Reclaiming the "wounded storyteller": The use of peer feedback as a pedagogical tool in creative life writing

This paper looks at the use of student feedback within the creative writing workshop, with particular reference to life writing. It is argued that preparing students for the peer review process, managing the way in which feedback is given and received and being mindful of the emotional impact of writing are keys areas of consideration. Different types of feedback are presented. "Emergent feedback" is identified as a category that captures the accumulative impact of peer review, enabling holistic discussions about the craft of writing. Frank’s (1995) concept of the "wounded storyteller" is applied to the emotional impact of life writing. Suggestions are made for managing the process for individual students and within the curriculum as a whole

CAN HAPPINESS AND RESILIENCE BE CULTIVATED? EVALUATION OF A TEN WEEK PILOT WITHIN A UK HEI

This paper considers whether the traits of happiness and resilience can be cultivated within a higher education institution (HEI) setting. It does this by exploring the development, implementation and evaluation of a ten-week pilot programme carried out on staff and students within a UK university. The programme involved receiving an email every weekday for ten weeks, which covered a range of themes connected with happiness and resilience. Participants were invited to carry out daily reflections and tasks. They also had access to an online discussion page hosted on the University’s virtual learning environment (VLE), called Canvas. Both staff and students across all campuses and directorates were eligible to participate. The results indicated that participants found the structure of the programme helpful and reported greater subjective levels of happiness and resilience as a result of the project. Significance of Research: The research points to the value of HEIs developing quality enhancement measures that contribute to staff and student well-being thereby strengthening their employability and soft skills

Using counter-story to increase belonging in an HEI : exploring the potential of posters to contribute to the institutional habitus

This paper narrates one story and two counter-stories in its exploration of the extent to which posters can have an impact on staff and students’ sense of belonging within higher education institutions (HEIs). It argues that within a context of increasing marketization, most HEIs have carefully re-aligned their public images to match their student profiles, showing inclusivity and diversity on their websites and within social media. However, attention to their visual academic image (Masiki, 2010) has not automatically extended to the posters on display within the universities themselves. Using an auto-ethnographic approach, this paper discusses the negative impact of some posters and the messages they convey about privilege, entitlement and belonging, especially to minority staff and students. The possibilities of using posters as a means of providing counter-story to such narratives is explored as well as their potential to increase a sense of belonging to the organisational culture

Transformative Life WritingTM : a framework for embedding student soft skills? Reflections on the highs and lows of delivering a transformative curriculum

The objectives of this reflective paper are two-fold. Firstly it considers the increasing marketization of UK HE and the subsequent need to embed student soft skills explicitly within curricula. Secondly, it introduces Transformative Life WritingTM (TLW) (a framework of transformative learning) and considers its usefulness as a medium of developing student soft skills. The author uses an auto-ethnographic approach to reflect on her experiences, of delivering a transformative curriculum by using TLW – a system that can facilitate profound personal and professional development through specific life writing tools. The rewards and challenges of using this approach are discussed, including the educator’s use of self and other strategies to create a safe environment in which students maximise their engagement, own and explore their emotional intelligence. It is argued that Transformative Life Writing can be an effective tool in increasing student awareness of their soft skills, and in increasing their confidence and self-esteem. This is especially so for vulnerable students, or those who consider themselves as having difficulties in engaging inter-personally with others. However, the paper highlights the needs of HEI’s to appropriately support educators in its delivery, especially in relation to the emotional labour involved

Transformation and change in social work : a reflective workshop

‘Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so am changing myself.’ Jalaluddin Rumi This workshop provides space for us to pause and reflect on the change that is happening within the social work workforce and within us, as social work professionals; to re-consider how our personal and professional values are impacted upon by these changes, and discuss strategies for keeping them aligned. This workshop will use elements of Transformative Life WritingTM where participants will be doing private writing for brief periods. Please bring pen and paper

Dementia cafes : recommendations from interviews with informal carers

Purpose Dementia cafés (also known as Alzheimer’s or memory cafés) have been running in the UK since 2000. The purpose of this paper is to report on the recommendations from recent research that interviewed family carers on their experiences of using the cafés. Design/methodology/approach The research was carried out in cafés in and around London, and focussed on informal, unpaid carers’ experiences of using them. In total, 11 carers from five different dementia cafés were interviewed, using semi-structured questionnaires. The results were thematically analysed. Findings The findings showed that carers had an overwhelming appreciation of the cafés and what they offered, but several of the findings led to the recommendations about the recruitment and training of café co-ordinators; how cafés present themselves and their services and how they can offer dedicated support to informal carers. Originality/value These recommendations will be of use to café organisers and commissioners, especially considering the dearth of information currently available in this area. </jats:sec