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BGU Student Explores How the ‘Everyday Actions’ can make the ultimate difference
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) student Owen Lewis delivered a TedxYouth talk on how to "find your voice for social change" at the recent TEDxBrayfordPool. Having gone through two months of coaching with the TedxBrayfordPool team, Owen presented his talk alongside other local young people all focusing on the independent, local or global issues facing our world today that are often easily ignored. Owen’s talk explored the idea that social change can only be achieved by the "every day" person trying their best to do something. Using examples from his time volunteering in Uganda to show the hidden tragedies facing parts of our world, Owen highlighted what everyday people can do to use their voice for social change. Whether your skills are in IT, maths, art, music or you feel you have no skills at all - if you can use your voice then someone will listen. Owen, currently the Campaigns Officer at Bishop Grosseteste University’s Students’ Union (BGSU), got involved in the TedxBrayfordPool programme having been inspired by his predecessor in his current role, Lewis Smith, who has previously given Tedx talks. In order to present his talk, Owen had to go through two months of coaching with the event’s organisation team. This involved everything from script drafting and feedback, to a number of public speaking coaching sessions with professionals and ex-speakers to develop his abilities and performances. Looking back on the whole experience, Owen was proud of what he achieved: “Whilst preparing for my Tedx talk was a long and often daunting process which challenged me from my very core, I have definitely come out improved as a speaker and a person” You can keep up to do date with all the activities being carried out by BGSU through our news page. If you’d like to get involved in discussions or activities like this then visit our website, contact our Enquiries Team or book on to one of our Open Days to begin your journey. -
BGU Apprentice Shortlisted for Public Sector Award
Andrea Riggall, Apprentice Partnerships Assistant at Bishop Grosseteste University, was shortlisted for this year’s Public Sector Service Compact Higher Apprentice of the Year award 2018. Andrea is a Higher Business and Professional Administration apprentice working within the Partnership Development Team at BGU. Her apprenticeship training is being delivered by BGU as part of the introduction of apprenticeship provision both to internal staff and external students. In addition to being shortlisted, Andrea made it to the final three in a category that saw significant numbers of nominations from across the county. The judging panel, compromising representatives from across Lincolnshire's Apprenticeship and public sector provisions, noted the high quality of the work Andrea had undertaken and the institution wide impact it has had in supporting training for staff from a range of areas and departments across the University. Following the judging process finalists and award winners were presented with certificates at a ceremony on Friday 30th November by Lincoln MP Karen Lee. In Spring 2019 Andrea and Nadine Chapman (another BGU apprentice – Advanced Management) hope to share their experience of being an apprentice within BGU during an Erasmus trip to Cyprus. Apprenticeships offer a range of exciting benefits to potential participants including: No course fees A salary allowing you to earn while you learn An industry recognised qualification, along with valuable experience If you are interested in becoming an apprentice, either as the first step in a new career or to further your development in your current one, you can contact Emily Hughes, Partnership Development Manager at BGU, to discuss how an apprenticeship can change your life. -
New Year heralds a new chapter for BG Futures based Belvin Construction
The New Year heralds a new chapter for BG Futures based Belvin Construction Limited, as they move from their incubation space in BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre to new commercial premises. -
Exploring William Blake’s Influence on Europe
Author of the 'The Tyger' and 'Jerusalem', the visionary poet and artist William Blake is one of the most vivid figures in British Romantic literature and Dr Sibylle Erle, Reader in English Literature at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), has been involved in a new project to highlight his influence across Europe. -
BGU Continues to Craft New Educational Partnerships in India
Dr Steven Puttick, Head of Programmes (Secondary, FE, Research Education) at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) has been busy in India visiting partners, cultivating international opportunities for BGU students. In particular, BGU’s developing relationship with Amity University’s Institute of Education will lead to exciting opportunities for international and comparative education for BGU and Amity students to collaborate, in addition to a range of other partnership activities. Part of the visit involved meeting applicants for the exciting new offer for International students on BGU’s Physics and Maths PGCE courses. High achieving Indian graduates in Mathematics and Science will be offered a limited number of places on BGU’s Secondary PGCE course. Following successful completion of the PGCE course, these graduates will be supported by a partner Academy chain to gain employment as Maths and Physics teachers in the UK. This fantastic opportunity presents the ‘brightest and best’ Indian graduates with the chance not only of studying at an historic UK teacher training institution but also of securing employment following the course. For further details of this opportunity, and to register your interest please contact Wayne Dyble. For more information on all the international activities taking place at BGU visit our news page or contact our International Department to find out what exciting opportunities are available to you. -
Student Volunteers use Animation to Promote Climate Change Education
Bishop Grosseteste University’s BG Futures team recently hosted a series of events as part of Student Volunteering Week (SVW) to celebrate the impact of student volunteers and encourage students to engage in civic life. As a part of these activities BA (Hons) Geography students Connor Price and Dan Knibbs engaged with the national initiative by hosting an event on animating climate change. The event challenged other students and members of the local community to create animations highlighting the importance of climate change and green thinking. Speaking at the event Dan discussed why he and Connor put the event together: “I wanted to run the workshop as this is something I am extremely passionate about and believe that the importance to reduce plastics in the oceans is crucial for marine life sustainability. Therefore, by running this workshop, it hopefully has educated a number of people on how they can change their lifestyles to reduce their impacts on the marine environment.” Cassie Rainey, BG Futures Administrator, praised the two for creating an event that brought different groups together in support of an important initiative: “This event saw students, teachers, and the local community come together to learn from Connor and Dan and was both engaging and informative. The hands-on activity of creating an animation meant that the learning aspect was almost subliminal and for this reason in particular I’m excited for them to deliver this to children. Not only do I think the children will really enjoy it they will learn about how to get involved on an incredibly important issue” Becky Goodman Enterprise Development Manager at BGU added her excitement at the potential impact on the Lincoln community created by the event: “It was great to support Connor and Dan to put on this event and I am excited to see how they build on this with their Programme leader Sarah Hemstock as they roll this event out to The Diocesan Board of Education and their partner schools” Connor and Dan will also be including this learning activity in the International Symposium on Climate Change and the Role of Education which is being held here at BGU on the 12th and 13th of April. Contact Sarah via email sarah.hemstock@bishopg.ac.uk. The mission behind SVW is that ‘When learners are supported to tackle social challenges, learn about issues and connect with each other, both communities and students benefit’. If you’d like to become involved in volunteering, or to find out more information about BGU’s Volunteering Award speak to a member of the BG Futures team. -
Students combine magic, puzzles and some Ancient Egyptian to bring Maths to life
Third year students on the BA Primary Education with QTS course at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) visited Monks Abbey Primary School where they used a variety of exciting challenges to help two Year 4 classes engage with maths. The BGU students are part of a mathematics subject leadership group and visit Monks Abbey every year to support pupils and increase interest in the subject. As part of their efforts they led the children through 21 'Crystal Maze' style mental challenges focusing on number and shape. These included identifying numbers in Ancient Egyptian script, making tangram pictures, completing a pentomino puzzle of Bengali numbers, putting numbers in a magic square and working out how to move all the discs to create the Tower of Brahma. Each student worked with two or three children, prompting them with questions to support their thinking. Dr Ashley Compton, Senior Lecturer in Primary at BGU, described the benefits these sessions could offer to both the school pupils and BGU’s students: “Students from BAPE have been going to Monks Abbey for the past ten years to lead this activity and the school are always eager to have us back. Every year the children have ended the session excited about problem solving in mathematics and it helps broaden their understanding of what mathematics can include. Our students meanwhile are able to gain experience in how different children respond to a range of problem solving activities as well as being able to refine their questioning skills. As potential mathematics subject leaders it lets them see the potential for organising special events which can help raise the profile of mathematics in school and increase a positive attitude toward the subject.” If you’d like more information on how to begin your adventure in the world of Primary Education, visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team today. -
Visiting professor shares teaching practices from across the continent
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) welcomed Professor Catalina Barragán from the University of Almería in Andalusia who was visiting the UK to find out more about the systems and processes which underpin the English primary school system. Teaching is a highly respected profession in Spain, with most primary teachers staying in the profession until they retire, and the English primary school system is held in an equal high regard. As part of her trip Professor Barragán visited two locals before spending time with BGU’s PGCE students to experience their training. This was a rewarding experience for both groups and Professor Barragán noted the focus given to teaching standards by all of the PGCE trainees whose seminars she had attended being particularly impressed by their professional manner and the genuine commitment to a career in teaching they communicated. Based on her experiences in Spain and her time exploring English primary education and teacher training, Professor Barragán’s was able to identify a number of key areas where English and Spanish practices differ, along with others where both nations followed similar approaches: “I found the emphasis given to the core subjects, reading, writing and maths, in the first years to be very different from schools in Andalusia. For example, in Almería and Andalusia as a whole there is much more focus on integrating the study of a modern foreign language from the earliest years, and this is often integrated in to the whole curriculum so that areas like maths or science can be taught in English. “In addition I was interested in the use of Teaching Assistants in classrooms as this is unknown in both my region and Spain as a whole. Schools employ trained teachers to support groups of children with special needs or linguistic diversity. In England there is also an impressive focus on outdoor learning which does not get such an emphasis in Spain.” “However I have found that in both countries there is a shared focus on the need to teach strategies to recognise and support the emotional well-being of children, including a recognition of the valuable role of parents, and the need to develop effective anti-bullying strategies.” While at BGU Professor Barragán worked closely with Dr Mark Larrad, Senior Lecturer in Primary, whose own research is focused on the different approaches in Andalusia and England to the training of teachers. Both are hopeful that her time at BGU will lead to further collaboration between the two institutions possibly including exchange visits for trainee teachers, joint research and shared practices. If you’d like more information on how to begin your adventure in the world of education, visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team today to find out more about our range of PGCE and Primary Education courses. -
Former BG Futures Tenant Think2Speak goes from strength to strength
A year on from completing her incubation session at the BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre, Lizzie Jordan, Founder and CEO of Think2Speak, has been looking back on her journey as an entrepreneur, and how being a BG Futures tenant helped Think2Speak grow in its formative years. Lizzie’s life completely changed in 2006 when she was widowed and then diagnosed with HIV. From these personal experiences Think2Speak, an award winning social enterprise, was born: “Think2Speak believe that communication skills are integral to young people’s lives, and confident communication empowers, protects & enables decision-making. Our programmes embed these integral skills, which are pivotal to the quality of relationships, and successes whether in education, employment, or life.” Lizzie knows from her own experiences as an entrepreneur that being self-employed isn’t for everyone; it is all consuming and hard work and not everyone is cut out for it. However, Lizzie acknowledges the tireless effort can produce incredible rewards which, for her, included receiving recognition from NatWest on their WISE100 list. When asked about Think2Speak’s time in BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre, Lizzie said: “BG Futures has a special place in my heart; it is where the idea of Think2Speak germinated. I was able to benefit from the team within the building, and also the wider network and resources that being based at BGU tapped us into. The foundations that I built whilst based in BG Futures, paved the way for us to grow substantially and 2019 saw us move into commercial premises in Marshall’s Yard in Gainsborough.” Becky Goodman, Enterprise Development Manager at BGU, commented: “Think2speak’s work as an award winning social enterprise is fundamental to driving change, and to giving people the confidence to have a voice. It is great that BG Futures could provide a platform from which Think2Speak has been able to grow, and to make positive connections across Lincolnshire and beyond. At BG Futures we are particularly proud of the partnership work that Think2speak has been able to develop with the wider university offer, and I am pleased to see the annual conference #T2SLive19 back at BGU in November. We look forward to seeing Think2Speak continue to grow and effect positive change.” In addition to enjoying fantastic successes with Think2Speak Lizzie has gone on to become ‘one of the UK’s highest profile HIV advocates’ working as a consultant and speaker for various pharmaceutical companies and as a Visiting Lecturer at a number of universities. Through these roles she discusses her experiences, her story, HIV and sexual health with audiences varying from Year 7 secondary school classes to conferences and pharmaceutical board strategy meetings. If you have got a vision for your own business but aren’t sure where to begin then the BG Futures team are the perfect place to start. With facilities and expert support available in their incubation centre, they’ll be able to get you on the road to success. Visit our website or contact them today to see how you can start your own adventure. -
42nd Implicit Religion Conference to Explore Human Rights, Punk Rock and UFOs
The 42nd Implicit Religion Conference will be held at BGU from 17th – 19th of May. Scholars will gather from around the world to discuss questions and ideas of what we mean when we talk about terms such as ‘religion’, ‘secular’, ‘sacred’ and ‘profane’. The theme of the conference for this year is “Religion and the Encounter” and through that we will be examining the ways that structural inequality in areas of race, gender, sexuality and non-human lifeforms are encountered, controlled, shaped and marginalised. The Edward Bailey lecture keynote address will take place on Friday 17th from 7:30 -9pm in the Hardy building. It is free to members of the public and will be delivered this year by Professor Tim Jenkins from Cambridge University, who will be speaking on "Encounters with Aliens: research into images of life elsewhere." This will be focused on his research into reports of flying saucers, and will draw some tentative conclusions about the nature of religion and what ‘implicit’ means in the contemporary period. In addition to the Edward Bailey lecture the conference will have papers on Human Rights, Human suffering, pain and death, Education policies, football, punk rock and the implicit religion of The Smurfs. The Edward Bailey Lecture is free to members of public and is held in the Hardy building from 7:30 -9pm on Friday the 17th May. There are also a small number of audience spaces available to interested members of the public in each of the panel sessions – Please feel free to email Dr Francis Stewart at BGU francis.stewart@bishopg.ac.uk If you’re interested in a future exploring and discussing religion then our Theology courses and RE teaching pathways could be for you. Visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team today for more information.
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