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Students reflect on “inspirational” Thailand trip
Students and staff from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) visited the University’s partner institute in Thailand to undertake some teaching and learn about Thai language and culture. -
New Experiences and Unforgettable Memories: Life as an International Student
Iman Khan travelled over 3000 miles to join the student community at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU). Now reaching the end of her MA in Education with TESOL course, Iman has been reflecting on her experiences as an international student, and how BGU became a home she will never forget: -
How my time on the English Language and Teaching course has helped me grow my skills and confidence
By Melanie Oakes - 2nd Year BA English Language and Teaching (formerly TESOL & Linguistics Student) After having my son this course is the best thing I’ve done, it’s made me feel a lot better about who I am. I never really had a huge interest in education while I was at school, I missed almost a year due to illness, and even after I returned I struggled to engage with my subjects due to a real lack of confidence. The end result was that I left school with only 3 O Levels. Despite my family attempting to support me by claiming I was artistic rather than academic I ended up feeling like the one member of my family who wasn’t clever with both my sisters gaining 10 O Levels and going on to careers in Law and Healthcare. I carried this stigma for years until my son started Primary School and I noticed he was struggling with similar issues to my own. When he was later diagnosed as dyslexic it spurred me on to find out if that could be affecting me too. With the aid of the Nottingham Dyslexia Association I was able to finally obtain some evidence of both my dyslexia and, for the first time, my own intelligence. With their encouragement I began to explore the possibilities of a future at university. I already had an interest in languages and could speak basic Swedish so I decided to look into TEFL short courses. While undertaking a learning session for one in Lincoln I met a BGU student who praised the university and offered to put me in touch with the course lecturers. The next thing I knew I was being offered a place on the undergraduate course. I came to an open day for mature students and had a brilliant time, all the lecturers were great and really easy to connect with. They clearly understood that everyone had their own unique motivations for joining higher education and they wanted to help support them. I felt like a fraud at first due to my age and previous academic struggles, but as I’ve gone through the course my belief and confidence in myself has grown immeasurably. It’s taken a lot of hard work and meant I’ve had to learn a whole new set of skills, including how to use PowerPoint, but I’ve loved studying historical linguistics and the spread of English globally, they’ve been fascinating subjects that have answered a number of lifelong questions. In fact, I’ve found the whole subject so stimulating, except for referencing! Even with my Dyslexia, ADD and Fibromyalgia I’ve been able to succeed at BGU and I’m now beginning to explore the potential of a master’s degree. It’s all been a lot to balance at points, particularly being a single mother, but what I’ve gained from the course both mentally and in terms of my self-esteem has been so worth it. I would totally encourage anyone who was thinking of going on this course to do it. You won’t regret it. It’s highly interesting, you learn and experience things you never thought you would and it ultimately opens up so many doors to you; for example, I’m now doing 1:1 teaching with a lady from Hong Kong to help improve her English. You should never think you’re too old to go for something, it can be hard to get to grips with new technology but there are lots of avenues for support including CELT and Student Advice along with many opportunities to broaden your mind. Give it a go. If you’re interested in following in Melanie’s footsteps you can find more information on our BA English Language and Teaching course by visiting our website, talking to our Enquiries Team or joining us on one of our Open Days. -
Graduation
Graduation is one of the highlights of the academic year here at BGU. -
Education Studies
Studying Education Studies at BGU will provide you with an excellent understanding of education in its widest sense, nationally and globally, and is a great course if you are interested in a career in teaching or are thinking about working in other education-related areas. If you don’t have, or don’t think you will attain the normal tariff points for studying at BGU, click here to view the Foundation Year version of this course. -
English Language & Teaching
Our English Language and Teaching programme immerses you in the fascinating study of English, from how it developed from humble origins to the global language with all its variations that we use today, to how it is learned by children as a first language or by learners of English as a second or further language - and much more. You will explore questions about language structures and language use in society, language disorders, and language acquisition and you will learn practical methods - and get hands-on experience - of how to teach it. Crucially, you will develop skills and knowledge to help you gain employment or pursue further studies for work or research in linguistics, education, and language teaching, and a range of other relevant fields. -
Ami Montgomery
Position: Deputy Head of ITE Programmes Current Role and Responsibilities As the Deputy Head of ITE Programmes since April 2024, Ami provides strategic and operational oversight for a diverse portfolio of programmes, including primary, secondary, and further education ITE, as well as postgraduate teacher education programmes. She collaborates closely with the Head of ITE Programmes to support the overall strategies of the Faculty, ensuring the quality and standards of courses, managing staffing, and leading the ITE Leadership Group. Approved Individual Licensed Practitioner (ILP) Ami is an approved Individual Licensed Practitioner (ILP) of The Bell Foundation’s Language for Results services, demonstrating her commitment to enhancing language education and supporting learners with English as an Additional Language (EAL). Academic Experience Teaching and Learning: Ami has extensive experience in designing and delivering high-quality educational programmes. She has contributed significantly to curriculum development, teaching material design, and the delivery of modules across various levels. Her expertise includes areas such as Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), EAL, Multiculturalism, and Initial Teacher Education. Research and Knowledge Exchange: Her doctoral research seeks to explore the intercultural dialogic teaching and learning interactions within UK primary classrooms, with a focus on the relevance of linguistic and cultural capital for inclusion. The study uses a multimodal ethnographic approach, employing a NEW and adapted T-SEDA (Toolkit for Systematic Educational Dialogue Analysis) toolkit for analysing classroom interactions. It highlights the importance of fostering intercultural communicative competence and inclusive pedagogies in enhancing social cohesion and equitable educational opportunities. The findings provide insights into the nature of intercultural dialogic interactions and their impact on social cohesion and social justice in the UK primary classroom setting. Ami continues to actively engages in research, knowledge exchange, and scholarly activities, seeking opportunities for income generation and contributing to the institution’s research profile. -
Dr Kay Johnson
Kay is the Programme Leader for the MA in Education with TESOL, is a senior lecturer on the BA TESOL and Linguistics, and also lectures on the MA programme. She previously worked as a senior lecturer on the BA in Education Studies at BGU and continues to contribute to the programme as a guest lecturer. She has many years' experience as a TEFL teacher in the UK and overseas, and has taught EAP pre-sessional courses at the University of Nottingham. Her research background is as a linguistic ethnographer and she conducted fieldwork for her PhD in Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, which is the most linguistically-dense nation in the world. Kay’s research interests span topics within theoretical linguistics, sociolinguistics and applied linguistics, and has most recently worked with education sector partners in Vanuatu to increase their capacity for local language literacy in educational and community contexts. She has taught linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and worked as a Lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Kingston in London (2014-18). Kay gained her BA in French and English from the University of Liverpool and obtained an MA in Language Documentation and Description (2009), and a PhD in Field Linguistics (2014) from SOAS. -
Dr Nick Gee
Dr Nick Gee is the Dean of Faculty at Bishop Grosseteste University, with responsibility for academic delivery of the University strategy. He was originally appointed to BGU in 2015, as Head of School, becoming the inaugural Dean of Faculty in September 2019. Prior to joining the University, he held the posts of Associate Dean in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in the School of Education, at the University of East Anglia. Nick read Geography at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, and completed a doctorate at the University of East Anglia with a thesis investigating perceptions of evolving community sentiments for participants undertaking residential fieldwork, adopting an ethnographic methodology. His current research interests include outdoor education, subject knowledge, notions of community and progression into higher education, and he also has expertise in geographical fieldwork. Nick has authored over 70 scholarly/academic journal articles, contributed to Chapters in academic and professional texts, and acted as a consultant for GCSE, A level, undergraduate and postgraduate textbooks. He has undertaken funded research for the East of England Development Education Network and the College of West Anglia, and currently leads a British Council-funded (2019-21) international student mobility project. In 2018 Nick was invited by the British Embassy Bangkok, The Department for International Trade and the Teachers’ Council of Thailand to deliver specialist input on the importance of subject knowledge, to inform the Southeast Asia Teachers Competency Framework. He holds a Visiting Professorship at Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University and has undertaken a variety of partnership, knowledge exchange and recruitment activities in China, Cyprus, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Thailand. -
Janice Morris (Retired)
Between 2003 and 2020, Janice was the Teaching Resources Collection Librarian at Bishop Grosseteste University. Her career started in Willenhall Public Library, followed by two years in Nigeria as Reader Services Librarian in a College of Education. On returning home she worked for Wiltshire School Library Service where she discovered and developed the love of children's literature. As the former Subject Librarian for Initial Teacher Training, TESOL and Children's Literature, Janice was responsible for the Teaching Resources Collection. In that capacity, Janice facilitated students and staff to develop their knowledge of Children’s Literature held in the TRC. She initiated and contributed to projects that have promoted this, including shadowing the Carnegie and Greenaway Awards and the UKLA Book Awards, organising author visits, and co-producing an in-house newsletter dedicated to children’s literature, It’s successor is The Four Corners, edited by Rose Roberto and Amy Webster. Janice was a founder member of the English Subject Group that evolved into the RKEU Literature and Literacies (LiLi) and she did a tremendous amount of work contributing to improving the BGU collections for the BGU community and beyond.
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