The Storymaker Wheel: An investigation into how teachers and pupils can use a counter‐culture assessment tool to evaluate creative writing in the classroom

This paper outlines the processes of creating a ‘Storymaker Wheel’, a creativity evaluation tool conceptualised with input from a children’s book author, a children’s book illustrator, academics and teachers, for teachers and pupils to use to support and develop their creative writing. It documents the ways in which teachers and pupils engaged with the Wheel in three schools in England: a primary pupil referral unit, a primary school and a secondary school. Interviews with teachers and pupils about the Storymaker Wheel, and classroom observations of the Wheel in use, expose some challenges of teaching creative writing within the current English educational context, which we discuss

From visual education to 21st century literacy: an analysis of the Ministry of Education's post-war film production experiment and its relevance to recent film education strategies

In 1943 the Ministry of Education took the decision to sponsor the production of an experimental programme of nonfiction films specifically to be used as ‘instructional’ teaching aids in the secondary classroom. The intervention was a development of pre-war efforts on the part of a number of organisations from the teaching and cultural sectors to realise the value of ‘educational’ film, in response to recognition of the medium’s social and cultural influence. This historical example demonstrates that government recognition of film as an educational resource has been achieved in the past. However, in 2012, the British Film Institute (BFI) launched a new education plan, at the centre of which was the aim to advocate the value of film education to Government (British Film Institute, 2012c). This aim had been the focus of film education initiatives in the previous decade without resolution, for example in the national strategy Film: 21st Century Literacy (UK Film Council, 2009). My research analyses the Ministry of Education’s production experiment in order to discover whether the findings can inform current film education strategies and offer an insight into why the struggle for government recognition of film education still remains. This research combines film theory, archival research and education histories in order to contextualise the films within the particular historical moment of their production. I apply a pragmatic approach to the postmodern and poststructural theories of for example, Nichols (1991), Plantinga (1997), Renov (1993) and Winston (1995) in my textual analysis of the 16 films, sourced from the British Film Institute National Archive. The analysis of form and style informs my discussion of concepts of realism, ‘objectivity’ and ‘truth’ in relation to the films and the social and political ideologies conveyed through the texts. I also analyse contemporary documentation sourced from The National Archives in order to identify the objectives, the pedagogical rationale and the ideological project motivating the Ministry’s experiment as a whole and evaluate its outcomes. I argue that the methodology of the Ministry of Education experiment was flawed so that no definitive conclusions were drawn regarding the educational ‘value’ of film. Furthermore, the ‘experiment’ was turned to political purpose so that the ideological project informing and conveyed through the filmic discourse actually worked to impose the social stratification inherent within the post-war tripartite education system. I also argue that, due in part to technological advances which have removed the need for state sponsorship of educational film production, government recognition is now unnecessary, and carries the risk of ideological and political incentives overcoming the pedagogical objectives of ‘21st century literacy’. I make the recommendation that film education initiatives should exist outside of political agendas and instead build links with teacher training institutions in order to ensure the driving force behind its practical application is pedagogical rather than politica

The Power of creative learning through the Arts: economic imperative or social good?

This article uses data generated through qualitative methods and discourse analysis to explore how ‘creative learning’ is articulated in the current educational context in Wales. The research focused on the Arts and Wellbeing in Education (AWE) professional learning programme for primary and secondary schools, delivered by ‘Arts Champions’ through one of the Regional Arts and Education Networks. The Networks were created to support the Welsh Government / Arts Council Wales Creative Learning through the Arts Action Plan (Welsh Government, 2015). The analysis applies a poststructural framework, influenced by the work of Foucault, to examine the circulating discourses around the ‘benefits’ and ‘value’ of creative learning, and the arts. The discussion reveals the underlying structures and ideological project that in/form the policy context, and the resultant practice. The findings describe how the Welsh Government rhetoric describes a broadly democratic, economic value of the arts, while the case study Network D emphasises the benefit of the arts as a ‘social good’. Within this context, AWE functions as a local revolution extending, enhancing and personalising the ‘social good’ so that the benefits centre on wellbeing through mindful approaches to creativity, the value of which is decided by the individual

Disrupting the Habitus? Media representations and participant experience of Teach First: an exploratory case study in Wales.

Teach First is a schools-based route into teaching, where graduates are able to train while employed by ‘disadvantaged’ schools. Established in 2002, the charity works in partnership with teacher training providers around England and Wales. The first Teach First Cymru cohort began in 2013, at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). Drawing on the work of Bourdieu, this paper will discuss the potential impact of Teach First Cymru on the teaching habitus, through public and personal articulations of the profession, set within the context of critical debate surrounding the programme. In order to do so, the paper will explore media representations of Teach First and data generated from focus groups and interviews with Teach First Cymru participants and trainees on the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) at the same university

Understanding and improving the care pathway for children with autism

Purpose: To describe current care pathways for children with autism including enablers and barriers, as experienced by health professionals, education professionals, and families in South Wales, UK. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-methods approach using focus group discussions, creative writing workshops and visualisation using rich pictures. Findings: The experiences of the care pathways differed significantly across the three groups. Health professionals described the most rigidly-structured pathways, with clear entry points and outcomes. Education professionals and parents described more complex and confusing pathways, with parents assuming the responsibility of coordinating the health and education activity in a bid to link the two independent pathways. All three groups identified enablers, although these differed across the groups. The barriers were more consistent across the groups (e.g. poor communication, missing information, lack of transparency, limited post diagnosis services and access to services based on diagnosis rather than need). Practical implications: This research could inform the design of new services which are premised on multi-agency and multi-disciplinary working to ensure children with ASD receive joined up services and support. Originality/value: Although this study did not represent all professional groups or all experiences of autism, we examined three different perspectives of the ASD pathway. In addition, we triangulated high-level process maps with rich pictures and creative writing exercises, which allowed us to identify specific recommendations to improve integration and reduce duplication and gaps in provision

Southern Cross Soloists Season 2016

Ensemble in Residence at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Southern Cross Soloists present three concerts: Forbidden Love (with Jack Liebeck, Violin)– 20th March 2016 at 3pm Visions of Earth (with William Barton, Didjeridu)– 19th June 2016 at 3pm Heavenly Voice (with Sara Macliver, Soprano)– 27th November 2016 at 3p

Source excitation strategies for obtaining impulse responses in finite difference time domain room acoustics simulation

This paper considers source excitation strategies in finite difference time domain room acoustics simulations for auralization purposes. We demonstrate that FDTD simulations can be conducted to obtain impulse responses based on unit impulse excitation, this being the shortest, simplest and most efficiently implemented signal that might be applied. Single, rather than double, precision accuracy simulations might be implemented where memory use is critical but the consequence is a remarkably increased noise floor. Hard source excitation introduces a discontinuity in the simulated acoustic field resulting in a shift of resonant modes from expected values. Additive sources do not introduce such discontinuities, but instead result in a broadband offset across the frequency spectrum. Transparent sources address both of these issues and with unit impulse excitation the calculation of the compensation filters required to implement transparency is also simplified. However, both transparent and additive source excitation demonstrate solution growth problems for a bounded space. Any of these approaches might be used if the consequences are understood and compensated for, however, for room acoustics simulation the hard source is the least favourable due to the fundamental changes it imparts on the underlying geometry. These methods are further tested through the implementation of a directional sound source based on multiple omnidirectional point sources

Source excitation strategies for obtaining impulse responses in finite difference time domain room acoustics simulation,”

a b s t r a c t This paper considers source excitation strategies in finite difference time domain room acoustics simulations for auralization purposes. We demonstrate that FDTD simulations can be conducted to obtain impulse responses based on unit impulse excitation, this being the shortest, simplest and most efficiently implemented signal that might be applied. Single, rather than double, precision accuracy simulations might be implemented where memory use is critical but the consequence is a remarkably increased noise floor. Hard source excitation introduces a discontinuity in the simulated acoustic field resulting in a shift of resonant modes from expected values. Additive sources do not introduce such discontinuities, but instead result in a broadband offset across the frequency spectrum. Transparent sources address both of these issues and with unit impulse excitation the calculation of the compensation filters required to implement transparency is also simplified. However, both transparent and additive source excitation demonstrate solution growth problems for a bounded space. Any of these approaches might be used if the consequences are understood and compensated for, however, for room acoustics simulation the hard source is the least favorable due to the fundamental changes it imparts on the underlying geometry. These methods are further tested through the implementation of a directional sound source based on multiple omnidirectional point sources

Bella España

The Resonate concert series for 2015 brings art and music together in a highly original program featuring some of Australia’s best-loved performers. An internationally successful ensemble based at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane, the Southern Cross Soloists have helped set the benchmark for Australian chamber music since 1995. The Soloists have earned a well-deserved reputation for artistic excellence and continue to surprise and delight audiences with their constantly evolving repertoire and ever-changing annual programs. Their informal, up-close-and-personal performance style creates an intimate, inviting and deeply engaging experience. Acclaimed guitarist Slava Grigoryan joins the Southern Cross Soloists to present Bella España, a fiery program of Latin-influenced works celebrating dance and romance. Grigoryan, already a favourite with Gallery audiences, is one of Australia’s most renowned classical guitarists and a former Young Australian of the Year for the arts. In this program, works by Granados, De Falla and De Milan are paired with the flaming sounds of Villa-Lobos and Piazzolla, showcasing the beauty and intimacy of chamber music and the brilliance of the Spanish guitar

CAMAU Project: Research Report (April 2018)

‘Learning about Progression’ is a suite of research-based resources designed to provide evidence to support the building of learning progression frameworks in Wales. ‘Learning about Progression’ seeks to deepen our understanding of current thinking about progression and to explore different purposes that progression frameworks can serve to improve children and young people’s learning. These resources include consideration of how this evidence relates to current developments in Wales and derives a series of principles to serve as touchstones to make sure that, as practices begin to develop, they stay true to the original aspirations of A Curriculum for Wales – A Curriculum for Life. It also derives, from the review of evidence, a number of fundamental questions for all those involved in the development of progression frameworks to engage