Who Do We Want To Be?
Teaching and Learning Conference 9 July 2021 Congress Centre, London Who Do We Want To Be? Teaching and Learning Conference
Welcome to If all goes to plan, these words will have In keeping with conferences past, this one been printed onto paper and, should you is certain to be rich both in terms of the find yourself distracted from reading them, diversity of identities in attendance and you will be able to raise your head and the collective identity we will assume. Bloomsbury enjoy the experience of seeing a room busy Whether gathered in-person or virtually, with interaction again, listen to language it is exciting to think once again about vibrating the same air in which it has been the prospect of encountering different spoken – collected once again in time, perspectives within the higher education Institute’s space and place. If this is the case, we may community, and furthermore, the be closer to what Walt Whitman suggests opportunity to learn more about what when he says that ‘every atom belonging identity means to individuals, groups, to me as good belongs to you’. If not, cultures, institutions, disciplines etc Teaching then at least the sentiment of exchanging and the myriad of shapes this can take. atoms seems as good a place as any to One of the most liberating ideas about begin a teaching and learning conference. identity is that of an endless project of Education being, if anything, a sharing refinement, of being open to the possibility and Learning of atoms, after all. of change. So, in the spirit of that idea, let’s have another go at speaking, listening and This is our 10th Teaching and Learning thinking about a tireless question – who do Conference – a cause for celebration in itself! we want to be? This year’s would have been our 11th had last Conference! summer’s gone ahead and, were it not for Thank you to everyone who has prepared the tenacity and resilience of our leadership to share their ideas today, and to all those and colleagues over the past couple of involved in contributing to the organisation years, our ninth might have been the last. of this event. It has been another reminder, I celebrate myself, and sing myself, The identity of Bloomsbury Institute is as if we needed any more this year, of the one that has been shaped by the process things that can be done when people put And what I assume you shall assume, of transformation through necessity, but their minds together. mostly through a commitment to inspiring For every atom belonging to me We hope you enjoy the day! transformation in ourselves and others. as good belongs to you It seems appropriate, therefore, not only Walt Whitman in this context, but in the global context of 2021, that we consider the relevance of identity to higher education in this moment.
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Programme
9.00 - 9.30
Registration, Coffee and Welcome
9.30 - 10.30
Keynote Speech | Identity and Educational Neuroscience by Dr Iroise Dumontheil
10.30 - 11.00
Coffee and Video Reflection
11.00 - 12.00
Keynote Speech | Interaction and Identity by Kolarele Sonaike
12.00 - 12.30
Prizes and Talks
12.30 - 13.30
Lunch accompanied by Calvin Taffe’s Lunchtime Reggae Show and guests
13.30 – 16.30
Talks, Flash Thoughts and Vlogs
16.30 - 17.00
1st Commonwealth Women Entrepreneurs Summit: certificates and student reflections with external guests
17.00 - 18.00
Drinks Reception
4 5 Who Do We Want To Be? Teaching and Learning Conference Biographies and Abstracts
Keynote Speakers
Keywords: communication, diversity, leadership Keywords: neuroscience, education, development
Interaction and Identity Kolarele Sonaike Individual Differences and Educational Neuroscience [email protected] Dr Iroise Dumontheil
Kolarele Sonaike is a Communication Skills 20 years, representing clients (from Coach helping executives and entrepreneurs multinationals to small business entrepreneurs) develop communication skills to accelerate in the High Court, Employment Tribunals and Dr Iroise Dumontheil is a Professor in typical development of social cognition their careers or businesses. Through Court of Appeal. He is the host of The Great Cognitive Neuroscience in the Department of and cognitive control during adolescence deep coaching sessions and interactive Speech Podcast, a highly rated bi-weekly Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University and their functioning in adulthood. Her studies workshops, Kolarele teaches what he calls show on topics related to public speaking and of London. She obtained a PhD from the combine a variety of methods to explore the “Communication SuperSkills”, guiding communication, and his book ‘How to Give University of Paris VI and then was a postdoc brain and cognitive development including his clients to unlock their mindsets and build a Great Speech’ is available on Amazon and in labs in London, Cambridge and Stockholm. functional and structural neuroimaging, the confidence to communicate with impact. in bookshops around the world. Kolarele is She is a member of the Centre for Educational behavioural assessments, and genetics. For companies and organisations focused on a former President of the 100 Black Men of Neuroscience and the Centre for Brain and She is interested in the impact of cognitive improving the levels of diversity within their London charity, delivering programmes on Cognitive Development. In 2015 she received training, from computerised games to senior ranks, Kolarele also delivers programmes mentoring, education, health and wellness, the Spearman Medal, an early-career British mindfulness meditation practice, on cognition on leadership and communication skills tailored and economic empowerment. He also serves Psychological Society award, and in 2017 the in children and adolescents, as well as the to empower the career advancement of Black on the Board of Directors of the 100 Black British Neuropsychological Society Elizabeth potential implications of neuroscience employees. Kolarele has been a practising Men of America responsible for international Warrington Prize. Her research focuses on the research for education. barrister and accredited mediator for over representation.
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Entertainment
Lunchtime Reggae Show Calvin Taffe [email protected]
Host of Bloomsbury Radio’s music show every Sunday at 10am. Sunday Morning Reggae with Calvin is produced and presented by Bloomsbury Institute student Calvin Taffe. Calvin is a natural behind the mike and brings a wealth of knowledge on reggae music to the station. He sets each song in context, highlights influences from other genres, and effortlessly helps us wake up to Sunday mornings. Today’s one-off lunchtime show is brought to you with live music.
Reflection Shazia Mirza [email protected]
Shazia was born in Birmingham, England. The eldest daughter of Muslim Pakistani parents who moved to Birmingham in the 1960s. Shazia read Biochemistry at the University of Manchester and then achieved a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Goldsmiths, University of London. Before beginning her career in comedy, Mirza was a science teacher in Langdon Park School, where she taught Dylan Mills, now known as the grime pioneer Dizzee Rascal. She later attended Rose Bruford College, where she studied acting part-time while working as a supply teacher.
Contrasting Identities The Student Guild
Bloomsbury Institute’s Student Guild present an immersive audio visual and in-person performance incorporating hidden talents and subverting perceptions. Not to be missed! 8 9 Who Do We Want To Be? Teaching and Learning Conference
Talks, Flash Thoughts and Vlogs
Teaching Public Law as an Act of Dissent
Ali Raiss-Tousi This presentation will deal with lesson planning and delivery in a much-changed higher [email protected] education sector. It starts by questioning our institutional identity as academics in a neoliberal, free marketeer state. Are we How Does Student Leadership affiliated to a ‘university’ or a mere ‘trade Keywords: school’? Do we aspire to educating Pericles or Shape Identity? public law, dissent, substantive realism to merely training plumbers? The presentation will proceed by urging academics to break the shackles of formalism imposed by narrow- Sarah Bailey and minded box-ticking bureaucrats and will Keywords: then move to encourage a new, different Cordelia Gartside student leadership, peer learning, and more realistic outlook towards teaching [email protected] | active involvement of substantive public law (or any other [email protected] humanities/social science) issues through a critique of established rules and processes. The presentation will urge disruption of the Various forms of peer learning, mentoring and on the one hand, they also serve a more holistic marketplace of ideas using a novel approach peer representation, involving students working purpose in terms of identity and sense of of ‘substantive realism’ to teaching and with students in structured ways as leaders, self. Active involvement in student leadership learning. Ultimately, with reference to Marx, have been in existence in higher education activities has been proven to amplify self-belief Malcolm X and Solzhenitsyn, as well as institutions for many years. Developing and confidence, alongside conferring a sense of anonymous student voices, the presentation undergraduate students’ leadership skills can individual value and responsibility fundamental will conclude from a pedagogic viewpoint that bring many benefits not only to the leaders to personal growth. This interactive workshop dissent, and disruption of the ‘standardised’ themselves and the students they support, but will demonstrate how Bloomsbury Institute’s model are well worth the effort. also to the academic community and society student leadership initiatives serve to shape the to which they belong. While student leadership future of its students. roles can cultivate critical employability skills
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Collective Identity Through Social Calibration
Dr Joe Stevens and Keywords: social calibration, collaboration, Chi Jack-Osimiri feedback [email protected] | [email protected]
Identity is important to all of us in different to all of us. By carrying out this simple but ways. Social calibration involves academics important task we can try to reconcile together discussing assessments at the subject level, what it is we are trying to achieve in our involving staff from different institutions marking and feedback process, which ultimately considering marking and feedback. It is one way will help us to improve the support we offer in which we as academics can develop a better our students by giving a sense of confidence to understanding of our own subject identity, to staff that we are all on the same track. consider who we are and what is important
Nature as First Teacher
Keywords: hedge school, environment, Cal Courtney inclusive learning [email protected]
In the face of major environmental challenges, west of Ireland. In this short presentation he what role can nature play in building earth- introduces the project, from Ard Raithneach inclusive identities? What impact might such Woodland Hedge School in Ireland, and explains identities have on education? In the middle of his interest in hedge schools as models for the 2020 lockdown, Cal Courtney purchased inclusive learning. five acres of land and a derelict cottage in the
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Promoting Positive Changes to The Changing Identity of Higher Education: the Identity of Higher Education a case illustration of identity mismatch
Dr Nnamdi Madichie Delon Jones Keywords: Keywords: identity politics, institutional culture, and Magda Read identity deconstruction, graduate outcomes, and Orlagh Maye improvement [email protected] | UN sustainable development goals [email protected] | [email protected] [email protected]
Assessing institutional identity with reference There has been a flurry of social media posts demonstrating contributions to the United to identity politics, this talk will analyse how where students, staff and management, Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals higher education can be politicised by performing including Vice Chancellors, have celebrated (SDGs) with the University of Manchester being a comparison of universities, while also noting their achievements in university rankings. placed on top globally. Couched upon “social the impact of diversity, uniformity, and the More recently, these rankings have assumed constructivism” and “reflexive methodology,” individuality of students within institutional an interesting dimension by moving away and drawing upon the prior experience of the cultures. The talk will conclude how institutional from research outputs and other metrics such authors, this article responds to the conference perceptions can be challenged to achieve a as citations and to some extent the Graduate theme on identities. In deconstructing identity, positive and inclusive learning environment. Outcomes survey, which serves as one of we set about disentangling the concept from the key considerations for being accepted three lenses: the student (our case study), the on the register of the Office for Students University (HE providers), and the regulatory (OfS). These new rankings have only been body (the OfS). recently published based on institutions
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Who Could We Become Who Do You
if We Learnt with Music? Want To Be: thoughts about
Keywords: career progression Cordelia Gartside music, neuroscience, teaching strategies [email protected] Barra Fitzgibbon Music is a learning assistance tool which tends and encouraging disinhibition. Teaching [email protected] only to be utilised in early years teaching and strategies which employ music as an emotive ESL classrooms. For this reason, it is generally tool have the potential to affect all of these associated with more ‘elementary’ forms of areas, ultimately enhancing the likelihood of teaching and learning. Recent neuroscientific deeper and more efficacious learning. This Keywords: research, however, has proven that music can interactive talk will suggest that we could future identity, empathy, confidence strengthen connections between braincells, become better learners and educators by increase memory and motivation, and has a exploiting music’s neurological benefits in an significant effect on mood. Contemporary educational setting. By combining a theoretical neuroscience shows that emotional impact overview with participative activities, the talk plays a large role in information retention and will aim to prove that music is an invaluable tool Most of us define ourselves by our past. Make a recall. In an educational context, this includes that can, and should, be utilised at every stage stand right now and stop. Instead let’s start to such elements as creating a positive learning of the learning journey. define ourselves by our future, by what we want environment, fostering collaboration, to be and what we want to do. Choose the life you want to lead, get smart emotionally, reframe trauma, build up confidence and empathy, and bring your subconscious along with you. Different maybe, but not hard. Consider this: our current self and future self are different people. Accept that and the learning never stops.
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1st Commonwealth Women Entrepreneurs This year’s conference will be streamed on our website and broadcast live on Bloomsbury Summit (19-20 May) Radio. We are grateful to the services of JacobsMassey for their help in organising and streaming the event. You will be also able to Student Certificates of Appreciation watch the event at a later date via our website and student reflections with and social media streams. Keywords: external guests including from commonwealth, women, entrepreneurs Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network (CBWN), Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN-UK) and Rotary International.
The inaugural Commonwealth Women’s The Summit focussed on how business is Entrepreneurship Summit on 19-20 May and being transformed by emerging tech areas, was the first global event to focus on women such as fintech, createch, edtech, healthtech, in emerging tech sectors. The G20 said last fashiontech, cleantech and agritech, how December that there is ‘a missed opportunity women from diverse backgrounds are and - to tackle the gap that needs immediate can be such a key part of this innovation action, which is the representation of women ecosystem and how governments and industry in emerging fields.’ The Commonwealth can help to make this happen especially as we Women’s Entrepreneurship Summit addressed build back better in the wake of COVID-19. that need. As part of its commitment to The event was convened by the Commonwealth gender equality and alignment to the event’s Businesswomen’s Network (directly recognised ethos of internationalism, innovation and by all 54 Commonwealth governments); the inclusion, Bloomsbury Institute was the only world’s largest entrepreneurship community higher education institution to be heavily (Global Entrepreneurship Network) which involved. Some 30 students were involved supports entrepreneurship ecosystems across in a variety of ways – students produced 180 countries; the UK Government (Women and presented shows on Bloomsbury Radio, in Innovation Network); and Africa’s largest the Students’ Guild worked with about a dozen network of women entrepreneurs (AWEP: students as part of the event management African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program) support team and students from business, which was established and supported during accounting and law who acted as rapporteurs and by the Obama-Biden Administration. for the 12 one hour sessions involving There were 1,450 participants from 70 countries 70 speakers. with clips seen on social media by 120,000 people over the Commonwealth, most of whom are under 30. All sessions and additional material is freely available on YouTube and Bloomsbury Radio’s Soundcloud via registering on the event site: https://www.worldlabs.org/cwesummit
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