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BGU at Heart of Teaching Reform in Thailand
Education experts from Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln have just returned from Thailand where they are helping the government to improve the quality of teacher training.Professor Chris Atkin, Chair in Higher Education, and Dr Smaragda Kampouri from the university’s School of Teacher Development, had a meeting with Thailand’s Education Minister, His Excellency Dr Teerakiat Jareonsettasin.In the first such overseas consultancy project that BGU has undertaken, staff from Lincoln are working as consultants to the Thai government to improve initial teacher training in Thailand as part of a broader initiative to raise children and young people’s educational outcomes across the country.“Thailand spends more on education than most other ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) countries, but pupils’ outcomes are consistently among the lowest,” said Professor Atkin.“The Thai government is convinced that the key to future success for Thai pupils is by improving teacher education. Good teachers are at the heart of good education.“Historically the emphasis in Thailand has been on the spirit of the teacher and teaching as a vocation – teachers in Thailand train for five years before they decide what their specialism will be.“One of our key recommendations was to increase the number of graduate entries into teaching, so the system recruits teachers who already have a first degree in their chosen discipline. In our view Thai teachers need to spend more time studying their subject, particularly those who go onto work in secondary phase schools.”Bishop Grosseteste University first worked with the Thai government last year on an initial review of initial teacher training in Rajabhat universities (newer universities which were formerly teacher training colleges), funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.They met the Education Minister (then the Deputy Education Minister) last August and visited five Rajabhat universities across the country as part of their research.Last week Professor Atkin, Dr Kampouri and BGU’s International Manager Wayne Dyble returned from a further visit to Bangkok to discuss what progress has been made in implementing reforms.“This is the first overseas consultancy project of this type we have undertaken and it’s something we aim to do more of in the future. Dr Emma Pearson and Shaun Thompson, members of the team that visited Thailand last summer, are planning a further visit in the summer to support the reform agenda,” said Professor Atkin.“The meeting went very well and is likely to keep BGU at the heart of the policy reform agenda in Thailand and the wider ASEAN region for years to come.“BGU has over 150 years’ experience in teacher education and we are now looking to expand our international footprint and share our expertise with the rest of the world and learn from the experiences of others working in teacher education.” -
BGU's first Principal Fellow of the HEA
Dr Ruth Sayers has become Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) first Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA). The HEA is a national body that works to encourage teaching excellence to “help improve the student journey into, through and beyond higher education”. As part of their work the HEA award four different categories of Fellowship, with Principal Fellowship being the most prestigious. Achieving Principal Fellowship of the HEA means that Ruth has demonstrated sustained commitment to learning and teaching at BGU and has influence at a national and international level. Ruth, Executive Dean of Learning, Teaching and International at BGU, has joined a very select group of just under 730 Principal Fellows in both the UK and internationally who have attained Principal Fellowship. There are now over 87,000 Fellows which illustrates the level of interest in professional teaching qualifications for HE staff. Ruth said “I’m very proud to have been awarded Principal Fellowship. It is a recognition that many of the strategic changes that I have led in my role as Executive Dean of Learning and Teaching have been effective.” The process for applying for Principal Fellowship took over two years to complete, because it involved a great deal of reflection and drafting. The application comprised a lengthy written submission which was mapped against the Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) descriptors. Three advocate statements from current and former colleagues were also included in the application. Ruth explains “the process of applying to be a Principal Fellow of the HEA was a rewarding and enriching one. It encouraged me to reflect in a structured and critical way on my leadership of learning and teaching across the institution.” There has been more HEA success at BGU recently with 24 more members of staff receiving recognition over the past 10 months. 14 BGU staff members became Fellows while 10 more became Senior Fellows. Along with gaining her Principal Fellowship, Ruth Sayers has been instrumental in helping her colleagues to receive recognition. She said “I will continue to encourage colleagues to undertake Fellowship of the HEA. We have an excellent record of staff engagement with the process, evidenced through the number of new Fellows and Senior Fellows over the past year. “We create space for staff to reflect on their teaching pedagogies through an active staff development series and annual conference. There is a culture at BGU of putting learning and teaching at the heart of everything we do, to enhance the student experience. We see our students as partners in the development of pedagogies for learning.” Ruth’s Principal Fellowship will help to consolidate an already well-established relationship between BGU and the HEA. “We have an excellent relationship with the Higher Education Academy and have made use of their staff as trainers, consultants and advisers in supporting the development of excellent learning and teaching at BGU.” -
Sport at BGU shortlisted for prestigious award
Sport at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln has been shortlisted for an award at this year’s Active Lincolnshire Sports Awards. The department is one of three finalists in the Sports Department of the Year category. Sport at BGU was praised in the shortlisting process for “a great partnership between students, BGU staff and professionals from Lincoln City FC”. The BGU logo sits proudly on the Lincoln City home shirt and BGU’s sponsorship of the club has brought about many benefits to students, the club and the city over the last year. Sports students received coaching from City manager Danny Cowley in December, worked with players as they trained at BGU and learnt about the importance of data and research in preparing high-performing teams. The FA Cup trophy made a memorable appearance on campus in March prior to the Imps’ historic quarter-final clash against Arsenal. The Imps’ FA Cup run attracted national and international TV coverage of the partnership which has helped to raise the profile of the Club, BGU and the city of Lincoln as a whole. The Sports department also received praise for working with its partners and the wider community to provide more opportunities for people to become involved in sport and physical activity. The Sports Department, working with its FE College partners, has developed a new BSc (Hons) Sport, Coaching and Physical Education degree that will enable more people across the county to study the benefits of sport and physical activity. BGU’s Student Ambassadors are putting their coaching and teaching skills to good use supporting local primary schools to deliver sport and physical activity for young people. The Cathedral Cup, an initiative developed jointly by students from both of the city’s Universities, was also highlighted as a particular success. Sports teams from BGU competed against teams from the University of Lincoln in October 2016, culminating in a showpiece football match, at Lincoln City’s Sincil Bank stadium, attended by thousands of sports fans from across Lincolnshire. The Cathedral Cup has become an annual charitable and community-focussed showcase for the city. Dr Graham Basten, Head of School of Social Sciences at BGU, said, “I am absolutely delighted that the Sports Department at BGU has been shortlisted for the Lincolnshire Sports Award. “That an independent panel has noted our sustained progress in developing community links, student engagement, our partnership with Lincoln City Football Club, and our new BSc Sport and Coaching is testimony to the great work of the academic and wider staff at BGU, our students and our partners. “It was great to see our logo on the Imps football shirt worn by young and old, a real sense of pride in the city. I therefore hope that more students will be inspired to ‘Study Sport at BGU’”. The Lincolnshire Sports Awards will take place at the Lincolnshire Showground on 2 November 2017. Find out more about Sport at BGU. -
American nursing students visit BGU
American students from the University of Evansville in Indiana visited Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln this week. Around 20 fourth year nursing students, who are spending the semester at the UK campus of the University of Evansville, visited to join in discussions with third year BGU Health & Social Care students on Tuesday. The visit was part of a drive to internationalise the curriculum at BGU and the session enabled students to compare and contrast health care and social care in the UK and USA. The visit came about thanks to Nicki Walsh, Programme Leader for Health & Social Care, who joined BGU earlier in 2017. Nicki said, “I have worked with the University of Evansville for the last 10 years or so before coming to BGU, supporting their teaching and learning around UK healthcare practice. “When coming to BGU I felt this relationship should continue especially as both their provision and ethos reflects that of BGU.” There were discussions on reviewing provision and ethos followed by a seminar session looking at identifying positives and weaknesses in both the UK and USA health and social care systems. There was also the opportunity for general discussion around student life in both the UK and USA. Damian Taylor, third year Health & Social Care student at BGU, said, “The session was great. It gave us the chance to discuss what we were all looking to achieve from our degree. We had interesting discussions about both UK and USA health care, policy and touched on some ideas that would improve the health care systems. “I feel that the session allowed us the opportunity to build contacts for future networking opportunities. We have been offered the opportunity to visit the University of Evansville's UK campus in Grantham, which is exciting, and I believe that will allow us to build good relationships with each other and the possibility of learning exchange. “We were shocked to learn that our UK perspective about health care in the USA is not entirely correct and that even if you are not covered with insurance you still have access to health care. Another interesting thing we discussed was the tax system and the difference/similarities between them.” Find out more about Health & Social Care at BGU. -
BGU Team Entrepreneurs flying to Finland
Business (Team Entrepreneurship) students from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln are travelling to Finland in January. Team entrepreneurs from all over the world will be gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ‘team academy’ programme and to take part in Team 4 Learning, an international networking event with multiple workshops and inspiring business people. The Business (Team Entrepreneurship) degree at BGU is based on a model called ‘team academy’ which was developed in Finland 25 years ago. Every team academy sets up and runs their own business. Team Entrepreneurs at BGU run a registered company, Kinetic BGU Ltd, as part of their degree programme. Students from all three years of the course at BGU are taking part in the event in Finland. Bethany Tidswell, Director of Kinetic BGU, said, “Team entrepreneurship is based all over the world. Finland has been the home of team academy for 25 years and they are hosting an event for every team entrepreneur. “Therefore, we are taking the opportunity to connect, network, learn and experience the businesses that have been created through team academy and the inspirational people that will be joining us.” While the BGU team are in Finland they will also be visiting a team in Tampere. They will be taking part in a ‘birth giving’, which is a business challenge to be completed as a team. Find out more about studying Business (Team Entrepreneurship) at BGU. -
BGU Vice Chancellor's Thailand visit continues
The Vice Chancellor of Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln met with members of the Teachers’ Council of Thailand and the Association of Rajabhat Universities today. As part of his week-long visit to Thailand, BGU’s Vice Chancellor, the Revd. Canon Professor Peter Neil, met the Deputy Secretary-General and representatives from the Teachers' Council of Thailand and the newly elected President and representatives of the Association of Rajabhat Universities. During the meeting, Professor Neil emphasised the importance of international dialogue in developing initial and continuing teacher development. Similar to BGU, Thailand's 38 Rajabhat universities have their origins in teacher education. Representatives from the British Embassy's Trade and Industry delegation accompanied the Vice Chancellor during the meeting. Through the UK government's Prosperity Fund there will also be a workshop on teacher education reforms in the New Year at which BGU staff will play a key role. Earlier in the week Professor Neil signed a memorandum of understanding with Phranakhon Rajabhat University in Bangkok. Speaking about the signing Professor Neil said, “We are extremely pleased to be able to formally strengthen our relationship with Phranakhon Rajabhat University. “Bishop Grosseteste University is committed to developing its staff and students as global citizens. This partnership will benefit our staff and students and we look forward to building on the partnership in the future." -
Healthy competition for BGU and American students
Health & Social Care students from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln visited American students to take part in a Dragon’s Den style task this week. Students in the final year of BA (Hons) Health & Social Care at BGU paid a visit to Harlaxton Manor, the UK campus of the University of Evansville (UE), where American students are spending the semester. This followed a visit by UE students to BGU at the beginning of their Fall semester. The students took part in a Dragon’s Den style elevator pitch based on scenarios within health and social contexts. They were asked to develop a business plan that addressed the key strategic priority within their scenario. The task saw students given a fictional payment of £20,000 and asked to use this as their set up budget. They were asked to think about long term sustainable funding options as well as rationalise the plan against national and international priorities. The results showed creativity and engagement in the process. One project looked at the development of a range of activities to promote cultural well-being. Another focused on how to influence the parents of obese children, while the final group looked at social mobility using education as a model with targets being set to identify and support the most disadvantaged. The projects were put to a vote with the social mobility team being voted the project most likely to succeed. The afternoon also enabled groups of students to explore their subject specific areas and offered an opportunity for discussion around studentships in both countries. All students also took a tour of the 19th century manor house at Harlaxton Manor. Feedback from the day was positive with one BGU student commenting that it was “great to meet other students and to learn from both their learning experiences but about health and social care in the US”. Find out more about studying Health & Social Care at BGU. -
Dr20Katrin20Paehler20Masterclass20BGU2013.11.201720crop-1Expert on Nazi intelligence delivers masterclass to BGU students
An internationally renowned specialist on Third Reich intelligence services recently delivered a masterclass to History students at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln. Dr Katrin Paehler, Associate Professor at Illinois State University, delivered a session on her recent research entitled ‘Spying while Female: Hildegard Beetz, Nazi espionage and the quest for the Ciano diaries’. Final year BGU History students studying the special subject option ‘The Secret War: Intelligence during the Second World War’ were treated to a detailed exploration of the career of Hildegard Beetz (1919-2010). Beetz was a low-level secretary with good Italian language skills who worked within Nazi Germany's political foreign intelligence service. She was instrumental in German attempts to relieve the deposed Italian foreign minister Galeazzo Ciano of his political diaries. Alleged to have fallen in love with him, Beetz helped his widow Edda Mussolini to escape with the diaries to Switzerland around the time of Ciano's execution in January 1944. There the diaries came into the possession of the Western Allies and were eventually used at the Nuremberg Trials. Dr Paehler demonstrated to students how historians should question the available evidence and remain cautious of simplistic narratives. She ended with several conclusions surrounding Beetz, presenting her as a “New Nazi Woman”, who was able to use existing Nazi gender expectations to her advantage in her life as a spy during the war. May Guest, third year History student at BGU said, “Dr Paehler’s visit was very interesting as she presented a short history into the extraordinary life of Hildegard Beetz. “We are currently learning how, in history, female spies are often overshadowed by male spies, and so it was fascinating to understand a female’s position in an already discreet subject of secret intelligence during the Second World War. I thoroughly enjoyed this session, and it has helped me grasp a deeper understanding of how secret intelligence networks work.” Dr Paehler visited BGU during the week commencing Monday 13 November and was hosted by Dr Claire Hubbard-Hall, Senior Lecturer in History at BGU, who works on the Gestapo and Third Reich intelligence more broadly. Dr Hubbard-Hall is currently preparing her monograph ‘Hitler’s Secret Agents: The Gestapo Spy Network’ for publication. Find out more about studying History at BGU. -
Why becoming a teacher could be the best decision you ever make
Teaching is one of the most rewarding careers available. For many people following the path of teaching can seem a daunting prospect, but few who take it ever regret it. 1. Every day brings a new challenge When it comes to teaching, there is no such thing as an ordinary day; every student you meet, every lesson you teach, none are ever the same. Everytime you walk through the door you'll be dealing with new and interesting challenges. If you’re the type of person who loves variety and pushing themselves, teaching is definitely the option for you. 2. Your students won't be the only ones learning Being a teacher means that, more often than not, you'll learn alongside your students. You'll get to build on your existing knowledge as well as getting the opportunity to explore whole new worlds you've never experienced before. While you teach your students, you'll find they're also teaching you. Their perspectives and discussion will offer you the chance to see topics in a completely new way, and together you'll spark innovative thoughts that will help both of you to reach your goals. 3. Teachers have the chance to change lives Ask any teacher and they'll tell you that the moment a student suddenly understands something you've taught them is one of their greatest memories. Perhaps that's because that moment doesn't just change the student's life, it will change yours as well. Once you've had that experience you'll be completely hooked and will want nothing more than to help every student you teach have that same moment of success. 4. As a teacher you can work anywhere in the world via GIPHY There are few careers better placed than teaching to help you explore the world. Teaching is a highly transferable skill and with international schools all over the world there aren't many places you won't be able to work. Better still is that many international schools look favourably upon teachers who have trained and qualified in the UK. 5. Teaching offers plenty of perks As well as boasting a competitive salary (beginning at £22,917) and flexible working patterns, teaching also offers financial support while you train. This includes a number of grants and bursary options and, if you focus on a particular subject, you may even be eligible for a fully funded scholarship! And let's not forget the holidays... 6. Speaking of holidays... Do you remember that feeling as a child; the knowledge that no matter how tough school had become, a blissful six week break was just around the corner? Not only does teaching offer you that feeling again, your six week break is just one of a series of regular holidays you get throughout the year. While this may not be the number one reason to become a teacher, it's definitely an added bonus. 7. You’ll be in high demand While the demand for some careers comes and goes, teachers will always be essential and there is an incredibly high demand for qualified teachers across the UK (and the wider world). Teaching also offers a high degree of mobility both in and outside of schools, meaning you'll always have opportunities to develop and improve. 8. You'll never work alone via GIPHY When times are good you'll have people to share in the success, and when exam season is looming you'll have colleagues by your side that you can rely on. In addition to your fellow teachers, you'll also enjoy support and interaction from teaching assistants, students and parents every day. 9. Your lessons, your way You are in charge of your own classroom. You plan out your lessons, you deliver them and you make the decisions regarding what is best for your students. Obviously you’ll need to follow certain standards in your curriculum but even then you have the opportunity to inject your own personality into the job. 10. Teaching is much more than "just a job" Teaching is an immensely satisfying career, where you truly know that you’ve made a difference. Best of all, that satisfaction won't end when the school day does. Getting to see students who you've taught ‘make it’ after they leave school is a sensational feeling. The knowledge that you played even a small part in someone achieving their dreams is the ultimate in job satisfaction. Which is the best route into teaching? Hopefully you're now convinced that teaching is your calling in life. So why not apply to a leading University for Initial Teaching Training? We offer multiple routes into teaching, including our BA (Hons) in Primary Education with QTS, PGCE Primary Education, PGCE Secondary Education and School Direct. When it comes to preparing teachers for education we're hard to beat so make sure when you have the chance you learn from the best. -
BGU Theology Students Provide Uniforms for School Children in India
A group of Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) Theology students have successfully raised enough money to supply over 100 school uniforms to pupils in India with special needs. Carried out in aid of the SDETLAND Project (www.lincswithindia.org.uk), who work with several Lincolnshire rotary clubs to support some the most deprived and disadvantaged children in the world, the students have been working hard over the past year to raise enough money to fund both the uniforms as well as their travel to visit the centre. Georgina Foxcroft, one of the students involved, was delighted to have the opportunity to support the project so effectively: “We asked the SDETLAND Project what they wanted and they said a uniform for the children would be amazing. They receive no government funding, everything they get is from donations and it was the one thing that the school really needed so we were more than happy to provide them. "Being able to take the uniforms out ourselves and meet some of the children was fantastic. It made that connection more personal and proved to us that our efforts were worthwhile.” Returning from the trip, BGU Theology lecturer Mark Plater highlighted why the hard work carried out by the SDETLAND Project was so important: “SDET do a wonderful job of caring for those who generally get left out of Indian society. Tribal people and the disabled are not well provided for by government agencies, so SDET (Social Democratic Education Trust) was developed as a charity to fill in the gaps. "They provide hostels and special schools for children of such communities, and occupational training to help them move on to skilled jobs. I am really impressed with the dedication and commitment of their staff.” Along with the SDETLAND Project, the team of BGU students visited primary, secondary, international and specialist SEN schools along with a selection of sites of religious significance across India to get a wide aspect of education and culture in the country. The students would also like to thank Lincoln business Eliza D Memory, whose daughter is one of their fellow students at BGU, for printing the uniforms. Find out more about studying Theology & Ethics at BGU.
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