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Students and staff celebrate Chinese New Year
Bishop Grosseteste University’s TESOL team welcomed in Chinese New Year with a celebration event on campus. The event was to provide an opportunity for the Bishop Grosseteste community to learn about Chinese culture and celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. All students and staff were invited to take part in the festivities, which were led by staff members and postgraduate students. Everyone attending was able to learn about the history and traditions of Chinese New Year, try their hand at speaking Mandarin, practice traditional calligraphy and create their own Chinese New Year couplets. In addition to learning about the culture, attendees were also able to get creative with paper cutting, creating their own Chinese New Year decorations. They also had the chance to learn how to make traditional Chinese dumplings, which were enjoyed by all. This successful celebration of Chinese New Year at Bishop Grosseteste University showcased the importance of cultural exploration and exchange. The staff and students who attended all appreciated the opportunity to come together and learn something new - what a great start to the Year of the Rabbit! -
Staff and Students Reflect on Research with IMPact
Two tutors and two 2nd year students from the BA Primary Education course at Bishop Grosseteste University have had an article published in IMPact the University of Lincoln’s journal for Higher Education research. Dr Ashley Compton and Emma Rogers, both lecturers in Primary at BGU, co-authored the paper alongside students Christopher Johnstone and Dan Waite. The paper reflects on their learning about research through researching with children as part of the ‘Beginning to Research’ module of the Primary Education course. During this module the students learn about designing and undertaking research, including the ethics involved, and then have two days when children come on to campus to take part in the research projects. Staff at the University of Lincoln read about the research days on the BGU website and contacted Ashley and Emma asking for a write up of the experience for their journal. Following the publication Dr Compton discussed the unusual opportunities for reflection it offered: “The process of writing an article about practice makes you reflect quite deeply on what you're trying to achieve with that practice and what theory underpins it - things we don't always articulate when focusing on our research” “Both Emma and I felt it was important to incorporate staff and student perspectives and were delighted that Christopher and Dan were able to work with us, both have been excited about being published authors now” The paper has now been published and is available to read in the first anniversary edition of IMPact. 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. -
BGU Staff Wrap Up the Winter Semester Preparing Charity Presents
For the second year running staff at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) volunteered their time to ensure vulnerable individuals in Lincoln would not be forgotten this Christmas. Beginning at 10.30am on Monday, dedicated volunteers set to work, successfully wrapping over 300 presents by the end of the day. Donated by various well-wishers from the local community, the gifts are all in aid of Mental Health Trust Wards and Community Mental Health Groups across Lincoln who will be supporting vulnerable people over Christmas. Recipients include: Peter Hodgkinson Centre The Francis Willis Unit Discovery House Age UK AddAction This is the University’s second event in support of the programme and organiser Val Strawson believes the initiative couldn’t be more important at this time of year: “It means so much to those who receive gifts. Christmas can be an especially lonely time for people and these presents go a long way to showing them they are not alone or forgotten”. Alongside the 12 full day volunteers (many of whom gave up annual leave to take part), members of staff dropped in throughout the day to lend a hand. One volunteer, Amber Edwards, said she was excited to be involved: “It seemed like a nice thing to do, some my colleagues took part last year and had a great time. Also I love Christmas and was happy to volunteer some time to get in the festive spirit”. Plans are already in motion to run the event again next year which is sure to be another roaring success. If you would like to know more about how to get involved in the BGU Staff Volunteering Scheme information - which supports and encourages staff to take time off for charitable activities - you can contact Sophie Saunders (Executive Assistant to the Executive Deans) or Victoria Thorne (HR Assistant). -
BGU staff and students raise charity funds at Christmas events
Staff and students from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln raised money for charities at events over the festive period. The BGU Christmas Carol Service on 5 December, held in the magnificent surroundings of St Hugh's Choir in Lincoln Cathedral, took £355.33 during the collection for the staff and Students’ Union (BGSU) chosen charities. This year’s staff charity is The Book Bus. The Book Bus aims to improve child literacy rates in Africa, Asia and South America by providing children with books and the inspiration to read them. This year BGSU, through their annual Raise and Give campaign, have chosen St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice as their charity. St Barnabas’ mission is to ensure all individuals facing the end of their life in Lincolnshire receive dignified, compassionate care when they require it and where they ask for it. In addition, donations at BGU’s staff Christmas lunch and Winter Wine and Songs of the Season event in December raised a total of £266.45 for the BGU Foundation Fund. The BGU Foundation Fund was set up by the Alumni of BGU to support projects that enhance the student experience and help make a difference to other peoples’ lives. Wellingore WI for Community Music Provision also made a donation of £100 to the Foundation Fund. -
Staff and Students Plant Seeds for the Future at BGU
Autumn is a season of transition as the leaves turn brown and the nights grow longer. In the spirit of the season the CELT team at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) organised the ‘Blooming Marvellous’ event to help staff and students see opportunities for their own positive change. Devised in partnership with BGU’s Chaplaincy team the event encouraged the BGU community to come together to celebrate positive change and growth, providing staff and students with the opportunity to plant bulbs in the University’s Peace Garden. As the seasons progress they will then be able to watch their plants grow and blossom into a beautiful display of colour whilst at the same time having the chance to reflect on how they can make changes in their own lives. 20 students and staff members from departments across the University gathered together in the Peace Garden and Claire Thomson, Head of the Centre for Enhancement and Learning in Teaching (CELT), was delighted to see the event bring the BGU community together for such an uplifting afternoon: “It was a fantastic day to be enjoying the outdoors with staff and students working together under a shining sun to plant a range of bulbs in the border of the Peace Garden which over the next few months will transform it into a beautiful tranquil place to relax. "The bulbs and flowerbeds that they have prepared will become an array of colour in the Spring as a symbol of growth, transition and hope. The event was thoroughly enjoyed by all those who attended.” You can keep up to date with all the upcoming events designed to support and inspire our students and staff on our news and events pages. -
Students and Staff Continue International Collaboration with BG Global India
Earlier this year students and staff from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) journeyed to Tirunelveli in Southern India to continue the University’s collaborative partnership in the country. -
Students and Staff Instigate International Research to Combat Climate Change
In April 2019 Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) played host to the International Symposium on Climate Change and the Role of Education. Organised in partnership between BGU, the International Climate Change Information Programme (ICCIP), Hamburg University of Applied Scientists and the Baltic University Programme; the Symposium explored how society can adapt to the far reaching effects of climate change to overcome the challenges it poses using “Education” to engage and empower people to act to alleviate the many and various impacts of climate change. Following the successful event, research and discussions from the day have now been published in a new book ‘Climate Change and the Role of Education’. Part of the Springer Nature Climate Change Management Series five of the book’s 30 chapters have been authored by BGU staff and students with the University’s Programme Leader for Geography, Dr Sarah Hemstock serving as editor alongside Walter Leal Filho. Speaking following it’s publication Sarah and Walter explained why the book’s unique viewpoint made it an important tool in the study and combatting of and adaptation to climate change: "Climate change is without a doubt one of the most pressing challenges of modern times. One which affects both industrialised and developing nations. Education is known to potentially play a key role in catalysing the participation of individuals and communities in climate change mitigation and adaptation processes. But the role of education it is not only about helping people to understand the impacts of global warming. Rather, education on matters related to climate change is also about catalysing changes in attitudes and behaviour, which may encourage individuals to take a more active role in both, climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. International experiences show that there is a perceived need to make climate change education a more central and more prominent component of responses to climate change, both at the international, regional and local level. Yet, there is a paucity of truly international publications, which address the many pedagogical, social, and economic variables which characterise climate change education. This book has been produced to address this need. It is the outcome of the “International Symposium on Climate Change and the Role of Education”, organised by Bishop Grosseteste University (UK), the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and the International Climate Change Information and Research Programme (ICCIRP). Papers here compiled look at matters related to the use of a variety of educational approaches to educate, inform or raise awareness about climate change across a variety of audiences. It contains experiences from empirical research, practical projects and teaching methods being deployed round the world, all with the aim of bringing the message across various audiences. Moreover the book also entails contributions on how to promote the climate agenda and foster adaptation efforts at the local level. Thanks to its scope, this is a truly interdisciplinary publication. We thank the many authors who contributed to this volume, and for their willingness to share their knowledge and expertise. We hope it will be useful to scholars, social movements, practitioners and members of governmental agencies, undertaking research and/or executing projects on climate change education across the world." If you would like to explore the discussions and research on climate change visit our website, contact our Enquiries Team or by come along to one of our Open Days to find more information on our Geography courses. -
Students and Staff Explore Non-Fiction for Children
Each year a group of Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) students and staff take part in the children’s book award for the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA). They select a category of books and, from a shortlist of titles within that category, they vote for a winner. They then send our choice forward to the UKLA to join the votes from other shadowing groups at schools and universities around the country. The overall winner from each category is announced at the UKLA’s Conference which takes place in the summer. This year a new category, non-fiction books for children, was added to the awards and the BGU shadowing group have chosen to explore its titles. Dr Mary-Louise Maynes, Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Studies, and Janice Morris, Teaching Resources Librarian, explained what makes the shadowing exercise worthwhile and why the new category appealed to the group: “The process is an enjoyable and interesting one: we have the chance to read a range of new and exciting children’s books and to debate and discuss our choices over tea, coffee and biscuits! We explore books we might not have chosen to pick up and share some often very different reactions to them. Seeing a book from a different perspective can help to develop our critical thinking around texts and broaden our understanding of children’s literature. This year we chose to focus on non-fiction books for children. This was a new category introduced just this year to the book award. The introduction of the category reflects the rich and diverse range of non-fiction books being published for children at the moment and an increased interest in this category of texts. Unlike the other categories, books in the shortlist are suitable for children aged from 3 to 14+ years. They cover a wide range of topics and styles and a preference for artistic illustrations rather than photographs and beautifully presented texts is a feature of these new books. The shortlist is given below and all of the books can be found in the Teaching Resources Collection: we look forward to sharing them with you when the library re-opens and will let you know who the winner is when this is announced in the summer!” Unfortunately, the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 has meant that the group have been unable to carry on with their usual shadowing group meet ups this year, but they fully intend to get involved again for next year’s book award. All students and staff are very welcome to join, look out for information about the group if you are interested early in 2021. Full Shortlist of Information Books 3 -14+ Mary and Frankenstein written by Linda Bailey and illustrated by Jũlia Sardὰ, (Andersen Press) (Print version only) A Book of Bears written and illustrated by Katie Viggers (Laurence King) (Print version only) A Child of St. Kilda written and illustrated by Beth Waters (Child’s Play) (Print version only) Counting on Katherine written by Helaine Becker and illustrated by Dow Phumiruck (Macmillan) (Print and Kindle version available) Questions I am asked about the Holocaust written by Heidi Fried (Scribe) (Print and Kindle version available) Once Upon a Raindrop written by James Carter and illustrated by Nomoco (Caterpillar Books) (Print version only) -
BGU Staff Members Contribute to Award Winning Book
Bishop Grosseteste University’s Dr Andrew Jackson, Head of Research, and Dr Rose Roberto, Teaching Resources Librarian and History Lecturer, have contributed to The Edinburgh History of the British and Irish Press, a unique resource recently awarded The Robert and Vineta Colby Scholarly Book Prize by The Research Society for Victorian Periodicals (RSVP). The Edinburgh History of the British and Irish Press is a collection of essays examining nineteenth-century British and Irish newspaper and periodical history during a key period of change and development. It covers an important point of expansion in periodical and press history across the four nations of Great Britain (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales), concentrating on cross-border and transnational comparisons and contrasts in nineteenth-century print communication. Designed to provide readers with a clear understanding of the current state of research in the field, in addition to an extensive introduction, it includes forty newly commissioned chapters and case studies exploring a full range of press activity and press genres. Practical features in this tome, which probably swayed the panel, include a helpful timeline of significant events in the history of printing technology intersecting with social, political, and cultural history. There are also a large selection of high-resolution images showing 19th-century visual and tactile material that readers will find engaging. The Colby Prize is for original book-length scholarship about Victorian periodicals and newspapers and in awarding it to The Edinburgh History of the British and Irish Press, the RSVP praised the new book for being “a remarkable, wide-ranging resource that gives welcome attention to diversity and transnational connections.” Continuing their praise the society added: “It will be valuable for a wide range of readers. RSVP is pleased to honour the work of all the writers as well as the editor, who together have made a contribution to nineteenth-century periodical studies that will remain a standard for many years to come.” Dr Roberto and Dr Jackson authored chapters 3 and 26 respectively. Speaking after the announcement Dr Jackson discussed what readers could expect from the book: "Our newspaper media today owes much to its history of rapid expansion and cultural diversification during the nineteenth century. This volume provides a definitive survey, and a wide-ranging and deep exploration. It was privilege to contribute, offering perspectives on the great outpouring of local and regional newspapers, and what these tell us about the development and character of the communities and districts in which we live today." Dr Roberto shared her excitement at her inclusion and on the potential impact the book could have: “I was delighted to find out that my paper at an international conference in Edinburgh, called “Communities of Communication” was the basis of an award-winning book. There were numerous outstanding presentations that were delivered over two days, and I am pleased and humbled that my research on Victorian-era illustration was chosen by editor David Finkelstein for inclusion in this comprehensive volume.” The Edinburgh History of the British and Irish Press is available as an e-book at the BGU Library. Members of the BGU community can access it by clicking here. To create your own successes in our collaborative learning community, visit our website, speak to a member of our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
Primary Education staff and students host Maths sessions for local children
Our Primary Education staff and students hosted two sessions at the Ermine Library.
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