IoE News and Events

Dr Maria Kambouri-Danos

The Institute of Education (IoE) at the University of Reading is celebrating a successful research year with its annual Postgraduate Conference entitled “Knowledge is Power” on Wednesday, 28th June 2017.

The conference is organised by the IoE’s Doctoral Researchers Conference Committee, supervised by Dr Mari Kambouri-Danos, Deputy Director for Postgraduate Research Studies.

Dr Kambouri-Danos said:

“This is a great tradition for the IoE, and I’m glad to have been able to support it and help to organise it for the last two years. All PGR students benefit a lot from presenting at conferences, and this internal PGR conference provides a safe environment for all students, no matter how far they are with their research, to practice, learn and develop.”

The main speaker at the conference is Dr Khalid Alshahrani (left), whose leadership in the field of technology in education has seen his work published extensively and contributes to his position as Academic Relations Lead at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. 

This end of year public conference is part of the IoE’s strong emphasis on working with international research colleagues to provide a rich research and networking environment for its PhD researchers. It gives IoE postgraduate researchers the opportunity to prepare abstracts for review, to present their work to IoE students and staff and to receive feedback from a wide range of specialists in their field.

The Committee’s work on the conference with its international speakers also gives the postgraduate researchers a vital real world experience of ‘live’ research events.

Coupled with the strength of expertise at the University of Reading in education, for which it is it ranked third in the UK in the Guardian University League Table, 2018, projects like this develop the crucial skills required to contribute incisive research to the public education arena.

Date: 28th June
Location: Institute of Education, London Road Campus

Admission is free, but please book via email: m.kambouridanos@reading.ac.uk

The influence of education is not confined to the humans at London Road, as our trees have finally found their voice and are set to share their views during a special Treelaxation session today, 8 June, outside Building 33 between 1.15-2 pm . 

The trees will be in a reflective mood as they branch off into this new venture in which they will share their stories, leaf through their poetry canon and root among their memories.  

If you are stressed, tired or just in need of a break, don’t be stumped – instead, join us for some treelaxation under a couple of our more chatty trees. 

Brought to us by NatureNurture, a dynamic local charity, that engages in using technology outdoors, this immersive installation is part of our Secondary ITE Computing Outdoors Enrichment Project. NatureNurture partnered up with The Woodland Trust and presented the Talking Trees Project successfully in London at Potters Field Park last week.

Professor Rhona StainthorpPrimary school children needing more support for phonics could get a welcome boost from a masterclass tour by education experts. 

The roadshows, run by the University of Reading’s Institute of Education, are funded by the Department for Education to support authorities/districts where five and six year olds in the Year 1 phonics screening check are performing below national averages.

The team from Reading will be highlighting how their own research into reading development can benefit the teaching of early reading, and have worked with lead practitioners and consultants in local authorities to tailor the roadshow’s content to local needs.

Prof Rhona Stainthorp, a phonics expert from the University of  Reading’s Institute of Education said:

“We’re delighted to have been given the support from the Department of Education to work with and develop the practice of teachers of young readers.

Dr Naomi Flynn

“There is a wealth of evidence that can help the teaching profession to continue to improve, and at the University of Reading’s Institute of Education we are committed to ensuring that the 400 teachers that we train each year benefit from the latest research. It’s a great privilege to be able to take this experience around the country to help teachers grow in confidence in their phonics teaching.

“The response we have had from the authorities selected to take part has been fantastic and it is a privilege to be working with such dedicated practitioners.”

The roadshows will equip teachers and their schools to raise attainment in reading through an enhanced understanding of how research about reading can inform practice, and through the opportunity to reflect on how they can adapt what they do currently.

The events start with a summary of what research says about the teaching of phonics, and then move into activities that support teachers and senior leaders in analysing their current phonics schemes and their pupil data. Later parts of the day include advice about what to do when children seem ‘stuck’ in their reading progress, and advice about the practicalities of effective phonics teaching using local expert teachers from schools where reading results are strong. Events are co-led with local authority personnel with the intention that the impact of training can be sustained after the Reading team have left.   

Dr Daisy Powell

Professor Cathy Tissot, Director of the Institute of Education commented:

“This is another feather in the cap for Reading’s excellent reputation for both research and practice in the teaching of reading. We are delighted to be working with the DfE in this way.”

The team, which includes Dr Naomi Flynn and Dr Daisy Powell from the University of Reading’s Institute of Education and Professor Morag Stuart from UCL’s Institute of Education will be following up with schools who have attended the roadshows during the next academic year to check their performance and what further support they might need.

The IoE was proud to present a fantastic ATP (BA Primary Education (QTS) Advanced Teaching Project) conference at our beautiful, sun-filled London Road campus on 7 May.

The conference proved, if proof were needed, what talented and innovative students we have. This annual occasion is always fun-filled, lively and above all, the culmination of a lot of hard work.

It is also bittersweet as we wave goodbye and good luck to our much valued Year 3 BA Primary Education (QTS) students. They are a wonderful cohort who have contributed enormously to the work and spirit of the IoE during their years with us. 

And the winner is ….

Each year, the best ATP candidate receives The Professor Rhona Stainthorp Prize for outstanding achievement in undergraduate research, with two runners up. This year, Carol Fuller was glad to present the well-earned prizes to the winner, Rosemary Lawrence for her research, “What are the perceptions of ‘teaching British Values’ within the educational community?” and the two runner ups, Aniqa Leena and Charlie Allen.

All the students’ projects were broad and accomplished and the posters in particular were visually appealing and lively, with the research within them searching and relevant to today’s world. Five of our final year students presented their work (see below for details), representing a broad cross section of the type of research undertaken. Nasreen Majid, Director of the programme, who leads the conference said:

“I am so proud of the calibre of research that our students have developed. Teaching is a research embedded profession. Our students demonstrate this by the range of work they undertake for their ATPs.

“Cutting edge ideas, such as the Singapore Model, strategies for advanced bilingual learners, perceptions of “British Values” and mathematics beliefs of year 2 boys and girls are among the projects undertaken.”

We benefited from our excellent key note speaker to the conference: Dr Carol Fuller, the distinguished educational researcher and Associate Professor in Education.

Carol is a strong advocate of learning that promotes confidence and positive educational identities so as to ensure all children achieve their full potential, regardless of their background. Hearing her dedication as she spoke was thought-provoking and stimulating.

After the ceremonies, everyone was finally able to kick back and relax over a picnic, enjoying the chance to be together one more time before our much-valued Year 3 students head off into their bright futures.

We are proud of our five presenting students, who did such sterling work at the conference. Congratulations to you all!

Victoria Huxley
A mixed methods investigation exploring mathematics self-efficacy beliefs of Year 2 boys and girls.

Rosemary Lawrence
What are the perceptions of ‘teaching British Values’ within the educational community?

Aniqa Leena
“No hold on, that won’t make sense”
An exploration of strategies that can support the English vocabulary and writing development of advanced bilingual learners (ABLs) in Year 5

Emily Pearce
Do traditional constructions of masculinity have an impact on boys’ achievement in literacy? 

Harriet Pope
The Singapore Model Method, a Help or a Hindrance to Developing a Conceptual Understanding of Mathematical Ideas in the British Primary School?

This is an exciting year for all of us at the Institute of Education at the University of Reading, since we are celebrating 10 years of successfully delivering the BA (hons) in Children’s Development and Learning (BACDL). To mark the occasion, we are holding a Celebration Event for BACDL’s 10th anniversary and we would like to invite you to join us! The event will take place on Friday 30 June between 15:15 and 16:30 in L24 G06. Our Head of School, Dr Cathy Tissot as well as our Head of Early Years, Jo Elsey, and many other academics that have supported our programme over the years will be there to celebrate with us and congratulate all past and current students for their achievements.   The event is free, but registration is required.  Please book your place as soon as possible and latest by Saturday 10 June to help us plan for catering, since the event will be a tea party, with lots of drinks, snacks and cakes to enjoy. For more information and registration, please click here.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Dr Maria Kambouri-Danos Lecturer in Early Childhood, Education and Care Programme Director BA Children’s Development and Learning

A delegation from the Universities of Cambridge and Reading visited the Minister of Education in Bihar, Dr Ashok Choudhary, in April this year to discuss a new research project on multilingualism in primary schools in India.

The delegation visiting the Minister in Patna consisted of:

• the Principal Investigator, Professor Ianthi Tsimpli from the University of Cambridge
• two Co-investigators from the University of Reading, Professor Theo Marinis and Professor Jeanine Treffers-Daller
• and a representative from the British Council India, Joydeep Bordoloi [see picture].

This new four year project, entitled Multilingualism and Multiliteracy in Primary schools in India (Multilila), looks at progress in learning and teaching of language, reading and maths in primary schools in India over a period of four years. As part of the project primary school children in Hyderabad, Delhi and Bihar will be invited to take language, reading and maths tests, and to carry out tasks that measure their attention levels. The project aims to make recommendations for the development of Multilingual Education and to identify good pedagogical practice in primary schools in India.

Support for home languages in Indian schools

It is well known that children who use more than one language in everyday life can have advantages in attention and learning skills. Most Indian children are multilingual in that they use more than one language on a daily basis but not all Indian children experience the advantages in attention and learning skills that have been found in other contexts.  

A key focus point of the project is how children’s understanding of the curriculum content is supported through the use of different languages in the classroom. While Hindi is the language of education and official matters in Bihar, some schools that the delegation visited in Patna make very good use of the children’s home languages, such as Magahi or Majthili, to explain difficult concepts in the classroom. Teachers who are not from the area are given word lists with translations of key terms in the children’s home languages to help them bridge the gap between school and home languages.

In other Indian contexts, for example in areas where children have immigrated from other parts of the country, learning through the mother tongue is more challenging because of the wide range of languages that are spoken by the children.

These findings will also be relevant for the UK, because classrooms in British primary schools are increasingly multilingual too. Professor Tsimpli explains:

“There are important lessons to be learned from the Indian context for teachers and policy makers in the UK interested in improving support for children who speak more than one language at home and in school.”

Next steps

The UK researchers work closely with a team of Co-investigators in India, consisting of:

• Professor Minati Panda from the Zakir Husain Centre for Educational Studies School of Social Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University
• Professor Suvarna Alladi from the  National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Karnataka
• Dr Lina Mukhopadyay  from the Department of Training and Development at the English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad.

From left to right: Joydeep Bordoloi (British Council India), Professor Theo Marinis (University of Reading, Clinical Language Sciences), Dr Dr Ashok Choudhary (Minister of Education in Bihar), Professor Ianthi Tsimpli (University of Cambridge) and Professor Jeanine Treffers-Daller (University of Reading, Institute of Education).

Research assistants from these three universities are currently carrying out a pilot study in Delhi before the start of the first round of data collection in July. An important project partner will also be the A. N. Sinha Institute of Social Sciences in Patna, which has a wealth of experience in studying the socio-economic and educational context in Bihar.

“The interdisciplinary composition of the team is a key strength of the project”, says Professor Marinis, Director of the Centre for Literacy and Multilingualism. “It is only through truly interdisciplinary projects such as this one that we can hope to gain further insights into why some children flourish and others struggle in multilingual contexts in India as well as the UK.”  

By  Professor Jeanine Treffers-Daller of the University of Reading, Institute of Education.

No homework, no set times for attendance and a slave to take you to school: could this be one of the wilder ideas in a Year Six suggestion box? No, just an ordinary day in the life of an ancient Roman classroom.

As part of a unique time-travelling adventure organised by leading classicist Professor Eleanor Dickey and the Department of Classics, schoolchildren and families can experience ancient classrooms first-hand at the University of Reading from 27 June to 7 July 2017. Students will have the opportunity to become completely immersed in Roman daily life: dressed in Roman costume, they will learn to write with a stylus on a wax tablet, read from papyrus scrolls, work on Roman school exercises and try their hand at multiplication in Roman numerals.

Of particular interest to schools and pupils will be the differences between ancient and modern classrooms. In ancient schools there were no raised hands and the teacher never spoke to the class as a whole, only to individuals. Lecturers and students from the Department of Classics, as well as Institute of Education PGCE students, are currently swotting up on ancient teaching methods in preparation for what Professor Dickey describes as, “an event which we believe is unique in modern times.”

“The changes in the way children are taught now are massive, even going back 10 years. Well we are going back 2,000 years! There was no set curriculum – parents paid for what they wanted their child to learn – no set classes, year groups or times for attendance.

“But children wouldn’t get away with skipping lessons. The majority of parents sent their children to school with a slave who not only kept them safe on the way there but also reported back any errant behaviour.”

Professor Dickey continued: “No obelisk has been left unturned to create an authentic atmosphere, from Roman costumes to windows looking out on the River Nile.

“They’ll be no need for pupils to pack their papyrus as we’ll be providing all the equipment including tablets, the Ancient World kind, and reed pens.

“The Roman Empire is one of the most important periods in our history. The day promises to be fun and educational, for pupils and students alike.”

The inspiration for this event arose from Professor Dickey’s work on The Colloquia of the Hermeneumata Pseudodositheana, Europe’s most ancient children’s books. These were manuals written to help ancient Greeks and Romans get around in each other’s languages. They tell of a day in the life of a schoolchild and his teacher as well as containing numerous dialogues that shed light on daily life in the Roman Empire.

While much has obviously changed, some scenarios in the book will ring a bell now; from the daily tasks of shopping and banking, to a telling off for a husband returning home late a little the worse for wear.

The Roman schoolroom will appear at the University of Reading from 27 June to 7 July 2017. School groups, families, and individuals will all be welcomed. There will be a small charge, which will be waived under certain circumstances. There is capacity for around 20 people per hour in the school room and larger groups will be accommodated by revolving activities. The cost will be £5 per attendee for one school room visit and £10 for the whole day.

For more information about practicalities, including the schoolroom’s offerings and how it can further modern classroom objectives, see:

• for primary schools
• for secondary schools
• children and families coming independently.

Booking is essential: please contact E.Dickey@reading.ac.uk to reserve a date and time.

The Institute of Education (IoE) is ranked in the top three UK Universities in the field of Education, according to the Guardian University League Table 2018, just published. The IoE has leapt up five places to 3rd from 8th last year, confirming the Institute’s national and international standing.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the IoE was celebrating its leap by four places to 10th in the Complete University Guide’s Education rankings, which cited the Institute’s “sky-high score for Student Satisfaction”.

Find out why we are leaping up league tables by visiting us during our next Open Days on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 June. To book your place, visit our Open Days website.

Dr Cathy Tissot, Head of the IoE, who has just been conferred Professorship along with two IoE colleagues, said of the Guardian League Table result

Dr Cathy Tissot, Head of the IoE

“This significant top three position on the Guardian University League Table for 2018 demonstrates how everyone at the IoE is driven to achieve the very best for our students and for the pupils they go on to teach. Our students go on to success in secure excellent jobs, having studied in a very supportive and exciting environment.

“We are very fortunate in our strong partnerships with our much-valued local schools, an alliance that contributes significantly to an engaging and wonderful student experience.

“Many congratulations to staff and our wonderful students on this superb result; it is an accolade to everyone’s hard work and dedication.”

The result echoes the IoE’s very strong position in the main UK league tables, being ranked eighth in the country by The Times and the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017 as well as 10th in the Complete University Guide. 

The University of Reading as a whole is once again ranked in the Top 30 UK universities; 29th in the UK by the Guardian University League Table 2018

Sir David Bell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Reading, said:

“This latest result shows Reading is consolidating its position at the top end of the national league tables. Our academic and professional support staff deserve praise for their hard work, which makes Reading one of the best universities to study in the world.

“While individual positions tend to fluctuate from year to year, it is clear that the longer-term picture is one of overall improvement. We are focused on making sure that we provide the highest quality university experience for all our students, both now and in the future.”

The Guardian league tables focus on the quality of teaching, student satisfaction and employability, issues that are vital to young people choosing where to study.

Did you know you can achieve your Masters in Education whilst working full time? Our highly regarded MA Education programme is available part-time to meet the needs of busy professionals like you. Taught modules can be taken singly or as part of an award bearing course and you may be able to transfer PGCE credits.

Join us on Thursday 25th May 2017 at the Institute of Education for one of our special evenings to learn more.

As well as lots of useful information, there will also be time set aside for informal chats over biscuits and a cup of tea or coffee with lecturers, administrators and our Director of MA Programmes, Dr Helen Bilton.

We look forward to welcoming you to our evening of discussion and friendly advice, where you can ask all your questions and find out about our programmes from the people who teach them.

Please do share this invitation with your colleagues who have an interest in Continued Professional Development at one of the top 1% of universities in the world.*

Dr Helen Bilton, event organiser and MA Programme Director

At the Institute of Education, we believe that the ‘children’s workforce’ should be spearheaded by a cadre of highly creative, analytical and experienced graduate leaders.

We invited current potential early years teachers to a free event devoted to discussing the concept, rewards and training around a career working with children.

There was a programme of talks, with informal discussions with staff available on a flexible basis. After the main talk at 5pm, there were mini taster sessions in each subject along with complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits served throughout.

We offer three respected and successful programmes that can lead to a range of Post Graduate teaching qualifications:*

• Foundation Degree Children’s Development and Learning (age 0-11)
• BA Children’s Development and Learning (ages 0-11)
• Post Graduate Certificate in Early Years Practice with Early Years Initial Teacher Training Programme (age 0 – 5)

Thank you to all attendees! We all thoroughly enjoyed the occasion.

www.reading.ac.uk/education