Research and Scholarship. This Research Centre also provides a focus for staff across the University who are interested in researching learning and teaching, curriculum development, and management and leadership
Research and Scholarship. This Research Centre also provides a focus for staff across the University who are interested in researching learning and teaching, curriculum development, and management and leadership. Some members of the Centre are therefore drawn from outside of the School of Education and Community. The outcomes of research undertaken inform policy and practice, and provide a focus for continuing professional development. The Centre publishes The Journal of Pedagogical Research and Scholarship which has an international editorial board.
In the Research Assessment Exercise 2008 the School performed well with 25% of the research deemed to be at least of internationally recognized quality (2* and 3*) and a further 35% deemed to be of nationally recognized quality (1*).
Examples of Research Activities
Children’s University Cymru (CUC)
Dr. Phil Bassett (National Chair, CUC) presented an overview of the successes achieved with the Children’s University Cymru, at a Senydd event hosted by Lesley Griffiths, A.M. for Wrexham. The audience consisted of Ministers, Assembly Members, civil servants and members of the business communities from across Wales besides civic representatives. The First Minister attended part of the evening to make clear his support for the CUC. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the invited guests of the growth of the Children’s University Cymru (some 45,000 children and young people), what it seeks to achieve, the ways in which it is assisting to deliver numerous policies of the Welsh
Assembly Government and how it has now embraced some 300+ voluntary organisations, 19 local education authorities, international interest and some businesses involvement. Additionally, for the business community, the purpose was to encourage them to become involved in designing modules to address their future workforce needs. In October, 2008, Phil Bassett was invited to Mexico City to assist in the development of a Children’s University. Presentations were given to the British Council, the World Bank, the British Embassy, the Department for Education, the Department for Social Services, schools and voluntary organizations. Subsequently, a Children’s University has been established and Phil Bassett continues to support it via electronic communication.
Teaching Fellowship
Ros Harrison has continued to undertake a Teaching Fellowship to enhance assessment practice across subject disciplines. She has been able to support colleagues in developing a more active culture of research and scholarship. The staff guidelines she produced in the previous academic year, ‘Assessment for Learning: Guiding Principles for Good Practice’, were used in various contexts to inform curriculum design and delivery.
Bilingual CD-ROM
In January 2009, a bilingual CD-ROM entitled "Amser Dathlu - Let’s Celebrate" was released. It was written by Dr. David Harrison for Birchfield Interactive plc, as part of a successful bid for a WAG Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning & Skills (DCELLS) commission for textile and food technology resources at Key Stage 2. Following the successful Birchfield bid, Dr Harrison was then asked to author the content of the CD, whilst the graphics and animation team at Birchfield turned his ideas into an interactive CD- based resource.
Invited Seminar
At the invitation of Dr. Sheila Lawlor, Director of Politeia, a forum for social and economic thinking, Professor Patrick Costello participated in a seminar on education policy with particular reference to the role of head teachers in raising educational aspirations. MPs, councilors, head teachers, local authority representatives and journalists also participated in the Politeia seminar, which was led by John Abbott, author of Overschooled but Undereducated and David Levin, Headmaster of<