The boys often come from unstable,

dysfunctional and troubled family

backgrounds. Their experience of

school can be solely as a chaotic and

debilitating place. The school

transforms these negative

associations by promoting happiness,

self-esteem/worth, physical and

emotional wellbeing and positive

experiences within and attitudes

towards ‘school’.

Bethany Oddy 2014 Department of Education

The Marchant-Holliday school is an independent school

for boys aged 5-13 with Behavioural, Emotional and

Social special needs. Most boys board and teachers and

care staff work together to support socio-emotional

development and academic and behavioural progress.

The school aims to provide a safe and nurturing

environment that raises development to a level that will

allow the boys to become a valued member of society

and potentially lead back to mainstream schooling.

The School

During my placement, I worked both as a TA, and as part

of the care team including before and after-school

routines, social activities, clubs and day trips. I worked

with children of all ages and with a multitude of BESDs

such as Autism, ADHD, ASD, ODD, Attachment

disorders, Dyslexia, Anxiety disorders and boys capable

of particularly violent, hostile behaviour.

Token Economy: Reinforcing GENUINE thinking or Ulterior Motives?

Eddie

Leo

Chris

Placement Experience

The school uses a well-established Token System to modify

behaviour. Based on the principles of operant conditioning, it

rewards and punishes the children with ‘tokens’ and ‘blips’ for

positive and negative behaviour (respectively).The number of

tokens achieved each day affects the extent of choice each boy

has over their free-time activities. At the end of the week, boys

with a sufficient number of tokens are rewarded with token

‘cheques’, which are used to redeem prizes.

Although research indicates that Token Economy is particularly

successful for children with ADHD and behaviour disorders (Bender

and Mathes, 1995; Truchlicka et al.,1998), my own personal

observations suggest that Token Economy cannot guarantee the

reinforcement of GENUINE thinking and concern for other’s feelings. The question is raised whether all forms of operant

conditioning used in institutional settings instil a deep-down change in thinking and behaviour, or whether this is only surface-level and superficial. Significant issues for the sustainability of the reinforced

behaviours are therefore a concern, and requires further research.

Token Economy: Reinforcing GENUINE thinking or only Ulterior Motives?

Marchant-Holliday School Brochure.

‘Thinking about Others’ Token Sheet in the youngest class.

Readings Notes on paper Text book Google-whether genuine

Malawi, Africa: Volunteering as a secondary school teacher Claire Jardine - Department of Education

My Placement- I worked in a secondary boarding school in very rural, northern Malawi. The school has around 400 students and has 24 teachers. I taught English and Life Skills to form 1 (first year) and form 4 (final year), with 100 students in each class. The school lacked basic recourses like text books and necessary teaching materials, meaning that a lot of my teaching required creative thinking and improvisation. I lived in a small brick, tinned roofed house about a 5 minute walk from the school. I had no electricity or phone signal, limited access to clean running water and was taught to build and cook on an open fire.

My role as a teacher – • I independently taught classes of 100, enthusiastic students • I planned lessons and marked homework • I wrote and marked exam papers •I ran several English and Drama clubs within the school.

My role in the community – • I helped teach some of the teachers basic computer skills and set up email accounts for them • I orchestrated a large scale pen pal scheme between two schools in England and nearly 200 students at the school in Malawi • I became very integrated in the community and have learnt a lot about a truly different way of life

Malawi as a country – Malawi is a beautiful small, landlocked country in central eastern Africa, and has rightfully earned its nickname ‘The Warm Heart of Africa.’ The African culture is very simple, honest and humbling and I found the whole experience truly fantastic.

Emma Sparkes 2013/2014 Department of Education

Sydney International Grammar School: Life as a Teaching Assistant

The International Grammar School adopts an Immersion Language Program to promote a bilingual education starting from preschool. This is an important part of the school in promoting the acceptance of difference, following the school’s motto; Unity in Diversity, derived from the Latin phrase; ‘Concordia per Diversitatem’. Studying a second language is compulsory for all students from preschool to year 10. Students can choose to study French, German, Italian or Japanese.

‘Unity in Diversity’

Pros • Living in Sydney - I lived in Sydney for the entire first term of the school year. It was amazing to explore Sydney during weekends and experience a different school setting to the UK. • Responsibility - I was given the opportunity to work with smaller groups and even teach the whole class under the supervision of the class teacher. Cons - Cost - As the placement is unpaid the overall cost of flights and living expenses amounts to a lot. Therefore, this can limit the amount of time you could spend doing this placement. - Finding somewhere to live - This can be difficult to arrange in advance with the time difference in Australia. It can also be challenging to find somewhere reasonably priced and close to the International Grammar School if you do not know Sydney that well.

The biggest difference I noticed from working in a school in the UK to Sydney was the focus on language from such a young age. The importance of a bilingual education was not something that was held by the UK state school that I also worked in, so it was interesting to observe the children’s attitudes towards learning languages from preschool.

Importance of Language

Faye Smith 2013/2014 Department of Education

Bath Youth for Christ is a local charity that aims to serve and support the young people of this city. This is done in a large variety of way, including:

Young people need a space in which to socialise and claim ownership of. Youth Cafés provide this space. Here, youth workers can create a safe environment in which to meet with young people and support them through any issues or concerns they may be facing.

“Hanging around in groups on street corners… is viewed as inappropriate in the structured ordered streets of our cities”. (Malone 2002).

“Public space therefore is not… a space where teenagers are freely able to participate in street life… but is a highly regulated – or closed – space.” (Valentine 1996).

Bath: it’s the “elegant, unique and stylish city” - – But how does it look through a teenager’s eye?

Young people arriving at a Bath YFC Youth Café

Mentoring Schools work Sex and Relationship courses Street Dance Projects Football Projects Kids Clubs Breakfast Clubs Youth Cafés

In Literature… “There are no places to go when it rains… at least none that are free.” (Rush & Wiles 2013).

“Jack-Shit.” – What this teenager does with her weekend.

Youth Cafés – what’s the point?

The Hope Project - Cambodia (March-May 2014)

Lily Stickland 2013/2014 Department of Education

Organisation Logo

Cambodia is a small country located in south-east Asia. When deciding on my placements for my placement year I decided not only did I want a vast variety in the types of things I was doing, but I also wanted to visit a different country. Cambodia is a developing country that has had a harrowing past following the Khmer Rouge regime and this is still present in every day life for the Cambodians. There is no national curriculum put into place in the country and many children are unable to attend school due to lack of money and having to help at home, e.g. childcare or farming with parents.

The duration of my placement was spent in the south east of Cambodia, in a small school in the traditional village of Bakod. The Cambodian culture is very different to the western ways, and therefore, it took nearly a week to adapt to the climate and to the living conditions (sleeping on the floor, bucket showers etc).

The volunteers didn’t only help with the teaching side of the project, but also the children’s general health. At the end of each lesson the children would go to the water pump just outside the school and brush their teeth, this was one of my favourite jobs, and provided a huge amount of amusement.

During my second year at university we investigated the Education for all proposal. At the time I had not visited a country such as Cambodia, and therefore, thought it was mad that not everyone had access to free education. From my time spent in Cambodia it is evident to me that the idea is being introduced, however, it is much harder to enforce due to a under developed government, and many hard to reach/keep track of rural areas.

Many of the children and families living in the village in which the school was based in cannot even afford the basics, which is very hard to sit back and see. There were families that could not afford food, resulting in their children being very ill due to malnutrition. I think this was one of the hardest things that I found during my time in Cambodia as it is something that we take for granted at home. Therefore, to try and help we picked some of the poorest families and delivered food parcels, which for some of them, saved their lives.

By teaching my two classes a day I grew to really get to know the children and their families. I was often invited round to the children’s homes for lunch which was an amazing way to see their culture first hand, and to experience how lovely and welcoming they truly are.

From Cambodia I believe I have become a better person. I have not only acquired more teaching skills for foreign languages, but I also believe my levels of self confidence have improved dramatically. I would recommend travelling to Cambodia to anyone who is looking to do a placement abroad as you get to see so many developments and changes first hand. I will definitely visit again as the children are amazing, and their smiles are truly contagious.

L I G H T S Project – (August-March 2014)

Lily Stickland 2013/2014 Department of Education

What is the Lights project? This is a programme funded by

Bournemouth borough council which uses play therapy techniques to aid children that have been or are being

affected by substance mis-use in their everyday lives.

My placement at the lights project consisted of 7 months and as this was something which I had never done before I was eager to find out more about play therapy. During the first few months I predominantly shadowed the play therapist for the project, I then took on more responsibility for planning and reviewing some of the group sessions that we conducted together in a local primary school. The main aim of the “sunshine” group in the local school was to improved the affected children’s self esteem, provide coping techniques, and to allow the children to let their hair down, play, and be the children that they should be.

When working at the Lights project I was based at the Bournemouth learning centre in an office with lots of other professionals that worked along side helping families. I decided to take advantage of this and decided to sit in on a programme of a parenting course. This lasted 6 weeks and consisted of about 20 parents that had been invited/advised to take the course. Lots of these parents were ex-users and therefore potential parents of lots of the children that had been referred to lights. It was very interesting to hear their points of view, and then see the ways in which they had developed, and their parenting skills had developed through the course of the six weeks.

What is play therapy? Play therapy is a technique which is employed to aid children to express their feelings and emotions that have built up inside them through self guided play sessions. The play therapist will analyse the ways in which the children are playing and often stories can be devised to explain the ways in which some children behave. Without play therapy and projects such as Lights, many of these children in the school environment would just be labelled as trouble children, without being aware of their difficult backgrounds. Play therapy has been present for a long time, since Plato, however, it is only in more recent years, with greater research that it has been put into action more. One of the most important things about play therapy is that it allows freedom of expression in children, this ensures that young vulnerable infants do not find the sessions intimidating and in time are likely to open up to the play therapist about their past. Play therapy has been greatly improved and is now not only used on a one to one basis. During my placement I worked in a theraplay group which still used the core aspects of play therapy but adapted the structure of the sessions to accommodate a group.

Lucy Persiva 2013/2014 !Department of Education!

The Marchant Holliday School!!

Direct Instruction Child Centered

Working as a Teacher Assistant at a boarding school for boys with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD), I have had the opportunity to witness the paradox of ‘child initiated’ and ‘direct instruction’ teaching styles that exists throughout the school. It seems that, when behaviour management is a major issue, both styles have their place, the first ensuring healthy social and emotional development and the second creating a disciplined environment where learning can successfully take place.!

The staff at MHS are “realistic about the increasingly complex needs of their pupils”, often viewing ‘promoting good relationships’ as the primary aim, one that must sometimes outweigh the schools academic expectations. MHS Behaviour Policy Aims !

ü  Controls BEHAVIOUR!ü  Sets firm BOUNDARIES!ü  Gets the work DONE !

Teaches:!

“The pressure of work can exacerbate the difficulties of BESD Children to the point where the system merely REINFORCES their failings…” ! !MHS Behaviour Policy!

Rules verses Reciprocal Relationships!

X Less intrinsic motivation!X Presents relationships as one-way

X Less structured and disciplined!X Standard of work can suffer as a result

A balance is needed, but can the two co exist? !

ü  Interpersonal Skills!ü  Social REASONING!ü  Reciprocal RELATIONSHIPS!

Families, Effective Learning and Literacy (FELL) Research Group Department of Education, University of Oxford

Rebecca Tracz 2013/2014 Department of Education

Contact Details

Rebecca Tracz

Rt351@bath.ac.uk

What is FELL?

The University of Oxford’s Families, Effective Learning and Literacy (FELL) research group carries out cutting edge, policy related research into the impact of care, family and educational environments on the social, cognitive and emotional development of children between birth and age 11, with a special interest in language and literacy and educational effectiveness studies of institutional influences on learning.

What do we do?

There are four or five Bath interns working as research assistants, each of which is assigned to work with one of the lead researchers within the department so the work varies greatly between interns and depending on current research projects. Examples of work; Everyday jobs: • answering phone calls; • sending emails; • collecting post; • Photocopying; • organising travel arrangements; and, • completing expense claims.

Other tasks: • Conducting literature searches • Proof reading, reference checking and formatting • Preparation of lecture materials • Running statistical models and tabling data • Writing literature reviews for publication • Working on research papers to be published • Correspondence with and making arrangements for

seminar speakers and academic guests

The Good bits

- You are working with leading researchers at the cutting edge of educational research - There is the potential to become a named author on published academic work - FELL is a very friendly and welcoming environment - You work alongside other Bath students - You get the opportunity to attend seminars within the University of Oxford - The supervision is excellent and you can get lots of help with your dissertation - You are given weekly tutorials in research methodology and statistics to help with your dissertation and your studies in final year - You have access to the department’s research data which you can use for your dissertation - You work 4 days a week with one study day - You are paid a bursary of £500 per term - There is the opportunity for paid work during the holidays (you also get long holidays!) - You have the opportunity to join societies within the University - There may be the opportunity to conduct field work and primary data collection - Oxford is a really nice city and place to live!

Design Matters? The effects of new schools on Students’, Teachers’ and Parents’ actions and perceptions Sarah Roper 2013/2014 Department of Education

For more information visit the Design Matters website - http://designmatters.education.ox.ac.uk/

My Placement Experience

For 30 weeks, I took on the role of a research assistant, working as part of the Design Matters team based in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford.

My role involved attending fieldwork trips to carry out data collection in various schools, organisation and analysis of data, presentations, attending quantitative & qualitative tutorial courses, writing a paper on children’s perceptions of school transitions as well as general administrative tasks.

The Study

A study of post-occupancy usage of five newly built schools. Its aim is to understand the impacts of design of such schools on students’, teachers’ and parents’ engagement in the educational process on a number of levels. This addresses an important policy issue but also has implications for architectural practice, educational theory and methodology.

Aims & Objectives

•To develop understandings of the relationship between school design and pedagogic practgices and offer new insights for future researchers in this under-researched field.

Methods

•Interview architects; contractors; school personnel; educational advisors to establish how a school strategic educational vision was developed and how this translated into a material design. •Explore the development of approximately 300 students, in relation to their perceptions of the school environment and feelings of school connectedness, as they move from one school context to another and during their first year in their new school. •Carry out a series of observations and interviews with school personnel to establish their perceptions of their educational experience in newly designed schools. •Ask parents to complete Likert type questionnaires in order to gain an understanding of their perceptions of a newly designed school. •Collect data on attainment, attendance, exclusions and deprivation from the 5 main project schools (newly designed schools) relating to the current school site and previous (old build) school site.

Beneficiaries of the Research

•School Communities •Government Audienes •Business Users: Architects •General Public

Families, Effective Learning and Literacy Research Group

Department of Education, University of Oxford

Terri Parkin 2013/2014

University of Bath,

Department of Education

Terri Parkin – BA (Hons) Childhood, Youth and Education Studies E-Mail: tsp24@bath.ac.uk

What is FELL? University of Oxford’s Families, Effective Learning and Literacy

(FELL) research group investigates how care, family, and educational environments effect the cognitive, social and emotional development of children between birth and age

11, with a special interest in language and literacy and

educational policy

What is involved in the placement? Work undertaken by FELL interns varies depending on their interests, strengths, and the nature of current work being carried out within the research group. University of Bath student interns work alongside lead academics and fellow bath students, and are assigned an individual supervisor with whom they work closely throughout the placement

The role of FELL research assistant typically involves the following: o Data handling o Literature searches o Proof-reading / Formatting o Conducting fieldwork / Primary data collection o Assisting in writing reports for publication o Referencing o Preparing lecture materials o Attending meetings o Participating in weekly tutorials covering topics such as

Developmental Psychology and Statistics (from the basics!) Other everyday tasks: o Photocopying o Handling expense claims o Email correspondence o Collecting post o Answering the telephone o General administration

Benefits of working in FELL: - You will be working alongside leading academics and researchers - There may be the opportunity for you to become a participating

author on published academic work - You are able to access existing research data for use in your final-year

dissertation - You work only four days per week, the fifth being a ‘study day’ - You are invited to attend weekly seminars alongside University of

Oxford students and faculty - You receive dissertation support - You attend weekly tutorials in statistics and research methodology

delivered by departmental faculty, which run just for Bath students!

- You receive a bursary of £500 per term (i.e. £1500 across the academic year)

- Develop your IT skills by using data analysis software

- You could undertake paid work during the holidays (Christmas, Easter and Summer)

- You can join University of Oxford student societies