Dr Vicky Gunn, Glasgow University, joined our EDDG meeting in May for an interesting and stimulating debate on equality and diversity issues in the post school curriculum. During the session, Vicky highlighted the Single Equality Duty, the 6 equality strands, multiple identities, student resilience, confidence, self esteem and several other issues encroaching on a college campus culture. Vicky discussed some of her own and other recent research into LGBTQ issues. Due to Government legislation in the 80's and 90's, there is a large and noticeable gap in research in this area in Britain. Opportunities still exist for more research at college level to measure the climate of tolerence/intolerance in student campus life.
Find out more about Vicky's research by linking to her blog at:
http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/qee/vg/pmwiki.php/Main/EqualityAndDiversity
To view the slideshow Vicky prepared and presented for the College look under the LGBTQ section where you'll see a pdf named Stevenson.pdf. Click on the link to open the slideshow.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
care facilities in Helsinki
We have visited 2 facilities today, and have one more to visit in the afternoon. The first visit was to a care home for older people. This was an excellent resource providing both residential and day care. The major differences seem to focus around ensuring that people remain physically active. There is a customised gym which is used a lot to maintain the physical mobility of both residents and people attending the day care centre. There is also a sauna, and we have begun to realise how important this facility is to Finnish people. These are adapted , if necessary for people with disabilities.
The second facility was a day centre for people who have mental health problems. This was based an an old Finnish house, and had a very welcoming atmosphere. Everyone shares daily living tasks, including buying food from local markets, cooking and cleaning. There is great deal of focus on inclusion and encouraging people not only to maintain their mental well-being, but also to be physically active.
We have returned to the college for our free mid-day meal, which is delicious. Lunch meals are free to all staff and students. These are well presented, nutritious, and put our lunches to shame. The tables all have flowers and sometimes paper cloths. the whole environment looks really environment and there doesn't seem to be any problems encouraging students to tidy up.
As Helsinki seems to be a weave of trees and water, the landscape always seems to be very appealing , with a natural feel. It's a bit like being in Centre Parcs !
The second facility was a day centre for people who have mental health problems. This was based an an old Finnish house, and had a very welcoming atmosphere. Everyone shares daily living tasks, including buying food from local markets, cooking and cleaning. There is great deal of focus on inclusion and encouraging people not only to maintain their mental well-being, but also to be physically active.
We have returned to the college for our free mid-day meal, which is delicious. Lunch meals are free to all staff and students. These are well presented, nutritious, and put our lunches to shame. The tables all have flowers and sometimes paper cloths. the whole environment looks really environment and there doesn't seem to be any problems encouraging students to tidy up.
As Helsinki seems to be a weave of trees and water, the landscape always seems to be very appealing , with a natural feel. It's a bit like being in Centre Parcs !
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Hello from Helsinki
Here we are in our partner college in Helsinki. It's been a hectic couple of days with lots on information given re the changing curriculm of education in Finland, with more emphasis on vocational qualifications and integrated teaching. Many of the concerns, and challenges are similiar to our own: not enough teaching time, students who struggle to take responsibility for thier learning, just teaching to the outcomes.
The staff are very interested in what we are doing at Stevenson re assessment is for learning, the PDP unit and our tutorial system. They are hoping to visit us within the next year to exchange ideas and learn a bit more about our approach. Meanwhile, I'm hoping to persuade them to contribute to the blog !
We have visited some interesting care settings with lots more planned. There is a very positive attitude to people with disabilities and older adults, but they have the same concerns re lack of public funding. An 8 am start to the day makes sure we are not idle!
The weather is very hot ,and Helsinki is a very interesting city, with a lively design culture. Hopefully, we will be able to see it bit more of it when we have a bit of free time on Friday. The apartment we have is lovely, with a sauna, and a balcony. We are staying near a Marina, surrounded by forests, and hope to go for a boat trip around the archipelago .
Hopefully we will have the opportunity to update you on our visits later in the week.
Karen and Sue
The staff are very interested in what we are doing at Stevenson re assessment is for learning, the PDP unit and our tutorial system. They are hoping to visit us within the next year to exchange ideas and learn a bit more about our approach. Meanwhile, I'm hoping to persuade them to contribute to the blog !
We have visited some interesting care settings with lots more planned. There is a very positive attitude to people with disabilities and older adults, but they have the same concerns re lack of public funding. An 8 am start to the day makes sure we are not idle!
The weather is very hot ,and Helsinki is a very interesting city, with a lively design culture. Hopefully, we will be able to see it bit more of it when we have a bit of free time on Friday. The apartment we have is lovely, with a sauna, and a balcony. We are staying near a Marina, surrounded by forests, and hope to go for a boat trip around the archipelago .
Hopefully we will have the opportunity to update you on our visits later in the week.
Karen and Sue
Prof. Frank Coffield on e-learning
In this short video, Professor Frank Coffield considers the implications of technology for adult learning contexts. He also touches on the responsibilities of tutors and senior managers who are truly committed to e-learning ..,
Thursday, May 21, 2009
FERRN summer seminar, 11 June 2009
The forthcoming FERRN summer seminar will be held at Perth College UHI on Thursday 11 June 2009.
Key speakers include:
Workshops:
Key speakers include:
- Professor David Smith, Co-Director of the Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning talking about "Colleges and students in transition: what should be on the research agenda"
- Carey Normand, Programme Director, Teaching in the College Sector, University of Dundee
- Karen Lawson, Teacher Fellow Stevenson College Edinburgh
Workshops:
- ETNA: online survey of ICT skills in Scotland's Colleges
- Copyright and VLEs
- SPSS
- Virtual classrooms
More information from: Alma
Thursday, May 14, 2009
How to kill creativity ...
If you like a laugh, but, would also like to hear some interesting ideas about creativity's difficult relationship with education, then watch this presentation from Ken Robinson. His talk centres around children; however his general points are, I think, relevant to anyone working in education.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Reflections on a research conference in Stirling: Coffield and Gallacher
A handful of us from the college attended the Research in FE conference in the SFEU (now Scotland’s Colleges) on Monday.
The purpose of the day was to highlight some of the research activity (and the challenges involved with that activity) in the FE sector.
The day started off with an intriguing conversation, anchored by John McCann, between Frank Coffield and Jim Gallacher.
John McCann is the SFEU’s Deputy Chief Executive. Frank Coffield is an Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Education, University of London. Jim Gallacher is an Emeritus Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University.
These two Emeritus professors provided a rich personal, political and academic context for the day’s discussions. Coffield, although originally from Glasgow, has spent most of his academic career in England – his research, therefore, reflects the situation of FE south of the border. However, most, if not all, of his general points about FE there could be seamlessly transferred to the Scottish context. Gallacher provided a well-informed research and policy-making from the Scottish perspective.
What came across from both men was a passion and commitment to teaching and learning in general and, more specifically, a desire to make research more central to the working lives of FE teaching staff.
We don’t all need to be off working on research projects, but, as teaching professionals, we should all be familiar with important research developments relating to FE.
The Coffield-Gallacher conversation highlighted a number of issues. One theme was the importance of research evidence in the development of education policy. There was some discussion about the differences between Scotland and England, however it was interesting, if not unsurprising, to hear an eminent scholar such as Coffield provide insight into the reality of education policy making at the very highest level.
It seems clear that educational policy nationally and, at the college level, institutional systems are not, as we might expect, always based on sound educational research. The pragmatics of politics and business models are not easy to align with pure educational goals. It was refreshing to see the lid peeled off some off the rhetoric surrounding educational policy initiatives.
There was, from the delegates’ perspective, a real desire to get involved with research. How that would happen wasn’t so clear. What was clear was that colleges need to make a clear and unambiguous commitment of resources if they want the research to happen. One of the points that I kept coming back to was time. This is the resource which FE lecturers cherish most and have least of. Coffield himself acknowledged that the demanding teaching schedules of FE lecturers left little room for them to get involved in new initiatives.
There is little doubt that FE lecturers could never, nor should they, match the level and type of research activity that is conducted in HE. However, there is a place, I think, for a model of research which is customised for the needs, and the realities, of FE.
In saying that, and this came up a couple of times at the conference, research in FE needs to ensure that it maintains academic integrity. At one stage a cautionary voice articulated a concern that research might be used, or influenced, to bolster management agendas.
But this lone voice reflected a more general anxiety which informed a lot of the discussion – that there is a fundamental problem inherent in the corporate model of education which FE institutions are structured upon. Coffield’s important article asks us to “Just suppose teaching and learning became the first priority” (see very first EDDG post in October 2008). It is hard to see how teaching and learning will ever be the first priority in a system that, in reality, puts the economic ahead of the educational.
But let’s not get too dark and brooding. Let’s finish on a positive note. Those of us attending from Stevenson came away with a renewed passion for what we do and, in particular, a desire to move forward in terms of research.
I’ll let Karen fill out the details, but I’d not be surprised if some sort of a cross-college research group was soon born.
Of course, all of this rambling is merely drawn from the chaos of my memories of Monday. As that was a lifetime ago (it's now Friday), I'd welcome some comments from other participants of the conference. Between us we might just be able to produce an accurate reflection of the day's proceedings.
The purpose of the day was to highlight some of the research activity (and the challenges involved with that activity) in the FE sector.
The day started off with an intriguing conversation, anchored by John McCann, between Frank Coffield and Jim Gallacher.
John McCann is the SFEU’s Deputy Chief Executive. Frank Coffield is an Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Education, University of London. Jim Gallacher is an Emeritus Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University.
These two Emeritus professors provided a rich personal, political and academic context for the day’s discussions. Coffield, although originally from Glasgow, has spent most of his academic career in England – his research, therefore, reflects the situation of FE south of the border. However, most, if not all, of his general points about FE there could be seamlessly transferred to the Scottish context. Gallacher provided a well-informed research and policy-making from the Scottish perspective.
What came across from both men was a passion and commitment to teaching and learning in general and, more specifically, a desire to make research more central to the working lives of FE teaching staff.
We don’t all need to be off working on research projects, but, as teaching professionals, we should all be familiar with important research developments relating to FE.
The Coffield-Gallacher conversation highlighted a number of issues. One theme was the importance of research evidence in the development of education policy. There was some discussion about the differences between Scotland and England, however it was interesting, if not unsurprising, to hear an eminent scholar such as Coffield provide insight into the reality of education policy making at the very highest level.
It seems clear that educational policy nationally and, at the college level, institutional systems are not, as we might expect, always based on sound educational research. The pragmatics of politics and business models are not easy to align with pure educational goals. It was refreshing to see the lid peeled off some off the rhetoric surrounding educational policy initiatives.
There was, from the delegates’ perspective, a real desire to get involved with research. How that would happen wasn’t so clear. What was clear was that colleges need to make a clear and unambiguous commitment of resources if they want the research to happen. One of the points that I kept coming back to was time. This is the resource which FE lecturers cherish most and have least of. Coffield himself acknowledged that the demanding teaching schedules of FE lecturers left little room for them to get involved in new initiatives.
There is little doubt that FE lecturers could never, nor should they, match the level and type of research activity that is conducted in HE. However, there is a place, I think, for a model of research which is customised for the needs, and the realities, of FE.
In saying that, and this came up a couple of times at the conference, research in FE needs to ensure that it maintains academic integrity. At one stage a cautionary voice articulated a concern that research might be used, or influenced, to bolster management agendas.
But this lone voice reflected a more general anxiety which informed a lot of the discussion – that there is a fundamental problem inherent in the corporate model of education which FE institutions are structured upon. Coffield’s important article asks us to “Just suppose teaching and learning became the first priority” (see very first EDDG post in October 2008). It is hard to see how teaching and learning will ever be the first priority in a system that, in reality, puts the economic ahead of the educational.
But let’s not get too dark and brooding. Let’s finish on a positive note. Those of us attending from Stevenson came away with a renewed passion for what we do and, in particular, a desire to move forward in terms of research.
I’ll let Karen fill out the details, but I’d not be surprised if some sort of a cross-college research group was soon born.
Of course, all of this rambling is merely drawn from the chaos of my memories of Monday. As that was a lifetime ago (it's now Friday), I'd welcome some comments from other participants of the conference. Between us we might just be able to produce an accurate reflection of the day's proceedings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
