr Julia Lindley-Baker, Programme Leader for SENDI at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), has been visiting colleagues at the ICES University in France to promote international collaboration and develop student and staff exchange opportunities. Meeting with Diane Nicolas, Director of the Languages Department, and Matthieu Brecville, Director of Relations, along with other staff from across ICES Dr Lindley-Baker explored opportunities for forging partnerships and cultural exchanges. A number of possibilities for BGU students to undertake study with ICES were discussed including Erasmus study placements, traineeships, or subject field study visits. One option that gained particular focus was the residential three week immersion programme run by ICES at their campus in La Roche sur Yon. The course, which offers students the chance to not only learn French but also experience the culture and country, runs in the summer and BGU hope to be able to offer places to students at a substantial discount in the future. Alongside promoting collaboration, the trip allowed Dr Lindley-Baker to experience French Higher Education first hand: “It was great to be able to observe teaching across a range of different subjects but especially getting to see one of the French classes for students on their immersion course. My O'level French, grade B, although quite rusty' came in handy. I am very excited about the future opportunities we may now be able to offer our students.” You can find more information on all the opportunities for exploration offered by the degrees courses at BGU on our website or by talking to our Enquiries Team. -
Future Art Teachers Unearth Historic Gems
PGCE Secondary Art and Design trainees from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) spent a day in Yorkshire visiting The National Arts Education Archive, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth Wakefield. There were many highlights for the students to enjoy but perhaps the most revealing came during an exploration of the archives with the arts educator Tony Chisholm. Tony introduced the group to examples of pupils’ art works dating from the 1940s to recent times and unpacked exciting and thought provoking examples of artworks created by secondary school children in particular. The quality and scope of the art was certainly an eye opener for the PGCE students and provided plenty of food for thought for their future careers. The remaining part of the day included an exploration of the current exhibitions at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth including Giuseppe Penone and Lee Miller. Field trips to these sites are an annual event on the programme which have also included trips to Tate Modern and the Courtauld Institute of Art in previous years. BGU have been training high quality teachers for over 150 years so when it comes to education there is nowhere better to study. You can find more information on the wide range of innovative PGCE courses offered by BGU on our website. Or contact our Enquiries Team to find out how to begin your journey into teaching. -
BGU Officially Welcome New Students at Annual Matriculation Ceremony
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) formally welcomed nearly 600 students at the annual Matriculation Ceremony on Tuesday 9 October. Now in its fourth year the welcoming ceremony has become an established and popular part of the academic calendar. All newly enrolled students are invited to the ceremony, held in the grand surroundings of Lincoln Cathedral, which gives both undergraduate and postgraduate students the chance to meet University staff and each other. This year’s ceremony began at 3pm with a procession of over 100 BGU members of staff before the new students were officially welcomed to the University by the University’s Chancellor, Dame Judith Jonas-Mayhew, the Vice-Chancellor, the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, the President of the Students’ Union, Craig Ferguson and the The Dean of Lincoln, The Very Revd Christine Wilson. As a symbol of their belonging in BGU, all students were given a specially designed gold badge. The Vice-Chancellor explained why the event has become such an important part of the student journey at BGU: “The Matriculation Ceremony marks our students’ formal entry into the University. In addition to offering a friendly welcome to all those who are starting their studies here this year, it ensures they know they are now part of the BGU and academic community, of which every student is an integral member. It is emphasised that we are all there to guide and support the students throughout their time with us.” The ceremony closed with a performance from the BGU choir followed by speeches from Samuel Wernham, second year Drama student, and Emma Stanbridge, BGU graduate and MA English Literature student. New undergraduate students Amelia Revill, Education Studies and English, Charlotte Jezard, Education Studies, and Francesca Baugh, Primary Education with QTS, described after the ceremony how, thanks to the event, BGU was already feeling like home: “This afternoon has been really welcoming and enjoyable. It’s really nice to see all the students and academics coming together to meet each other, we’ve enjoyed our time at BGU so far but this has definitely made us all feel even more at home here” If you would like to become a part of the BGU community visit our website to find out about all the exciting courses available to you or contact our Enquiries Team today. You can watch this year’s ceremony and find a photo album on our Facebook page. -
Working Together to Find the Missing MFL Links
By James Foster I am currently doing a PGCE in Secondary Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) at BGU and as part of my British Council ITT Scholarship I was invited to the House of Commons to attend an All Party Parliamentary Meeting on MFL. The meeting was chaired by Tonia Antoniazzi MP and involved speakers from Cardiff University and leaders of Welsh university/school collaborative initiatives, the practitioners delivering them and students benefiting from them. Present also were representatives from Routes into Languages Cymru, the MFL Student Mentoring Project and a variety of UK universities. Part of the meeting’s aim was to talk about the MFL Student Mentoring Project in Wales which is a 5-year long project with the aim of increasing GCSE uptake in MFL. One shocking statistic presented at the meeting was that last year only 64 pupils in the whole of Wales took German A-level, reflecting the current state of MFL in the rest of the United Kingdom. Another interesting topic later in the meeting came from a representative from Anglia Ruskin University who is currently promoting the theme of linguistics as a GCSE topic, something which I personally would be very interested in seeing. Could this be one of the missing links in the struggle to promote MFL as a subject? In my opinion MFL has many cross-curricular links and linguistics would provide a link with the sciences, however for me the decline in foreign exchange visits poses a bigger threat. Exchange visits offer pupils the opportunity to apply what they are learning and see the relevance but in the past few years these have declined The meeting finished with open questioning by anyone present at the meeting and after being adjourned was followed by a networking session in the Committee Room. Thank you to the British Council for inviting me to go as part of their ITT scholarship and to BGU for letting me have the day off placement to go! If you are interested in a career that offers you the opportunity to shape future generations then our wide range of PGCE courses are for you. With over 150 years’ experience in training and crafting expert educators there is nowhere better than BGU. For more information visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team. Are you a current or former BGU student? Have you done something you think should be shouted about? Then contact our PR Team to share your achievements. -
Forging the Future of Religious Education
Over the weekend of 13-14 October Mark Plater, subject leader for PGCE Secondary Religious Education at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), joined more than 150 Religious Education professionals from across the UK for a National Religious Education conference. The event was the first such national gathering of RE professionals since the recent publication of the RE Council's Commission on RE report, Religion and Worldviews: the way forward. The report proposed radical changes to the legal provisions for RE along with a new vision for how the subject should be taught. With a diverse collection of attendees representing all of the major national school Religious Education organisations and bodies – including teachers, lecturers and inspectors – the conference provided an opportunity to consider the future of the subject along with the proposals being put forward by the Commission. As a platform for the celebration of the best elements of RE in the country the event was an inspiration for Mark: "Not only was it encouraging to see key RE people and organisations coming together in this way, but everything about the conference was excellent: the speakers, the workshops, the venue and the wonderful group of people present. I have great hope for the future of our subject if it is being led by such people." If you’re interested in a future exploring and discussing religion then our Theology courses and RE teaching pathways could be for you. Visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team today for more information. -
BGU Men’s Football Club win the Cathedral Cup
Bishop Grosseteste University Men’s Football Club (BGUMFC) beat the University of Lincoln in a penalty shootout to reclaim the Cathedral Cup at Sincil Bank last week.
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