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New Book Aims to Help Support Autistic Children by Exploring the ‘Two Sides to Every Story’
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) was proud to host the launch of ‘Exploring Theory of Mind with Children & Young People on the Autism Spectrum’ the latest book by Dr Clare Lawrence, Senior Lecturer in Secondary Education at BGU. Subtitled ‘Two Sides to Every Story’, the book explores how theory of mind differences, and the difficulties created by different viewpoints, can lead to frustration and confusion for children with autism. This exploration is lead by carefully structured stories featuring Bryn, who is autistic, his mother and their ‘Wise Dog’. All involve frustrating or confusing social events that befall Bryn leading to meltdowns with each story then told again from another viewpoint. Each night, Wise Dog talks to Bryn and helps him understand what has happened. Alongside the stories of Bryn, his mother and Wise Dog are a wide selection of activities which are based around the stories and are designed to further the reader’s understanding of the challenges faced by children with Autism. These activities include story board and role-playing exercises which are perfect for parents and children to work through together or for teachers to use in classroom situations. Speaking at the launch Clare discussed the positive impact she hoped the book would have: “I’ve been working on this book for a long time and I’m delighted to now see it finished and available for people to enjoy and learn from. The ability to interpret different viewpoints can be a real struggle for children with autism who, due to theory of mind differences, see their version as the truth. My hope now is that this book can educate those who come into contact with children on the spectrum on how to interact with and support children with viewpoint so different to their own”. Clare was supported in the creation of the book by her BGU colleague Aimee Quickfall, Head of Programmes Primary & Early Years ITE, who provided illustrations. ‘Exploring Theory of Mind with Children & Young People on the Autism Spectrum’ is available now. If you would like to explore a future supporting children and young people, visit our website to book your place on one of our upcoming Open Days where you’ll find out how our wide variety of exciting courses can help you reach your goals. -
BG Futures Aim to Help Students Find Their Entrepreneurial Excellence in Global Entrepreneurship Week
Global Entrepreneurship Week (#GEW2019), the world’s largest campaign to promote entrepreneurship, began on the 18th of November and to celebrate BG Futures, the Careers, Employability and Enterprise team at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), are running a series of events to encourage the University’s future business leaders. With sessions on global business, ‘enterprising attitudes’, how to begin self-employment and accountancy advice the team hope to provide budding entrepreneurs with the skills they need to begin their businesses. And the drive to foster entrepreneurial successes at BGU is not limited purely to Global Entrepreneurship Week as Sarah Moseley, the team’s newly appointed Enterprise Development Manager, explains: “When universities foster a culture of enterprise and entrepreneurship, it equips students with the skills for a rewarding, self-determined professional and personal life With a career history working with SMEs I hope to bring to life, in a sustainable manner, our student’s enterprising ideas It is no coincidence that we have launched our Graduate Attributes excellence award in GEW and all the activities that we are offering students as part of GEW will count towards the award.” To find out more about the Graduate Attributes Excellence award or advice on how to start your entrepreneurial journey you drop into BG Futures, email bgfutures@bishopg.ac.uk or call them on 01522 583900. -
Dance Society Raise over £1000 for Children in Need with Charity Tapathon
Members of the Bishop Grosseteste University Students’ Union (BGSU) Dance Society have once again participated in a World Record Attempt Tapathon in support of Children in Need raising over £1000 in the process. The aim of the annual Tapathon is to see how many dancers can perform the same tap routine at the same time across the UK. In the build up to the event two of the society’s executive members, Society President Keeley Pearson and Secretary Evie Elliott, learnt the official routine before teaching it to their members. 21 members of the dance society took part in the event beginning rehearsal in late September, giving them just over six weeks to learn the routine. During these six weeks, members used their sponsorship forms to collect as many funds as possible for Children in Need. In the 2018 Tapathon the society raised £587.50 and so they set themselves a challenge of £700 for the 2019 edition. Speaking after the event Emily Gray, BGSU Dance Society Treasurer, described how the day unfolded and praised the efforts of her fellow dancers: “When the day of the Tapathon arrived, everyone was very excited. We got rehearsals underway, having a couple of run throughs before the event started, to ensure we could perform the routine perfectly. After the fifteen-minute call, we all got into place and then performed the routine twice to verify the Tapathon attempt. All of our members danced perfectly and everyone had a smile on their face. The sponsorship money was counted during our performance and we are pleased to announce that we raised an incredible £1275 for Children in Need. As a society, we have raised enough money for at least eight young carers for a whole month of play therapy, six disabled children to get physiotherapy while in school, as well as ten young children to get a whole school year worth of free school meals. BGSU Dance society have helped children in the UK in great amounts from the money we have raised. As an executive team, we would like to give a special mention to one member in particular for the amount of money she raised for Children in Need - Emily Green, a 3rd year BGU student, managed to raise £167 alone. This is such an amazing amount of money and we are so proud of her, along with all of our other participating members.” Bishop Grosseteste University would also like to take the opportunity to praise the members of the Dance Society as £1275 is a fantastic amount to be raised by a group of young students. BGSU offer a wide range of diverse societies to match any interest (and will happily support you to start a new one). You can find more information on all of them on their website or you can meet them in person on our December Open Day. You can also follow more of their events and fundraising through their social media channels: Facebook: BGSU Dance Instagram: @bgsu_dancesoc Twitter: @BGSUDance -
Students help local children to discover the exciting possibilities of maths
Students involved in education and mathematics at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) welcomed local school children onto campus to help them explore the fun and entertaining possibilities of maths as part of the first Maths Week England. Maths Week England is designed to raise the profile of maths and promote different ways to engage with the subject in a positive way. At BGU students from a range of courses including BA Primary Education with QTS, Education Studies and Mathematics and Education Studies and Mathematics with a Foundation Year ran activities based around reasoning, problem solving and exploration designed to encourage collaboration between pupils and their teachers. Dr Ashley Compton, Senior Lecturer in Primary at BGU, was one of the event’s organisers and discussed what it, and the wider national initiative, could offer to learners and educators: “Maths Week England is designed to challenge the stereotypes around the subject, take away the anxiety that both children and educators feel towards maths and turn engaging with it into a positive experience. It is an especially key experience for our students as they can now take these lessons into their future classrooms.” And Dr Elizabeth Kimber, Programme Leader for Mathematics at BGU, who organised the event alongside Ashley, explained how the being involved in the activities could also offer academic and social benefits to the BGU students: “By bringing together learners from a range of courses these events allow our students to find a community of fellow mathematicians on campus.” For Sophie Evans, Education Studies and Mathematics student at BGU, who is seeking to move into teaching after her studies the highlight of the event was the opportunity to share the positive side of maths: “Today has been amazing practice for my future. Seeing how different pupils interact with maths and whether they enjoy it or struggle with it. Engaging with mathematics is so often seen as a negative experience but there are real opportunities for fun within it and these pupils will now be able to take those activities and memories back with them.” Eloise Biggin, Education Studies and Maths with a Foundation Year student, echoed Sophie’s feedback: “It’s great that I’m being given the opportunity to experience teaching maths so early into the course. I’m keen to go into teaching when I graduate so being immersed in these activities already is fantastic.” To find out more about BGU’s undergraduate and postgraduate mathematics courses visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join 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. -
“Amazing” Carers’ Initiatives Earn “Well Deserved” Awards for BGU
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is delighted to announce that its Health and Social Care team and wider community have successfully been accredited with the Lincolnshire Carers Quality Awards for providing outstanding support for Carers at the University. -
BGU Lecturer Part of the Evolution of Higher Education in Zimbabwe
Earlier this year Dr Hadiza Kere Abdulrahman, Lecturer of Inclusive Education at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was invited to take part in an international workshop focused on devising a comprehensive framework for the internationalisation of higher and tertiary education in Zimbabwe. Dr Abdulrahman’s involvement in the initiative came as a result of her work with colleagues at the University of Nottingham and The Zimbabwean Council of Higher Education – ZIMCHE. Their collaborative work explored the "The State of Internationalisation of Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa" requiring an understanding of events and procedures across six different countries and attempting to cast a critical decolonial light on the whole process. This new workshop took the group’s findings and utilised them from a Zimbabwean perspective and its recommendations are now in the process of being adopted as the national policy on internationalisation of higher and tertiary education in Zimbabwe. Speaking on her return to BGU Dr Abdulrahman discussed her motivations for taking part in the initiative: “My involvement in this workshop builds on my wider work of always problematising the things we have come to take for granted, be they the notion of Education or Internationalisation or any other such issue. How can African settings in particular address these issues with an adequate understanding of our particular historical specificities and peculiarities? My aim is to always attempt to view the issues through various lenses and theoretical constructs with Decoloniality being one. This paper was jointly undertaken with Professors Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni and Juliet Thondhlana and Dr Evelyn Garwe who were also present at the workshop in different capacities.” Our academics are regularly invited to present at conferences and support learning initiatives 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. -
CELT work with the Money Charity to help students take control of their financial wellbeing
When Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) polled its students earlier this year to find out what their main anxieties currently were, the over-arching concern highlighted was money and finances. -
LiNCHigher project to provide 25,000 Lincolnshire students with online learning programme
LiNCHigher, a collaborative outreach programme that brings together Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), the University of Lincoln and 45 schools, colleges and other local organisations, is delighted to announce that they have teamed up with Lincolnshire-based creative digital agency First Media, to launch ‘LiNCHigher Learning’. LiNCHigher Learning will enable around 25,000 students across Lincolnshire access to specialist learning resources online during and beyond this COVID-19 pandemic, and is available now for schools and colleges across Lincolnshire; free of charge. Part of the Office for Students’ Uni Connect Programme that was set up in January 2017, LiNCHigher, which is a consortium of all Universities and Colleges across Lincolnshire, is the first of the 29 Uni Connect partnerships across the country to launch such a service to secondary school and college students. The programme will grant increased access to information about educational journeys, students’ aspirations and the opportunities that Higher Education can provide, as well as bringing fun activities from education providers from across the country. First Media, who specialise in creative digital solutions in eLearning, software development, web design and events, were able to add functionality to their award-winning eProspectus software to create an online learning platform that is simple and secure to use. LiNCHigher is also in the process of launching a Careers & Higher Education Outreach Hub ready for July 2021, and work with First Media has enabled the project to be fast-tracked. The new Lincolnshire Outreach Careers Hub will provide a one stop resource for all students, parents, teachers and educational advisors across Lincolnshire seeking support and guidance on all aspects of Higher Education across the county. The eProspectus already has an ecosystem in place to engage with learners, advisors, schools, colleges, training providers and local authorities across Lincolnshire. It’s designed to promote careers, pathways and opportunities available to young people, including a way for Year 11 students of applying for a place at college and it’s currently being used by 10 Local Authorities around the UK. Ian Hargreaves, Education Solutions Director for First Media, said: “We have really enjoyed working on this project with Jonathan and his team. We were able to quickly mobilise our team to produce a sophisticated and expandable solution that grows our existing platform to provide a complete solution for them in an incredibly quick timeframe.” Jonathan Lidster, Project Manager for LiNCHigher, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Lincolnshire-based First Media on this exciting online programme that, despite the current circumstances, students across the county can access some great learning resources; free of charge. “We hope that the free online material and courses will help reduce the pressure on teachers and parents, and continue to encourage students with their studies, and support and strengthen their decisions concerning their future, during this time. “We look forward to building on this online platform and working further with First Media to get out Outreach Hub released.” LiNCHigher is part of the Office for Students’ Uni Connect Programme. LiNCHigher, alongside its strategic partners, work in over 40 schools, six colleges and two Universities across Lincolnshire, aiming to raise aspirations of young people in discovering the benefits of choosing Higher Education through information, guidance and impartial advice. For more information please visit www.linchigher.co.uk -
BGSU are on a Mission to Help the Humble Hedgehog
Members of Bishop Grosseteste University’s Students’ Union are on a mission to make the University’s campus a safe space for the Hedgehogs of Lincoln. Working alongside Hedgehog Friendly Campus, the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and BGU’s Estates Team they are planning a number of initiatives and activities to gain official accreditation as a ‘hedgehog-friendly’ campus. These include reducing the amount of litter and upgrading the green spaces on campus, as well as installing hedgehog houses, running fund-raising events and offering educational sessions on hedgehog welfare. Kaylee Hempenstall, Activities Officer at BGSU, is leading the project and explained why she felt it was important to get involved: “Now, more than ever, we need to be taking care of our planet, and this initiative will really help us to do our bit for the environment, all whilst protecting some of nature’s most vulnerable creatures. I put a motion to Student Council that BGU should work towards becoming hedgehog friendly after hearing about what the initiative does and how we can help – hedgehog population has fallen drastically in recent years, with a decline of up to 50% since the year 2000. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society developed the hedgehog-friendly campus campaign in a bid to bring hedgehog population numbers up, and keep them safe – and I think it’s a fantastic idea. BGU is already quite a green campus, with the potential to become the perfect habitat for hedgehogs! As well as helping hedgehogs, working towards hedgehog-friendly accreditation has so many other positive outcomes for the university and its students.” There are three levels to the hedgehog-friendly campus accreditation – Bronze, Silver, and Gold. If all goes well BGSU are hoping to have achieved Bronze status by December with a further goal reaching the additional levels in the future. To kickstart their work BGSU will including a collection of hedgehog themed questions in their weekly quiz (this Sunday on their Facebook page) and they plan to begin running webinars in the near future. You can keep up to date on their activities, and find out how you can get involved on their website.
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