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Students get hands on with Lincoln’s rich history at annual archaeological dig
Archaeology students at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) have been joined by international colleagues to explore Lincoln’s historical past at the annual BGU Archaeological Field School. Taking place in the grounds of the Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre, on Newport, the focus of the dig is to find and explore the remains of the medieval marketplace ‘Newport Green’. Some evidence of the site was discovered in the previous year’s dig and Dr Duncan Wright, Programme Leader for Archaeology and Heritage at BGU, explained why they had returned to uncover it further: “This dig is giving us the opportunity to celebrate and explore the historic development of Newport as suburb. In this sense Newport is very unusual and not as well developed as other medieval suburbs however, it has a potentially unique enclosure surrounding the entire community which we’re excited to find more evidence of and hopefully contribute to the growing discipline of suburban archaeology” The team are also hoping to discover more evidence of a collection of Roman buildings on the same site. Over the course of the four week dig around 60 students and volunteers from around the world will come to the site to support the exploration. Two of the BGU students taking part in their first dig are Saskia and Chloe, who discussed their excitement at being able to put their skills to the test: “It’s incredible to be given such an in depth and hands on opportunity in the first year of our course especially on a site that turning up finds from so many different eras, we’re already uncovering Victorian and some medieval archaeology and might only be a few more feet away from Roman finds” Fellow students Sam and Phoebe, on their second and third digs respectively, praised the annual digs for bringing people together: “These digs are a gift, we’re working with students and archaeologists from all over the world, it’s an experience you just wouldn’t be offered anywhere else. We’re not only honing highly employable skills, everything from digging through to processing and curation, we’re making real connections with fellow archaeologists.” One of those international colleagues is Ellie Roach, who has travelled over from America for her third dig with BGU: “I love coming back for the annual field schools at BGU, the supervisors are incredibly knowledgeable and supportive and the sites themselves allow you to explore regions of history that just aren’t accessible in the states. As a classicist, being able to get hands on with Roman and Medieval archaeology has been brilliant” You too can get a first-hand experience of our Archaeological Field School at the annual open day on Saturday 29 June. The site will be open to the public from 10am-4pm and our students and lecturers will be on hand to discuss the site and their finds. To find out how you can get hands on with history at BGU, visit our website, contact our Enquiries Team or join us on one of our Open Days. -
BGU wellbeing research reaches a wider audience at national conference
Academics from the School of Teacher Development at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), Dr. Emma Clarke and Aimee Quickfall, presented their on-going wellbeing research at a British Education Research Association (BERA) special interest group, last month. The BERA Mental Health, Wellbeing and Education special interest group support researchers in education who are looking at the mental health and wellbeing of students, teachers and children. Their July event included presentations from The Education Support Network, Professor Andrew Ravenscroft from the University of East London and Dr. Elizabeth Nye from the University of Oxford. Following the event Aimee explained how the diverse nature of the attendees made the BERA group the perfect place to present their research: “The attendees were hugely supportive and interested in our research methods and findings. We have made links with other universities and organisations who have the same passion to improve conditions for teachers and trainee teachers that we have, and we look forward to working with them in the future.” The research project at the centre of Aimee and Emma’s presentation, which has so far included projects in Finland, Denmark and at two universities in the UK, has been carried out by Shaun Thompson, Sue Lambert, Hannah Wells, Dr. Claire Thomson, Dr. Emma Clarke, Aimee Quickfall, a team of student researchers on the BGU PGCE Primary programme and Professor Jonathan Glazzard at Leeds Beckett University, as well as faculty members in The University of Eastern Finland and UCC in Copenhagen. For Dr. Clarke the opportunity to work with student researchers on the project was a particular highlight: “The interviews and other methods were enjoyable for researchers and participants. We particularly enjoyed working as a team with student researchers, who helped to design the research and to keep it strongly focused on the student experience of the PGCE.” Strands of the project have used photo-elicitation to capture the daily experiences of being a teacher trainee, as well as drawing timelines of the whole programme in terms of well-being and semi-structured interviews to talk through the photographs and timelines. The team have also used a simple 'see-saw' model for trainees to consider their resources and challenges and whether they can balance these. The team are now building in sessions for trainees on the PGCE Primary to think and talk about their well-being based on their pilot study findings, as well as rolling out the well-being research for a second year with Leeds Beckett University and international collaborators. 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. -
First Implicit Religion Research Centre Launched at BGU
The Edward Bailey Centre for the Study of Implicit Religion, the first dedicated centre for the study of implicit religion in the world, has been launched at Bishop Grosseteste University by the Reverend Canon Professor Neil, Vice-Chancellor of BGU, together with Dr Francis Stewart, Implicit Religion Research Fellow. Implicit Religion focuses on commitments, rituals, actions, rites of passage, behaviours and beliefs that appear in things we would not normally think of as ‘religious’, for example the game of football or knitting communities. To this end Edward Bailey suggested three areas for focus: commitment, integrating foci, and intensive concerns with extensive effects. These have been explored in a wide range of topics from art, shopping, Elvis fans, pilgrimage, Occupy protests, video games, Starbucks, punk rock, elective childlessness, animal rights, tattoos and sport. The centre will serve as a hub for a wide range of activity including work in local schools, university modules, research projects, free public events in Lincoln. The centre aims to create new degree modules that are relevant and focused on implicit religion within Lincolnshire, to develop new degree courses that will bring international postgraduate students to BGU and be accessible for adults in Lincolnshire. Speaking on behalf of BGU, Professor Neil said: "Professor Bailey is synonymous with implicit religion and was well ahead of his time when he shaped the concept. The time is now right to expand the reach of the research exploring the concept of implicit religion to interpret the changing landscape of religion and spirituality in the UK. Theology is a core part of our University's heritage and I am delighted to see us continuing to push the boundaries of its exploration with this new centre of excellence.” As the lead of the new centre Dr Stewart expressed her excitement at how it would build on the legacy of Professor Bailey's work: "What do we mean when we say something is religious? What do we mean when we say something is not religious? Do we ever stop to consider if the person we are speaking to or about understands the word religion in the same way that we do? These are all questions that drive the study of Implicit Religion, a fascinating area of theological study that I look forward to being able to bring to a new generation of scholars." BGU's growing involvement in the study of implicit religion saw the institution host the 42nd Implicit Religion Conference earlier this year. The call for paper for the 43rd conference, which will also be held at at the University, is now open and submissions are free for all Lincoln residents. The Conference's theme will be 'Implicit Religion, Race and Representation' and will feature a keynote speech from Dr Ipsita Chatterjea, an expert on race and violence. 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. -
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. -
BGU Lecturer Part of the Evolution of Higher Education in Zimbabwe
Earlier this year Dr Hadiza Kere Abdulrahman, Lecturer of Inclusive Education at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was invited to take part in an international workshop focused on devising a comprehensive framework for the internationalisation of higher and tertiary education in Zimbabwe. Dr Abdulrahman’s involvement in the initiative came as a result of her work with colleagues at the University of Nottingham and The Zimbabwean Council of Higher Education – ZIMCHE. Their collaborative work explored the "The State of Internationalisation of Higher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa" requiring an understanding of events and procedures across six different countries and attempting to cast a critical decolonial light on the whole process. This new workshop took the group’s findings and utilised them from a Zimbabwean perspective and its recommendations are now in the process of being adopted as the national policy on internationalisation of higher and tertiary education in Zimbabwe. Speaking on her return to BGU Dr Abdulrahman discussed her motivations for taking part in the initiative: “My involvement in this workshop builds on my wider work of always problematising the things we have come to take for granted, be they the notion of Education or Internationalisation or any other such issue. How can African settings in particular address these issues with an adequate understanding of our particular historical specificities and peculiarities? My aim is to always attempt to view the issues through various lenses and theoretical constructs with Decoloniality being one. This paper was jointly undertaken with Professors Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni and Juliet Thondhlana and Dr Evelyn Garwe who were also present at the workshop in different capacities.” Our academics are regularly invited to present at conferences and support learning initiatives around the world, you can follow all their travels on our news page and find out how you can start your own adventures on our course pages. -
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