@PlymIOE News and Views
April 2015
PIoE at AERA in Chicago
More photos below.
IMP News
The attached photograph was taken by Katy Vigurs, Staffordshire University, at a three day academic writing retreat held in the beautiful location of Coverack, Cornwall. Five of the eight participants were faculty or postgraduate researchers from Plymouth Institute of Education. Much writing was done, with long days spent over piles of books and laptops, hard thinking done on scholarly walks along the coast path, and there is a rumour that the retreaters came second in the Paris Hotel pub quiz.
Human Library event
The very first Human Library was created by young people at the Roskilde Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2000, as part of a wider campaign against violence. You can read about the history of the Human Library here http://humanlibrary.org/the-history.html . As part of the Alternatives in Education module in the BA Education Studies programme we have been learning about this project, that has since grown into an international informal education movement against prejudice. This year second year students decided they would like to run their own event and proceeded to work with Julie Moody and Alison Clibbens in the University library to make it happen. A catalogue of thirteen different Living Books was created and students publicised the event with posters and book marks. Throughout the event students and staff came to listen and talk with the Living Books. Cakes were baked and brought by staff, students and supporters of the Small School at Hartland, who were also available to ‘read’. One visitor to the event wrote: ‘Can you please let everyone know that the Human Library event yesterday was, from a 'readers' perspective, absolutely brilliant. As an ex-teacher I could really see how the human books idea could, and did, lead to greater understanding of other people's lives. It was informative and responsive to the 'readers'. I do hope this can be a regular event.’
All the panellists at the BERA panel
Ruth with Michael Apple who was discussant
Jocey and Ruth
BA ECS Students Learn in an International Context
Just before Easter, twelve second year BA ECS studies students returned from a 10 day study trip to Prague, Czech Republic. The students are enrolled on a second year module ‘Early Childhood: A Comparative Perspective’ so the trip gave them an insight into the Czech pre-school system and the lives of very young children in a different country.
Working alongside teachers in one of three Kindergartens, the students were able to make useful comparisons between their own experiences of working in early years settings. Accompanied by Phil Selbie and Sofia Chanda-Gool, the students also gave a presentation on pre-school provision in this county to Czech students at the city’s prestigious Charles University. Naturally, there was also plenty of time to enjoy the rich cultural and historical attractions of this fascinating city in the heart of Europe.
Several of the students were recipients of Nancy Astor Trust bursaries and have already written up their experiences in short reports to the trustees which include the following comments. ‘The main thing I have learnt is what it feels like to be in a setting where you are segregated because of your language and this will enable me to care for and support a child of a differing language with more empathy in the future.’ and ‘Without this bursary, I would not have learned the skills to make me into a more confident and culturally aware person, so thank you.’
Literacy Editor
PedRIO Award
We are pleased to announce the funding of a PedRIO award for the project,
Meta-analysis of cross-disciplinary research into learning in groups: relationships and structures.
Awarded to Jan Georgeson, Christoforos Mamas, Norman Gabriel, Sofia Chanda-Gool and Fiona Dalton.
This multi-disciplinary project aims to achieve a better understanding of students' emotional responses to working in groups; the ways in which diversity influences students' experiences of group work and their responses to different forms of assessment. Data from three different studies on group work will be collated and analysed by the project team. One study in accountancy involves interviews and a short survey related to students’ experience of working in groups on one module that uses problem-based learning and online peer assessment. The education team will also carry out a short survey and follow-up focus groups to investigate undergraduates’ experiences of group work in Early Childhood Studies, with a particular focus on feeling different, feeling comfortable, feeling confident and feeling able to contribute.
Analysis of the data will explore aspects of learning in groups, such as emotional engagement, social and psychological dimensions that increase learning, the sense of belonging and identity that group work can engender as well as students’ overall views and opinions on learning in groups. After data analysis has been completed, a one-day workshop will be organised to disseminate the findings and involve participants in a dialogue on learning in groups. University staff will be invited to attend the workshop, as well as associated staff from PedRIO and PGCAP.