Fifty past, present and prospective students attended Glyndŵr University’s inaugural education conference.
The University’s Catrin Finch Centre played host to the event, which was arranged to promote the Wrexham-based institution as a centre of innovation and excellence for teachers.
Entitled ‘By Practitioners – for practitioners’ it provided an opportunity for those in attendance to showcase their work and explore best practice with peers from across the region.
The successful event comes after the Education team was ranked second in the UK and number one in Wales for student satisfaction, according to the Complete University Guide. The department also jumped 21 places to 37th overall.
Opening proceedings, interim Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Upton, emphasised the importance of the forum in helping to develop the partnerships necessary to serve an ever-changing education and business environment.
He said: “It is hoped that, as part of Glyndŵr University’s long-term objectives this education conference will enable us to better meet the needs and interests of our students, contributing to the development and prosperity of the North Wales region and beyond.”
John Davies, Head of Lifelong Learning at Wrexham County Borough Council was among the dozens who took time out to visit the centre and enjoy the workshops and presentations on offer – including Jo Williams on how to deliver ‘the power hour’ in the classroom – as did Ian Kelly, School Improvement Officer for Denbighshire County Council.
However, the star of the day was Leighton Williams, a former Glyndŵr PGCE student who gave a rousing talk on learning to teach with a disability.
“Leighton’s speech was a heartfelt reflection on his teaching journey to-date – and was both an informative and inspirational lead for everybody in the hall,” said Allison O’Sullivan, a principal lecturer in Education at Glyndŵr University.
“It was a fascinating day and I’m so pleased so many people attended. Everyone who came felt it was an invaluable exercise and an opportunity to share techniques, ideas and observations about the practice of teaching, as well as networking and providing information – we look forward to holding this conference again in 2016.”
Reflecting on the University’s student satisfaction results in Education, John Luker, Programme Leader for the BA (Hons) Education Studies and route leader on the MA Education, said: “We have a suite of excellent Education and Childhood & Families courses which have helped many people go on to achieve their goal of becoming qualified teachers as well as community roles, so we are delighted to have secured such positive results in student satisfaction.
“Our programmes are effectively delivering both the Welsh and Westminster Governments’ agendas on supporting better outcomes for children, young people and families.
“We have received a lot of feedback on the range of modules we offer and that has ensured they are industry-relevant and designed to enhance future professional practice.
“We also do this through training courses, interactive discussions and debates, a variety of assessment techniques and offer unparalleled support and guidance and placement opportunities where learning can be applied.
“To put it simply, we give the student what they need to be a success in this sector on leaving university.”
For further information about the PGCE, Cert Ed, MA-Education and Graduate Diploma provision at Glyndŵr University, call 01978 293439 or email [email protected].
For more information about next year’s event, call Allison on 01978 293233 or email [email protected]
