• November
• October
• September
• July
• March
• February

November

The Elaine Hurman Prize for the PGCE in Modern Foreign Languages

Established by John Hurman in memory of his wife, a former PGCE student and teacher of MFL

A prize of £200 will be awarded annually to a PGCE student in Modern Foreign Languages for demonstrating particular expertise in eliciting oral responses in the target language in class, either between pupils working together (in pairs or groups) or between pupils and student teachers. Such responses could take several forms: one example would be effecting successful outcomes in information-gap tasks designed for oral practice or production; another example would be eliciting regular and varied instances of the spontaneous use of the spoken target language.

In making the award, account will be taken of class histories as it is acknowledged that they can affect the level of student achievement.

Eligible students will be nominated by mentors and the successful candidate will be recommended for the prize as a result of tutor judgement of their classroom proficiency in the above areas.

October

Three ESRC invites applications under the 2003 Seminars Competition

Seminar Groups are multi-institutional groups of academic researchers, postgraduate students and non-academic users who meet regularly to exchange information and ideas with the aim of advancing research within their fields. Where appropriate, Seminar Group members should be drawn from industry, government departments and other relevant organisations as well as from academic institutions. We would particularly encourage Seminar Groups explicitly designed to bring together leading researchers from across disciplines to identify new research agendas or capacity building priorities.

Funding is available for UK HEIs and Independent Research Institutes (approved by the ESRC) to undertake these research seminars. For this year's competition, the ESRC expects to make approximatly 50 awards of up to £15,000 each for a maximum period of two years. An additional £3,000 will be made available for applications in which a strong case is made for the inclusion of international academics at events, or the holding of events abroad.

Of the 162 applications received under last year's competition 50 awards were made, which represents a success rate of 31%.

The closing date for applications is Monday 15 January 2007.

Further details can be found on the ESRC website

Connecting Birmingham: Cultural Diversity and Heritage Seminar

A seminar devoted to Cultural Diversity and Heritage was held at School of Education on 19 September. Organised by Dr Malcolm Dick and Professor Ian Grosvenor, the meeting included academics, archivists, curators and librarians and research students from several schools. The event was supported by the University of Birmingham’s Heritage, Cultural Production and Interpretation Collaborative Network.

The aims of the seminar were to map research and other activity in the heritage area across the University and explore how the University might build on links that had already been developed between academics and local museums and archives. The creation of research institutes in the University provided an opportunity to focus academic investigation upon an area that was attracting a lot of public attention and funding.

Three people provided short papers. Dr John Carman, Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity, explored different definitions of heritage and how the University could examine international dimensions of heritage and identity. Dr Tahir Abbas, Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Culture, noted how heritage should connect with issues such as equality, participation and representation. Birmingham’s diverse demography and culture encouraged connections between the local and global. Sian Roberts, Connecting Histories Project, Birmingham City Archives, outlined how her project enabled different communities to engage with heritage, learning and historical understanding. University-based research could provide knowledge, expertise and evaluate the quality of heritage activities.

There was collective agreement that the day’s programme should be taken forward. These were likely options in the short-term:

• Seek to create a database of individuals with interests in the heritage area within and outside the University.
• Enhance links with existing areas of activity such as the Ironbridge and Shakespeare Institutes and the Centre for Birmingham and Midlands History.
• Develop networks and projects with organisations and communities outside the University.
• Organise a seminar series to focus on themes that were raised today.
• Raise the profile and accessibility of University collections.
• Create a web presence – possibility through the CRN website.
• Explore a role for public education, for example by links with existing University day and summer school programmes.
• Hold an international conference in two years time devoted to heritage and diversity issues and connect other conferences with this theme.   

September

A comparative Study of International Students' Intercultural Experiences

Michele Schweisfurth and Qing Gu of the University of Nottingham ( a former School of Education student) have been awarded an ESRC grant for £71,679.13. In an increasingly competitive worldwide education marketplace, there has been a growing level of concern over the extent to which British universities are continuing to provide appropriate levels of responsive support for international students. This two-year research is designed, within this policy context, to investigate the experiences of first-year international students during their undergraduate study at four UK universities, examining how they adapt (or so not adapt) over time to the British educational and social environment.

Questionnaire surveys of 800 students and in-depth case studies of a sub-sample of ten of these students will provide new data documenting the way in which personal, educational and situational factors impact on international students, the way these students react and adjust in different conditions and at different times during the course of their studies, and how such experiences impact on them personally and on the pursuit of their studies.

The research will develop a theoretical model that describes the interactive impact of various factors on the intercultural adaptation of international students over time. The findings will inform the provision of high quality academic and personal support to international students and contribute to the improvement of the developing internationalisation of UK higher education.

Inclusive Design and Development of Virtual Environments for social understanding of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: the 'YourWorld' project.

Funding for the YourWorld project was received from the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and Third Eye to run focus groups to discuss the ways virtual reality technology could be used specifically in educating children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to make recommendations for new virtual environments to be build.

The project was launched by the Minister for Social Exclusion, Hilary Armstrong MP. in June 2006 and is a collaborative partnership between the Universities of Oxford (Prof. Anthony Bailey and Dr. Simon Wallace) and Birmingham (Dr. Sarah Parsons).

The technology works by digitally 'stiching' together images projected onto the walls and ceiling of a blue screened room, creating an immersive virtual environment that can be explored without the need to wear goggles or headsets. An essential part of the project is to seek the views of key potential stakeholders about how the technology could help to facilitate learning and in what specific ways. In June 2006, focus group members including children with ASD, were invited to third Eye's studio in Durham to see existing commercial virtual environments (including a helicopter ride, being in a submarine, an underwater scene and a street scene). They made a number of suggestions for how the technology could be used to help in understanding different social situations. Some of these suggestions will now be developed into specific scenes and children's responses (both with and without ASDs) and interpretations will be explored.

Children as Decision-makers

Members of the Centre for International Education and Research, together with colleagues at the Universities of East Anglia and Leeds and St Martin's College Lancaster, have been awarded an ESRC grant to hold a seminar series. The series will explore critically the opportunities and constraints of involving children in making decisions, challenging the power relationships between adults and children, and considering such issues from an international perspective. The first seminar will be held at the UAE in autumn 2006; a seminar will be held at the School of Education in Birmingham early in 2007.

July

Epilepsy Action Research

A team from the University of Birmingham has funding from Epilepsy Action for a one year project to look into the understanding of epilepsy by children with, or without, epilepsy. One of the aims is to produce guidelines for schools to help them explain epilepsy to other children and so help the inclusion of all children and young people with epilepsy.

Learning and Teaching for Social Diversity

 The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (the ESRC) as a joint project with the University of Wolverhampton between January 2006 and April 2008. It will explore the learning and teaching environment within Higher Education to improve the academic engagement and participation of all students within an expanding and diverse student population. The project will do this through exploring the relationships between university students’ and teachers’ conceptions of themselves and each other within their respective roles, of knowledge and knowing and of learning and teaching.

March

ESRC Research Studentships available at the University of Birmingham School of Education

Only applicants who meet UK/EU residential criteria are eligible

*** ESRC Quota Awards for 2006***

The School of Education invites applications from well qualified applicants for two ESRC funded studentships (1+3 or +3 awards). Ours is a vibrant School, 5-rated in the last three RAEs, where you will be part of an excellent, research-led learning community. We are keen to see your research proposal.

Standing Conference on Muslim Youth Work - Conversations and Actions

Developing strategies for Muslim Youth Work

Wednesday 29 March 2006, Hilton Bradford

This event followed on from the National Conference on Muslim youth work in December 2005 in which a conversation was initiated on Muslim youth work with challenging contributions from leading thinkers, writers and practitioners working in situations in which Islam as an identity or experience has significance.

The first conference initiated a conversation that participants wanted to see continue; this conference moved to shape this into actions. The aim was that by the end of the day each participant was able to take away with them the raw material required for a strategy document, action plan or project that can inform their interventions and conversations. Key agencies with an interest or role in developing services to young people were invited to be a part of this conversation. The feedback repeatedly stated that a platform or standing conference needs to be established that informs Muslim youth work or work with young Muslims and brings into prominence the voices of youth workers and others who are directly involved in work with young people but who may not be in positions to be heard due to institutional hierarchies or cultures of leadership and representation. The action agenda that emerges from this conference will be the ‘reason for existence’ of the standing conference. This conference is not a dialogue or mapping exercise about 7/7 or 9/11; it is about making ‘youth matter’ for Muslim young people.  

February

ESRC 1+3 recognition for the academic years 2006 and 2007

The School of Education, the largest such school in the region and one of the largest in the UK, has achieved a 5 in each of the last three Research Assessment Exercises (RAE). This is a very high rating indicating research of international excellence. We have won ESRC 1+3 recognition for the academic years 2006 and 2007, with four quota studentships funded by the ESRC over this period.