School of Education

A School of Education autism expert is calling for more public spending on treatment for the 1 in 50 children in Northern Ireland who live with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Professor Karola Dillenburger from the Centre for Behavioural Analysis in Queen’s School of Education made the call as 200 experts from around the world arrive at the University to discuss the latest international developments in evidence based treatments for children with autism.

The third annual QUART conference (Queen’s University Autism Research and Treatment Forum) takes place at Queen’s today (Friday 20 September) and brings together researchers and practitioners, along with parents, carers and individuals with autism, to explore how behaviour analytic interventions can improve the everyday lives of children with autism. The event is open to the public.

Key speakers include Dr Lorri Unumb from US-based Autism Speaks – the world’s leading autism advocacy organisation. A lawyer and mother of three children, Dr Unumb was the chief architect of Ryan’s Law – named in honour of her autistic son - which reformed autism insurance law in South Carolina and served as a catalyst for similar reforms in over thirty other states. 34 US states now mandate by law that autism treatments must be covered by health insurance.

Professor Dillenburger feels Northern Ireland can learn from this approach, which has benefitted thousands of children across the USA by giving them access to the best possible treatment.

Professor Dillenburger said: “More than 16,000 families in Northern Ireland are directly affected by autism. The provision of evidence-based behaviour analysis-based intervention is vital in enabling these children to live fulfilled lives, and participate in the types of interactions that other families take for granted – such as going to school, forming friendships and playing with other children.

“While research from Queen’s and other leading research centres around the world has proven the benefits of behavioural interventions for these children, these interventions are not routinely and freely available to families in Northern Ireland

“Families living with autism face many challenges, not least of which is financial hardship due to the failure of public funding to provide ABA based interventions for autism. Parents who wish to access these kinds of individually tailored child centred, scientifically evaluated interventions for their children do so privately or through the support of local charities.

“Many countries, not least the USA, have legislated for the provision of scientific-based behaviour analytic treatments. In Northern Ireland, however, this level of support is not available. We have therefore developed the Simple Steps programme – a training resource that empowers parents and educates professionals in meeting the needs of children with autism. In the absence of widespread provision of scientifically validated treatments for our children, this resource will be invaluable in enabling children to overcome the challenges they face on a daily basis.”

The Simple Steps programme has now been adapted for use across Europe by the STAMPPP Project (Science and the Treatment of Autism: Multimedia Package for Parents and Professionals), with partners in Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, Spain, Germany and Norway.

The QUART Conference will explore the latest research supporting Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) as the most effective framework for treatment for autism. Outlining the case for ABA, Professor Dillenburger continued: “ABA is the application of the science of behaviour analysis to socially relevant behaviour. ABA treatments for autism are individually tailored, child-centred, and can produce remarkable results. The key to effective treatment for autism is to diagnose it as early as possible and provide early intensive behavioural intervention based on ABA. For the past four decades, ABA has provided effective treatment across the world. Aimed at enhancing people's lives in ways that they or their carers feel are important, ABA forms the scientific basis for a wide range of techniques to promote a full range of skills among people with autism. It can help break down barriers to learning that otherwise can isolate individuals diagnosed with autism, thus allowing them to reach their full potential and enhancing inclusion.”

The QUART Conference takes place at the Whitla Hall at Queen’s University from 9am-4pm. Admission is £20 for professionals and £10 for all others. For more information visit the Queen’s Centre for Behavioural Analysis website at www.qub.ac.uk/cba

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Applications are now being accepted for entry on to the PGCE commencing September 2014.  Applications should be made via the Direct Applications Portal.

The closing date for applications is the 1st November 2013 and further information on the course can be found here.

 

 

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Professor Laura Lundy and Dr Helen Stalford from the  European Children’s Rights Centre at the University of Liverpool have been commissioned by EuroChild to write a guide to children’s  participation rights which will be distributed to all those attending its 2013 conference  taking place in Milan.  Click here to link to EuroChild website.

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The ESRC is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. At any one time they support over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes. Professor Connolly will be joining one of the three Grants Assessment Panels that appraise and classify funding applications submitted to the ESRC across all of its responsive mode schemes.

The three panels are multidisciplinary bodies comprising up to 50 members in total representing research disciplines across the social sciences. Speaking of his appointment, Professor Connolly said: "This is a great honour for me and for the School of Education here at Queen's. It is further evidence of our standing within the wider academic community. Being a member of the Grant Assessment Panels represents a considerable responsibility and also opportunity to be involved in helping support the very best research across the UK."

Further information on the ESRC and Grant Assessments Panels can be found at: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-esrc/governance/committees/responsive-mode.aspx 

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Staff from the Centre for Shared Education have been invited to Mexico City to present at an international colloquium organised by the Human Rights Commission in Mexico City to celebrate their 20^th anniversary. The objective of the colloquium is to encourage a space for dialogue where multidisciplinary voices may consider how peace education may promote social justice, the respect for human rights, and the transformation of divided societies through non-violent solutions.

Invited speakers represent a diverse array of academics, practitioners, human rights promoters, and governmental institutions including representatives from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Human Rights Department of the United Nations in Mexico, National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, the Ambassador of Spain in Mexico, UNICEF, and UNESCO among many others.

Dr Danielle Blaylock will be a part of a discussion group exploring experiences of reconstruction of the social net and building a peace culture. She will be presenting research examining direct and indirect impacts of intergroup contact experienced by young people in Northern Ireland. In addition, Dr Blaylock has been asked to speak at a two day seminar following the colloquium at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional, Mexico’s national university for teacher training, in which she will discuss shared education in Northern Ireland.  

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The award-winning poet will be joined by several local writers, including Graham Reid and Carlo Gebler, in a ten-week programme The Blackbird Bookclub. Running in September and January, it is just one of hundreds of short courses on offer in Queen’s new Open Learning brochure.

From painting to public speaking, walking to wine appreciation, counselling to ceili dancing, and astronomy to assertiveness, Open Learning at Queen’s offers everyone the chance to try something new and enjoy learning in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. The latest round of courses begins at the end of September and online registration is open now at www.qub.ac.uk/edu/ol

Dr Cathal McManus, Open Learning Programme Co-ordinator at Queen’s School of Education, said: “At Queen’s we believe that learning should be lifelong and life-changing. Participation in education should be challenging, rewarding and, above all, enjoyable – and that’s exactly what’s on offer in this year’s Open Learning programme.

“Every year, we welcome thousands of people from across Northern Ireland who sign-up to pursue an existing interest or hobby, or to try something completely different. The courses are open to everyone, regardless of age or ability, and take place at locations across Northern Ireland. But many fill up quickly, so I would encourage people to enrol early online or phone 02890973323 / 02890973539 for more information.”

Highlights include a new course on Irish Storytelling, which is sure to get chins wagging by encouraging students to switch off the TV and tell a tale; and A Tale of Two Churches, which takes students on a tour of two of the oldest churches in Belfast – St Mary’s Catholic Church on Chapel Lane and First Presbyterian Church on Rosemary Street – in order to discover the spirit of ecumenism in eighteenth century Belfast.

Award-winning director Allessandro Negrini will explore the role of film in Italian politics from the rise of Mussolini to the modern day, in O Bella Ciao: Italian cinema from Mussolini to Berlusconi, while Lights, Camera, Austen! will examine how the writings of Jane Austen have been adapted for TV and film, from casting and costumes to screenplay and location.

China and the World explores China’s unique civilisation and rich culture, helping students understand its emergence as one of the world’s ‘big players, while those with an interest closer to home can explore The Placenames and Surnames of Ulster, and discover the roots and meaning of the names we utter every day.
Those looking for a more practical course can discover crochet, knitting, painting or learn how to play guitar, violin or tin whistle; while anyone on a quest for personal development can avail of courses in stress reduction, anger management or public speaking.

Further details on course availability.

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Staff from the Centre for Shared Education have been invited to California to attend a Colloquium for the Los Angeles Promised Neighborhood Schools programme (LAPN).

The Promise Neighborhoods Initiative is President Obama’s signature education and poverty program to transform schools and communities into vibrant centers of opportunity and excellence. The Youth Policy Institute (YPI) is the lead agency for the Los Angeles Promise Neighborhood and was awarded a $30 million grant by the U.S. Department of Education in December 2012. The Promise Neighborhood is transforming 19 neighborhood schools into full-service community schools while opening six Promise Neighborhood Centers and dozens of satellite centers. More than 60 partners have signed on to the  collaboration and all partners will be sharing data through the groundbreaking Efforts-to-Outcome data system.

Having attended the Sharing Education Programme conference in July colleagues from The Education Success Project and Loyola Marymount University felt that the collaborative approach of the Sharing Education Programme could provide clear lessons and practical examples for schools in the US. Dr Maureen Kindel from the Education success Project said that “frankly, we know of no other project than SEP that has gone out into the field and can say that 150 schools are collaborating because of their work.”

Mark Baker and Dr Gavin Duffy will be attending the conference and taking the opportunity to visit schools in Los Angeles that are in the early stages of collaboration. Professor Tony Gallagher has been involved with the LAPN since its inception and will be involved in presenting by video link.

Further information in the Los Angeles Promis Neighborhood can be found at http://www.ypiusa.org/lapn/

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Head of the School of Education, Professor Paul Connolly, has been invited to join the prestigious REF sub-panel for education. REF, the Research Excellence Framework, is the national system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. A number of national sub-panels have been established to assess research quality in differing subject areas and the results of the assessments will determine future government funding to higher education institutions for research.

Professor Connolly will join the national sub-panel of 20 leading academics in the subject area of education (Sub-Panel No. 25). Speaking of his appointment, Professor Connolly said: "I am absolutely delighted to be invited to join the REF sub-panel for education. It is a personal honour but also an important recognition for the School of Education at Queen's. The assessments made through this current REF process will have a profound effect on the way that higher education research is funded in the UK. I am thus very much aware of the significant responsibility that is placed on each of the REF sub-panels in this regard."

Further information on REF can be found at: http://www.ref.ac.uk

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A paper just published by Dr Sarah Miller, Professor Paul Connolly and Dr Lisa Maguire from the Centre for Effective Education demonstrates how better wellbeing is related to improved academic achievement for primary school children.  Interestingly they found that the positive relationship between wellbeing and achievement was the same for all children, regardless of their gender or socio-economic background.  These findings challenge existing suggestions that promoting wellbeing is especially important for students from deprived areas or for either boys or girls. As such, the authors suggest that there is no evidence to warrant a targeted approach to promoting wellbeing, either in terms of deprivation or gender and that, rather, a more universal approach to promoting wellbeing across the population would be appropriate in order to improve educational achievement.

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Ms. Jen Banks, a doctoral research student in the School of Education, has been awarded ‘Best Paper’ prize for her presentation at the June CiCe (Children’s Identity and Citizenship in Europe) Research Student Conference and Doctoral Workshop held at the University of Lisbon, Portugal. 

Jen was one of twelve students selected from across Europe to present a paper at the student conference. Her paper ‘Sustainability, Citizenship and Transformation’ was also selected for inclusion in the main conference proceedings.

Further information on doctoral research within the School of Education's Doctoral Research Centre can be found here.

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Dr Tess Maginess has been awarded a National Teaching Fellowship – the UK’s most prestigious award for excellence in higher education teaching and support for learning.

Dr Maginess, from outside Moy, is one of only 55 higher education staff from across Northern Ireland, England and Wales to receive the award of £10,000, which will support her professional development. Over 180 people were nominated for the Fellowships from the Higher Education Academy (HEA), which are open to staff whose teaching or support enhance the student learning experience.

Dr Maginess is Director of Undergraduate Programmes at the School of Education where she teaches, designs new modules and co-ordinates provision. She has strategic responsibility for the Open Learning programme which attracts thousands of students each year.

Dr Maginess said: “Queen’s prides itself on its world-class staff and teaching environment, which nurtures our students’ passion for learning. I am delighted to receive this honour for being part of that and for doing something that I love – creating new and exciting learning opportunities for students in the School of Education and for the whole community, who can avail of the University’s wide range of Open Learning courses. I am extremely grateful to my colleagues in the School of Education and to my students, without whose inspiration this Fellowship award would not be possible.”

Professor Craig Mahoney, Chief Executive of the HEA, said: "Becoming a National Teaching Fellow is a great honour and will undoubtedly lead to many new and exciting challenges, but I believe that it is students who will benefit most from these awards. Our students deserve the best possible learning experience and it is colleagues like those we celebrate who can make a real difference to their futures.”

The National Teaching Fellowship scheme is funded by the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.

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Elda Nikolou-Walker has been awarded the Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning 2013 Literati Network Award for Excellence for her work on a joint paper, "An examination, evaluation and analysis of work-based learning leadership within a higher education setting". The award recognises and rewards the efforts of the journal’s authors and celebrates the outstanding contributions many have made, not only to the journal, but to the body of knowledge itself.

Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning is the official journal of the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC).  The winning paper is available here.

 

 

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The Centre for Children’s Rights has been awarded a research grant by the Department of Justice to explore the legal needs of children and young people in Northern Ireland.

The project team consists of Ms Lesley Emerson and Dr Katrina Lloyd (Co-Principal Investigators),Professor Laura Lundy and Dr Karen Orr, with consultancy input from Ms Ellen Weaver. The project will involve a series of focus group interviews with children and young people to ascertain: met and unmet legal needs; barriers in accessing legal advice, information and representation; potential solutions to the barriers; potential future mechanisms for meeting identified legal needs.  This will be followed by an online survey of young people in Year 12 across a range of schools in Northern Ireland. The survey will be used to ascertain the knowledge and awareness that young people have of their legal rights, where they obtain information about their rights, and the extent to which the statutory curriculum is providing opportunities for this.

The project also involves a literature review and interviews with adult stakeholders.  Throughout the research project, the Centre for Children’s Rights’ team will work with a group of young co-researchers who will form a Young Person’s Advisory Group for the duration of the project. The young people, from Dundonald High School in Belfast, will assist in the design of the research and in the analysis and interpretation of the findings. They will also assist in producing a young person’s version of the final report.

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26th - 27th June 2013, Riddel Hall, Queen's University, Belfast

This year's Sharing Education Programme (SEP) conference examined the origins and develoment of shared education by focusing on those pioneers - the teachers, principals, governors and pupils who are at the heart of re-imagining how education is delivered in our society. The conference had four themes:

• Celebrating and evaluating what shared education has achieved so far
• Demonstrating impact using research evidence
• Exploring how shared education and collaboration can be transferred to other societies
• Thinking about next practice

Shared education is clearly impactful and the conference provided opportunities to disseminate and share practice and evidence both locally and internationally and in particular with other divided society contexts. The conference hosted both practitioner and academic expertise from various contexts where shared learning and school collaboration is important.

The conference agenda can be downloaded here.

For more information please contact Niki Moat - n.moat:qub.ac.uk - 02890 973801

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The Centre for Behaviour Analysis (CBA) is a collaborating partner with PEAT in a new grant funding from the Big Lottery under their Reaching Out Programme.

The PIPE project (Proactive Inclusion through Preventing Exclusion) will help young people who are disengaged from education or at risk of exclusion and disengagement.  The project will provide support to individual young people in their home/school setting, as well as social skills groups in each of the education board areas and a virtual buddy app for young people.

Training for parents and teachers will be provided in collaboration with the CBA at Queen's University Belfast which will also be involved in research, evaluation and consultation for the project.

Self-referral from parents, teachers and other professionals will all be accepted. The project should be up and running for the new school term (Sept 2013). For more information about this project please contact PEAT directly on 02890324882 and or email Lynsay@peatni.org

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Prof. Laura Lundy of Queen’s University, Belfast and  Professor Ursula Kilkelly of University  College Cork, two internationally recognised experts in children’s rights,  have been commissioned by Atlantic Philanthropies to undertake a two year project designed to advance children’s rights in Ireland. The project – which runs in parallel North and South – is focused on capturing the experiences and learning of Atlantic Philanthropies grantees in the area of children’s rights, and providing a space within which that learning can be shared. The project will have a significant international dimension, by providing opportunities for Ireland and Northern Ireland based grantees to meet and learn from each-other and their counterparts nationally and internationally on the most effective approaches to children’s rights advocacy. In line with the children’s rights-based focus, a core strand of the work will relate to and involve the participation of children and young people in advocacy.

The project will be conducted in two phases:

Phase I (2013): Information gathering to document and map the impact of children’s rights advocacy on children’s rights in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
More specifically:

• Desk-based reviews of reports and other research literature on Children’s Rights in Ireland, North and South with a focus on children’s rights advocacy.
• Interviews and focus groups with grantees about their experience of using children’s rights approaches in their advocacy work.

Phase II (2014): Building for the future – networking and sharing learning
More specifically:

• A series of events at Queen’s and UCC open to those working in children’s rights  advocacy to come together to share learning and best practice nationally and internationally and to build capacity.
• The findings and outputs from the research and investigations and training events will be made available in a report. Resources gathered and developed will become available on an on-going basis through the website: www.advancingchildrensrights.com

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Applications are invited from suitably qualified persons to enable the School of Education to compile a register of Tutors.  A list of subject areas for which applications are invited is set out below.

Successful applicants will be fully responsible for the delivery of teaching and conduct of assessment to agreed standards.  They will be engaged under a contract for services and will not be employees of the University.  More>>

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he UK-China Partners in Education (UKCPIE) Action Plan was signed in October 2011 in a bid to forge stronger links in higher education, vocational education and skills training.  The pilot will be “a work placement programme for UK students to provide them with the opportunity to learn about Chinese business, culture and language”.  The Ministry of Education approached Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS), the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL NI) and the British Council to establish an internship pilot scheme in Suzhou Industrial Park.

The 2500-year-old tourist city of Suzhou lies in the lower reaches of the Yangtze approximately 50 miles west of Shanghai. It has been officially declared part of "the coastal economic open zone of the Yangtze Delta". Comprehensive industrial system has taken shape and there has been tremendous expansion in foreign trade and international economic co-operation. Suzhou has currently sister cities in Italy, Canada, Japan and the US.

The prime aim is to provide students with an opportunity to live and work in China for an extended period of time, developing an awareness of the culture and language and gaining invaluable professional skills, knowledge and experience that will enhance their employability within a globally mobile workforce.  Such initiatives are welcomed by employers in the UK who are looking for well-rounded trainees with some life experience and an awareness of the world around them.

Outline of Programme

• internships for 6 to 12 months from September 2013 to August 2014
• 5 students from Northern Ireland will be recruited / 15 students from England will be recruited
• Students will apply directly to opportunities which will be advertised on the Chinese coordinating partner’s website and the interviews will be coordinated by British Council 

Eligibility

Full time students at an English or Northern Irish University or Higher/Further Education college completing:

• Undergraduate Degree
• Master’s
• PGCE
• PhD
• Nursing Diploma
• Foundation Degree
• HND

Students must be 18 years of age and over on commencement of programme and holder of a valid EU/EEA passport.

Role of Interns

The internships are varied. Below are examples of what is on offer:

• Marketing Coordinator
• Management Trainee
• Hotel Service
• teaching English at International Primary School and Kindergarten

Package for Interns

• monthly stipend of RMB2500 to RMB6000 (£250 to £600 approximately) – details given in advertisements
• accommodation during internship – details given in advertisements
• pre-departure and in-country briefings wherever possible
• free mandatory weekly Mandarin languages classes
• support from British Council throughout your placement and an English-speaking mentor from your host company

Costs to Interns

Students can expect to pay approximately £2000 to fund their trip.

They will be expected to meet the costs of:

• Return flight to China
• Private insurance
• Pocket money on arrival

The following costs will be reimbursed:

• Chinese visa
• UK and secondary (in-China) medical examinations

If you are a student and you think that you are eligible to apply for an internship, please contact Isabelle Martin at Isabelle.Martin@britishcouncil.org by Friday 7 June.

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The School of Education is delighted to report achieving a Gold standard award in this year’s NUS Green Impact scheme, which measures and gives accreditation for efforts to reduce carbon impact.  The Gold award acknowledges the wide range of environmental initiatives underway in the School of Education and the high level of engagement with them by School staff and students.  Many of the initiatives involve low level changes in habits which are easily accommodated and which build environmental considerations into as many School activities as possible. 

The most recent carbon reduction scheme is Ban the Bin, which has greatly increased recycling across the School, and upcoming changes include introducing online submission of coursework.  We are very grateful to all the staff and students who joined in with the School initiatives and contributed to this award.  As a University leader in carbon reduction, the School of Education is one of only a few Schools in the University to have achieved Gold standard this year.

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The Centre for Behaviour Analysis (CBA) is a collaborating partner with PEAT in a new grant funding from the Big Lottery under their Reaching Out Programme.

The project will help young people who are disengaged from education or at risk of exclusion and disengagement. The project will provide support to individual young people in their home/school setting, as well as social skills groups in each of the education board areas and a virtual buddy app for young people.

Training for parents and teachers will be provided in collaboration with the CBA at Queen's University Belfast which will also be involved in research, evaluation and consultation for the project.

Self-referral from parents, teachers and other professionals will all be accepted. The project should be up and running for the new school term (Sept 2013). For more information about this project please contact PEAT directly on 02890324882 and or email Lynsay@peatni.org

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To support the Review of GCSEs and A levels in N. Ireland that is currently underway, Queen’s University School of Education and CCEA Accreditation hosted a N. Ireland Qualifications Symposium on Thursday 2 May 2013 at Riddell Hall.

Seven speakers from across England, Wales, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland and N. Ireland presented on qualifications reform and policy implications from their different perspectives. With over 100 attendees from across the educational community and beyond, the event allowed those with a key role in education in N. Ireland to hear the presentation and discuss research both past and present on qualifications reform across the UK. It also provided an opportunity to consider how this can help N. Ireland as we deliberate future qualifications policy and reform.

More information can be found here or by contacting Prof. Jannette Elwood  

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During April, the School of Education is delighted to welcome Professor Tim Loreman as a Visiting Professor.
Tim Loreman is Professor of Education at Concordia University of Alberta, Canada.  His research interests include school inclusion, pre-service inclusive teacher education, childhood and pedagogy.  Amongst the scholarly activities undertaken during his visit, Professor Loreman  will conduct two Professional Development events on the theme of Inclusive Teaching.  The first will be attended by the School of Education's cohort of PGCE student teachers and the second by school Principals, Teacher Tutors and Special Educational Needs Coordinators representing our PGCE Partnership schools.

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Carrie Mitchell has just won the 2012 PhD Level ATLAS.ti IIQM Dissertation Award. This International Institute for Qualitative Methodology award comes hard on the heels of having already received the American Educational Research Association (AERA) 2012 Narrative SIG doctoral dissertation award for her thesis entitled: A Narrative Inquiry of women’s lives in Mugu, Nepal: identities, power relations and education

Carrie’s thesis questions assumptions around universal understandings of gender and education. Using a narrative inquiry approach, it focuses on the complex life-narratives of women from the remote Himalayan district of Mugu, Nepal.  Her thesis was commended by the awarding panel for its richly textured narrative analysis, which they said “makes a significant contribution to education by skillfully and beautifully presenting the meanings the women attach to education, and the barriers and opportunities they encounter.” Methodologically, her work is considered original in the ways in which it incorporates the local expressive tradition of local ‘deuda’ singing as well as life-story interviews and reflexive journalling.

Carrie will receive the ATLAS.ti IIQM award at the Advances in Qualitative Methods (AQM) Conference in spring, 2013, in Edmonton Canada, where she has also been invited to present major findings from her work.   Carrie  receives a $3000 cash award, ATLAS.ti software licence and complimentary ATLAS.ti training for this achievement.

Carrie is currently disseminating her findings back in Nepal but says she is absolutely delighted with the recognition she has achieved for her research. She is also extremely appreciative of the DEL scholarship that allowed her to pursue her studies and to the support of her supervisors, Professor Ruth Leitch and Dr Ulrike Niens in the School of Education.

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On Monday 8th April the Minister for Education, John O’Dowd, launched a report by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission ‘Education Reform in Northern Ireland, A Human Rights Review’ at Queen’s University Belfast.

The report was a result of research undertaken by a team from the Centre of Children’s Rights at QUB. The team, led by Professor Laura Lundy, Director of the Centre, also included Lesley Emerson and Katrina Lloyd from the School of Education and Bronagh Byrne from the School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work. The report provides a comprehensive review of the human rights considerations relevant to all areas of policy and practice in the formal education sector and attends to issues relating to: equality of access to schooling; access to effective education; the aims of education; human rights education; tolerance and respect for diversity; protection of individual rights in schools; human rights-based approaches in education policy. As Professor Laura Lundy stated: ‘Northern Ireland's education system is undergoing significant changes. It is important that these reforms meet international human rights standards and ensure that every child has access to an effective education in an environment which respects their rights.’

Speaking of the report, Minister O’Dowd said: ‘It is vitally important that from a young age we teach children about the importance of human rights. I therefore welcome the Commission’s report.’

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We have just published ournew Spring Open Learning prospectus and the programme is bursting with new opportunities for the months ahead.

In a new partnership with Belfast City Council, Open Learning offers a conducted tour of one of the city’s much loved but hidden treasures in The Botanic Gardens: An Insight. The new course Bird Watching for Beginners involves field trips to Victoria Park, Belvoir Forest and Belfast Water Works as just some of the opportunities to learn about our woodland birds and their habitats.

For the energetic there are courses available in Irish Ceili Dancing or Golf for Beginners and Golf for Improvers which are designed for all standards of golfers and cover all aspects of the game from the very basics to the interpretation of the rules.

In preparation for the summer holidays an array of language courses ranging from Holiday French, Spanish for Beginners to Let’s Speak Italian are available. Literature courses, incliding Conflict in American Literature, World Literature: Desert Island Books and Russian Literature’s Cult Novel: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov all promise to transport the mind to foreign shores.

Personal development courses include An introduction to Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Spring Clean Your Life. There are also computing courses including Get Creative with the iPhone & iPad and arts courses painting and drawing.

Cathal McManus, Director of the Open Learning programme, said: “Spring is all about getting ourselves active and our Open Learning programme is always responding to how adult learners tell us they enjoy learning. Walking tours exploring the fascinating layers of history beneath the buildings and builders of North and East Belfast are exciting additions to this year’s programme.”

Undergraduate Course Director, Dr Tess Maginess, said: “The Open Learning Programme has always distinguished itself for its focus on important contemporary issues, drawing upon the latest research across a wide range of subjects in our teaching and making it accessible to people in Northern Ireland.

“The Open learning programme attracts thousands of participants each year. And people come from as far away as Dublin and Derry/Londonderry to take part. There are no entry qualifications, and enrolling is easy, as participants can join the programme by going online, phoning, writing or by calling in to the Open Learning Office. There are a wide range of concessions available.”

For the full online Open Learning prospectus visit: www.qub.ac.uk/edu/ol

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We are very pleased to announce that Professor Soon-Won Kang from the Department of Christian Education, Hanshin University, South Korea has taken up a six month position as Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Education. Her interests lie in peace education in divided societies, with comparison between Korea and Northern Ireland. She will be exploring the development of citizenship education as a peace education initiative since her last visit to Northern Ireland.

Starting her career as researcher of “Third World” education Soon-Won extended her field to equality and justice in education, over-education in the capitalist economies, peace and human rights education in the divided society. She obtained her PhD at Ewha Woman’s University, South Korea and visited the University of Birmingham in 1994–1995 as a research fellow. She was Dean of the Graduate School of Education, Hanshin University, a member of the international advisory committee of UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding, and a member of the presidential advisory committee during the Kim Dae-Jung government 1998–2002 in South Korea.  She is president of Korean Association of Education for International Understanding since 2011.

Her books: Education in the Capitalist Society, Political Economy of Korean Education, and Peace and Human Rights Education.

Contact Dr Claire McGlynn

 

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New research from Queen's University Belfast has found that cross-sectoral shared education promotes better community cohesion and reduces the likelihood of developing prejudiced attitudes towards other communities.

The research, which was conducted across two separate studies by Queen's University and the University of Oxford, found that school children who shared classes with children from schools from different sectors were more likely to have positive attitudes towards the 'other' community. It also found that children had increased numbers of friends from different backgrounds and lower levels of anxiety and prejudice attitudes towards those from other communities.

The first study compared 577 secondary level pupils who participated in Queen's Sharing Education Programme with a matched group of non-participating pupils. Currently in Northern Ireland, more than 10,000 school pupils from 150 schools across Northern Ireland are benefitting from Queen’s successful Sharing Education Programme which aims to find new ways of sharing education in order to create new curriculum-based educational opportunities and in doing so sustain contact among pupils from different communities to help promote understanding and reconciliation.

The second study analysed cross-community contact experienced by 3,565 pupils in a mix of 51 Catholic, Protestant and Integrated secondary level schools across Northern Ireland. The study tracked pupils’ experience of contact and their responses to the ‘other’ community as they moved through second level education.

Both studies were consistent in finding that:

• Increased opportunity for contact leads to increased reporting of friends from the other community.

• As the proportion of other group friendships increases, so too do the levels of positive attitudes towards the other group.

• Cross-community friendships are associated with lower levels of anxiety felt towards the other group and reduces the likelihood of developing prejudice attitudes.

Lead researcher, Joanne Hughes, from the School of Education at Queen's, said: "This research aimed to test one of the most enduring theories in the social sciences - that positive contact with a member of another group, often a group that we negatively stereotype, can improve prejudiced attitudes, not just towards the specific member, but also towards the group as a whole.

"Our studies found that attitudes towards the 'other' communities were greatly improved as a result of participation in Shared Education and that levels of inter-community anxiety and prejudice were reduced. Many people in Northern Ireland value their own schools as they are important symbols of community identity, but this research shows the value of the Sharing Education Programme in recognising this concern for identity while also maximising contact and therefore improving community relations.

"The signs are all favourable in respect of the possibilities for shared education. However, current policy, whilst advocating sharing, offers no imperative for schools to work together on an inter-sectoral basis. We believe that our evidence provides a rationale for incentivising inter-sectoral sharing. Not only do the findings resonate with the Northern Ireland Executive’s commitment to a more harmonious society and the Programme for Government commitments to shared education, but the relationship-building effects of the Sharing Education Programme can help make the commitment a reality."

For more information on the Centre for Shared Education visit http://www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/CentreforSharedEducation/

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On Wednesday 6th March, Lesley Emerson, Deputy Director of the Centre for Children’s Rights, gave a presentation at the Children and Young People as Researchers (CYPAR) network seminar: ‘Engaging Marginalised Groups in Peer Research’ hosted at the National Children’s Bureau, NI.  Drawing on a number examples of research projects within the Centre, Lesley’s presentation focused on children and young people’s right to be engaged actively in the research process, the importance of peer research, and on a child rights-based approach to research in general.

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It has just been announced that Carrie Mitchell, recently graduated with a PhD from the School of Education, has been awarded the 2013 award for Outstanding Dissertation of the year by the American Educational Research Association, Narrative Special Interest Group (SIG). The award is for  her doctoral thesis, A Narrative Inquiry of Women’s Lives in Mugu, Nepal Identities, Power Relations and Education.   A judge from  academic committee said of her work, ‘it really is quite amazing, she is a beautiful writer and has such commitment to her participants.”  Carrie will be presented with her award in San Francisco at the annual AERA  conference. Her supervisors, Professor Ruth Leitch and Dr Ulrike Neins are both delighted at Carrie’s achievement, saying the award is richly deserved.

 

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Date: 15 March 2013
Time: 10am - 1pm
Venue: Riddel Hall, Stranmillis Road, Belfast BT9 5EE

This show case event by four leading researchers will allow you to hear first hand about the School of Education's ground breaking work. The event will give you the opportunity to learn more about some of our key programmes of research within the School and the impact we are having not just in Northern Ireland but nationally and internationally. We will be showcasing the work of our four research centres. Each centre is led by an eminent international authority in their area. Under their directorship, the four centres are taking forward impressive and highly innovative programmes of research.

What unites the four centres is a commitment to impact and to ensuring that our research leads to real change in transforming the lives of learners and educators.  This event will give you the chance to hear specific examples of how this is being done in practice and also to learn about our ambitious plans for the future.

Everyone welcome.

Download the event programme here.

RSVP to Jan Speer (TEl: 028 9097 3041, jan.speer@qub.ac.uk)

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Applications are currently invited for a Lecturer in Maths Education and a Lecturer in Educational Leadership. Further details can be found at: http://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/QUBJobVacancies/AcademicOpportunities/ 

For an informal discussion in relation to these posts please contact Dr Joy Alexander (Maths Education) or Dr Caitlin Donnelly (Educational Leadership).

The closing date for both posts is 11 March 2013. 

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Tony Blair recently told teachers and policy makers attending a Sharing Education event at Queen’s University Belfast that he believes a better future lies in educating young people to respect different faiths and cultures.
 
In a video message shown at Queen’s Sharing Education Conference, which was examining the delivery of religious education in Northern Ireland, Mr Blair told delegates: “If we want to create a more peaceful and harmonious world then we have to start by educating young people not just to tolerate, but to respect, those of a different faith and culture to their own.”
 
The former Prime Minister prepared the message for delegates on behalf of his Tony Blair Faith Foundation which promotes respect and understanding about the world’s religions through education and multi-faith action.
 
At the Sharing Religious Education event in Riddel Hall, representatives from his Foundation joined experts from across the world to speak about the different ways in which religious education is delivered.
 
Mr Blair said his Face to Faith programme is “Linking schools the world over, from Brisbane, to Beirut to Belfast,” and that he believes it has “many things in common with a shared approach to religious education in Northern Ireland.”
 
He also conveyed to those attending the event about his hopes for working together, saying: “I really hope we can work together so that our young people are properly equipped with the skills and attitudes and understanding that they will require in the world today.”
 
Currently in Northern Ireland, more than 10,000 school pupils from 150 schools across Northern Ireland are benefitting from Queen’s successful Sharing Education Programme which was launched in 2007. Funded by the International Fund for Ireland and the Atlantic Philanthropies, it aims to find new ways of sharing education in order to create new curriculum-based educational opportunities and in doing so sustain contact among pupils from different communities to help promote understanding and reconciliation.
 
Speaking ahead of the event, Tony Gallagher, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Academic Planning, Staffing and External Relations at Queen’s, said: “Today’s event comes at a time when, following years of division and separation, interest in sharing and collaboration in education is growing.  The Executive’s Programme for Government has ambitious and laudable targets relating to the promotion of Shared Education, while on the ground, more and more schools are forming collaborative partnerships in order to improve the educational outcomes of their pupils.
 
“Tony Blair’s message today serves to highlight that the delivery of Religious Education is a global issue, and we are proud that the School of Education at Queen’s can continue to show leadership in this area by facilitating discussions around the opportunities for enhanced shared religious education, and shared education more generally.”
 
More information on the Sharing Education Programme at Queen’s is available online at http://www.schoolsworkingtogether.co.uk/

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Applications are currently invited for a full-time PhD studentship to be located jointly in the Schools of Education and Psychology at Queen's. The focus for the studentship is:

"The effects of universal preschool - and school-based education programmes in reducing prejudice and promoting respect for diversity among children aged 3-11: A systematic review and meta-analysis"

Supervisors: Professor Paul Connolly (School of Education) and Dr Clifford Stevenson (School of Psychology)

The Studentship is full-time for three years and covers the cost of fees and an annual maintenance grant.  The systematic review will be registered with the international Campbell Collaboration and additional support will be provided by the Education Coordinating Group, based at the Peabody Research Institute, Vanderbilt University, USA. Opportunities will also be available to spend time at Vanderbilt to gain additional training in systematic reviewing and meta-analysis.

Previous experience of systematic reviews and meta-analysis are not required as full training will be given to the successful applicant.  However, applicants should have a competent grasp of quantitative methods and statistical analysis using software such as SPSS, including applying multivariate techniques such as multiple regression and factor analysis.

The deadline for the receipt of completed applications is 22 February 2013.  As part of the application process, applicants are required to submit a proposal of up to 2,000 words (including references) in relation to how they would undertake the above research project.  In relation to this specific project, the proposal should include:

- some discussion of the existing research evidence on the development of prejudice among young children and what is known about the effectiveness of different approaches to reducing this; and
- some appreciation of what a systematic review and meta-analysis is and the key methodological issues that will need to be considered.

As regards the latter, applicants are strongly encouraged to consult the Campbell Collaboration website for examples of title registrations, protocols and full systematic reviews published. Details of how to apply can be found here

For further information please contact Professor Paul Connolly

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As a result of the Autism Act (NI) 2011, the DHSSPS is leading on the development of a cross-departmental Autism Strategy and Action Plan for N.Ireland. A multi-agency Autism Strategy Project Board was established to direct and manage the development of the Plan which was launched for public consultation at the end of November 2012, with a closing date of Mid-March 2013. In parallel with this work, the Minister for Health Social Services and Public Safety established a Research Committee. Prof Dillenburger said of her appointment, ‘I am honoured and delighted to represent QUB on the Northern Ireland Autism Strategy Research Advisory Committee and to be able to contribute to ensuring that services and education for individuals with ASD are firmly based on research evidence’.

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On January 22^nd, the Centre for Children’s Rights recent research on the legal implementation of the UNCRC in twelve countries was launched in the Scottish Parliament in an event chaired by Neil Bibby MSP, shadow Minister for Children and Young People. Professor Laura Lundy outlined the key findings of the report and in response, Aileen Campbell MSP, Minister for Children and Young People welcomed the research and said that it would inform their next steps in relation to the Children and Young People Bill and ongoing efforts to implement the UNCRC. Anita Tiessen, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF-UK addressed the implications for the UK government and Professor Kay Tisdall of the University of Edinburgh reflected on the implications of the research for Scotland.

Click here for the report.

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