Category: Forum

Resources of Hope

Share your resources and your thoughts!Dear students, teachers, educationalists, researchers and the local and wider community,   We hope you are keeping well and safe in what is a unprecedented time. We are aware that many will be self-isolating and with the current lock-down, home will be your haven. In these times when a lot…

Poetry and creativity as a tool for consciousness raising

Creativity and Transformation Poetry and art can be drawn upon to engage learners in a critical dialogue. Creativity opening a space for transformation. Using multimodal approaches which includes, poetry and images can be a tool for emotional expression and consciouness raising. The confidence that arises from creativity can be a source of hope and strength in the private and public domains learners enter.

Below are poems –  penned a number of years ago – I continue to draw upon them in my lessons to stimulate discussion and encourage learners to shape their ideas and emotions through language and creativity. The poems and the themes that arise from them still resonate as dialogic resources in the classes I teach. Creativity…

Sharing stories of transformation

Sharing Adams story with a group of all boys gave them something that they could identify with as they had followed a similar pathway. The group were able to reflect on their own journeys and how much they had progressed since joining college. Sharing parts of my own journey and Marie’s with a group of…

Twitter for Educators – All About Community

As a long time user of Twitter in both my personal and professional life, when I became a trainee teacher I automatically looked for ways that Twitter could support my practice and well-being. Initially, I thought about Twitter as a tool I could use directly with my students and, indeed, my very first micro-teach was…

If we want to continue to Transform lives we need the transform ourselves?

I am proud to have been involved in Further and Adult Education for over 40 years. Firstly, as teacher, learner, lecturer, manager, Vice Principal and Principal and now privileged to be chair of governors at Northern College in Barnsley an Ofsted double rated ‘outstanding’ provider of Adult residential education. In all those years I have…

The Naked Vocational Trainer

My professional career began after completing secondary education in 1965 and gaining employment with British Telecom in central London. There I learned the concepts of life-long learning and continuing personal development and it was a natural progression to become professionally involved in the vocational training of electricians and apprentices in 1989. While studying for an…

Reimagining Further Education

Suzanne Savage (@teachersavage) of Birmingham City University writes: While the government and media continue focussing on the growing number of young people entering universities at age 18, there is a notable absence of attention to the two-thirds of 16-18 year olds who attend a further education college in England. And the fate of students not…

Reimagining Further Education Conference

Time to Reimagine Suzanne Savage reports on a recent conference at Birmingham City university: “While the government and media continue focussing on the growing number of young people entering universities at age 18, there is a notable absence of attention to the two-thirds of 16-18 year olds who attend a further education college in England.…