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Nightmare Creatures to Haunt BGU at 2018 Monster Conference
There is something alluring about monsters. From the dark corners of our imaginations to books and films they terrify and fascinate us in equal measure. But where did this cultural obsession begin and why has it continued for so long? For many the answers lie with Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ and this June the Monster Conference will seek to examine the legacy of Shelley’s classic work as well as how the Monstrous continues to capture our imaginations. Hosted by Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) in Lincoln the interdisciplinary conference approaches Monsters and the Monstrous through the contexts of Education, History, Literature and Society, including panels on Monsters in Literature written for Children and Dramatic Adaptations as well as Architecture, Science & Technology and Art. Monstrosity and the Monstrous apply, in the first instance, to social and cultural threats; i.e. to behaviours and (visual) qualities which are deemed socially and culturally unacceptable because they are perceived as amoral or unimaginable. The conference will explore the relevance of these concepts and to see how academic research intersects with popular culture. Through its keynotes and panel discussions, this conference wants to further engagement with the different incarnations of Monsters in contemporary research and teaching. The conference will include a screening of the award winning monster movie ‘The Host’ (2006) by the acclaimed South Korean director Joon-ho Bong, as well as a Monster Story Telling Competition, which will involve BGU students. BGU regularly hosts conferences that are open to all who’d like to attend, you can find more information about the exciting events coming up on our Events Page. -
BGU Academics Visit Unique School to See an Alternative Way of Learning
Last week academics from the School of Teacher Development and the School of Social Sciences at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) visited the Michaela Community School in London to experience their unique pedagogical approach first-hand. The Michaela Community School is a free school dedicated to turning their students into engaged and informed citizens through a focus on traditional academic subjects along with social and etiquette skills. This singular approach has made it well-known in education circles and in the media as well as an excellent case study opportunity for the BGU academics involved in our BA Education Studies and MA in Education courses. Dr Abigail Parrish, Dr Yvonne Hill and Jean Wood from the School of Teacher Development along with Dr Helen Hendry and Dr Adam Hounslow-Eyre from the School of Social Sciences enjoyed a guided tour of the school, before joining in with lessons to see its teaching methods in action. They also took the opportunity to join the staff and students for their ‘family lunch’ which aims to teach the pupils the art of fine dining along with conversation skills. For Dr Parrish, it was a fascinating experience: “As teachers of future educators it’s really important to us that we gain as much experience of different teaching methods as possible. We saw a lot of unique practice that isn’t happening in any other schools and it offered us a new starting point for critical analysis and debate about current pedagogical approaches as part of Undergraduate and Postgraduate teaching.” Dr Hill added: “Visiting Michaela community school was in many ways an eye-opening lesson about the development of free schools and the contribution that education may make to social mobility in England.” Our academics are dedicated to ensuring all our courses are supported by cutting edge knowledge and research to provide first class education to our students. You can find out more about all our courses have to offer on our website. -
BGU degree course leading the battle against assignment cheats
The use by students of essay and assignment writing companies has hit the headlines once again with a number of YouTube vloggers coming under fire for endorsing academic cheating. A BBC Trending investigation discovered over 1000 videos encouraging students to save themselves time and effort by paying online services to complete written assignments and presentations on their behalf. YouTube has since removed the videos but the investigation still highlights not only how widespread the practice has become but also the battle faced by universities to ensure that the work submitted by students is their own. To help combat the problem, a number of the degree programmes at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) have begun to evolve new assessment methods, as Senior Lecturer Chris Jackson explains: “The use of assignment writing services can be an issue when assessment relies on written assignments which are not necessarily contextualised to the learners own life or direct experience, relying predominantly on hypothetical or theoretical argument. The approach to learning which BGU has adopted in its BA (Hons) Business (Team Entrepreneurship) degree programme offers an interesting alternative to the reliance on theoretical critique. On this course, assessments are both practical and written, requiring students to synthesise their personal learning journey with appropriate theory and/or resource. In this way, the evidence each student produces is highly individual and it would be extremely difficult for an unrelated third party to be able to fulfil the requirements of the assignment brief. BGU are one of seven universities in the UK who have adopted the Finnish Tiimiakatemia, or Team Academy, methodology of “learning by doing” in the field of business education. Although this method of assessment cannot be used as a panacea to the issue - nor is it appropriate in every situation - it raises the question of how appropriate current assessment methods are and to what extent they evidence personal learning. The use of assignment writing services, though not illegal, is expressly forbidden at BGU. If any of our students are struggling with their assignments or workload we would encourage them to seek support from our Student Advice Team who will be able to help them get back on top of things. You can find more information on our Business (Team Entrepreneurship) course, as well as our full portfolio of degrees on our website. -
BGU PhD Candidate Launches New Book for Early Years Professionals
On Monday we celebrated the launch of BGU PhD student Jo Cormack’s new book: ‘Helping Children Develop a Positive Relationship with Food’ for Jessica Kingsely Publishers. The book is designed to be a practical guide for those working with young children to better understand, manage and support children’s relationship with food. Revealing the different ways in which children can relate to food, the book aims to provide those around them with evidence based good practices to help them develop psychologically healthy eating habits. It also tackles issues such as picky eating, obesity and food anxiety. Having worked as a child and adolescent therapist (including with young people with eating disorders) and more recently, as a feeding consultant specialising in picky eating, Jo understands both the importance and the complexity of the discussions surrounding positive attitudes to food: "My work is all about the emotional and behavioural dynamics in eating. I am passionate about helping both parents and professionals understand how to support and nurture children's relationship with food. It is an extremely rewarding area." As a full time PhD candidate at BGU, Jo has built her writing around her studies, but her personal and professional curiosity has made balancing and driving her research an engaging challenge: “I love it at BGU. It’s such a privilege to have time and resources to complete my research.” Jo’s book launch formed part of a packed afternoon with an interactive research seminar alongside Dr Tony Eaude who discussed the complexity of primary teaching, covered in his new book ‘Developing the Expertise of Primary and Elementary Classroom Teachers’. You can find more information on BGU’s Education and Doctorate programmes on our website. -
BGU travels to the Czech Republic
Three members of staff from Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) are in the Czech Republic this week for a series of meetings and visits. Clare Davey, International Administrator, Dr Smaragda Kampouri, Programme Leader in TESOL & Linguistics and Dr Maria Efstratopoulou, Senior Lecturer in Special Educational Needs & Inclusion, are visiting partner institution Mazaryk University during their visit to the Czech Republic. Meetings will be taking place with Mazaryk University’s Faculty of Education, sharing good practice on systems of teaching practice and professional competencies of student teachers. Clare will be meeting with the University’s International Office, sharing ideas and their functions within the University, as well as collating information for BGU students who wish to undertake an Erasmus Study Programme. School visits will include a mainstream primary school and an inclusive primary school with a high percentage of Roma children. Maria will also be teaching two workshops to PhD students on Research methods in Education. Find out more about studying at BGU. -
Monster Storytelling Competition Winner Announced
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) welcomed pupils from the Sir Donald Bailey Academy to announce the winner of BGU’s Monster Storytelling Competition. Part of BGU’s Monster Conference, the competition challenged BGU students to write monster stories for children across three age groups: 0-5, 5-7 and 7-11. As well as writing the monster stories, students taking part also had to submit a video performance of them. Winners in each category, along with an overall winner, were then picked out by the pupils from Sir Donald Bailey Academy (one of BGU’s partner schools). Chloe Pearce, a 3rd Year Primary Education undergraduate student, was crowned the overall winner. Her utilisation of props in her video to act out her story made her the clear favourite with the children who really felt the story had been brought to life. Looking back on the competition, Chloe explained why she wanted to take part: “I really enjoy writing stories for children. It is so important that they have opportunities to read growing up.” In addition to attending the prize giving, held in the Cornerstone Library at BGU, the Sir Donald Bailey pupils were also provided with a selection of books to read across the afternoon. Ruth Pearson, Senior Lecturer in Primary Education, highlighted the importance of this experience and why she and her colleagues felt it needed to be included: “At BGU we believe it is incredibly important when fostering a love of reading in children to give them experience of being in a library and show them the wonders that libraries can offer them” The storytelling competition forms part of BGU’s Monster Conference; an interdisciplinary conference exploring the work of Mary Shelley. The conference continues on the 31st of October with a live reading of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’. You can keep up to date with the Monster Conference and all the exciting events taking place at BGU on our website. -
BGU Academic Leads on ‘Outstanding Early Years Provision’
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) is delighted to announce the launch of a new book by Dr Pat Beckley, Senior Lecturer in the School of Teacher Development at BGU, that is set to lead the way on the provision of Early Years education. ‘The Philosophy and Practice of Outstanding Early Years Provision’ examines the philosophical and theoretical foundations of early years practice supporting practitioners as they reflect on the collective and personal rationales which motivate and inform their work with young children. Chapters on subjects including ‘Wellbeing for Life in Early Years’ and ‘The Multicultural Classroom’ explore the theoretical underpinnings from a variety of perspectives, before translating them into effective strategies for application in a range of early years settings. Written and edited by Dr Beckley, the new book features contributions from leading Early Years professionals including chapters by other members of the BGU Teacher Development team – Ami Montgomery, Senior Lecturer and TESOL Course Leader and Aimee Quickfall, Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years – along with a chapter written by Emma Revill; one of BGU’s school based mentors. Drawing on sound expertise the book is divided into four easily navigated sections which explore key issues including the creation of enabling environments, leadership in the early years, the opportunities and challenges presented by diversity, and the value of creative approaches. Its ultimate aim is to deepen the reader’s understanding of the concepts and ideas behind everyday practice. ‘The Philosophy and Practice of Outstanding Early Years Provision’ is essential reading for students and practitioners who wish to improve current and future practice by gaining insight into the philosophical foundations which underpin outstanding provision. BGU will be hosting a launch event for the book on campus on Monday the 9th of July at 4.30pm. If you would like to attend please contact Jonny Richardson, BGU PR Assistant. If you’re interested in a future in Early Years provision or Teaching there are few institutions that can provide a better experience than BGU. You can find information on our range of education based courses on our website, or by contacting our Enquiries Team. -
BGU offers a ‘flavour of teaching’ to aspiring educators
Over 70 aspiring educators from across the country came to Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) earlier this month for a taste of life as a teacher. Run by the Primary Team (part of the School of Teacher Development at the BGU); the Pre-Teaching course focused on providing attendees with opportunities to gain hands on experience as well as advice from existing professionals. Each morning session was filled with practical activities allowing participants to test out their skills. Having prepared an exercise (including sourcing necessary and appropriate materials) they had to teach a small group of fellow attendees with exercises on offer including play dough making, Second World War history and ocean exploration. The afternoon sessions were focused on guiding the attendees through the application and training process. Aimee Quickfall, TD Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years at BGU, praised the positive impact the course could offer: “The Pre-Teaching course is an opportunity for aspiring teachers to get a flavour of teaching with sessions designed to cover all aspects of life in education, not just what it feels like to run a lesson but also what a collaborative profession teaching is. Through this we can ensure that even when they hit difficulties they will know they’re not on their own”. The course was certainly a hit with the participants; Emily McCloud, a second year Early Childhood Studies student at BGU, felt that it provided a great opportunity for preparation ahead of beginning her journey into teaching: “I was quite nervous going into the course, becoming a teacher is a big task, but I feel so much more prepared now. It’s been amazing to get a taste of what is to come”. You can find out more about our PGCE programmes, including further Pre-Teaching courses on our website or by contacting our Enquiries Team. -
BGU and Italian scholar make successful bid for prestigious Research Fellowship
Dr Gioacchino Curiello, a scholar from Pisa in Italy, has been awarded a highly sought after British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship worth £250,000 which will allow him to come to Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) as a paid researcher for three years. Dr Curiello fought off over four hundred other applicants for the annual award in a year when the British Academy described the competition “as particularly tough”. The Fellowship award recognises outstanding early career researchers offering them opportunities to strengthen their experience of research and teaching in a university environment. Dr Jack Cunningham, Bishop Grosseteste University’s Reader in Ecclesiastical History, mentored Dr Curiello throughout the process and he described the impact the award would have: “Dr Curiello’s award is not only enormously important for BGU’s research environment, but hugely important for the world of Grosseteste studies in general.” This award enables Dr Curiello and Dr Cunningham to work together on Robert Grosseteste’s 13th Century work On the Divine Names. During his three years at BGU Dr Curiello will travel to libraries in Paris, Florence, Oxford and the Vatican in order to consult the oldest medieval manuscript copies of Grosseteste’s great work. Eventually, the end product will be a published critical edition of this highly important book which will make a significant contribution to our understanding of one of the Middle-Age’s finest philosopher-theologians, and possibly Lincoln’s greatest ever bishop. BGU is dedicated to bringing cutting edge and innovative research to the Higher Education sector. If you are interested in becoming a part of that drive, contact our Enquiries Team or visit our website today to discover fascinating new opportunities. -
BGU Lecturer Takes Part in Critical Climate Change Research
Dr Sarah Hemstock, Programme Leader for Geography at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), has contributed to a new multi-disciplinary book on climate change: A Critical Approach to Climate Change Adaptation: Discourses, Policies and Practices. Drawing on examples from across the world the book explores how adaptation measures are interpreted, transformed, and implemented at grassroots level and how these measures are changing or interfering with power relations, legal pluralism and local (ecological) knowledge. Its mission is to challenge established perspectives of climate change adaptation by taking into account issues of cultural diversity, environmental justice and human rights, as well as feminist or intersectional approaches. Dr Hemstock’s chapter focuses on improving the prospect for climate change adaptation in the Pacific Islands Region (PIR) via formal education along with the increasing recognition by practitioners and policy makers working across the globe of the importance of bringing together disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA). For Dr Hemstock contributing to the book offered a great opportunity to bring together her academic work at BGU with her personal research interests: "With two of our Geography undergraduates involved in a research project looking at the inclusion of marginalised groups in decision making around climate change adaptation in the Pacific small island developing states, the publication of this book is very timely. "It is the result of research collaboration over around five years and I am very happy to have contributed to a project that explores a diverse range of themes relevant to successful climate change adaptation. "My work on development projects has led to my interest in the role of education to improve the resilience of Pacific island communities; this publication will put this approach to climate change adaptation into a wider multidisciplinary context." You can find more information on our Geography courses on our website or by contacting our Enquiries Team.
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