PIoE News and Views
October/November 2017
Introduction from the Director of the Institute
It’s been a busy start of term for all. In fact, I was so busy I forgot to give Sally my two articles for this newsletter, but will for next time. Congratulations to all our programmes who have over recruited. A great deal of hard work has gone into this at all levels, which has borne fruit. The Masters programme has expanded yet again as well. We were the first in the Faculty to get our PDRs completed, and colleagues have been to a multitude of research conferences, teaching events, and given national talks. It never seems to stop, but this is the same for all universities at the moment. It was great to have the coffee and cake (see below) to keep us going.
Macmillan coffee morning
“I am delighted to let you know that you have been awarded OMEP Student Sponsorship for 2017...” By Adeola Olajide from Plymouth University, UK
It is with purpose that I express through faith how I felt when I received my congratulatory email. The email came through and ‘my cup runneth over…surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life’ Psalm 23:5, 6. What else does one ask for? This is what I prayed for, one of two to be sponsored by OMEP — World Organisation for Early Childhood Education. What a blessing, I was ecstatic!
I was perhaps a little apprehensive of what to expect, given that the 69th OMEP World Assembly and Conference in Croatia, Opatija,was the first conference I was invited to attend. Thanksgiving overpowered fear of the unknown and I found myself fully embracing the independence that would be involved in the venture.
I appreciate that OMEP UK recognises that sponsoring two people offers a sense of companionship, which grew between Helen Davison (who was also sponsored) and I as the days progressed. My experience at the conference was well shared.
Overview of the World Assembly (19th & 20th June) and Conference (21st —24th June)
The 7 day event consisted of a variety of excursions, insightful presentations, symposiums and discussions on the rethinking of Early Childhood. During the World Assembly, I observed the European regional meeting and was invited to attend sessions of my interest, which included ‘How to support the UN’ and ‘GAP/ESD’. Whilst being seated amongst those with a wealth of knowledge on early childhood, it was great to listen to the discussions on past, present and future projects for the bettering of children’s experiences of childhood. An awareness of my growth in confidence came as I found myself contributing and suggesting recommendations for the future. Having my youthful opinion heard, recognised and appreciated, reinforced the benefits of ensuring that one should strive to become a visible member of OMEP. I found the sessions particularly useful for the dissertation topic that I wish to develop in my final year of undergraduate study. Present at both sessions was Dr Judith Wagner, a Professor of Education and Child Development; one of the fruitful contacts I made at the conference. I thank her for encouraging and supporting my contributions at times where it was contested with those who had been members of OMEP for a longer duration of time. Whilst we continue to interact, I look forward to future plans currently being discussed.
Having referenced Peter Moss on numerous occasions in my university assignments, it was good to hear that he was a keynote speaker at the conference. Contrary to popular belief that some of Moss’ contributions to Early Childhood are somewhat controversial at times, I found his keynote session enjoyable and true to the current climate of early childhood educational practices. The information I noted from Moss’ keynote session will certainly be shared amongst practitioners and teachers that I work with. I am more aware of the importance of reintroducing and introducing sustainability as the centrepiece of high quality education.
I was present at the ‘OMEP at the United Nations and UNESCO’ symposium, where I noted that the word ‘peace’, though significant, became a passive and diluted term. On the Early Childhood Studies degree programme, we are constantly reminded of ensuring that sweeping generalisations are not made on children and families. At the end of the session, I expressed my concerns about its generalisation to Dr. Maria Pia Bellloni, OMEP’s main representative to the United Nations. I commented on the importance of considering that families and cultures remain contested and dynamic spaces and the likelihood that there is diversity in each one’s definition of peace. I expressed an interest in researching children’s interpretation of peace, which Dr Belloni encouraged and shared her contact details with me for assistance and future collaborations.
As part of the conference, a visit to a kindergarten in Kostrena, east of Rijeka was the high-light to my trip. We received a warm and harmonious welcome from the principal, staff and children of “Zlatna Ribica” (Gold Fish Preschool). Their reference to ‘Gold Fish’ was described by the principal as meaning, positive outcomes for children and families. We were invited on a tour of the preschool, informed of their practices, presented with a lovely buffet of food and were given gifts in memory of our visit, some of which were made by the children. The vivacious, vibrant, palatial setting mirrored the kind of childcare provision that I aspire to build in the future. Perhaps most importantly, it was refreshing to witness playful interactions and engagement between the principal and the children.
I met so many wonderful people, who showed to be passionate and advocates for children and their wellbeing. I was truly inspired by their personal and professional journeys. To meet and converse with the President of OMEP, Dr Eunhye Park and Vice President of OMEP Africa, Mrs Abimbola Are at the closing ceremony, was a pleasure. I am excited to build lasting relationships with the people I have been fortunate to have net-worked with others and to work in partnership with them on future projects.
I look forward to attending the 70th OMEP World Assembly and Conference in Prague, Czech Republic, 25—29th June 2018. I expect that it will be a great celebration where I can catch up with my present contacts, new contacts and to network further. I believe it will also be a chance for me to develop my knowledge of OMEP and contribute more to the discussions on Early Childhood Education. Seating amongst those with statuses that I aspire to obtain and even surpass, really encouraged me to take up more opportunities that come my way.
Transnational Meeting, Aarhus Denmark, 25-27 September 2017
The PhenoloGIT project, funded under the Erasmus+ programme has entered its final year (of three) and recently had its fifth transnational meeting, this time in VIA University College, Aarhus, in Denmark. In the photo on the left are the international partners: Milagros Trigo (the Headteacher of a 2-16 school in Galicia, Spain); Pernille Ulla Andersen (a science teacher educator from VIA); Maria Malmierca (Supercomputing Centre of Galicia); Harald Brandt (science teacher educator, VIA); Linda la Velle and Jan Georgeson (PIoE, UK); Egidijus Ceponis (ITA, an educational ICT company in Lithuania).
We have developed an App, map server and website to enable teachers and their classes to make observations of phenological phenomena (changes in living things through the seasons) linked to a map of geographical information systems (GIS), with layers including GPS, weather, geology, etc. We met to plan the final phase of piloting the technologies with schools and also the reporting and dissemination of the project. One of the final elements is to build the Global 0n-line Schools Network – the community through which the work will become available to all users. The picture in the middle shows Maria taking us through her vision for this.
We plan to give papers arising from the project at the international biology education conference, ERIDOB to be held in Zaragoza, Spain in June as well as at ECER and BERA next year. Bethan Stagg has recently joined us as a Research Assistant on our PhenoloGIT team.
We very much enjoyed the wonderful Danish hospitality in Aarhus, a very beautiful city. We have established a number of links with colleagues at VIA with whom we have found many areas of mutual interest.
Linda la Velle and Jan Georgeson, Oct 2017
BESA conference
Attendance and dissemination of undergraduate dissertation research at the annual BA Education Studies conference at Liverpool Hope University in June. Kirsty Abbott and Josh Perren were our BA Education Studies 2 Outstanding dissertation award winners 2017, their presentations were excellent and very well received by those who attended their session.
Articles and books published by all!
Rowena Passy
Evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of the National Award for Special
Educational Needs Coordination (Passy, Georgeson, Schaefer & Kaimi) presented findings of our independent evaluation into the effectiveness and impact of the NASENCO. Questionnaire data were collected from 1,109 school staff, 532 parents/carers and 9 pupils; we also interviewed 20 SENCOs and 15 parents/carers of children with SEND. Key findings included:
· Statistically-significant evidence that a majority of NASENCO Award-holders and trainees felt that the Award increased their confidence in some aspects of all three Award domains of Professional Knowledge and Understanding; Leading and Coordinating Provision; Personal and Professional Qualities.
· Award-holding survey respondents commented on aspects of course delivery that
allowed them to reflect on their SENCO role. These included discussion and sharing
practice with other SENCOs, academic study and tasks, and the taught sessions.
Some commented on the challenges of completing Master’s level study with their
employment in school.
· Issues that SENCOs thought should be addressed in the Award in future included
practical advice that was applicable to the SENCO role; budget management and
funding training; working with outside agencies; supporting pupils; training,
supporting and managing staff; and understanding/implementing current legislation.
· School staff who were not SENCOs were asked for their views of the support
provided to them by their SENCO. The majority of respondents knew if their school
SENCO had achieved the Award or not. A large majority reported that their SENCO
supported them in almost all aspects of the three Award domains. The
SENCO’s role in working with parents/carers was the aspect most often highly rated
by school staff respondents; other highly-rated aspects were concerned with working
strategically to develop support systems, both within and beyond the school, followed
by supporting pupils’ learning and progress.
· The majority of parents/carers who responded to the survey did not know if their
child’s school SENCO held the Award. Most parent interviewees reported that they
had not heard of the Award before completing the survey.
· Around half of the pupils in our sample felt that they were able to get help at least
some of the time at school, and that this help came mainly from staff at school or
from family.
The Report concludes with recommendations to government, Award providers, schools and individuals.
Review of the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination Provider Group quality assurance processes (Georgeson & Passy) examined the quality assurance (QA) processes set up by the Award Provider Group when Award oversight and funding (for teacher training) were withdrawn by the DfE in 2014. We interviewed 22 members of the Provider Group, including individuals from long-term and new (post-2014) providers.
Data analysis showed that the QA processes worked well, providing the rigour and checks that the Provider Group were seeking. Members’ commitment to and belief in the importance of the National Award have led to the generation of a collaborative approach between competitors, and this is proving to be innovative, dynamic and supportive. However, to ensure they can continue to maintain the integrity and improve the quality of the National Award, the QA processes would benefit from: revisions to the Quality Standards Framework; creating an external reference group; involvement with external professional bodies such as the Chartered College of Teaching; continuing to publish a list of approved providers; public endorsement from an outside agency such as the DfE.
Book chapter:
School gardens and the school food plan: contributing to a culture of healthy living (Page, Bremner & Passy) in Waite, S. (2017) Children learning outside the classroom from birth to eleven.
This chapter examines the role of the garden in contributing to a school’s learning culture, discusses changes in government education policy towards eating and healthy living, and demonstrates links between school gardens, food and health. It concludes with a brief discussion on introducing and managing school gardens, and provides a number of weblinks that illustrate how different schools have embedded a culture of healthy eating and living through their gardens.
Rowena Passy and Joanna Haynes
Joanna Haynes and Rowena Passy
Racism, Prevent and education: insisting on an open space
Following a very well-received presentation to the Brexit Criminology conference held at Plymouth University in February this year, we were invited to contribute to a Special Issue of the journal Safer Communities. Our paper was published in September 2017.
In this article we first discuss the Brexit referendum and its links to changes in the nature of racism in England, drawing on Burnett’s (2013) work to demonstrate how ‘local conditions, national politics and global conditions’ have prompted violent racism in new areas of the country. Within this atmosphere of heightened tension, anti-Muslim abuse and attacks have risen over the past two years, with a proportion of these incidents taking place in universities. We then examine the implications of the counter-terrorist Prevent agenda, arguing that educators’ statutory duty to ‘have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’ is in considerable tension with the university statutory duty to uphold freedom of speech/academic freedom; this ‘duty of care’ effectively requires university staff to act as agents of the state. We argue that this threatens to damage trust between staff and students, restrict critical enquiry and limit discussion, particularly in the current circumstances of sector insecurity that have arisen from a combination of neoliberal policies and falling student numbers. We then examine disturbing trends that characterise students as vulnerable and university life as potentially damaging to well-being, and how these link to anti-extremism dialogue that is expressed in epidemiological and therapeutic language; the vulnerable are framed pathologically, as ‘at risk’ of radicalisation. Developing the argument on how these conditions present a threat to freedom of speech/academic freedom, in the final section we argue that universities must keep spaces open for uncertainty, controversy and disagreement.
Verity Campbell-Barr
Guest Editorial -
Campbell-Barr V 2017 'Editorial' European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 25, (4) 477-482
Verity was invited to undertake this guest editorial after the heads of the European Early Childhood Research Association attended a conference she organised and presented at in Hungary. In the editorial, Verity reflects on how our subjectivity influences what we notice when reading international research papers - for her this was about the increased expectations of early childhood educators.
Special Issues -
Campbell-Barr V & Bogatic K 2017 'Global to local perspectives of early childhood education and care' Early Child Development and Care 187, (10) 1461-1470
This special issue followed a conference that Verity and her co-author Katarina organised in Croatia. The editorial for the special issue explores the global discourses of early childhood education and care and how they are negotiated at local levels. The editorial also touches on the OECD's International Early Learning Study - dubbed the Baby PISA and its contribution to global discourses on early childhood education and care.
Book Chapter -
Campbell-Barr V 2017 'The Many Pedagogical Influences on Early Childhood Education and Care in Britain' in Albulescu I; Catalano H 'Alternative Educational Methodologies' Newcastle Upon Tyne Cambridge Scholars Publishing 19-29
In this chapter Verity celebrates the rich and varied early childhood education and care history that is present in Britain.
The Dangerous Knowledge group
Joanna started the 'Difficult and Troubling Knowledge' project seven (8?) years ago when she invited staff to get involved and a few came forward; intrigued. It became something which just grew and found its own momentum as well as a resonant and potent purpose amongst the Dangerous Knowledge group as we came to call ourselves. The paper is in a Special Edition of the Pastoral Care in Education Journal - one of the co-editors being our admired Suanne Gibson; it has been highly commended by the journal's board as being of exceptional quality and ground-breaking work (they sent an email to Suanne with such flattering feedback).
Our paper in that Special Edition is based upon the unexpected connections, and moments of intimacy and compassion which occurred in our DK group, as well as understanding more about troubling emotions as part of our work in the academy ... not sure if this is helping - but here is the abstract.
‘Soon it would be dusk: the liminal hour – the Daylight Gate.
He did not want to step through the light into whatever lay beyond the light.’
(Winterson, 2012:3)
This paper is concerned with troubling emotions felt or aroused in all aspects of academic practice, including teaching, learning, research and relationships. It discusses the emergent processes of a research group whose multi-disciplinary interests coalesce around discomfort, disturbance and difficulty in the processes of higher education. We talk about what happened in the space when we explored the liminal landscapes of troubling knowledge. The paper draws upon social, philosophical and psychodynamic perspectives on emotions (Boler, 1999; Pitt and Britzman, 2003) and Shotwell’s (2011) epistemology of ‘knowing otherwise’. In this paper, we discuss ways in which we created and worked with the permissive and loose space of our collaborative pedagogical research group. In this compassionate learning atmosphere, we shared stories of ‘troubled’ academic work. Through this paper, we seek to contribute to a critical understanding of troubling emotions and the work of compassion in higher education. We do this by exploring their educative value in different learning spaces, and by sharing the sense of quiet hope that has enriched our everyday lives.
Cath Gristy
HOME TO SCHOOL TRANSPORT IN CONTEMPORARY SCHOOLING CONTEXTS: AN IRONY IN MOTION
by CATH GRISTY and REBECCA JOHNSON
This paper explores ‘home-school’ transport in contemporary schooling contexts in England. Home-school transport is a complex issue lying between government departments, policy frameworks, research and professional disciplines. It is complicated further by commercial and private interests alongside social and public ones. Informed by an interdisciplinary literature the authors argue there is an urgent need to develop understanding of the position of home-school transport policy and practices in contemporary schooling contexts, particularly in relation to school choice making and enactment. This paper calls for research to inform the development of home-school transport policy and practices that are socially just and sustainable.
Garry Hornby
Hyatt, C. and Hornby, G. (2017). Will UN Article 24 lead to the demise of special education or to its re-affirmation? Support for Learning, 32(3), 288-304.
Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) contains the first legal enshrinement of the right to inclusive education for people with disabilities. The UNCRPD maintains that children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have a basic human right to be educated in mainstream schools. However, this does not take into account their moral right to receive the education most appropriate to their needs. Therefore, it is asserted by this review that fully implementing Article 24 may not be in the best interest of all children with SEND. Article 24 calls for all countries to implement a fully inclusive education system, thereby rendering special education provision obsolete. This review article provides a critique of this possibility, addressing the issues and practical implications involved.
Suanne Gibson
September publication of journal ‘Pastoral Care in Education’ special edition ( The politics of care compassion and concern in the academy’), which I edited with a colleague at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. It has 3 papers authored by colleagues at the Institute; Emma and Joanna, Sofia, Louise. See link below for further details- e etc.
Special Edition- Pastoral Care in Education (2017), 35, 3 - edited by Suanne Gibson and Delia Baskerville: ‘The politics of care, compassion and concern in the contemporary academy’ http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rped20/current
Valerie Huggins
Valerie and her partner David Evans have co-edited a new book for TACTYC as part of their research informed professional development for Early Years practitioners.
This innovative and timely book explores issues and concerns surrounding Education for Sustainable Development in early childhood, providing a range of perspectives on how we can live and promote more healthy, just and sustainable lives. It examines the professional responsibility of Early Years practitioners to embed sustainability into their everyday practice and to ensure that young children are acquiring the knowledge and skills they need to become effective agents of change, committed problem-solvers and system-thinkers.
Bringing together international examples of best practice, drawing on cutting-edge research, and providing an array of practical examples, chapters focus on issues such as:
- the historical context of Early Education for Sustainability
- complexities and challenges involved in implementing sustainable approaches
- encouraging children to contribute to an enabling society
- adopting environmentally sustainable approaches in Early Years settings
- the future of sustainability in Early Years education.
This book offers essential support to Early Years educators, practitioners and students who are key players in shaping the fundamental attitudes and beliefs of our planet’s future citizens, enabling them to assume their responsibilities, now and in the future, in regard to environmental, social and economic sustainability.
Sofia Chanda-Gool and Chris Mamas
Chris Mamas and Sofia Chanda-Gool have recently published an article "Becoming Others" in the Special Edition of Pastoral Care in Education September 2017 ( Sofia Chanda-Gool & Christoforos Mamas (2017) ‘Becoming others’, Pastoral Care in Education, 35:3, 192-202, DOI: 10.1080/02643944.2017.1363810. To link to this rticle: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02643944.2017.1363810) ! This article draws upon rich, qualitative data gathered in collaboration with our early childhood studies students. We set up groupwork to explore our different experiences of childhood and discuss things that mattered to us. This group work was exciting and successful in bringing us together. Our learning within this context was enjoyable, creative and insightful.
Furthermore, The Journal for Learning Development in Higher Education ( JLDHE) has accepted another article we have written to be published in their first edition for 2018. This article "Coming from Somewhere Else" establishes why our group work is important within the contemporary political climate for universities. It identifies what we developed and, in what ways our group work was successful. As with Becoming Others it also includes some vibrant and moving quotations from the students.