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PhD Student Celebrates Double Success in Budapest
Phil Nicholson, PhD student at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), is enjoying a double celebration having presented his newly published work at the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) conference. Phil Nicholson graduated from his undergraduate degree in Education Studies and Sport last July, won a studentship for his PhD studies at BGU (supervised by Dr Emma Pearson and Dr Caroline Horton), and has already published his academic work. The article, Play-based pedagogy under threat? A small-scale study of teachers’ and pupils’ perceptions of pedagogical discontinuity in the transition to primary school has been published in the academic journal, "Education 3-13", which is an International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education. Following its publication Phil also had the opportunity to present it at the 2018 EECERA, which took place at the end of August in Budapest. Despite being nervous about presenting to such a well-informed early years international audience he thoroughly enjoyed the experience: “I am delighted with how the presentation went and found the questions and discussion that followed it extremely informative.” Dr Caroline Horton, PhD Programme Leader at BGU, was full of praise for Phil for and explained why it was no surprise that his work was proving such a success: “We are delighted that Phil has been able to continue his studies at BGU. He demonstrates a critical and detailed approach to his research, coupled with a highly conscientious approach to his studies, which makes him an ideal doctoral candidate. “Phil conducted an insightful investigation as part of his undergraduate dissertation research, which has been shaped into his recent publication.” Dr Pat Beckley, Senior Lecturer in the School of Teacher Development at BGU, also presented a paper at the EECERA. Her focus was Comparative strategies and family approaches in supporting children’s literacy learning in selected settings in England, Norway and Uganda, and she chaired a symposium based on early years literacy, including papers from Swedish and American colleagues. Phil Nicholson’s paper can be accessed here and if you would like more information on the research opportunities available at BGU you can find it on our website, or by contacting our Enquiries Team. -
BGU Academic Leads on Sexual Crime Prevention at International Conference
Helen Elliott, Lecturer in Psychology & Counselling at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), presented her research at the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders (IATSO) in Vilnius, Lithuania last month. The premise of Helen’s research is to support initiatives to inform possible prevention of sexual crime by individuals in the community who have a sexual attraction to children. Carried out in partnership with Rebecca Lievesley from Nottingham Trent University the project is also designed to promote a public-health approach to working with this group, who are stigmatised and ostracised, and suffering psychologically because of this. Whilst preventative efforts to stop the sexual abuse of children are on the rise, along with more individuals are actively seeking treatment before they offend, much of the information that goes into these measures is informed from individuals who have already been convicted. Helen’s research aimed to address this gap in knowledge by exploring the experiences of those living in the community, with a sexual attraction to children, who do not want to offend. Offering them a chance to tell their story in an open environment to better inform the support measures available to them and thus prevent potential sexual crimes. The project’s findings highlighted core themes regarding isolation and fear, particularly in relation to the huge stigma associated with this attraction, and how highly prevalent shame-based narratives during formative teenage years led to the living of a "double life" for those attracted to children. Presenting the research at IATSO on 29 August, Helen made a number of important recommendations including: Therapies should be more accessible for adolescents who are beginning to feel different from their peers and confused about their feelings towards children. This attraction needs to be acknowledged within educational contexts and by those working with children, creating a more informed and comfortable dialogue around sexual health. Delivering sexual health education from a ‘pragmatic’ and ‘sex positive’ standpoint (as is common in the Netherlands) as opposed to a ‘sexual abstinence’ stance. Importance of clear reporting rules to enhance engagement in support services. Education to reduce stigma among professionals. Consider friends and family within prevention services – support for individual’s support network = indirect support for individual. Issues around wellbeing and the health needs of this group are being missed and require full focus – anxiety, depression, shame, and stigma. The conclusion reached by Helen and her colleagues was that whilst the conflation of a minor-attracted person and an adult child molester continues, so do the subsequent harmful consequences. This includes hindering disclosure, which could manifest into poor mental health outcomes, or risk becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, with individuals believing that the only path in life is giving into one’s sexual desires. With one-third of child sexual abuse being committed by those under 18, we need to question whether some young people could be finding themselves with this attraction and unaware of its implications or how to manage it. If you’re interested in researching human behaviour and mental wellbeing, then our Psychology and Counselling courses could be the perfect place to start. Visit our website or contact our Enquiries Team today for more information. -
Using the past to inspire the future of teaching
Trainee teachers from the English and Drama PGCE courses at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) made a trip to London to see Othello at the Globe Theatre. -
Lord-Lieutenant Officially Opens BGU Research Centre
Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) new Lincolnshire Open Research and Innovation Centre (LORIC) has been officially opened at an event led by BGU Vice Chancellor the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil and the Lord-Lieutenant for Lincolnshire, Toby Dennis. Conceived by BGU, LORIC will provide support to businesses, public and third-sector organisations across Greater Lincolnshire by enabling connections with data specialists and researchers to bring new insights for businesses. Speaking at the launch event Christopher Bridle, LORIC Project Manager, spoke of how the county was at the heart of the project: “This is an incredibly rewarding moment, a lot of hard work has gone into taking the project to this point and it wouldn't have been possible without the involvement of a range of local companies. LORIC truly is a resource created by and for the people of Lincolnshire”. His words were echoed by the Reverend Canon Professor Peter Neil: “LORIC is just one manifestation of BGU's dedication to supporting the Lincolnshire community by placing research and the exchange of knowledge at the centre of what we do. It highlights our journey as an evolving university that we are now able to offer local businesses expertise and support to improve their practices which will, in turn, benefit the county for years to come". Opening the Centre Toby Dennis, the Lord-Lieutenant, shared his excitement for the positive impact LORIC will have for Lincolnshire business: "It is indeed a great thrill to be able to open this wonderful concept from an innovative and ever developing institution. This latest addition is an inspiration to the local community from which all corners of the county will have the opportunity to benefit. BGU is held in the highest regard far and wide and the county should feel privileged to be the home of this exceptional place of education and development" LORIC will be hosting its first Open Day for Lincolnshire businesses on the 17th of October from 4-6.30pm. Any SME within Greater Lincolnshire is welcome to attend and to hear more about how LORIC can support business, to tour the facilities and to enjoy refreshments. For more information contact loric@bishopg.ac.uk -
BGU Launch New International Programme for Aspiring Indian Teachers
This week, Dr Steven Puttick, Head of Programmes (Secondary, FE, Research Education) and Wayne Dyble, International Manager, of Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) have been busy in India visiting partners, presenting research, and launching an exciting new opportunity for Indian graduates to train to teach at BGU. High achieving Indian graduates in Mathematics and Science will be offered a limited number of places on BGU’s Secondary PGCE course. Following successful completion of the PGCE course, these graduates will be supported by a partner Academy chain to gain employment as Maths and Science teachers in the UK. This fantastic opportunity presents the ‘brightest and best’ Indian graduates with the chance not only of studying at an historic UK teacher training institution but also of securing employment following the course. For further details of this opportunity, and to register your interest please contact Wayne Dyble. As part of the trip, Dr Steven Puttick was also invited to present his research at Lady Irwin College’s International Conference on Learning. The conference brought together a large number of international scholars and was opened by Mr. Vineet Joshi, Director General of the National Testing Agency. In his presentation Dr Puttick discussed his research on policy discourses and current philosophical tensions within the English Inspectorate Ofsted. For more information on all the international activities taking place at BGU visit our news page or contact our International Department to find out what exciting opportunities are available to you. -
CELT Helps Students ‘Escape’ their Anxieties to Find their New Home at BGU
Beginning the university adventure can be a daunting prospect. Finding themselves in a new place far from their home and friends, some students struggle to adapt and turn their university into their new home. The Centre for Enhancement in Learning and Teaching (CELT) team at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) are dedicated to making students feel part of the BGU community from the minute they arrive and over the last few weeks they have been running events to help feel at home. The ‘Escape Rooms’ challenge was held as part of the new year’s induction week. Fifty students split into teams of three to six people were set four tasks based around academic skills: Mind Game: An activity based around developing a ‘growth’ mind set where students were required to hunt for clues to solve a series of problems. Trivia Pursuit: An activity based around research where students were required to find the correct information by identifying what is a reliable source and what’s not. Divergent Thinking: A series of puzzles and problems requiring students to think literally and laterally to devise solutions to successfully complete the task. Lexical Neapolitan: An activity requiring a problem to be solved using software by merging together documents to obtain the answer. The full event was designed to help students transition to their new surroundings, create a feeling of community and increase their mental and physical wellbeing. Feedback from the event was very positive with participants enjoying the activities and the opportunity to meet and mix with other new students. Mature students in particular often find starting their university studies after a break from education intimidating; with concerns over connecting with their peers causing anxiety instead of excitement. With this mind the CELT team put together another special event designed specifically around their experiences. The half day event offered mature students an introduction to the support available to them from across the University along with providing them a chance to meet fellow mature students and begin planting their own roots. BGU offer a range of different support services to help our students feel at home. If you’re in need of help and are unsure where to begin anyone from our Student Advice, CELT, BGSU and Chaplaincy teams will be more than happy to guide you. You can keep up to date with all the upcoming events designed to support and inspire our students on our news and events pages. -
BGU Doctoral Research Conference a Resounding Success
Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) hosted 170 doctoral students from nine universities for a lively and forward-thinking for East Midlands Doctoral (EMDoc) network research conference last month. EMDoc is a network of nine universities from across the East Midlands created to recognise and support doctoral research. The EMDoc Conference is held annually, to give doctoral students the opportunity to meet together and to showcase their progress, in a supportive environment. Keynote presentations were delivered by Professor Wasyl Cajkler, University of Leicester, and Professor Niro Siriwardena, University of Lincoln, who each emphasised the importance of planning for and encouraging a positive impact from research, both within and beyond traditional academic settings. They were joined by a number of the attendees who delivered presentations of their research, either in a traditional oral presentation format, as a research poster or in a snappy “three minute thesis” (3MT) format, emphasising the impact of their work. Dr Caroline Horton, Reader in Psychology at BGU, who co-organised and hosted the conference with Dr Phil Wood, Reader in Education, described how the diverse conversation created at the event made the hard work that went into it worthwhile: “Organising and hosting a conference is no mean feat. But the experience was made possible, and much more enjoyable, with the support of BGU’s PhD students. The conference rooms were full of lively discussions about interdisciplinary issues, ranging from mechanical engineering to music education. "Many delegates commented on how enjoyable the event was. We hope the event built some collaborative networks, and highlighted the importance of research impact from the outset of a research career.” In addition to hosting this year’s conference BGU are excited that Dr Wood will chair the network’s meetings in 2019-20 as BGU’s representative. You can find more information on the fascinating events and conferences taking place across the University on our events page. -
BGU Lecturer Helps Promote Social Innovation in Malaysia
Dr Elinor Vettraino, Head Coach and Programme Leader for Business and Enterprise at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), was one of five team coaches selected to support the development of social innovation in projects in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The SITEL project (Social Innovation through Team Entrepreneurial Learning) created by the University of Westminster and funded by the British Council, was an intensive Trans and Multi-Disciplinary five day workshop designed to foster an eco-system for developing resilient social enterprise through entrepreneurship education. The focus of the programme was to provide opportunities for early career researchers from both Malaysia and the UK to learn from each other and explore opportunities for building long-lasting research connections to explore solutions to social innovation challenges in the area. Dr Vettraino was delighted to be involved in the project: “It was a privilege to be asked to coach a team in this project and to have the opportunity to add real value to research in the region which will lead to real action.” The project Dr Vettraino was involved with was an agro-tourism farm-stay located close to Mount Kinabalu. Research into the challenges for the local community indicated the need for technology to support the development of irrigation systems, as well as training to support the youth of the area to stay and continue to work in the community. Dr Vettraino added that the future applications of the project team’s efforts created exciting avenues for community development: “Funding is available to take forward some of the project ideas that were generated during the programme and it is fantastic to have been involved in genuine development of opportunities for the people in the area.” Dr Vettraino is head of the Business and Enterprise area at BGU. You can find more information on the exciting opportunities offered by BGU’s Business courses on our website or by contacting our Enquiries Team. -
PGCE Students Unleash their Wild Side for Innovative Learning Experience
PGCE Secondary Physical Education and Dance trainees at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) went on a trip to Sherwood Forest GoApe where they spent several hours enjoying a unique learning opportunity in the tree top adventure. The PGCE GoApe experience is used as a cohesive activity for prospective teachers to experience learning opportunities out of the classroom. Building bonds with one another and understanding how to work independently and together to achieve difficult tasks. The session consisted of three hours of climbing, swinging and jumping through different layouts and unique crossings. The high ropes course for new and returning adventurers alike continued to challenge all in different ways and to successfully complete it the trainees were required to utilise their strengths and work together as a team supporting one another. All of this builds back into the skills they will need in their future careers and this year’s group found it worthwhile experience with one saying: "The trip was extremely useful for team building and communication between participants, and would be a really useful classroom tool. It was really enjoyable." Whilst another of their teammates discussed how it could be built back into their future work: "It helped all participants realise and experience the various aspects of the hidden curriculum. This kind of activity would be brilliant to take a small group of A-Level or GCSE pupils." You can find more information on the wide range of innovative PGCE courses offered by BGU on our website. Or contact our Enquiries Team to find out how to begin your journey into teaching. -
Encouraging Inclusive Leadership around the World
Umar Zamman, Director of People and Organisational Development at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), recently delivered a speech to the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) on the power and importance of being inclusive leaders. He was awarded a bursary by the ACU to attend the conference. Speaking at the ACU’s global ‘HR in the HE Community’ conference in Canada, Umar discussed the characteristics, actions and qualities of an inclusive leader, examining how HR can support leaders to be more inclusive and help organisations create an inclusive environment and culture. Delivered by strategic HR practitioners, the conference programme included an exciting line up of 27 international speakers from 12 countries across the Commonwealth, featuring a mix of presentations and panel discussions. In addition to Umar’s address, delegates discussed how to meet the many challenges facing HR professionals working in Higher Education today, as well as exploring opportunities for the profession in the future. Activities throughout the conference were guided by four sub-themes, which had been identified by HR practitioners from universities across the Commonwealth as their key priorities: HR as a strategic partner Exploring how HR can transform into a more effective resource for the organisation, enhance its credibility, evolve into a strategic partner, and align business objectives with university goals. Leadership and capacity building Building the capacity to effect change and fulfil the University's mission, engaging and inspiring teams to get the best results, and creating participatory and collaborative processes that develop the abilities of the next generation of leaders. HR in the digital age The impact of technology on human resource management; using digital HR tools and approaches to recruit, develop, and retain a talented workforce, and the changing role of people management in the digital era. HR operational excellence Developing an HR analytics framework to drive strategy, becoming a proactive, collaborative business partner; transforming operations using organisational design theory, identifying and adopting world-class capabilities, and delivering maximum value from your HR function. Returning from the conference Umar described it as being a part of positive change in the Higher Education Sector: “It was fantastic to be asked to represent BGU at the Association of Commonwealth Universities Global HR conference. I met some wonderful colleagues from around the world and it enabled me to share best practice on inclusive leadership in the HE sector. “It also gave me an opportunity to talk about some of the great things we are doing here at BGU. I look forward to the next ACU conference in 2020” The staff and academics at BGU are regularly invited to present at conferences 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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