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School of Teacher Development Primary Team undertake research in Copenhagen
Dr Emma Clarke, Aimee Quickfall and Shaun Thompson of the School of Teacher Development Primary Team have visited the University College of Copenhagen (UCC) this week as part of their ongoing research on the well-being of teacher trainees. The visit was organised with the help of Sabine Lam, the international coordinator at UCC and Erasmus funding. Aimee told us about the collaboration, "Working with colleagues at UCC has been a fantastic experience. We have been made very welcome on the Carlsberg Campus and everyone we have spoken with has given us new insights and ideas." Emma, Shaun and Aimee collected data from students, lecturers and newly graduated teachers who are now embarking on their first teaching job. Participants have been interviewed on their perceptions of well-being on their training programmes, as well as being asked to identify challenges and resources that impact on well-being. They have also engaged in drawing timelines of how their well-being, challenges, resources and other personal factors have changed over time. Emma commented on the findings so far, "It is exciting and illuminating working with international peers, students and teachers. Specific key themes are now emerging which we aim to use to develop a larger research bid to enable us to continue with this exciting project." The team are looking at examples of good practice in European teacher training, including Finnish, Swedish, Dutch and Danish contexts as a comparison with data collected in the UK. The aim is to inform ITE programme planning and delivery, as well as sharing findings with partnership schools and other colleagues engaged in training teachers. Shaun, regional partnership lead for Primary ITE commented, “Despite many similarities in the issues facing teachers and schools throughout these European countries, the research has provided us with valuable insight into some pertinent challenges and resources relating to well-being, and more importantly, how to maintain the balance. Hopefully, we can now draw upon some of these and consider them within our own ITE programmes, as well as supporting our school partners, to ensure that well-being remains a key priority within education.” If you would like to find about more about the teaching training courses that BGU offer please visit our postgraduate training courses. -
Statement on LORIC Closure - Building Now Open
Bishop Grosseteste University can confirm that Lincolnshire Police were called to our Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) this morning following the discovery of a suspicious item at an archaeological dig on site. On police advice and in line with our health and safety procedures for such an event the LORIC building was evacuated as a precautionary measure. The rest of campus was unaffected. The LORIC site is now open. The Police have confirmed that the item discovered poses no risk to the public and were happy that the University had called them in. Thank you to all our students and staff for being vigilant and reacting swiftly to this incident. We would like to take the opportunity to thank Lincolnshire Emergency Services and the Bomb Disposal Squad for their calm and professional support, as well as our staff, students and partnership organisations for their patience and understanding. -
National Caribbean Heritage Museum Helps BGU Celebrate Black History Month
As part of Black History Month Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) was proud to host a guest lecture delivered by Catherine Ross, Founder of Museumand, the National Caribbean Heritage Museum, exploring the histories and narratives of twentieth century Caribbean migration to the UK. The lecture explored the stories of some of the first pioneering Caribbean people to emigrate to the UK during the Windrush era following the Second World War. To give a personal context to these incredible stories Catherine and her team displayed items the migrants brought with them in their suitcases including ladies’ curling tongs, pre-1960s jewellery, men’s razor sets, hair products; and leisure items such as books, dominoes and harmonicas. Using these unique artefacts, collected since 1997 by Catherine for the museum, the lecture offered a fascinating insight what it meant to those who swapped Kingston for Birmingham, how they adapted to their new lives and the UK and how their presence contributed to Britain’s history through moving personal accounts, music, art, performance and crafts. Dr Sheine Peart, Lecturer of Professional Studies at BGU and researcher into features of the Black British experience, organised the event and ahead of the lecture explained why she felt such discussions were so important: “Caribbean people have been a part of British history for a millennia, certainly as far back as the Romans, but their stories have often been silenced or forgotten. Events such as this are an important opportunity to recognise and celebrate these rich stories and to do it as part of Black History Month has been fantastic.” Both Sheine and the team at Museumand hope this event will be the first of many at BGU exploring Black History. If you would like to take part in future events keep an eye on our news page or come along to one of our Open Days to find out how you can become a part of the learning community at BGU. -
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. -
How government health advice has, or hasn’t, changed in the last 100 years
Dr Andrew Jackson, Head of Research at BGU, has published a series of articles exploring how the current circumstances in which we find ourselves offer a window into the history of both Lincoln and the wider United Kingdom*. In the second of these he examines how government health advice has, or in this case hasn’t, changed in the last 100 years. -
How our current circumstances offer a window into Lincoln's history
Dr Andrew Jackson, Head of Research at BGU, has written a series of articles exploring how the current circumstances in which we find ourselves offer a window into the history of both Lincoln and the wider United Kingdom. In the first of these he examines how the introduction of product restrictions by supermarkets harks back to the First World War and the city of Lincoln’s earlier experiences of rationing*. -
How collaboration across Bishop Grosseteste University is supporting students to adapt in uncertain times
By Cassie Rainey - BG Futures Administrator Covid-19 has transformed the world we live in, pushing us to adapt to a ‘new normal’. One aspect of this ‘new normal’ is the way in which graduates will have to navigate their transitions into the labour market. At Bishop Grosseteste University, the support of academic and professional support teams is more vital than ever to students and graduates. Last month, the Primary and Early Years ITE team and the BG Futures: Careers, Employability and Enterprise team collaborated to deliver a virtual session for students across programmes on the format and logistics of online interviews. The sessions incorporated information on best practice, tips for different video calling platforms and guidance on possible interview questions. The sessions included a Q&A from a recruitment industry expert and BG Futures tenant with questions put forward by students. Sarah Howe, Senior Lecturer on the PGCE Primary programme said: “The Covid – 19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the job application process for some of our students and trainees. Lecturers in the Primary and Early Years ITE Programmes turned to the Careers, Employability & Enterprise team at BG Futures to ensure that support offered at our institution, met the needs of our students and trainees. Several on-line workshops and personal tutorials have taken place with encouraging feedback.” Emma McCarthy, Co-Director of McCarthy Adams Recruitment Specialists, a tenant within the Business & Enterprise Centre in BG Futures, was on hand to provide expert tips to succeeding in online interviews and assisted with a video Q&A for the session. Andy Wright, Careers, Employability & Enterprise Coordinator at BG Futures commented: “This has been a great partnership between teaching staff, BG Futures, students and one of our own tenant businesses. We’ve been very excited to extend our reach to those students who are not able to access face-to-face support at this time, and we have been delighted with the results.” George Rhodes, BA (Hons) Primary Education student, who used this session to help prepare for an upcoming online job interview commented: “After being recommended by a fellow student, I joined an online interview support session which not only provided invaluable advice but also built up my self-confidence. I was successful in my interview, running against 90 other candidates, and I believe without attending the session with Andrew this may not have been the case.” Sarah Moseley, Enterprise Development Manager, said: “The BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre offers 14 leasable office spaces for start-ups and is home to our Student Enterprise Club. With an emphasis on making a positive impact, we strive to attract tenants who will work collaboratively, to improve the lives of our students, bridging theory and practice. We are extremely thankful for Emma McCarthy’s time and input with this session” You can find out more about BG Futures here. You can explore our Primary and Early Years programmes here. -
BGU Academics Awarded €178,000 Erasmus Funding for Well-being Research
Academics from Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) Well-being and Workload in Education RKEU group have been awarded 178,000 euro of Erasmus+ funding to research and develop the well-being of initial teacher education students. The group from BGU, who will be leading this international project, consists of Dr. Emma Clarke, Dr. Phil Wood, Shaun Thompson and Aimee Quickfall. They will be working with colleagues at the University of Eastern Finland and Kobenhavns Professionshojskole, University of Copenhagen. Aimee, who is Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years at BGU, commented that: “It is great to be working with our Finnish and Danish colleagues again on a topic that is dear to all of us – the continued success and happiness of our teacher trainees.” The aim of the project is to produce a package of resources for ITE students, school mentors and university staff, including ‘well-being toolkits’ that will be tailored to Finnish, Danish and UK contexts. Shaun, who is Regional Partnership Lead at BGU explained this: “It is really important to consider different education systems and also the different people that need support with well-being. If a student struggles with their well-being during their training, mentors and university tutors also need resources to support their trainee in their context; on placement, in tutorials, at a distance and in person.” The project will run for three years and include events in all three countries to share findings with students, school mentors and initial teacher educators. Emma pointed out: “The project has a real activist aim – we want to improve the experiences of teacher trainees as widely as we can.” To that end, the project outcomes will include a website with free to access online resources, blogs and advice, as well as the toolkits for supporting trainee well-being. Phil explained that: “Although the toolkits and resources will be based on research carried out at BGU, UEF and Copenhagen, there will be useful materials and findings for teacher trainees, mentors and tutors in other contexts and countries.” 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. -
Update on planned return to learning in January and Lateral Flow Testing
The Government’s guidance is that the return to face-to-face sessions should be staggered over a 4-5 week period, with priority given to practical or placement based subjects, to help prevent the possible transmission of COVID-19 following the Christmas vacation period. In addition, Lateral Flow Tests will again be made available to students and staff in this period to help reassure that they are not returning with the virus. For BGU this means that most programmes will continue to be delivered via remote learning for the first two weeks in January (beginning the 4th and 11th) to complete semester 1. This includes the planned assessment week beginning the 18th which does not require in-person classes. A return to blended learning, including face-to-face sessions will for many subjects begin from the 25th of January with the start of semester 2. However, to facilitate the staggered return some subject sessions, as previously timetabled, will not start until the 1st of February. Certain subjects are exceptions and will return to placements and in-person activities earlier. These include: Programmes with ITE placements starting from 4th JanuarySome in-person sessions for Drama level 4 and Level 5 students For specific information relating to individual programmes, Joint honours student should check the information for both their subjects as they may start back at different times. Additional information will also be supplied by tutors through Blackboard for students on exception courses needing to return earlier or later than the 25th January. From the 4th January all of our student support services will remain available. You can find the full list of services and their contact details on our Working Together web page. To help keep the return to learning a smooth process we will again be offering free lateral flow testing to all students and staff. As with the end of term testing this a voluntary process but we would encourage all members of our community to make use of it in the build-up to your programme’s return to blended learning. You can book your appointments by clicking here. -
BGU announces new partnership with Teach North
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) has announced a new partnership with leading teacher-training provider, Teach North. The partnership will see the two organisations team up to provide first-class teacher training through the Teach North School Direct Programme. At completion of the programme, those on the course will receive a PGCE with Qualified Teacher Status in addition to 60 Master’s credits. Following its most recent evaluation, Ofsted awarded the PGCE programme at BGU, a Grade 2: Good. Emma Tate, Director of Outwood Institute of Education and Programme Lead for Teach North, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with BGU to provide first-class teacher training to future teachers, through our School Direct Programme. “The new partnership means Teach North is now working with five universities to deliver teacher training, while supporting the communities within which these universities are based. Working with BGU will enable us to focus on supporting not only Lincoln, but surrounding areas like Worksop and Scunthorpe. “We believe that by working together with BGU, we can ensure trainee teachers get the very best support both in and out of the classroom as well as gaining invaluable experience teaching their own class as they study.” Teach North recently announced that its 2020-2021 cohort was the biggest it had ever taken on, with over 100 trainee-teachers training to teach with them. While BGU has been educating students in the historic heart of Lincoln for over 150 years. Stephen Smith, Head of ITE Partnerships at BGU, said: “Bishop Grosseteste University is delighted to be working in partnership with Teach North. We look forward to working together in a joint venture, helping to develop the very best teachers who will serve the children and schools in our region.”
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