Ken Jones (guest speaker) 9/1/12

    

Ken Jones came into our lecture to talk to us about education today. Mr.Jones  gave us some background knowledge of education. He told us that Leighton Andrews is the current Minister for Education in Wales. Today in education international tests are run called “PISA’s” these were brought out in 2006 to compare results throughout schools.

“The PISA results confirm that we have made progress across the board”

The Welsh Assembly

Today there are PLC’s these are Professional Learning Communities. They bring teachers together and focus on specific challenges.

Graham Allen (guest speaker) ASSINGMENT

    On the 21^st February 2012, Graham Allen the Environmental Manager at SMU came into our lecture to talk to us about “Education for sustainable development.” As I did Geography at A level this particularly interested me as I had learnt about sustainability last year at college.

    Mr. Allen gave us a quote from Kofi Annan. It read:

"Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract –   sustainable development - and turn it into a reality for all the world's people".

Kofi Annan is a diplomat, the “Kofi Annan Foundation works to promote better global governance and strengthen the capacities of people and countries to achieve a fairer, more secure world.” (http://kofiannanfoundation.org/)

    Mr. Allen explained that there are 300 definitions of sustainable development. Which quotes are accurate we ask ourselves? The most commonly quote however is from Gro Harlem Bruntland. Bruntland is the Director General of the World Health Organisation. In 1987, he said:

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

After showing us many quotes from very important people and what they meant to him, Mr. Allen went on to tell us what Universities should be doing to help the environment. To improve he explained we should come together to make target goals and commitment. By doing this we all need responsibilities and effective communication so we can share our learning and knowledge. We should then monitor systems to access and report progress.

    As many think the rise in the worlds population is a bad think for pollution there are many benefits of growth:

·         More people = More companies = Creates employment

·         Better goals = Higher incomes

·         Hopefully a decrease in poverty as the world is getting richer

Today The National Assembly for Wales has a duty under section 121 of the government of Wales Act 1988 to promote Sustainable Development in the exercise of its functions, that is, in everything it does. This includes recycling, re-using and reducing! This is something I learnt in my Primary School. By learning this at a young age I understood the environmental problems and wanted to take action. “Action is our only hope.” (Allen)

I thourghly enjoyed Mr. Allens lecture and thought it was very relevant to today's society. It has made me want to do more in order to help the environment to tommorrows generation!

D Warner (guest speaker) ASSIGNMENT

On the 27^th March, 2012 Professor D Warner came into our University as a guest speaker. He taught us an Education Policy Lecture on Higher Education. I feel this lecture was similar to Mr Bennetts we had previously heard.

    Firstly Mr Warner showed us pictures of our University many years ago. It looked completely different and most of us did not recognize it when he asked us where it was. We were astonished to find out Swansea Metropolitan University has been here over 150 years! Mr Warner then went on to give us a list of universities and asked us to place them in an order. We had to think what came first. I wrote down that Bath Spa University was built first, I thought this as it is popular and situated in a large town. I was wrong as Aberdeen was shockingly built first in 1495.

   Mr Warner believes from experience that years ago University meant just teaching and researching. As he is vice chancellor at Swansea University he was now gone on to see that his perceptions of University has changed. Today he feels University enables learners to develop their capabilities and fulfil their potential. Higher education now contributes to an economically successful and culturally diverse nation. This promotes personal growth and a healthy society. By going onto Higher Education learners advance their knowledge and understanding through scholarships and research.

    Mr Warner then told us recent trends that were happening in the U.K today.

·         Firstly there is a female student increase.

·         There are ten times more post graduate functions today than ever before.

·         There is a part-time increase

·         Growth in international students

·         Balance of funding

All of the above show more reasons why HE is increasing today, learners are now being given better opportunities and want to reach their goals.

Nick Bennett (guest speaker) FE Policy ASSIGNMENT

   On the 6^th March, Nick Bennett the Principal of Gower College came in to speak to us as a guest lecture. His main objective was to show us an overview of further education in Wales. The Welsh Government is in charge of education in Wales and it is funded by a department of skills. Further education is non-compulsory, it is any level after compulsory education such as college and university. The Welsh Government has two major functions:

1.    Underpinning Social Justice

This includes:

·         Widening access

·         Second chances

·         Cultural awareness

·         Financial support

2.    Supporting the Economy

This includes:

·         Employer Engagement

·         Work based learning

·         Qualifications

·         Entrepreneurship

·         Business generation

By having these major functions it will eventually lead to teaching and learning. People will now be given equal opportunities by support where age, race and disability does not matter. The Government however are trying to bring in the Welsh Medium into role so more learners are able to speak and understand the Welsh language. The Government are also looking for high demands of progression to prepare learners properly for Higher Education.

    Mr Bennett then gave us some interesting statistics on the FE (Further Education) Policy. He told us that:

·         95% of students studying in Wales are actually Welsh

·         In 2009/10 there were 184,730 learners in Wales

·         The FE offers over 5,000 different qualifications in Wales

·         68% of the students are over 19

    Today the Welsh Government is trying to improve FE. To do this they are providing more financial support than ever before such as EMA. EMA is money for 16 to 18 year olds who want to continue their education after school leaving age. If you’re eligible, you could get £30 a week, paid every two weeks. University fee’s however are due to go up in 2012/13. The maximum tuition fee you can be charged in the academic year is £9,000. The actual amount you are charged can vary depending on your choice of university or college or course. Your university or college can confirm the exact amount you will be charged for your course. (www.studentfinancewales.co.uk)
    Mr Bennett also told us that in 1979 there were 40 colleges and today in 2012 there are only 17 colleges, this is because they have merged together creating bigger and better places for HE.

Suzie Pugh - pictures around the University

In todays session, Suzie got us to experiment with different emotions using a digital camera. We were each given an I-pod with a camera and then set off around the University. I did not have a specific emotion, I tried to find funny, unusual things about the place. Here is what I found:

Steve Gullick - What is Education 7/2/12 SEMINAR

    Today Steve gave us real life examples of Govening experiences that he's dealt with. He did not give any names so everything was confidential. The first handout was about Health and Safety. He gave us a situation on a school trip and we had to give a checklist on what we would do before going on a trip. We went around the class giving answers such as consent forms, first aid kit etc. Steve gave us 2 examples and then went on to explain whatr Strategic Planning is. We are now aware that SMT, staff and governers meet to produce a Develpment Plan.

Steve Gullick - What is Education 6/2/12 LECTURE

     Today we had a guest speaker in the lecture covering Andy. He was an ex Head Teacher, Steve was Head at a large school in Birmingham. In this lecture he talked to us about Governers, explaining what they were and what their roles are. Steve explained that there are 23,000 Governers in Wales, he then gave us a handout showing the main key roles. This includes promoting high standards, setting targets and managing the school budget. Steve then went onto who is included in the Govening body. It is built up of parents, LEA's, Teachers, Staff, Community and the Head.
    Steve then gave us another hand out explaining how school governers interact with the teachers. I now know they do this by job interviews, informal visits to schools, celebrations and meetings.