When there’s a global pandemic, many things come to a grinding halt. In the first lockdown of 2020, we saw universities move to online teaching – see my previous reflection on this here. The importance and value of online tools such as Microsoft Teams for video calls, and the innovative… Continue reading
“When explanations make no senseWhen every answer’s wrongYou’re fighting with lost confidenceAll expectations goneThe time has come to make or breakMove on, don’t hesitateBreakout” (Swing out Sister, 1986) The lyricists behind ‘Breakout’ were prescient, as a ‘need’ for breakout spaces within platforms used for online teaching can sometimes be seen… Continue reading
As Care Leaver Co-ordinator for UK Student Recruitment, I had my first experience of leading Microsoft (MS) Teams sessions over the summer; ‘Preparation for University’ webinars for external offer holders. Using MS Teams with these participants has prompted me to reflect on how I can support engagement, through my actions… Continue reading
The typical child will learn to listen first, then talk, then read, then write. In life, most of us tend to use these abilities proportionately in roughly the same order: listen most, speak next most, read next most frequently and write the least. Yet in educational assessment and feedback, and… Continue reading
Institutional responses to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have necessarily prompted a sharp and sudden change in learning and teaching as both staff and students move to what we’re calling ‘a virtual campus’. In the context of self-isolation and social distancing, this reflects a wider trend across the sector. The cancellation… Continue reading
“In all of my work in education, there has never been a more motivating or driving force than student voice.” Andrew Marcinek (Educator) Note: These five easy steps are based on my own personal learning experiences as a Programme Leader and Portfolio Lead on the BA Education Studies and Childhood… Continue reading
Two-year degrees, often referred to as ‘accelerated degrees’, are intensive degree programmes that offer increased flexibility in Higher Education (HE) with the traditional three years of study condensed into a two-year period. Accelerated degrees are becoming a more appealing option for many students seeking HE study (Baty, 2017; Cabral and… Continue reading
Using that Sociological Imagination in assessin’ and feedin’ back A prevalent feature in our programme is the ‘Sociological Imagination’ – a term coined by C. Wright Mills (1959:6) emphasising ‘the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society’. This is reflected in our research and teaching, as… Continue reading