University of Bristol
The School of Education at the University of Bristol has a long and proud history of women’s education. This June, our PGCE History student teachers explored the work and achievements of Dr Eliza Walker Dunbar (1845–1925): a pioneering physician, campaigner and founder of the Bristol Private Hospital for Women in Berkeley Square – now home to the School of Education. (more…)
All stories have a beginning, and this one starts with an idea. Our protagonists, Ilyass Amin and Habby Salaben, knew they belonged to a community in need; they saw it and felt it, but they also knew they could do something about it.
Ilyass already had a MSc in Water Treatment Engineering before moving to the UK, but he had dreams of becoming a teacher and educator. The first step was as a science technician, firstly at Bristol Grammar School and then at Cotham School.
Joining Cotham School was the catalyst for change. Here Ilyass met Simon Neville, and they began to have conversations about the Bristol education system, its inequalities and what could be done to improve it. They shared the concern that young people – from marginalised communities from areas such as East Bristol – were being left behind and needed extra support to fulfil their educational potential. Ilyass also became interested in training to be a science teacher via the PGCE programme at the University of Bristol.
Helen Aberdeen, Senior Lecturer in Education, PGCE Subject Lead, Modern Foreign Languages, School of Education
Recent policy documents and reforms in teacher education have led to an ever stronger imperative for teachers and trainee teachers to engage with research. The most recent Ofsted inspection handbook (2020) for initial teacher education (ITE) describes a good curriculum as one which ‘is designed to ensure that trainees engage with up to date or pertinent research findings’.
This aspiration is reflected in the Core Content Framework (CCF) for ITE, published as part of the wide-ranging reforms to teacher education in 2020. The CCF lays out a minimum level of core knowledge and skills which all trainees should acquire during their training. It consists of a series of ‘know that’ and ‘know how to’ statements, aligned to the 8 Teachers’ Standards. The ‘know that’ statements purport to be based on the ‘best available evidence’, and the foreword to the CFF (2019) encourages trainee teachers and their mentors to engage more deeply with the detailed bibliography ‘to support their critical engagement with research.’ (more…)
Lucy Kelly, University of Bristol
Teachers in England are struggling. A recently released government report on the working lives of teachers found that teachers’ wellbeing levels are lower than the general population. More than half of the 11,177 teachers and school leaders surveyed said that their job was negatively affecting their mental health.
Teacher wellbeing should be addressed at a structural level. If the government wants teachers to enter the profession, and continue in it, then changes around pay, working conditions and support for teachers’ mental and physical health need to happen.
In the present moment, though, there are also steps teachers can take for themselves to prioritise their wellbeing. My research focuses on how keeping a diary can be useful to teachers. It can give them a safe place to define what wellbeing means for themselves and to explore what it means in practice. What’s more, there’s no reason why this practice couldn’t be helpful for others, too. (more…)
By Dr Lorna Smith, Senior Lecturer in Education (PGCE English), School of EducationIt is a truism that English is a humane subject and hence that all humanity should be represented and celebrated. Yet there are, in practice, significant hurdles that mean that Black, Asian and minority ethnic students are marginalised in English classrooms. These students rarely see themselves represented in literature; if they are, racial stereotypes are perpetuated; and lessons on these texts are mostly taught by white teachers. This blog focuses on positive action happening in the PGCE English programme to ensure that all students can feel engaged and visible in all English lessons – and that includes learning from some global majority students themselves. (more…)
Blog by Dr Lucy Kelly, PI (Principal Investigator) for the ‘Reimagining the Diary’ project, which explores diary-keeping and reflective practice as a positive tool for teacher wellbeing.So despite another national lockdown, it’s been a busy start to the year for the ‘Reimagining the Diary’ project. Myself and Martyn from Teacher5aday are now working with 82 teachers across the country, each of whom has received a physical Diary Toolkit (pictured below) to chart their wellbeing journey over the term. It’s been lovely hearing such wonderful feedback on the Toolkits. I think receiving something so beautiful during lockdown had a really positive impact – symbolising connection and a new chapter for everyone – and I’m looking forward to seeing how this phase progresses. (more…)