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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. -
Academics' Wellbeing Research Expands to New European Audience
Having enthralled attendees at the British Education Research Association (BERA) special interest group, last month, Teacher trainee wellbeing research led by academics at BGU has reached a European audience at the European Conference on Education Research, organised by the European Education Research Association (EERA). Dr. Emma Clarke, Aimee Quickfall and Shaun Thompson presented the well-being research at the conference in Hamburg to an international audience of education researchers. The trio presented on behalf of the wider team at BGU, which also includes Sue Lambert, Hannah Wells and Dr. Claire Thomson. The pilot study, conducted in 2018/19, tracked the journey of PGCE Primary students in terms of their well-being and used photo-elicitation; participants took two photographs a week that summed up their experience, as well as drawing timelines and recording their challenges and resources for well-being. The project also looked at the teacher training experiences of students in Finland, Denmark and The Netherlands, where the team investigated how different programme structures supported well-being. Aimee commented on the opportunities the conference presented: "We were delighted with the response to our presentation. Colleagues from Australia, Europe and the UK are interested in learning from our pilot findings and getting involved in further research with us. We will be building on these connections to further improve trainee well-being at BGU, and the well-being of trainees in universities across the world." The pilot findings are now being shared with the new PGCE Primary cohort to support their well-being journey to Qualified Teacher Status and beyond, and a main study is being launched to roll out in the UK, Finland and Denmark in 2019/20. Emma explained the motivation for this follow on work: "We really want to use our research to support our teacher trainees, which is why our pilot findings are already being used to make modifications to programmes and shared with trainees." 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. -
Sensory Bus Visit Helps Students Break Down Barriers in Education
Students at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) enjoyed a visit from the LINKAGE Sensory Bus as they explored innovative and unique ways to remove the barriers children with special needs can face in education. The LINKAGE Sensory Bus is a specially designed learning space filled with range of unique sensory experiences to aid children with special needs including an illuminated jungle space and a music wall. All of its activities are adaptable to the needs of specific children and can help support pupils in a wide variety of areas including expanding vocabulary and behaviour management. Niz Smith, LINKAGE Project Coordinator, described the potential benefits of the bus to both pupils and teachers: “Our goal is to provide children with special educational needs with an environment in which they have choice and control. Through their explorations they are able share and interact with their peers in ways they would not normally be able to, allowing them to become happier and calmer. The bus is also a great resource for teachers, particularly in rural schools who wouldn’t normally be able to access resources, they can find new avenues to help their pupils interact before taking them back to their classrooms.” Isobel, Riaz and Hadikah, all currently in their second year of BA Primary Education with QTS, were three of the students to spend time on the bus and they praised its potential as a training tool for teachers: “It was great to gain more insight into how we can support children with special needs. Once you’re immersed in the bus the theoretical strategies we’ve been learning in lectures come to life and really begin to make sense. It was a brilliant practical experience” If you would like to arrange a visit by the LINKAGE bus team to your school you can email Niz at niz.smith@linkage.org.uk. The visit to BGU was organised by lecturers as part of a module focused on learning how to support pupils with special educational needs. 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. -
‘Inspirational’ First Cohort Complete General Practice Nursing Qualification
Last week Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) bid a fond farewell to the first cohort of students undertaking the PG Cert in General Practice Nursing. After nine months of blended learning in the classroom, in practice and using the Virtual Learning Environment, students are now able to work in General Practice with the range of skills a Nurse in this area is expected to have. Content covered over the course of the qualification included cervical smear taking, Immunisation and vaccines (including Travel Health), management of long-term conditions such as diabetes and asthma, Intermediate life support as well as mental health and support for carers. Speaking at an event to celebrate the students Nicki Walsh, Senior lecturer (and Programme Lead for Health and Social Care) at BGU, praised them for their commitment and example to future students: “The finishing students have been 100% committed to the programme and have not only developed in confidence but are a true inspiration for those who might consider General Practice Nursing as their preferred Career pathway. Students have had excellent support from their clinical environments throughout with clinical and academic supervisor supporting them in and around practice. Whilst sad to see these students finish at BGU, there are opportunities for further study on the MSc Primary and Community Care, as offering support future PGCert students. Further funding has been allocated to BGU by Health Education England for 10 places in March and the team at BGU look forward to welcoming next cohort of aspiring GPNs.” The PG Cert in General Practice Nursing is a specialised Master’s level programme which provides registered Healthcare Professionals, who are currently working in a Primary Care (General Practice) setting, with a learner-centred and practice focused programme of study, meeting their personal, professional and practice development needs all focused on local service demands. It produces high-calibre post graduates who are autonomous, reflexive, possessing of inquiring and analytical minds as part of their continued professional development required by their relevant Professional Regulatory body. The new PG Cert In General Practice Nursing joins the developing portfolio of courses at BGU which reflect current and future needs of the health and social care sector. Other current courses include Master's in Health & Social Care Leadership and Primary & Community Care. To find out how these courses can help develop your healthcare skills visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team. -
Academics Continue to Explore Teacher Wellbeing Around the World
Following successful presentations across Europe throughout 2019, Dr Emma Clarke and Aimee Quickfall of Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) took their well-being research to the Finnish Education Research Association conference in Joensuu, Finland. The research project charts teacher training well-being experiences of teacher trainees in the UK, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands employing visual methodologies including photo elicitation, time line drawing and diagrams. The project team have had a lot of interest in the methods as well as the findings and are currently working with colleagues at Leeds Beckett University, The University of Manchester and King's College, London on supporting their well-being work. This latest presentation capped off an exciting year for the project team, which has featured contributions from several of Emma and Aimee’s colleagues at BGU including Shaun Thompson, Hannah Wells, Sue Lambert and Dr Claire Thomson, as they have also disseminated findings at ECER in Hamburg, a BERA special interest group forum in London and the UCET conference in Stratford. Following their trip to Finland Aimee commented: “It has been a pleasure to return to the University of Eastern Finland and to share our findings from the project with the teacher educators from Helsinki, UEF, Turku and Oulu.” Whilst Emma reflected on the UK and Finnish contexts: “The Finnish teacher education system is very different to ours - training lasts for 5 years and teachers graduate with a master's qualification. However, it is interesting that there are many similarities in the experiences of our students and our Finnish colleagues have been very supportive and engaged in the research.” 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. -
BGU graduate helps current students travel to the rainforest in immersive teacher training session
Students in the current PGCE cohort at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) were transported deep into the rainforest in a special session on inspiring children’s writing through sensory learning. The session was planned in conjunction with former BGU graduate Justyn Huntley. Justyn graduated from the PGCE School Direct programme and now works at Bardney Primary School. Together with BGU lecturers, he ran a series of sessions designed to show the trainee teachers how to develop their pupils’ writing by exploring settings in children’s fiction. The session was split into two parts, beginning with listening to an extract from a text. The trainee teachers then entered into an environment aimed at engaging all five senses. Students were able to taste unique foods, listen to unusual wildlife and touch fascinating plants amongst a selection of exciting activities. They were then encouraged to think about how they could build their experiences of the day into their future teaching of children’s writing. Speaking after the session Justyn explained his rationale behind the sessions and what he hoped the budding educators could accomplish with the idea: “The goal is to give pupils who may never have left their home county the opportunity to explore and experience something completely new. By splitting the session into two parts teachers can lay the foundations and fire up their pupils’ imaginations before immersing them in a fully interactive environment. The best part is this can be used for a range of different environments and ages. Rainforests, deserts, oceans, even the moon, you can take pupils anywhere”He also took the opportunity to share his experiences of studying through the School Direct programme: “Carrying out my PGCE through the School Direct programme was challenging at times but I really enjoyed it. Being able to experience an entire school year that early on in my training was great and allowed me to really understand how pupils learn and change across an academic year. Even though I was only in BGU one day a week I still had a great connection with my lecturers. They really encouraged me and provided time and support whenever I needed it.” 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. -
Using Shared Reading to explore the ‘telling’ of death
Earlier this year, at the 2020 Death and Dying conference, attendees came together to discuss how shared reading could explore the ‘telling’ of death. One of the goals of the workshop was to use art to capture a ‘live’ response that included something of the personal and transitory nature of the event. Aimee Quickfall, Head of Programmes for Primary Education and Early Years at BGU, Dr Clare Lawrence, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Development, and Dr John Rimmer, Senior Lecturer PGCE secondary (art and design), share their feedback on the unique and engaging experience. Using Shared Reading to explore the ‘telling’ of death Academic and Creative Responses to Death and Dying Conference, BGU 2020 Dr Clare Lawrence, Aimee Quickfall, Dr John Rimmer Shared Reading is an approach pioneered and developed by Jane Davis to use the read-aloud experience of literary texts to explore group participants’ reflections, thoughts and memories, where the text is presented as a live presence, not as something pre-read or an object of study. This Shared Reading workshop was part of a conference that had as its theme, How to tell the children, and as such used texts that explored the ‘telling’ of death, and the experience of parents’ death as understood by the (adult) child of those parents. The text chosen were Gertrude’s description of Ophelia’s death in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act IV sc. v and Charles Causley’s poem Eden Rock. Throughout the workshop Aimee Quickfall took notes visually, sketching and drawing as the participants talked. These sketches sought to capture something of the perspectives and experiences of those who took part, less to create a factual record and more to produce a live response that included something of the personal and transitory nature of the event. This method builds on the work of Heath and Chapman (2018), who believe that ‘a sketch does something different to, say, a photograph or a written field note’ (Heath and Chapman, 2018 p. 715). Back and Puwar (2012) suggest that the nature of data that is generated through sketching is different from that generated through other methods, not least because of what drawing, of necessity, leaves out. The artist must choose what to record, so that the record is always synthesised and personalised in a way that a mechanical record is not. Midgley (2011) believes that this means that drawing can capture passions and tensions in a way that other means of recording do not. The discussions during the workshop were then further synthesised by John Rimmer, who worked what was discussed into a piece of highly abstract animated art, reflecting his interpretation of the themes that were explored. These academic and Creative responses to the workshop will be shared in due course through published output. If you’d like to explore a future as part of diverse learning community, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team, or book onto an Open Event to find out how to take your first steps. References: Back, L., & Puwar, N. (2012). A manifesto for live methods: provocations and capacities. The sociological review, 60, 6-17. Heath, S., Chapman, L., & Centre Sketchers, T. M. (2018). Observational sketching as method. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 21(6), 713-728. Midgley, J. (2011). Drawing Lives-Reportage at Work. Studies in Material Thinking, (4). Retrieved, 5. -
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. -
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.
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