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Students Experience the Positive Power of Singing
Second Year Psychology students at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) worked with Liz McIntosh from 'Sing it Loud' (www.singitloud.org) to experience the positive power of community singing. The practical workshop formed part of the ‘Psychology in the Arts and Communities’ module from the single honours Psychology degree course and applied the theoretical elements of the course into first-hand experience. The students were able to explore participant feedback and the experiences of groups Liz works with around Lincolnshire, discussing topics such as relieving rural isolation, loneliness, supporting carers, providing people with a routine and enabling people to withdraw from day to day worries and immerse themselves in a positive activity with others. Thomasin Nicholds, one of the Psychology lecturers at BGU, described the positive impact that these practical sessions could have on the students’ learning: “The session gave students the chance to work together in a small group on something new and outside of their usual learning experience giving them a chance to understand more about themselves and each other. "The experience was then related back to theory and research related to individual and community wellbeing, with students testing their understanding of engagement, inclusion and benefits of participation.” In the build up to the session the students also listened to a local radio interview where Liz was representing a community singing group that is made up of people with dementia and their carers, enabling them to come together and share in music, which can be a trigger for positive memories and give people something to share when their lives are radically changing due to the onset of dementia. For more information on our Psychology courses and how you can join in with the innovative research taking place at BGU visit our website, contact our Enquiries Team or attend one of our Open Days to experience the University first hand. -
‘Echoes of Contempt’ within Church history explored at book launch
Last week Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) hosted the public launch of ‘Echoes of Contempt’, the latest book from Methodist minister the Reverend Bruce Thompson. Covering centuries of religious history, ‘Echoes of Contempt’ explores Jew Hatred, especially in relationship to the Christian Church, from the time of the early Church to today. The launch, held in the BGU Chapel, opened with introductions and reflections from local Jewish and Christian leaders. These were followed by an interview with the Reverend Bruce Thompson led by BBC Radio Lincolnshire presenter Rod Whiting. Attending the event Mark Plater, Senior Lecturer in Theology at BGU, commented: "Bruce has provided valuable input on this topic to my Holocaust Education module for many years now, and it is great to see his ideas and passion now summarised in book form. “The text is a well written, but hard-hitting read, and I commend it wholeheartedly." There are lots of exciting events taking place at BGU throughout 2019. To keep up to date on what is coming up you can visit our website or to host your own special event contact our Conferencing team. -
Busting the myths keeping you from your future
Teaching is one of the most rewarding careers available. Not only will you have the opportunity to make a long lasting, positive impact on the lives of your students, you’ll be able to see the results of your hard work first hand as your students learn and develop. -
BGU Launches First Distance Learning Degree Programme
Academics from Bishop Grosseteste University’s (BGU) School of Social Sciences have collaborated closely with the Centre for Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) to design the University’s first distance learning degree programme. -
BG Futures Provide Carrington Communications with the “Perfect Stepping Stone” to Success
In January 2018 digital PR agency Carrington Communications began their journey as a tenant of the BG Futures Business and Enterprise Centre. After a highly successful year, and with expansion and new premises on the horizon, Carrington’s Founder, Rob Tomkinson, shares his start-up story and explains how the support of the BG Futures team has helped the company reach its goals. Since graduating from university Rob has always worked in PR. After moving to Lincolnshire he observed a gap in the market for an energised digital PR agency, thus sparking the inspiration for launching Carrington Communications: “No one in Lincolnshire was doing digital PR, even though the city, and region, was growing fast and there was a big need for it. I decided to build an agency that would be known for the quality of its work and the impact it had on its customers, above anything else.” Although Rob’s PR expertise had been refined over the years, owning his own business proved challenging in its own way, he used the examples of others’ success to try to determine his own: “I looked at other business owners around me who I respected - what sets them apart, in my view, is being brave enough to take the bold decisions - that’s what I’ve tried, and keep trying, to do; if the figures stack up, then we can make it work.” However, Rob is not one to become too comfortable in terms of measuring success: “I hope I never think I’ve become a successful ‘entrepreneur’ - there’s a danger and complacency in that which I want to avoid at all costs!” When asked about top tips for aspiring entrepreneurs, Rob placed significant importance on getting the “‘boring’ backroom bits right from the start”, building new relationships with other business people who share your values, and finally: “Delegate! That’s a lesson I had to learn the hard way a couple of times. I thought I was holding on to my early clients out of loyalty to give them the best service, but in reality they got a better service once I brought in the team here in to work alongside me.” Alongside these lessons, finding the right environment to thrive in has also been key for Carrington and in BG Futures they feel they found the perfect place for any start-up: “It’s been so good for us. Even though it was exciting when we took on our first office, it was pretty daunting too. The team at BG Futures gave us everything we needed. It’s a perfect stepping stone for new businesses looking for their first office. The location’s great, the offices are peaceful, the internet’s good and the on-site coffee shops are perfect for client or team meetings. Working around other start-ups has been really beneficial, as have the workshops that they run here - we even hosted our own for other tenants on doing PR on a budget. We’re pleased to be growing but sad to be leaving too - I’d recommend BG Futures to anyone.” Becky Goodman, Enterprise Development Manager at BG Futures, expressed her team’s pride at being a part of Carrington’s growth: “It is great to see how Rob has developed Carrington from a one person business in a small unit, to one with a team expanding to one of our largest units within just 18 months, and although we will miss the team being with us within BG Futures, it is great that we have been able to give them the initial support and foundations upon which they will continue to build their business. And as with any of the businesses that start their journey with us in BG Futures, they never really leave us, just relocate” If you have got a vision for your own business but aren’t sure where to begin then the BG Futures team are the perfect place to start. With facilities and expert support available in their incubation centre, they’ll be able to get you on the road to success. Visit our website or contact them today to see how you can start your own adventure. -
Academics complete international project exploring personalised learning
Academics from the School of Teacher Development at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) have completed work on an Erasmus+ project this month, attending the final meeting in The Netherlands to showcase their output. The Erasmus+ project, on Personalised Learning in Primary and Secondary education phases, included research teams from The Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Finland and the BGU UK team. The academics involved from the School of Teacher Development were; Dr. Emma Clarke, Kevin McLaughlin, Shaun Thompson, Dr. Jonathan Wainwright and Aimee Quickfall. The BGU team joined the project in January this year, taking over from a school partner in Lincoln, and quickly became part of a strong research group across Europe during visits to The Netherlands and Sweden in the spring. Their output is the 'teacher profile' - a tool for teachers across Europe to assess their own level of personalised learning practice, with advice and targets if they wish to increase their level of skill in this area as Dr Clarke explained: “The toolkit is deliberately non-judgemental, for teachers to use individually or with peers. It avoids suggesting that some teaching approaches are better than others - but will support practitioners who wish to develop key personalised learning skills.” As part of the final project meeting, the Erasmus+ team presented to teachers and leaders in The Netherlands. Returning from the meeting Aimee commented: “It has been a pleasure to be involved in this European project, with researchers who have different backgrounds, settings and perspectives, but who share a passion for improving education and professional development for teachers. We have built relationships with our partner teams and hope we can continue to develop our links and projects.” The completed project will 'go live' in the autumn of 2019. 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 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. -
BGU lecturer joins academic and literary legends in exploring a balanced curriculum for children
Aimee Quickfall, Head of Programmes for Primary and Early Years in the School of Teacher Development at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU), has contributed a chapter to a new book on the primary curriculum.'A Broad and Balanced Curriculum in Primary Schools: Educating the whole child' identifies the pressures of standardised testing and the focus on English and maths as impacting factors on teaching time, and asks how teachers can ensure that the curriculum truly is broad and balanced. Contributors provide an exploration of the current challenges in the curriculum as well as guidance on how to tackle them. Aimee's chapter looks at using philosophical inquiry with primary age children and how an hour a week of thinking deeply and discussing interesting questions together can improve teamwork, mutual respect, problem-solving skills, as well as writing, reading and mathematics achievement. Contributors include children's literary legend and former Children's Laureate, Michael Rosen; and Professor Teresa Cremin, Professor of Education (Literacy) at The Open University in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies and is available now through a number of outlets. Speaking following the book's publication Aimee expressed her delight at being involved: "I am delighted to have been invited to contribute to this very important book, which reflects how passionately the School of Teacher Development team at BGU feel about a broad and balanced curriculum for our teacher trainees and their pupils" 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. 'A Broad and Balanced Curriculum in Primary Schools: Educating the whole child' is edited by Susan Ogier and published by Sage. -
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. -
Sensory Bus Visit Helps Students Break Down Barriers in Education
Students at Bishop Grosseteste University (BGU) enjoyed a visit from the LINKAGE Sensory Bus as they explored innovative and unique ways to remove the barriers children with special needs can face in education. The LINKAGE Sensory Bus is a specially designed learning space filled with range of unique sensory experiences to aid children with special needs including an illuminated jungle space and a music wall. All of its activities are adaptable to the needs of specific children and can help support pupils in a wide variety of areas including expanding vocabulary and behaviour management. Niz Smith, LINKAGE Project Coordinator, described the potential benefits of the bus to both pupils and teachers: “Our goal is to provide children with special educational needs with an environment in which they have choice and control. Through their explorations they are able share and interact with their peers in ways they would not normally be able to, allowing them to become happier and calmer. The bus is also a great resource for teachers, particularly in rural schools who wouldn’t normally be able to access resources, they can find new avenues to help their pupils interact before taking them back to their classrooms.” Isobel, Riaz and Hadikah, all currently in their second year of BA Primary Education with QTS, were three of the students to spend time on the bus and they praised its potential as a training tool for teachers: “It was great to gain more insight into how we can support children with special needs. Once you’re immersed in the bus the theoretical strategies we’ve been learning in lectures come to life and really begin to make sense. It was a brilliant practical experience” If you would like to arrange a visit by the LINKAGE bus team to your school you can email Niz at niz.smith@linkage.org.uk. The visit to BGU was organised by lecturers as part of a module focused on learning how to support pupils with special educational needs. 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.
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