CSPACE Blog

The Centre for the Study of Practice and Culture in Education (CSPACE) is a community of researchers, lecturers, practitioners and students committed to exploring culture and practice across a wide spectrum of educational settings. This blog will offer insight into our inventive and creative approaches to research, as well as promoting our work on inclusion and social justice across a range of educational fields.

Talking with and listening to Black Muslims of Britain

This blog considers a landmark report ‘ Proudly Muslim and Black Report 2022 ’ launched by the Muslim Council of Britain. It is a collection of personal essays examining the challenges of overcoming anti-Black racism .

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What do we talk about when we talk about education?

This blog explores the challenges of, and possibilities around, decolonising educational spaces within the context of t...

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Managing professional literacies in HE: transitioning from workplace literacies to vocationally orientated lecturing in HE

This blog explores second career lecturers and vocational students need more support to navigate both work-based and H...

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Igniting a collective ethics of care in our teaching and learning community: learning from the ‘Walking in Students’ Shoes’ project

This blog focuses on the lessons learnt from the ‘Walking in Students’ Shoes’ collaborative research project and the w...

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Collaborative, Community Mapping with Young People as ‘Liberatory Pedagogy’

This blog opens up a dialogue on bell hooks’s call for ‘liberatory pedagogy’, using a collaborative community mapping ...

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Pedagogical Hope: Decolonising Seminar Discussions on Slavery

In this blog, I reflect on an example of critical pedagogy seminar discussions on the slave trade and the opportunities...

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What now adult educators?

 An open letter to adult educators in times of social, political, and environmental crises. 

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The history of Doctoral supervision: some early reconnaissance

A brief account of some early reconnaissance underway on the history of Doctoral supervision.

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Spirals and all that

What is the place of spirals in thinking about musical development?  

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Critical Pedagogy, digital teaching and learning in a radically changing landscape

How can educators develop their praxis of critical pedagogies in digital spaces?  This blog reflects on the work o...

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Bodies remembered, bodies under siege: bell hooks’ legacy in an age of border violence

This blog is a short provocation examining bell hooks’ urgent call to remember the body in the classroom, exploring w...

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If ‘[the classroom] remains the most radical space of possibility in the academy', then what possibilities are opened in supervisory space?

A discussion of what ‘ differential ’ supervisory space might look and feel like.  

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How can I hear if I am not listening?

This blog discusses the rethinking of knowledge - rich classroom spaces.   

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Troubling academic writing in the academy: a conversation about more than writing

Unbeknownst to each other, two academics discover they have much in common. Having published books that seem to speak ...

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Students at University: my teaching vision and approach

This blog discusses a teacher's vision for teaching students in Higher Education.

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Playful encounters. Switching-in to switching-off.

Playful encounters. Switching-in to switching-off .  

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Dis-tance learning: A dystopian view of the virtual classroom

A dystopian representation of the virtual classroom.

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The value of professional associations to the ‘hybrid’ and ‘hidden’ curriculum of doctoral education

This blog explores the value of professional associations to the ‘hybrid’ and ‘hidden’ curriculum of docto...

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E-EDGE series: The Birmingham Project

This blog introduces the first series of the Educators in Educational Governance (E-EDGE) blogs: exploring the profess...

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E-EDGE series: Governors and Communities of Practice

An understanding of the Academic Staff Governors’ positioning within a governing body is paramount in maximising the k...

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E-EDGE series: Post New Governance as democratic alternative

In this blog, Dr Andy Allen, Co-Researcher in the BELMAS project, discusses Post New Governance as a democratic altern...

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Reimagining University Campus Tours

Reimagining University Campus Tours: How might key principles of critical pedagogy achievably and creatively enhance ou...

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Education, Social Justice and Survival in a Time of Crisis

This blog (written in a personal capacity) advocates an educational response to the crisis we face based on s...

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Education is Change

This piece considers what Education as the Practice of Freedom (hooks 1994) could mean and the forces and powers gener...

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Empowering community governor decision-making in school improvement

In collaborating with community governors who have experienced failed governance in an environment of special measur...

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Peers supporting the development of peers in Initial Teacher Education: Is professional dialogue an effective approach?

Learning, whilst typically through a vertical axis of master/apprentice, can also take place horizontally, between pe...

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Why We Need Media Education in the Early Years

This blog reflects on the radical idea that we need to introduce media education for pre-school age children in Early ...

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How a ‘one size fits all’ approach in secondary English does not work!

A critical analysis on the English curriculum at secondary level and how it is both constructed and produced leadin...

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Reflection and dialogue in embracing change: from primary teacher to academic researcher

Having been asked to help organise the Centre for the Study and Practice of Culture in Education’s ( CSpace ) summer...

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Character Education and Its Place in 21st Century Society?

This article explores the role  character education plays within education policy and its implementati...

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Queer Pedagogy

A discussion on anti-oppressive and LGBTQ+ pedagogies and how it can be utilised to create a more inclusive and excit...

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Making Access to Whole Class Ensemble Teaching and Learning Inclusive

This blog offers a brief summary of the lived experiences of teachers using adapted musical instruments within the...

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Education through sub-culture: reconceptualising the ‘classroom’

Gary Poynton explores the concept of reimagining the classroom as an informal learning space outside of the instituti...

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bell hooks and the Exhaustion of Critical Pedagogy

Far from being an agent of “radical social change,” critical pedagogy is an obstacle to it.

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Constructing effective critical dialogue through group work in a Key Stage One classroom

Using ideas based in critical pedagogy I discuss ways in which young children might be engaged in effective critical ...

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What is Missing: Actualization

How do we constructively transgress in our teaching when our focus is multicultural poetry, but we live in ...

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'Becoming Hybrid': Reflections on Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This blog centres on my reflections on the concept of hybridity in relation to experiences of primary school teaching ...

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‘You’re sitting the smartest, well done’: Young children’s embodied experiences of starting school in England.

This blog gives an overview of my EdD thesis ‘Young children’s bodies: multiple perspectives on the embodied experienc...

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Reconceptualising professional learning and development through a Froebelian lens

This blog reports on the findings from my PhD thesis ‘Reconceptualising professional learning and development through ...

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“We became an emergency service”: school leaders reflecting on their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic

This blog gives a summary of the research process and some of the key findings of the first phase of the Co-MAP project...

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Reporting the reporters

This blog offers a critique of the long-awaited media report recently published by The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)....

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A match made in the Academy – When Conductive Education met the ‘Posts’

This blog gives a brief conceptualisation of contemporary conductive education with the aid of a ‘posts’ conversation,...

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Open School Doors transitions to Co-MAP

This blog gives an overview of the transition of the Open School Doors Erasmus+ funded project into the recently launch...

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International Co-MAP project launches with Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary

This blog gives an overview of a new international creative research project led by Birmingham City University that ex...

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Gender stereotypes in childhood: what’s the harm?

A discussion of how the perpetuation of gender stereotypes throughout society, particularly in childhood, can have a ha...

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Mystery tour for a so-called “NEET”

A reflection on past experiences as a young person not in employment, education or training.

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Girls don't do this!

PhD student Lynn Holman-Fox reflects on her own music education experience, considering some of the barriers she faced ...

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'The political catch-up': learning from parents' experiences of home-schooling children with SEND

This article challenges the political catch up and loss narratives following long periods of school closures and home-...

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Tacet: Female Directors of Music in UK Independent School History.

This reflection examines intersections between independent school songs, those who wrote and taught them and the role o...

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All Born Equal? Tackling social inequalities from birth to five to safeguard lifelong wellbeing

This post discusses the importance of highlighting and tackling social and health inequalities before a child reaches ...

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A reflection on coping with adult physical impairment

A reflection on coping with adult physical impairment.

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Inform, Educate, Entertain: The BBC at the end of history

This post links the founding principles of the BBC with Adam Curtis’s latest documentary and its wider application to ...

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Visiting Manor Church of England Academy: thoughts about music technology and gender

Although it feels like a lifetime ago now due to Covid-19 restrictions - I used to have the privilege of visiting music...

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From practitioner inquiry on doctoral supervision into an internally funded creative research project

In 2015, BCU developed a community of practice model for the professional development of doctoral supervisors. This mo...

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4:1 gets the job done-right?

Within the myriad of thoughts, emotions and perceptions around what behaviour management entails, through my own exper...

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Co-developing students and staff classroom consciousness – some key ingredients

Student-staff collaboration in learning and teaching has been an influential movement in UK higher education (HE) parti...

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Spinning the child: musical constructions of childhood through records, radio and television

Liam Maloy will present his new book: " Spinning the Child : Musical Constructions of Childhood through Records, Radio ...

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Coming soon – the BCU School of Education journal magazine!

The BCU Education journal magazine that will contain research based articles that can be used by teachers and easily r...

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The place of teacher assessment in Primary School statutory testing

Considerations of how teacher assessment is (or is not) used in Primary schools to inform end of Primary Schools asses...

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The Research Garden: finding your way through the undergrowth and having the courage to try

Conceptualising and planning a research project from scratch is a challenge. Applying for funding to support your idea...

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Threshold concepts and formative assessment within Key Stage 3 group composing

This blog draws on the notion of threshold concepts focusing on the Key Stage 3 group composing context. Using video-r...

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Moments of Light: Loss, Work and Research

This blog post shares the moments of success I have found as an educator and doctoral student during the period of lock...

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Critical Perspective 2: Formative Presentations

This blog listing is about my experiences as the module lead on Critical Perspective 2, a module on School of Educatio...

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Holiday food programmes and food insecurity prevention- recommendations for delivery.

A PhD researcher shares her observations on the importance of considering tastes and preferences when delivering holid...

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Home schooling; Children; Families; School; Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

This article discusses a new project that aims to explore the experiences of children with SEND and their parents durin...

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Crossing boundaries: reflections on being an academic and a writer of fiction

This blog explores the experience of an academic who spent a year writing fiction and highlights the ways in which both...

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Lockdown in Theory

The purpose of this piece is to encourage readers to reflect on the source/s of their theory and to critique the need ...

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Research Informed Teaching

Research informed teaching focuses on enhancing the knowledge of students through research, teaching students to develo...

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