Suzie Pugh - sense of place

In this session we got given our assignment title - "sense of place". This confused alot of us as we did not know exactly what the phrase meant. After examples and explanations were given to us by Suzie, most of us had a rough idea what we were going to focus on. I thought of fashion and art, I hopefully will combine both to make a portfolio and final peice. To understand in more detail Suzie gave us a huge sheet of paper, magazines and newspapers. In partners we had to cut out pictures that meant something to us and present it on the board like a collage. Lucy and I's collage consisted of pictures of holidays (beaches), cupcakes (making cakes with Gran) and the Welsh flag.

Suzie Pugh - objects of significance

In this seminar we had to bring in objects that showed specific significance in our lives. We had to bring in 3-5 objects, then get into groups of 3 and explain what they meant to us. After discussing we then had to pick 1 object and explain again in detail to the whole class. I picked my cars keys as I had my car for my 17th birthday. I received it off my parents and it was the best gift anyone could have ever given me! It has made me feel independant and more of an adult. Other people's included photographs, charm brakelets and a lot more crazy things. The stories behind the objects were very interesting and touching.

Steve Gullick (guest speaker) ASSIGNMENT

On the 6^th Feb 2012, Steve Gullick a previous Head Master came in to give us a lecture on Governors. Mr.Gullick explained that there are 23,000 Governors in Wales today. The majority are white, middle-aged and belong to a middle-class family.

     There are four types of Governing bodies:

·         The abdicators – these tend to believe that you should leave the work to the professionals such as the Head.

·         The adversaries – these visit the school often and keep a very close eye on all aspects of the school.

·         The supporters club – these offer advice and support the head.

·         The partners – these are the best Governors, they share everything good and bad by working in partnership with the head and staff.

Governors have many roles. The must meet up adleast 3 times a year to discuss results and plans for the school. The governing body is usually made up of parents of pupils, LEA (local education authority), teachers, other staff, community and the Head. A major duty the group have, is to employ staff. Governors interview employees and decide as a group who they will take on. They also decide whether or not to exclude pupils. The Governors approve the school budget, the more pupils in the school the money coming in. Mr.Gullick told us from experience that the Head Teachers cannot stop inspectors or Governors from coming into the school at any time. After explaining his perceptions on Governors, Mr.Gullick gave us a hand sheet with more in depth details. I now know that Governors:

1.    Conduct the school to promote high standards of educational achievement

2.    Set appropriate school targets for pupil achievement at Key Stage 2, 3 and 4

3.    Managing the schools budget – this includes staff pay

4.    Making sure that the National Curriculum is being taught

5.    Participating in the appointment of the head teacher and deputy head teachers and other staff and regulating staff conduct and discipline

6.    Finally drawing up an action plan after an inspection.

Mr.Gullick then gave us real world examples of Government Statements that he had heard.

“I expect local authorities to participate in consortia arrangements, including shared consortium services, or suffer financial penalties.”

Leighton Andrews, Written Welsh Government statement, 2^nd Feb 2011.

Mr.Gullick explained to us the contact between the school governors and the teaching staff. The only way both will meet each other is through job interviews, informal visits to schools and celebrations such as school concerts and productions. Some staff will see Governors at governing body meetings and staff disciplinary meetings. This means Governors have seen evidence of poor teaching, therefore will arrange training courses to progress.

     I thoroughly enjoyed Steve Gullicks talk on Governors, as my mum was a Governor in my Primary it is interesting to see exactly what they did and what they have achieved at my time in the school.



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.