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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. -
BGU Sign Memorandum of Understanding with Bangkok University International
As part of Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) ongoing work in Thailand, Wayne Dyble, International Manager, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of BGU with Bangkok University International (BUI). The Memorandum reflects the maturing relationship between the two institutions which will see BGU PGCE students visit the Bangkok campus with the prospect of BUI undergraduates visiting BGU’s Lincoln campus to study Business English classes. Following the signing ceremony Aimee Quickfall, Head of Programmes for Primary Education and Early Years at BGU, led a Business English taster workshop with around forty BUI students. During the workshop students were encouraged to explore the subtleties of Business English and how language assumes a contextual specificity. Wayne Dyble along with BGU colleagues Professor Chris Atkin and Dr Phil Wood also supported the session. Whilst Thailand the BGU team developed institutional links and worked with a range of Thai stakeholders on a research bid focussed on curriculum reform and teacher standards. For further information on the visit or BGU’s activities in Thailand and other International activities, please contact Wayne Dyble or visit our International web pages. -
Putting Smiles at the Heart of Teaching: Children's (Un) Happiness explored in Senior Lecturer's new book
If you ask parents what they most want for their child, many will say something like this: ‘I just want my child to be happy’. Whilst most understand that they cannot ensure their children are permanently happy, they are often unprepared for seeing their children frequently or deeply sad. ‘Why are our children so unhappy?’ is a question that baffles parents worldwide but a new book edited by Dr Maria Efstratopoulou aims to provide an understanding of the factors that influence children’s emotions which it believes is essential for anyone interacting with young children. Differing from most books in the field, which focus on offering advice to professionals on how to manage children’s behaviour, Bring My Smile Back: Working with Unhappy Children in Education aims to explore the crucial link between emotions, well-being and learning and the wider social factors affecting children’s happiness. The authors, including several of Dr Efstratopoulou’s colleagues at BGU, draw from a range of experience, examples, case studies and educational approaches to engage with children’s’ wellbeing and emotions. With chapters covering areas such as ‘Can we define happiness?’, supporting children with communication problems and the ‘(Un)Happiness of Black and Ethnic Minority Children’ Bring My Smile Back focuses on children’s happiness rather than their academic achievements and positive behaviour, in essence putting children’s Smiles at the heart of teaching. Writing in the book’s forward Professor Scott Fleming, Deputy Vice-Chancellor in BGU, praised the publication’s accessible exploration as a “landmark contribution” to education: “Children’s wellbeing and happiness have become matters of global concern. This important and exciting collection brings together the work of an impressive team of International Social science scholars and practitioners to address these challenges. Its timing could hardly be better. The chapters have a very accessible structure and format, they are conceptually sophisticated and have an explicit applied professional practitioner emphasis. They should be read by students, researchers, policy-makers and those responsible for service delivery. If they are Bring my smile back: Working with unhappy children in education is likely to become a landmark contribution. I am delighted to endorse a book that features my colleagues from Bishop Grosseteste University. With a rich heritage in teacher education and training, this book is an embodiment of many of our traditional values as well as a firm commitment to health-related subject fields that form part of our portfolio of undergraduate and taught postgraduate awards” Also involved in the publication were Craig Bridge, Educational Psychologist and Lecturer, Dr. Hadiza Kere Abdulrahman, Lecturer of Inclusive Education and Dr.Tracy Jeffery, Lecturer in SENI all from BGU. If you are interested in exploring a future in education and psychology than visit our course pages or speak to a member of our Enquiries Team to find out how BGU could be the place for you. -
BGU History MA student nominated for national dissertation prize
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) History student, Abigail White, has been nominated for a nationally recognised competition for outstanding MA thesis in History. Abigail’s work entitled: ‘To what extent did the School Boards contribute to changes in teacher training colleges, 1890-1912? The case of Lincoln Diocesan Training College.’ explored the educational history of Lincoln Diocesan Training College (as BGU was once known) and made exceptional use of the University’s own library and archives. Focusing on the Training College it evaluates why teacher training colleges experienced change in the 1890s and into the twentieth century. Following its publication, Abigail’s dissertation has been nominated for the Rees Davies Prize for an outstanding Master’s Thesis, an award which commemorates former Royal Historical Society President and distinguished medieval scholar, Professor Sir Rees Davies (1938-2005). The prize is awarded for the best Master’s dissertation submitted by a UK institution of Higher Education. The winner is awarded a prize of £250 and invited to submit an article based on the dissertation to be considered for publication in the RHS Transactions. Speaking following the announcement, Abigail described her pride at receiving the nomination and explained why that particular area of history proved so captivating: “To find out that my piece of work had also been nominated for such a prestigious award was astonishing and a real privilege. Choosing my topic was the easiest part of the whole dissertation process. I was, and still am, amazed that most of the buildings at BGU are original meaning that the Victorian students would have been as familiar with them as I am. For instance, on both the Chapel and Skinner building exterior walls you can see evidence of the college expansion that happened at the turn of the century in 1900. This, coupled with the fact that the students were young women whose opportunities for a career and independence was limited during this period, made BGU’s history unique and fascinating topic to write about. Furthermore, using Lincoln Diocesan Training College as a topic also gave me the opportunity to see original documents detailing the student experience at Lincoln Diocesan Training College at the end of nineteenth century. So much so, that I was able to track a good majority of the students on the census which brought up some previously unknown insights including the fact that William Gladstone’s granddaughter, Margaret Wickham, completed a year of study here!” If you’d like to follow in Abigail’s footsteps and uncover new adventures on a History course at BGU, visit our website, book onto one of our Open Days or speak to a member of our Enquiries Team. -
Top Tips for PGCE Students
With summer fast approaching undergraduate students will be planning out their next steps after finishing their degrees. Given our over 150 year's of experience in training teachers, many of our students will be considering staying on to begin a career in teaching through a PGCE course. With a wide range of age and subject specialism they're a great choice for anyone looking at a future in education. Although a PGCE may seem like a daunting task former student Jessica Barker has been put together her top tips to help new students succeed in their efforts to become teachers.* I started writing this post way back in September and have added to it throughout my time on the PGCE course. These are some basic but helpful tips that I want to offer any upcoming PGCE students, and most of them apply more generally to trainee teachers coming from other routes into the career too. Read on and hopefully you'll take some of this on board and find it relevant! 1. Take out a loan. Yes, you'll end up with a little more to pay back once you're earning, but that was inevitable after your degree anyway! The student loan can work wonders and top up your bursary to a very comfy sum. For those of you not fortunate enough to receive a bursary in the first place because our government don't deem your specialist subject worthy of one (don't even get me started), the loan will really help. 2. Quit your part-time job. It's going to be so hard to balance a part-time job and the training for a full time career, which quite honestly requires all of your time and effort. Long gone are the days when you'd get home from work and could switch off from it all, you'll now be working long into the evenings and at least one day of the weekend. Don't let a part time job hinder your training year, take the loan out and quit your job. 3. Use your age as an advantage. This is for those of us entering into the profession straight from undergraduate, particularly if you have a baby face. You're entering into a school late, the kids don't know you but they're observant and are going to recognise that you look pretty young. The minute that somebody seems to clock on that you're only in your early twenties is when you should start to use your age as an advantage. Kids instantly have a lot of respect for you when they feel like they can relate to you, so don't be afraid to show them that you're interested in some of the same things as them. There's a real temptation to hide your youth but I've found that chatting to the year eight boys about Fortnite and discussing prom with the year eleven girls really has helped me to win them over. Don't give too much away about yourself, do more listening than talking, but admit that because you're only five to ten years older than they are, you share similar interests - they'll start to see you as more human. Also, even though you know that actually the difference between a sixteen and a twenty-two year old isn't that mammoth, they won't. So they'll still see you as a proper fully fledged adult, even though you might not feel like one yet! 4. Take snacks, water and coffee. Teaching is physically (and emotionally) draining, you can never relax because you have to remain constantly alert, so you're using a lot more energy than your body is probably used to! It's a good idea to take something to nibble on at break time, just to give you that boost through until lunch. Water is a good idea too because working in a school makes you prone to headaches - the bright yellow lights and the noisy kids are a winning combination for heavy eyes and a pounding head, and staying hydrated will ensure that this isn't made any worse than it needs to be. Coffee is good at helping you feel a little more alive, particularly on dreary and dull days when you're having to teach some of your most challenging classes! It's also just good for socialising in the staff room, you have a reason to nip there and make yourself a drink, and you can sit and chat to everyone while you do. 5. Be professional. You're a trainee, people are watching your every move, and that isn't just when you're being formally observed in the classroom. You might think the staff room is a safe place to vent about your nightmare year eight's, but what you maybe don't know is that Satanic Sammy's mother is also a science teacher at the school and is sitting directly opposite you as you don him with that nickname! So avoid over-sharing, even when the other member's of staff are chatting away about personal things, don't get involved. You don't want to give people any excuse to judge you. This doesn't just apply to the things you say, but also be careful around what you do. Even if other staff members are okay rocking up to school five minutes before the bell for registration is going to ring, you can't behave like that. It's annoying but you've got to make sure you're doing everything the "right" way, and be assured, somebody will tell you if you're not! 6. Get involved with extra-curricular activities. As a trainee you're not obliged to help out with book club or choir, but staff will really appreciate you offering a helping hand, and it's a fantastic way to get to know the students. It's nice to show that you're taking a wider interest in the school too (and this will help you tick off Standard Eight of the Teachers Standards) so find out what there is to be getting involved with. Extra-curricular activities are fun to be a part of - they're filled with the kids that are passionate about that activity (be it drama, reading, sport, and so on) so you don't have to worry about bad behaviour, instead it's a nice opportunity to see the students at their best. I ran book club at my last school, and most of you know that I'm not an avid reader, but I absolutely loved seeing the students take an interest and develop a passion for literature. 7. Have one day off a week. You've overloaded with work, but it's important to have some time to yourself too. I honestly can't remember what I did before my PGCE because while on it, 90% of my time was filled with marking, planning and teaching. I tried to have one day a week where I did something completely unrelated to teaching, and it was usually Saturday. I'd go out for a meal or to the shops, I might go for a walk if the weather was nice (sometimes ending up at the pub), I watched some TV or I wrote my blog, just anything that I fancied really. It's so important to switch from your professional self to your personal self, and it makes you feel a lot better about life. 8. Buy personalised stamps. As a PGCE student, you'll be sharing your classes with host teachers - this can be tough, especially on second placement. The kids are usually able to adjust to having two teachers in the classroom, often it's the other teacher who can't. I found on my second placement that some teachers were very reluctant to let go of their classes and still wanted to have a presence within the classroom while I was teaching, which could make it very difficult to establish myself. I bought a personalised stamp that read 'Miss Barker says fantastic work', and i used it whenever a student's classwork or homework was especially impressive. This is first and foremost to give the students some recognition, but it was also for my own sake too! When they got the stamp they knew that it was me who had marked this work, which helped me to build a rapport with them. It sounds really trivial but this has helped so much, because students then reached out and thanked me for marking their book, and wanted to discuss my comments. They appreciated it and recognised that it was me who was putting in that effort. 9. Live at home if you can. This comes down to personal preference because everybody's living situations are different, but for me, I don't think I'd have managed this year if I didn't live at home. Shared accommodation is something I never want to go back to and definitely couldn't have put up with while doing my PGCE. I think I could have managed living alone this year, not in a group, but life is so much easier at home. I'm really lucky to have super supportive parents who I'm very close to, which definitely helped because I always had someone to talk to if I'd had a bit of a rubbish day. I also got all of my meals cooked for me, my pack-up was always ready for me on a morning, my bed was made if I didn't have time to do it, and my clothes were all washed and neatly ironed! You don't realise how much you value these things until you don't have them, and having lived away for three years, I can see just how lucky I am. If you know you'll get looked after at home, move back there. I get that it feels a little strange, to hundreds of children you are a teacher, and yet back home you feel like a teenager - but that's okay! You can be responsible and professional at work, and still have your mum take care of you at home, for this year at least. Also, life is much more affordable when you live at home, and your money will stretch so much further. It's worth considering. 10. Ask for help. So many people from my cohort quit during first placement, about a third of us just dropped out, and I was shocked. As stressful as it was and as hard as it seemed, I couldn't believe people could just give up... then I moved to my second placement and I finally understood. Sometimes you feel under-valued, unappreciated, demoralised and even bullied... and you need to speak out. Expectations vary from school to school and while one placement might be easygoing and quite casual, another might be very strict and on top of things - if you're struggling with the pace of it all, or if you think you aren't good enough, you need to talk to one of your university mentors/tutors. I was having real problems at my placement school so reached out to my school based mentor and made them aware. I then received lots of additional support from the people at university and knew that as hard as the course had become, I could get through it. I ended up being removed from my second placement school and moved back to my first one, this was exactly what I needed and had wanted for a very long time. Things just didn't work out at the second placement and it was affecting my self esteem and happiness outside of work, and because I reached out to the uni and continued to report to them whenever there was an issue, they were able to get me out of a bad situation and into a better one. Don't be afraid to tell people that you're not doing great, it's better to mention it early on than wait until you feel the only option is to quit. The people at university will want to help you, it's their job, and they will act on your behalf and make things easier if you'll only ask. It's a long year full of ups and downs - sometimes with more downs than ups - but it's worth sticking out and completing. Enter into your PGCE year with a positive mindset and face the challenges as they come to the very best of your ability. Enjoy the experience and remember it won't last forever, the end is in sight right from the very beginning and you can do it. I really hope you found this post useful and will take some of these recommendations on board. I recently graduated from my PGCE, qualifying as an Outstanding teacher and having received two merits in both of my assignments, and will be beginning my NQT year this September, and I can't wait. Thank you for reading. Jessica successfully graduated last summer before beginning her NQT year, you can keep up to date with her progress on her blog "Life as a University Graduate". You can find more information on the wide range of innovative PGCE courses offered by BGU on our website. Alternatively you can contact our Enquiries Team or join us on one our Open Days to find out how to begin your journey into teaching. -
Lecturer's new publication examines evolutionary factors in voting for Brexit and Trump
A new research paper by Dr Alyson Blanchard, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), examining voting behaviour in the EU Referendum and US Presidential Election of 2016 from an evolutionary perspective has been published in Evolutionary Psychological Science. As the paper explains, the year 2016 witnessed historic political change with the ascension to power of Donald Trump and the UK’s vote to leave the European Union (commonly referred to as Brexit). While research has sought to explain these once-deemed unlikely events, an evolutionary theoretical account had remained unexplored. Dr Blanchard’s work investigated whether people may have felt more fearful for their lives due to media coverage of the War in Syria between 2014 and 2016 that had led to a perceived increase in threat from terrorism and associated immigration issues. Evolutionary theory suggests that when environments seem dangerous and harsh that it is adaptive to make decisions that are optimal for the short-term. In this case, despite the long-term consequences for voting for Trump or Brexit – both campaigns promised immediate resolutions to existential threats caused by terrorism and immigration such as “Taking Back Control” and to “Make America Great Again”. The multi-study paper revealed that Trump and Brexit voters reported that they had experienced a perceived increase in existential threat in the time period 2014 and 2016, and feared terrorism and immigration respectively. Environmental factors such as social deprivation, ethnicity and education had a differential impact on vote choice, including votes for neither Trump, nor Hilary Clinton. Overall, the link between existential threats and voting is complex, but the paper affords new insight into voter psychology during the EU referendum and US presidential election.” You can find the full article in the Evolutionary Psychological Science Journal by clicking here. If you’d like to find more information our exciting and innovative doctoral and Psychology programmes vist our website or contact our Enquiries Team. -
Annual Mentor Conference Celebrates ‘Community of Learning’
Earlier this month members of the Secondary PGCE and School Direct team at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) held the first-ever fully remote Annual Mentor Conference titled 'In Changing Times, a Time to Change'. The impact of how training teachers within the COVID-19 pandemic is now shaping practices formed the inspiration for the event and throughout the four-hour conference, attended by delegates from across the partnership, presentations by leaders within the BGU Secondary team showcased the aspects of the Lockdown on professional training, and how BGU will be supporting all within continued restrictions. Professor Anna Lise Gordon (Institute of Education, Faculty of Education, Human and Social Sciences, St Mary’s University, Twickenham) gave the keynote lecture reflecting on her research-informed practices within Secondary teacher training and continued to reinforce the need for respect and relationships as the central development of contemporary resilient teachers. There were also insights by Senior leaders from partnership schools; Ms Marie Muir, Queen Elizabeth High School, Gainsborough and Mrs Jo Fieldsend, Director of Charter Teaching School Alliance, Horncastle shared their vision of how they will facilitate professional training programmes for BGU’s trainee teachers. The remote conference was created by Senior Lecturer Helen Bushell-Thornalley, who herself takes a leading role in Mentoring and Coaching for Secondary school professionals, with support from Mark Hall of BGU’s Centre for Enhancement in Learning and Teaching (CELT). Speaking after the conference Helen shared the events conclusions: “The conference’s conclusions were that BGU’s vision continues to be crafted through a community of learning. Mentoring for mentors alongside professionals in schools, for all of our teachers that we work with within our partnership schools. The recovery mentoring programme now more than ever requires a distributed community of practices.” You can find more information on the wide range of innovative PGCE courses offered by BGU on our website. Alternatively you can contact our Enquiries Team or join us on one our Open Days to find out how to begin your journey into teaching. -
NQT Experiences to be Explored as BGU Academics Secure British Academy COVID-19 Research Funding
Academics from Bishop Grosseteste University Dr Emma Clarke, Dr Phil Wood and Aimee Quickfall have secured British Academy funding for a ground-breaking project looking into the experiences of newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in 2020/21; a cohort of teachers who have been impacted greatly by the COVID-19 pandemic. The highly competitive British Academy funding process resulted in just 6% of bids being approved. This project considers the experiences of newly qualified teachers, taking up their first career role having missed part of their work-based practice prior to employment. This project will follow NQTs through their first year of teaching to understand the challenges and opportunities they face, how they can be better supported professionally and emotionally, to inform practices and policies to ensure sustainability within the sector during and after the pandemic. Dr. Clarke commented on the project, explaining: “This research will help us understand the complex processes at play for NQTs and is important in ensuring that this cohort thrive in their careers. With a recruitment gap already apparent in English education, any adverse impact on this group of teachers moving forward will play a major role in exacerbating that problem.” It is hoped that the impact of the study will also reach beyond the teaching profession. Dr. Wood explained: “This research project will offer insights into how the wider public sector has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the training of a new generation of professionals.” The project is part of the Well-being and Workload in Education Research and Knowledge Exchange Unit. If you would like to know more about the work of the Well-being and Workload in Education RKEU, please contact aimee.quickfall@bishopg.ac.uk -
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. -
Congratulations to All Final Year Students on Your Results
Following the release of academic results this week at Bishop Grosseteste University, we would like to congratulate all of our final year students. We hope that those of you who have received your final classification are happy with your result and proud of your achievements. Despite the unprecedented times that we find ourselves in, you have made it to the end of your studies and are now part of a new alumni community with lots of exciting opportunities ahead. Whilst we are not meeting together at a graduation ceremony this year to celebrate, your Vice-Chancellor, The Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil, would like to share some words with you which you can listen to by watching the video below. Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas, Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University, would also like to congratulate you all and has shared the following words: “As Chancellor of the University, I am delighted to welcome all students completing their studies this year. “Bishop Grosseteste, as a university, has at its core, education and learning, training, and personal development. I know these are values that you will take away with you, and which will continue to be used by you in your future careers. “We wish you well for your future, however, we hope you will not leave us completely, and that you will join BG Generations. “I look forward to seeing all of you who are completing your degrees this year at our celebration of graduation in Lincoln Cathedral in July 2021.” Whether you are embarking on your new career, continuing your studies, or doing something else with your time, we are wishing you all the best for your future.We hope you will keep in touch and make the most of the services that are available to you as a graduate of BGU.
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