scholarly journals Building Bridges Across Diversity

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah King ◽  
Fiona Measham ◽  
Kate O'Brien
Keyword(s):  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Correctional Institution ◽  
Social Barriers ◽  
Women's Prison ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Inside Out

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Programme is a unique prison education programme that brings together ‘Inside' (prison) students and ‘Outside' (university) students to learn collaboratively through dialogue and community-building exercises within the prison walls. Challenging prejudices and breaking down social barriers, the programme provides students from diverse backgrounds with a transformative learning opportunity. Drawing on the critical pedagogy of Paolo Freire and the teaching practice of bell hooks, Inside-Out instructors engage in ‘teaching to transgress,' enabling students to understand experientially the ways in which every day and commonplace environments are shaped by privilege and inequalities. The programme was founded 20 years ago by Temple University criminologist Lori Pompa in collaboration with incarcerated men at Graterford State Correctional Institution in response to the racial injustice and mass incarceration that characterized the US criminal justice system. Durham University criminologists introduced Inside-Out to the UK in 2014, at three very different prisons: a men's category A (high security) prison, a men's category B (medium security) prison and a women's prison. A decade on the government's introduction of the Widening Participation agenda in higher education (HE), with levels of inequality in and access to HE, particularly within Russell Group Universities, is persistently high, Inside-Out challenges this lack of diversity in HE head on. This article explores how the Inside-Out ethos and pedagogy are powerful means through which inequalities rooted in gender, ethnicity and privilege can be exposed and challenged within the unique prism of the prison setting. Quantitative and qualitative data from three years of programme delivery across the three prisons will be drawn upon. The article will argue that the Inside-Out model can overcome social barriers and prejudices to embrace and celebrate diversity; support students to critically explore their own beliefs and identities; and go on to utilise this educational experience to foster social change on both sides of the prison walls.

scholarly journals Shape-shifting and pushing against the odds: staff perceptions of the experiences of first generation students in South Africa and the UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Forsyth ◽  
Claire Hamshire ◽  
Danny Fontaine-Rainen ◽  
Leza Soldaat
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Staff Perceptions ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
University Life ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe principles of diversity and inclusion are valued across the higher education sector, but the ways in which these principles are translated into pedagogic practice are not always evident. Students who are first in their family to attend university continue to report barriers to full participation in university life. They are more likely to leave their studies early, and to achieve lower grades in their final qualifications, than students whose families have previous experience of higher education. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a mismatch between staff perceptions and students’ experiences might be a possible contributor to these disparities. The study explored and compared staff discourses about the experiences of first generation students at two universities, one in the United Kingdom (UK), and the other in South Africa (SA). One-to-one interviews were carried out with 40 staff members (20 at each institution) to explore their views about first generation students. The results showed that staff were well aware of challenges faced by first generation students; however, they were unsure of their roles in relation to shaping an inclusive environment, and tended not to consider how to use the assets that they believed first generation students bring with them to higher education. This paper explores these staff discourses; and considers proposals for challenging commonly-voiced assumptions about students and university life in a broader context of diversity and inclusive teaching practice.

Listening to the Experiences and Concerns of Pre-Service Teachers During Teaching Practice Programme

2021 ◽  
pp. 14-27
Author(s):  
Darshana Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
Teacher Education Programme ◽  
Practice Teaching

Teaching Practice is widely recognised as the sine-qua-non of any teacher education programme. It is a component in the teacher preparation programme where prospective teachers are provided with an opportunity to put their theoretical studies into practice, get feedback, reflect on practice and consequently further improve their teaching skills. As teaching practice is an important component of a teacher education programme, considerable attention must be given to make it more effective and fruitful. This paper is based on a research study conducted to know pre-service teachers' experiences of the quality of teaching practice and the common concerns they have during teaching practice. On the basis of focussed group discussion a total of five themes were identified, these are (1) usefulness of teaching practice (2) experiences/concerns with pupils' behaviour (3) experiences/concerns with own behaviour (4) experiences/concerns with supervisors' behaviour (5) experiences/concerns with institutional and personal adjustments. The outcome of the focussed group discussion was used to prepare a structured questionnaire. Among other things, the study recommended rigorous practical training in lesson planning, demonstration lessons by teacher educators, simulated teaching before the commencement of practice teaching, school orientation programmes, a separate internship of two weeks and writing a journal by student teachers during teaching practice.

Hidden speech, private thoughts: a case study in peer conversation and educational choice

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-168
Author(s):  
Cherry Canovan ◽  
Rory McDonald ◽  
Naomi Fallon
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Educational Choice ◽  
Older Students ◽  
Friendship Group ◽  
Great Relevance ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Peer Conversation

The role of peer and friendship-group conversation in educational and career choices is of great relevance to widening participation (WP) practitioners, but has been little studied in recent years. We interviewed young people and WP practitioners in Carlisle, an isolated city in the UK, to interrogate this subject. We found that young people were clearly discussing their future choices, sometimes overtly and sometimes in 'unacknowledged conversations'. However some topics and ambitions were seen as 'too private' to discuss; all of our young people had a plan for the future, but many believed that some of their friends did not, possibly because of this constraint. We also discuss the role of older students in informing choices, the phenomenon of 'clustering' that can lead to young people funnelli ng into certain options, and the role that geographical isolation might play in exacerbating some effects. Finally we give some recommendations for WP practice based on these findings.

Editorial

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Eva Cendon ◽  
John Butcher
Keyword(s):  
Further Education ◽  
University Education ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
The North ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
International Perspectives ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
International Sector ◽  
The Uk

This general edition of the journal provides insights and results of research employing a wide range of approaches and perspectives on widening participation and lifelong learning. Studies from across the UK and international sector utilise different methodological approaches, and as such are particularly interesting, with diverse methods and ways of analysis, including phenomenographic, narrative, and thematic analysis. Overall, the articles range from exploratory case studies and small-scale research to wider range and broad scale studies, highlighting different facets and perspectives. Furthermore, the articles in this volume cover a broad spectrum of institutions and places involved in widening participation, with an emphasis on the (higher) education sector in the UK balanced by international perspectives. The first seven empirical articles are based on research activities in a secondary school, a youth centre, in further education colleges (usually focusing on post-compulsory secondary or pre-university education), in so-called post-92 universities (new(er) universities, formerly Polytechnics and teacher training colleges), and last but not least in a research intensive Russell Group university. They reported challenges from the specific local contexts of different regions in England, from the South (Chichester) to London to the North (Carlisle), and can usefully be framed in the context of international discussions appearing later in the journal.

scholarly journals The National Stroke Strategy – Is it Achievable?

2009 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
pp. 641-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
TD Reid ◽  
LJ Finney ◽  
AR Hedges
Keyword(s):  
Education Programme ◽  
Medical Emergency ◽  
Minor Stroke ◽  
Amaurosis Fugax ◽  
Symptomatic Carotid ◽  
Public Response ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
Mean Waiting Time ◽  
Rapid Access Clinic ◽  
The Uk

INTRODUCTION Timing of intervention in symptomatic carotid disease is critical. The UK Department of Health's National Stroke Strategy published in December 2007 recommends urgent carotid intervention within 48 h, in appropriate patients, who have suffered a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), amaurosis fugax or minor stroke. Despite the running of a rapid-access clinic for patients with symptoms of TIA, the time from symptom to surgery is rarely less than 2 weeks. To date, there has been little published research on the UK public response to the symptoms of TIA, and no study at all of the response of primary care to such patients. The aim of this study was to ascertain both these responses to see whether a 48-h target is achievable. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 402 men attending our aortic aneurysm screening sessions were asked to complete a questionnaire requesting their most likely response to an episode of amaurosis fugax or TIA. All 45 GP practices in the hospital catchment area were asked how they would respond to patients requesting to be seen with the symptoms used in the questionnaire. RESULTS Nearly one in six patients would ignore the symptom unless it recurred, approximately half would request a GP appointment and a third would see an optician if they had amaurosis fugax. The mean waiting time to see a GP was 2 days for a routine appointment and within 24 h for an emergency appointment. CONCLUSIONS It is clear that a significant number of people would ignore the first symptom of carotid ischaemia; for those with amaurosis fugax, nearly a third would initially seek help from their optician. Those given a routine GP appointment would have to wait a minimum of 2 days. If the Department of Health is serious about reducing the incidence of stroke and introducing a target of 48 h from symptom to treatment, then there needs to be a wide-spread public and healthcare education programme, in particular alerting opticians and GP receptionists that these symptoms constitute a medical emergency.

Parenting Programs for Imprisoned Mothers

1992 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Glasser
Keyword(s):  
Parenting Programs ◽  
Women Prisoners ◽  
Correctional Institution ◽  
Federally Funded ◽  
Incarcerated Mothers ◽  
Major Goal ◽  
Self Identity ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Women's Prison ◽  
Imprisoned Mothers

From 1987 to 1990 more than five hundred women participated in federally funded parenting programs at the Connecticut Correctional Institution at Niantic, the only women's prison in Connecticut. The major goal of the parenting programs was to maintain and strengthen the bond between incarcerated mothers and their children. Previous research had indicated that 70 percent of women prisoners are mothers of children under eighteen years old and that over 80 percent of the mothers intend to be reunited with their children after release. (See Phyllis Jo Baunach, Mothers in Prison, New Brunswick: Transaction Books, 1988; and Linda Abram Koban, "Parents in Prison: A Comparative Analysis of the Effects of Incarceration on the Families of Men and Women," Research in Law, Deviance, and Social Control 5[1983]: 171-183.) Issues of mothering are central to the lives of women prisoners, and strengthening a woman's self-identity as a mother and her knowledge and skills in parenting has been thought to have a major impact on her chances for success upon release from prison.

scholarly journals Risk, Choice and Social Disadvantage: Young People's Decision-Making in a Marketised Higher Education System

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 110-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheryl Clark ◽  
Anna Mountford-Zimdars ◽  
Becky Francis
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Disadvantage ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Tuition Fees ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
High Achieving Students ◽  
Risk Choice ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship

Rising tuition fees in England have been accompanied by a policy mandate for universities to widen participation by attracting students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This article focuses on one such group of high achieving students and their responses to rising tuition fees within the context of their participation in an outreach scheme at a research-intensive university in the UK. Our findings suggest that rather than being deterred from attending university as a result of fee increases, these young people demonstrated a detailed and fairly sophisticated understanding of higher education provision as a stratified and marketised system and justified fees within a discourse of ‘private good.’ Our analysis situates their ‘risk’ responses within the discursive tensions of the fees/widening participation mandate. We suggest that this tension highlights an intensified commodification of the relationship between higher education institutions and potential students from disadvantaged backgrounds in which widening participation agendas have shifted towards recruitment exercises. We argue that an ongoing effect of this shift has resulted in increased instrumentalism and a narrowing of choices for young people faced with the task of seeking out ‘value for money’ in their degrees whilst concurrently engaging in a number of personalised strategies aimed at compensating for social disadvantage in a system beset by structural inequalities.

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