Wednesday, June 01, 2011
The smash hit West End musical WICKED is proud to announce the second year of its hugely successful WICKED Young Writers’ Award. The Award recognises excellence in writing, encourages creativity, and helps develop literacy and writing talent in young people between the ages of 5 and 25 years old. Inspired by the production’s roots within Gregory Maguire’s acclaimed novel, the Award is championed by Patron Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall and spearheaded by bestselling author and former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo. Assisting with the judging process will be Michael McCabe, Executive Producer of WICKED, and William Fiennes, founder of First Story, an organisation that supports and inspires creativity, literacy and talent in schools by arranging for authors to run long-term writing workshops in challenging secondary schools in the UK.
Michael McCabe said in a statement: “Following the huge success of 2010’s inaugural year, it is with great pride that we are again able to use the production’s important messages of choices, values and consequences to help enhance young peoples’ engagement with creative writing.”
Michael Morpurgo praised the scheme: "I am delighted to be involved in the WICKED Young Writers' Award for its second year. We had thousands of entries last year with some wonderful and original writing. Again, my fellow judges and I will be looking for stories and poems that are written from the heart and passionately felt, where young people have written for themselves to develop their own style and voice. Here's hoping for another amazing year!”
WICKED star Louise Dearman (Glinda) voiced her excitement at being asked to be the spokesperson of the Award on behalf of the cast: “Performing a reading at the winners’ ceremony last year was a real privilege, so I jumped at the chance to get involved earlier and help to energise and inspire young people to enter”
Young people can submit entries until Sunday 31 July 2011. A shortlist of 100 finalists will be announced in the Autumn, followed by a special winners’ showcase at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre, home of the award-winning musical.
Get involved at WickedYoungWriters.com
Friday, May 13, 2011
UKLA has responded in detail to the first phase of the government’s review of the statutory National Curriculum in England. The submission was collated, shaped and edited by Professor Andrew Lambirth, to whom grateful thanks. A summary of UKLA’s response can be downloaded here. We would welcome any comments about the submission. Please post these on the Community section of the website.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Would you value practical ideas to support your practice?
Would you like to hear about projects which have researched and supported thinking in and through dialogue?
Then join the OU and UKLA at a joint conference in London on Friday June 24th devoted to Development through Dialogue.
Karen Littleton from the OU who has done extensive work with Neil Mercer and published the seminal book Dialogue and the Development of Children's Thinking is speaking. David Reedy has worked widely with primary schools and teachers in Barking and Dagenham in developing effective classroom talk. There are also 5 engaging workshops to choose from on exploratory talk, storytelling linked to story writing, talk around multimodal texts, comprehension though conversation and talking to learn another language.
For the flier and on-line booking please click here.
Or you can contact the Open University directly: Stephanie Edwards, RAFT, Ground Floor, Stuart Hall Building, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, Tel: 01908 632957
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
We expect places to go quickly so book early!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Institute of Education, University of London:
PhD Studentship: ESRC National Centre for Research Methods Node
Three-year PhD Studentship (full-time) commencing October 2011
Title: Multimodal transcription in primary classroom digital learning environments
Supervisor: Dr Diane Mavers
Project details:
We are seeking applicants for an ESRC three-year PhD studentship. The studentship is linked to the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) node on ‘Multimodal Methods for Researching Digital Data and Digital Environments’ (Directed by Professor Carey Jewitt). The studentship will be based in the London Knowledge Lab at the Institute of Education in central London, and will commence in October 2011.
The broad research focus of the studentship is in the area outlined below but the student will have the opportunity to contribute to the design and shape the direction of their study within this area. We are seeking applicants with a good 2:1 or 1st class undergraduate degree and a Masters degree in social science or relevant discipline. The studentship includes the standard research council stipend and covers tuition fees. Applicants must meet ESRC eligibility criteria.
The PhD studentship will examine the topic of multimodal transcription in primary classroom digital learning environments. Conventions for the transcription of speech are well established. With increasing use of camcorders in social scientific research, the issue of transcribing everyday interaction in a multiplicity of modes has become focal. Researchers have innovated and experimented with a variety of means for re-presenting the multimodality of social exchange (e.g. gesture, facial expression and so on, as well as what is said), though these have as yet by no means been subject to intensive methodological investigation, reflection or broad acceptance. The overall aim of the proposed studentship is to investigate methods of transcription, and in particular movement-in-interaction. The studentship objectives will be: To describe and analyse existing methods of transcribing movement as one feature of social interaction; To test the affordances of these methods of transcription as research tools in the site of the primary classroom; To develop new means of transcription, taking a social semiotic perspective. This phased study will begin with a broad exploration of means of transcription in published transcripts (e.g. of the whole body, gesture, facial expression), and from there moves to empirical work that will focus particularly on gesture and action with the hands, as they are realized in ensembles which constitute pedagogic explanation, alongside speech, other bodily movement etc. Empirical research will be conducted to test methods of transcription focusing on teachers’ use of whole-class digital technologies in primary classrooms.
It is expected that the doctoral project will therefore contribute to the development of some/all of the thematic strands that cut across the node, i.e.: representation and transcription; physicality and embodiment; time and space; naturally-occurring digital data; and/or mixed methods. The studentship will provide the successful applicant with an interdisciplinary training in researching digital technologies – with a particular focus on qualitative analyses including multimodal methods, video based social research at a level appropriate to the student’s experience.
Further Enquiries: Dr Diane Mavers: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and Professor Carey Jewitt: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Funding Details: Studentships will cover Home/EU tuition fees and pay a stipend (£15,590 for 2011/12) for a period of up to 3 years.
Eligibility: Applicants should hold a minimum of a UK Honours Degree at 2:1 level or equivalent in Social Science or any other relevant subject and a postgraduate research training Master’s degree recognised by the ESRC or must demonstrate that the level of training already undertaken is in line with both the generic and subject specific requirements set out in the ESRC Postgraduate Training Guidelines 2011.
How to apply: Eligible candidates should:
1. Apply for MPhil/PhD at the Institute via UKPASS (details below)
2. Include an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV).
3. A covering letter explaining your interest in the area (max 2 pages A4)
4. Supply a copy of a piece of your own written work. This might be something you have written as coursework, or a publication (for a peer reviewed journal or something more journalistic such as a student newspaper). If jointly written publications are submitted please indicate your role in the writing and percentage of effort.
This should be submitted to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Closing date: 16th May 2011
Using UKPASS to apply for MPhil/PhD
If you have not already done so, please make your application for doctoral study via the PhD apply button on our web site. UKPASS is an online system for postgraduate applications. You will need to register there for an account, which is free of charge. The MPhil/PhD course code for UKPASS is P010801 PhD Education.
Further details: http://bit.ly/fvSNHU
Monday, March 14, 2011
For the last few months teachers from schools across Cheshire and Flintshire have been reading, discussing and arguing about selections for the UKLA Children’s Book Awards 2011. Teachers were looking for books which evocatively express ideas and offer layered meanings through the use of language, imaginative expression and rich illustration/graphics.The shortlists have now been selected- one for the 12-16 age range and one for 3-11. Six books made it through to each shortlist.
I think it’s been absolutely fabulous! I’ve enjoyed reading all the different kinds of books, discovering new authors and new genres…
UKLA Children’s Book Award 2011
shortlist 12-16
UKLA Children’s Book Award 2011
shortlist 3-11
The winners will be announced at a wine reception at the International Conference at the University of Chester on July 15 2011
All teachers, publishers, authors invited. Enquireis to Brenda Eatwood .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Longlists 2011 UKLA Children’s Book Awards
Page 5 of 14 pages « First < 3 4 5 6 7 > Last »
...joining UKLA is a unique opportunity... to read about exciting and thought provoking developments in the field of literacy ”
Carrie Ansell
Senior Lecturer
Read more >
