Community for Learning and Teaching Newsletter
September 2023
Issue 46
CFLAT headlines
Lucy Tiplady recently shared the Breeze Forest School research through a webinar with Harriet Menter (Scotswood Garden) for the Forest School Association. A recording can be accessed through their public archive.
Sam Shields was on Woman’s Hour (BBC Radio 4) on 23rd August, discussing her research into the experience of working class women at university. Listen from 23:25 minutes in.
Hanneke Jones retires from Newcastle University this month. On 19 September, her last day in the office, we raised a glass to her many contributions and wished her well!
Pam Woolner has a piece in The Conversation.
René Koglbauer was recently invited to give oral evidence at the Education Select Committee on teacher recruitment and retention (12th September, Palace of Westminster). Watch the proceedings.
Churchill Fellowship for Sue Robson
Showing that retired CfLaT members don’t retire, they just go on to other projects, Sue Robson has been awarded a Churchill Fellowship. This will enable her to undertake a project focusing on Supporting the Learning and Wellbeing of Autistic Pupils. Her project addresses the need identified in the Government Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Review 2022 to improve support and enhance outcomes for autistic pupils.
Sue aims to explore research models in the US and Australia, where there is greater investment in innovative participatory or collaborative research into quality of life and learning of autistic people. She hopes to identify and share research and practice methods that could be implemented in the UK.
Sue would be keen to hear from teachers, parents or pupils who would be interested in hearing how the project progresses, or discussing findings. She would particularly welcome hearing from anyone with relevant experience who might be interested in joining an advisory group to guide the project to achieve useful recommendations.
For more information, please contact Sue.Robson@ncl.ac.uk
Cultural narratives
In the last week of August, CfLaT was visited by Prof Jenny Charteris from the University of New England, Australia.
Jenny used a hybrid ‘extra Research Tea’, attended by CfLaT friends in Newcastle and beyond, to tell us about her latest work. This is centred on the use of cultural narratives to inform school building in Aotearoa New Zealand. We enjoyed vivid images of new generation school buildings while Jenny talked about the significance of pūrākau (cultural narratives) in their design. There then followed a much wider discussion about which values are promoted in schools, and the cultures and voices of the communities in which they are based.
Jenny was mainly here to collaborate with Pam Woolner on school design research and her visit included a trip to see the new buildings at Kingston Park Primary School. But her research interests are much wider than this, as the broad discussion at the tea demonstrated.
Forensic approach to Project Based Learning with Durham Sixth Form Centre
Dr Alison Whelan and Dr Fei Wan Lee from Durham Sixth Form Centre have been collaborating this year to embed a Project Based Learning (PBL) approach into Fei’s BTEC Forensic Science course.
Committed to enabling and sustaining curriculum innovation, the initiative focused on ways to support teachers to embed a PBL approach into the Further Education BTEC curriculum.
Alison and Fei explored the impact on students, particularly looking at their engagement with a more interactive, authentic approach, and the connection with employment and higher education. The project was funded by a Newcastle University Faculty Impact Award, and allowed Alison and Fei to spend time creating resources for students linked to the PBL principles and collect regular feedback from them.
The course was launched with a mock crime scene, where students wore protective clothing and used specialist equipment to collect and analyse evidence following real police procedures.
The students went on visits to Teesside University and a law court, and welcomed visitors into DSFC from professionals including former police officers and forensic scientists. Feedback was incredibly positive, with student comments like:
“They gave me a better insight into what that area of work consists of”
“I think the interactive approach really helped me to understand it more, so it’s been very helpful in trying to grasp concepts.”
"They helped confirm the career choice that I want to pursue”
Students showcased their learning by making a video in the college’s media studio to be used for promotion at future open days.
Using Fei’s class as a case study informed the creation of teacher PD materials, including a video, website and training booklet.
For more information: alison.whelan2@ncl.ac.uk
New ELC blog
In the Newcastle University Educational Leadership Centre, Lisa Ramshaw, René Koglbauer and Steph Bingham have been busy developing a collection of blogs about leadership and related issues.
The intention to share think pieces spanning a variety of educational topics and discussion areas. These are organised into four collections and each blog is also categorised according to whether it focuses on theory, practice or reflection, or presents a case study.
There are already plenty of pieces to read, but more will be added.
CFLAT at the 2023 Education Research Conferences
The main British and European education research conferences (BERA and ECER) were both back in person this year after several years of online and hybrid formats. CfLaT members were at both to present their research and catch up with their contacts.
ECER was held, from 22 to 25 August, at the University of Glasgow. It was strange to travel such a short distance, with no need of a passport, to mingle with the usual diversity of scholars from all across Europe and beyond.
CfLaTers who attended included Karen Laing presenting her PhD work on activist research and Lucy Tiplady speaking about Forest School. David Leat and Eric Fletcher talked about PBL while Anja Giudici gave an interdisciplinary paper analysing statements about education from European political manifestoes. Pam Woolner contributed to a two part symposium to present findings from Collaborative ReDesign with Schools (CoReD) with cowritten papers from all the European partners.
A very well attended keynote was given by Prof Mark Priestley about curriculum making, drawing on his work on the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence, which is not as excellent as educators in England might think! Watch the lecture.
Just a few weeks later, from 12 to 14 September, BERA took place at Aston University in Birmingham. With over 1000 delegates, it was the biggest BERA conference ever. The event kicked off with a panel discussion featuring two previous Newcastle University and CfLaT colleagues, Professors Vivienne Baumfield and Rachel Lofthouse, and the conversation continued to flow from there.
The emphasis was on collaborative research and knowledge exchange, and there were fascinating sessions from academics, practitioners, and a keynote from New Zealand-based Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith on “Decolonising research, shifting relations of power and reimagining education research futures”.
CfLaT colleague Alison Whelan presented twice, with our 22-23 psychology placement student Katherine Clements, on her recent projects with Blyth Tall Ship and PBL in the BTEC curriculum. In the Newcastle University Educational Leadership Centre, Lisa Ramshaw, René Koglbauer and Steph Bingham have been busy developing a collection of blogs about leadership and related issues. The intention to share think pieces spanning a variety of educational topics and discussion areas. These are organised into four collections and each blog is also categorised according to whether it focuses on theory, practice or reflection, or presents a case study. There are already plenty of pieces to read, but more will be added. Access the collection here: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/ecls/study-with-us/lifelong-learning/elc/ elcblog/ NEW ELC BLOG CfLaT at 2023 Education Research Conferences
As always, both conferences were inspiring and empowering. We’re already excited for next year’s 50th anniversary BERA Conference in Manchester and ECER 2024 in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus.
CFLAT Research Teas, Autumn 2023
Please see details below of upcoming CfLaT research teas. These will be held in KGVI.B83.iLabLearn with tea and coffee available from 3.30 and the session running 3.45-4.45 If you would like to join via Zoom please get in touch with Lucy Tiplady.
Wednesday 4th October 3.30-4.45pm: Professor Sue Nichols, University of South Australia - Ecological approaches to researching learning across diverse spaces
Wednesday 22nd November 3.30-4.45pm: Dr Stephanie Holton, Senior Lecturer in Classics, Newcastle University - Transformation through Co-Creation
For further information on CfLaT research lunches and teas and/or if you are interested in discussing some of your own research please contact Lucy.Tiplady@ncl.ac.uk.
This year's conference papers: October 2022 to September 2023
Chiwara, Kudzaishe, Anna Christy, Jonathan Lee, Micha Newman, Andy Oroke, Amina Razak, Kirijana Yogaratnam (2023) Students as Partners: Reflections of a student-staff co-creation project. At Learning and Teaching Conference 2023, Student Centred Education, Newcastle University.
Coelho, C., Cordeiro, A., Woolner, P., Thomas, U. (2023) Survey on Students’ School Spaces: Student Feedback as a Step Towards the Co-creation of School Spaces. As part of: User Engagement in Redesign of School Space: Tools and Experiences Derived from the CoReD Research and Development Project. At European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), Glasgow.22-25 Aug 2023.
Giudici, A. & Germann, M. (2023) Families vs State: One World, Regional Worlds, or Partisan Worlds of Educational Authority? At ECER, Glasgow, 22-25 Aug 2023.
Giudici, A. & Pultar, A. (2023) A Nativist Meritocracy: Far-right Perspectives on Education and Citizenry. At ECER, Glasgow, 22-25 Aug 2023.
Jack, Christine, Elaine Ashton, Kate Conn, Carolyn Letts, Sean Pert, Emily Preston, Naomi Rose, Helen Stringer, Cristina McKean (2023) Responding to COVID-19: how early years settings supported children’s language and communication development and encouraged parental partnerships. At European Early Childhood Education Research Association, Estoril Convention Center, Estoril, Lisbon, Portugal, 30 Aug – 2 Sept 2023.
Jack, Christine, Elaine Ashton, Kate Conn, Carolyn Letts, Sean Pert, Emily Preston, Naomi Rose, Helen Stringer, Cristina McKean (2023) Promoting oral language development in Early Years settings – an exploration of current practice. At British Educational Research Association (BERA), Aston University, Birmingham, 12 - 14 Sept 2023.
Koglbauer, R. (2022) Newcastle University’s response to the skills challenge. At the launch of Tech Talent Engine, Sunderland Software City, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, 7 Dec, 2022.
Koglbauer, R. (2023) Contributing to local economic growth: A regional approach to the skills challenge. At the Universities UK: Degree Apprenticeships and higher technical education conference, February 2023 (virtual).
Koglbauer, R. (2023) Zukunft der Sprachen und die Rolle von nationalen und internationalen Sprachverbänden (Future of languages and the role of national and international language associations). At the FIPLV conference on Future of Languages in Helsinki, Finland, 9 June (virtual).
Laing, K. (2023) Developing a model of co-learning for activist research-practice partnerships. At ECER, Glasgow, 22-25 Aug 2023.
Leat, D. & Fletcher, E (2023) ‘What’s Going On?’ Project Based Learning and Wider Curriculum Outcomes. At ECER, Glasgow, 22-25 Aug 2023.
Ralls, D. (2023) Joining the dots: becoming relational through education theory, policy and practice. European Network for Social Policy Analysis (ESPANet) Conference,7-9 September 2023, Warsaw, Poland
Razak, A. (2023) Student-Staff partnerships in narrowing the Black degree-awarding gap. As part of BERA symposium, Degrees of Difference: ‘BAME’ Awarding and Attainment Gaps in Higher Education, BERA, Aston University, Birmingham, 12 - 14 Sept 2023
Tiplady, L. & Menter, H. (2023) Supporting Children and Young People’s Wellbeing and Engagement in Education through Forest School: a School-Community Partnership in England, Network 8 Health and Wellbeing Education, At ECER, Glasgow, 22-25 Aug 2023.
Tiplady, L. & Todd, L. (2023) The VOICES Project: Challenging Notions of Vulnerabilities Through an Asset-Based Approach to Research. At Network 4 Inclusive Education, ECER, Glasgow.22-25 Aug 2023.
Wan Lee, F. & Whelan, A. (2023) Enabling and sustaining curriculum innovation: supporting teachers in embedding a Project Based Learning (PBL) approach into the Further Education BTEC curriculum. At BERA, Aston University, Birmingham, 12 - 14 Sept 2023.
Whelan, A., Davenport, B. & Clements, K. (2023) How can the implementation of heritage skills workshops have a positive, sustainable impact on individual and community wellbeing? At BERA, Aston University, Birmingham, 12 - 14 Sept 2023.
Woolner, P. (2023) Jesmond Gardens Primary School. At Rede Escolar – 20 anos de Transformação, Viseu, Portugal, 25-26 May 2023.
Woolner, P., Stadler-Altmann, U., Bøjer, B., Tiplady, L. (2023) Diamond Ranking: How a Tightly Structured Activity with Photographs Frees Practitioners’ Thinking about Educational Spaces. As part of: User Engagement in Redesign of School Space: Tools and Experiences Derived from the CoReD Research and Development Project. At ECER, Glasgow, 22-25 Aug 2023.