MAGAZINE THE COFFEE ISSU E 051
Good****** Morning ** Americano! fairtrade coffee
"Coffee o n th e Brain.."
COFFEE SHOP TOUR
cover artist
Rosie Probert
(2nd year Illustration student/ University of Sunderland)
ISSUE
51
the coffee issue DEGREES NORTH MAGAZINE, STUDENTS UNION OFFICES, WEARBANK HOUSE, ST. PETERS, SUNDERLAND, SR60AN no.0191 515 2957 E.Mail: dnmagazine@sunderland.ac.uk
www.dnmagazine.tumblr.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & CREATIVE DIRECTOR LEE W ALLISON DEPUTY EDITOR INDIA THOMAS MARKETING ALLEN HUMES CONTRIBUTORS RYAN DOWSE AMY BRUCE CHLOÉ CAMPBELL LAUREN DIMMICK CHARLOTTE PELL DAVID WILLIAM YEARNSHIRE KAREN CLARKSON CARL TAYLOR COLUMNISTS JORDAN NORTH KATY TROUBLE SPECIAL THANKS ROSIE PROBERT, NIKKI LAING, MIKE WALLBANK, THE DN TEAM!, JAMES OKELLO, AGE UK, DAVID ROBINSON, CRAIG RIDLEY, PCET TEACHER TRAINING GROUP - FUN
editor's
letter Second issue of the academic year here we come! Coffee is a huge part of a lot of peoples’ lives in today’s modern world of high execs, and students… who are HIGH – office workers who think with a takeout coffee cup they’re perceived to be in an official position and highly-ranked job, and let’s be honest, with the price of some coffee shops I think you would have to be on a good wedge to be able to afford just a small espresso. Luckily for me, and people like me, we get a termly salary from our boss…. “The Students Loan Company.” It seems every where you look these days you see people carrying coffee in one hand, and a yummy cinnamon swirl in the other…..well the cinnamon swirl thing is more me.. really. And if you haven’t tried one, they sell them in Starbucks….very nice. And very bad for you. So from this issue you can expect coffee-packed content - But, don’t despair…..we have other stuff too! Firstly we kick off with a review of Freshers’ with Ryan, our Ents & Media Officer. Also later in the issue we catch up with North Shores DJ! Craig Ridley. And if that wasn’t enough….we have fashion features…..a review of Gay Pride (featuring a small interview with our LGBT officer!) and we have Katy’s and Jordan’s monthly columns and a very special preview of a new magazine, produced by one of this years PCET (teacher training groups) – FUN Magazine! Enjoy. -Lee
Good Morning Americano! The USA’s romance with coffee and how American TV has perked up British coffee culture. Call me old fashioned, but what has happened to the perfectly fitting cultural stereotype of us Brits being jaunty, delicate tea drinkers? With recent popularity hailing from across the pond, coffee is the new kid on the block – he is tea’s bitter, tougher, more potent older brother, and he’s waking up the nation one caffeine craver at a time (or two, or three at a time – I mean, it all depends on the queue at Starbucks). Who can remember an episode of Friends where the gang didn’t hang out at Central Perk? Can anyone recall a time where Frasier and co. didn’t visit the coffee shop? How did coffee culture become so apparent in the US and how has its portrayal in the media affected us across the Atlantic? The people believed to have discovered the stimulating effect of the coffee bean were the Ethiopians around the 9th century; however it was in the monasteries of Yemen around the middle of the 15th century that coffee beans were first roasted and brewed in a similar fashion to how it is prepared today . From Yemen and the Middle East, the popularity of drinking coffee spread to Italy – a country still famous for its coffee. The beautiful ports of Venice brought in trade from all over the globe, and from Venice, coffee spread to the rest of Europe, with the first European coffeehouse being opened in Italy in 1645 . Coffee reached North America a little later than this,
during the Colonial period. However, it wasn’t as popular as it had been in Europe, with alcohol still prevailing as the most popular beverage (Start as you mean to go on, right guys?) Now I think it’s safe to assume, that considering the fateful events of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, that America would never really be the tea-loving society that its motherland was. As a revolt against unfair taxes put in place by the British government, a political protest by the Sons of Liberty (a group of American patriots) saw shiploads of tea being destroyed in Boston Harbour. This was the beginning of the American fight for independence, and it was during the Revolutionary War (with trade extremely restricted from the British) where the American’s taste for coffee really started brewing. Skip forward a few hundred years from the Boston Tea Party, and we can find ourselves in 1952. Marilyn Monroe was gracing the big screen, President Truman was in the White House, Tony Bennett was dominating the top ten – but America was about to produce something far more profound. You guessed it, the humble yet inescapable coffee break. Post-war America saw the first mention of such a break in a Pan-American Coffee Bureau advertisement, with the merry slogan “Give yourself a Coffee-Break -- and Get What Coffee Gives to You.” Twenty years later, 1971 seemed to be an important year for the unassuming coffeehouse. Three American college students opened a coffeehouse in Seattle, named Il Giornale – little did they know that their modest store, first opened on shaky grounds,
would become possibly the most influential and recognisable coffeehouse chain in the world – iconic in the 21st Century, represented by the famous, green, twin-tailed mermaid. You guessed it, Starbucks was born. The same year the very first Costa Coffee was opened in London. Waking the brains and warming the hands of millions, coffee seems to be everywhere. It’s difficult to find an American TV programme where a character isn’t holding a telltale to-go coffee cup, or a protagonist nonchalantly uttering something along the lines of “let’s go grab a coffee”. Everyone is familiar with Friends right? (If not, what’s wrong with you? I suggest you seek the help of a medical professional) Rachel, Ross, Joey, Phoebe, Chandler and Monica (oh, not forgetting Gunther) seemed to live at Central Perk and the iconic coffee shop was included in almost every episode. Frasier and Niles spent many an episode at Café Nervosa, the Gilmore Girls were obsessed with coffee – if they weren’t at Luke’s Diner they were getting coffee to go, talking a hundred miles an hour, hopped up on caffeine. Will & Grace could often be seen getting their caffeine fix and the impossibly perfect students of shows like Gossip Girl and 90210 can be frequently seen donning the most fashionable of hot beverages, walking the hallways with a soymilk-superskinnytripleshot-ventigrande-supercalifragilisticexpialido cious-babychino-whatever, making coffee appear to be the ultimate fashion accessory. The examples are endless. Coffee is inescapable in American television. But how has America’s steamy romance with coffee affected coffee culture here in the UK? Last year in Britain, £730 million was spent on coffee and coffee consumption in the UK has increased from 2,300 60kg bags of coffee consumed in 1999 - to 3,123 60kgs bags in 2010. It seems that the American notion of going for coffee has overridden the good old English concept of having a cup of tea, or even going to for a pint at the local to catch up with friends. Coffee is casual, but cool –The achingly cute guys in American TV shows are always asking the ladies if they maybe fancy going for a coffee sometime, it’s like the law. Coffeehouses are perfect for both meeting up with friends, or that special someone, as they are busy enough to take the pressure off, but still surprisingly intimate, cosy yet cosmopolitan and hey any place with a cupcake in a 5 meter radius can only be a good thing. Furthermore, there’s pretty much always a hot barista. A safe haven from the hideous British weather, with hot drinks, cakes and eye candy? You don’t have to ask me twice. BY CHLOÉ CAMPBELL
why I hate coffee People tend to believe you are either a tea drinker or coffee drinker. Well, I happen to be neither. Personally, I have never felt the need to drink the stuff, considering I’m a bit mad already. Therefore, a bit of caffeine in my system would drive me overboard. Nevertheless, it would be a lie to say I have never drunk it. However, since drinking it I can confirm I would never drink it again, as I HATED it! There were several significant reasons as to why. First of all it’s the smell. How it doesn’t make everyone sick to their stomachs, I will never know! One whiff of the liquid nearly made me pass out. (Slight exaggeration there, but you get the point.) The smell for me is kind of a cross between horse manure and cat urine. I know, not a good smell right? Then, of course, there is the taste. When I tasted coffee for the first time it was like I had metal in my mouth, not that I’ve had metal in my mouth…but you get the idea, it was kind of a bitter/sweet taste, like someone had just poured a pile of sugar down my throat. Not nice. Then there was the annoying moment everyone has experienced at some point in their life whether they are a small child drinking hot chocolate on a cold afternoon or an old woman knitting sipping a cup of tea. That moment is when the coffee pierces your tongue like a needle and you’re left with that burning sensation that takes a couple of long, gruesome minutes to go away. Then finally there are the people who drink the coffee. Are you really a top business woman or are you just acting pretentious and trying to be? I mean you never see a strapping young lad in trackie bottoms and Nike Air Max sitting happily on a metro with a chocolate espresso, do you? BY AMY BRUCE
fairtrade coffee by india thomas Fairtrade is all about the people who work so hard growing the roses you send to your partner; that cup of tea you need so badly after a hard day at work; the bananas you have with ice cream for pudding; and much more. These people can often go without medical treatment, skip meals so their families can eat, and don’t send their children to school because they simply cannot afford to. All these are things that, in the Western world, we take for granted. This happens because trade rules are unfair and keep the workers and their families powerless. Fairtrade encourages people to change this, even if it is only something small such as swapping your usual nuts, sugar or tea to being Fairtrade produce. This small step can lead to big changes for entire communities. They will be able to earn enough to invest in health care, feed their family, build a stronger business, and see their children go to school, therefore earning an education, which will in turn give them a much better chance in life. The Fairtrade Foundation, which was set up in 1992 by a number of charities including CAFOD and Oxfam, has the aim of transforming the trade world in order to help those who are in poverty because of the unfair trade laws. Fair trade simply means that the produce has been grown, manufactured and purchased under terms that are fair to the producer, the consumer and the environment. To become Fairtrade certified, the purchaser of the coffee must:
1. Provide loans to farmers, so that they are able start/carry on production; 2.
Provide technical assistance when needed;
3. Be prepared to pay a minimum price per pound (lb) of produce (for coffee this is currently set at $1.26). COFFEE FACTS:
• Over 400 billion cups of coffee are drunk worldwide every day. • In Britain last year, £730 billion was spent on coffee overall, with only £194.3 million of that being of the Fairtrade standard. • In America, one-fifth of the entire world’s coffee is consumed, making it the largest consumer of coffee in the world. • Coffee comes from a tree or a bush which bears cherry fruit. The actual bean is found inside the colourful cherry. • There are over 50 species of coffee worldwide, but only two (arabica and robusta) are commonly used in production. • Coffee can be used to fuel a car….. Although this is surprisingly not very effective.
KATY TROUBLE COLUMNIST *********** WORKING FOR STARBUCKS Hello my name is Katy and I’m a caffeine addict. Ok I’m not quite an addict but I do get slightly temperamental in the mornings if I don’t get my fix. I never used to be this way until I got a job in Starbucks right before I started University at Sunderland and albeit people dislike the place for it being a massive chainstore, it was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had! I stayed for a full three and a half years during University until I was offered a position in digital media when I graduated. Starting at 6am I used to grab a drink while I went about my morning jobs, usually an Americano with hot steamed milk, then another before heading into university for the day and I suppose that is where it started. It isn’t an addiction… there are days when I don’t have coffee and I don’t loose the plot or want to kill anyone! It’s more of a habit than anything. I have this saying ‘Coffee in the Mornings and Tea in the Afternoon… coffee to wake you up and tea to calm you down!’ It works too! My routine on a weekday is to get up at 6am and the first thing I do is switch the kettle on, I have twenty minutes to drink my brew and read the news before a quick shower and a commute to work. Mediaworks’ main office is based in Team Valley and on the corner of our road there is a little café called ‘The Coffee Quarter.’ This place does amazing coffees and if I’m not in too much of a rush, I’ll grab a take-out caramel macchiato on my way. They also do amazing bacon butties! Generally I have breakfast at my desk while I go through my emails
(porridge normally) with another mug and then it tends to be so busy I don’t find the time for another. After the majority of the day spent in meetings there is absolutely nothing better than a nice cup of tea and a sit down! I think tea can really help creativity too. I’m not sure how but if I’m ever having a creative block, I go make a cup of tea and come back to the problem later with a clear head and usually have a lot more ideas. Having said all this, outside of my weekly routine if I’m passing Costa or Starbucks or any other coffee shops, I don’t usually go in. It’s only if I’m with a friend or relative and I normally opt for a hot chocolate. After working in a coffee shop for so long, I’m now their worst customer as I am very particular about how my drinks are made. I know exactly how many shots of coffee, syrup and shakes of a sprinkler I want on my frappuccino! While researching for this article, I decided to Google ‘Am I addicted to coffee?’ – to see if there was a quiz I could take or find out the symptoms but believe it or not the first result was ‘Nahh... you were just thinking about coffee a lot because you knew you needed that extra boost in your day.’ So I’m Google certified not addicted and if Google says so it must be true… right? Follow me on twitter @katytrouble Read my blog www.girlinthenorth.com
LATTE “made with espresso and steamed milk” ..........................................
AMERICANO “hot water to espresso” ..........................................
Caffe Americano* Double Coffee*
Caffe Latte* Milky Coffee*
IRISH COFFEE “hot coffee, Irish whiskey, and sugar and topped with thick cream” .......................................... Caifé Gaelach*
CAPPUCCINO
ESPRESSO
MOCHA
“espresso, hot milk, and steamed-milk foam”
“small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans” ..........................................
“like a caffe latte, it is based on espresso and hot milk, but with added chocolate, top it off with cream - makes the perfect festive treat” ..........................................
espresso shot*
caffe mocha*
ICED COFFEE
EGGNOG LATTE
FRAPPUCCINO
“a cold variant of the normally hot beverage coffee”
“milk and eggnog, plus espresso and a pinch of nutmeg”
“milky coffee with blended ice” .......................................... frappe*
WHAT KIND OF COFFEE AREYOU!? TAKE OUR QUIZ AND FIND OUT....
1)It’s your turn to arrange a night out. What will it be? a)Shots! Shots! Shots! b)Movie night & a takeaway. c)Paintballing! d)Cocktail bar.
2)What kind of girl/guy do you look for?
a)Somebody that challenges me. Opposites attract, after all. b)Somebody sweet with good values. c)They have to be trendy and attractive. d)Somebody I can be myself around, I hate awkward silences.
4)Where do you see yourself in ten years time? a)In business industry. b)Well settled into family life. c)Doing something creative. d)At a nice balance between family and career.
5)Describe your style.
a)I’m a snappy dresser. I like to look smart. b)I wear what’s comfy but fashionable. c)I have a unique style. I don’t follow trends. d)I like to look fashionable, but I don’t stick to it religiously.
6)Your university life is…
3)You’re at the pictures, what’s your movie choice?
a)I’m here for the outcome. b)To make new friends. c)I’m here for the experience. d)I study hard but find time for fun.
Mostly a’s.
Mostly c’s.
You’re energetic. Everything you do, you do for an adrenaline kick. The upsides? You’re very strong willed and don’t let anybody push you around. The downsides? You can be a little bossy!
You don’t follow anybody’s rules but your own, you’re very strong willed and live your life to its full extent. The upsides? You are your own person and aren’t afraid to express your own opinions. The downsides? You can be a little cold. Try not to push people away with your feisty side.
a)Something scary. b)Rom-com all the way. c)An independent film. d)An old fave.
YOU’RE AN ESPRESSO.
Mostly b’s.
YOU’RE A MOCHA.
You’re sweet and bubbly, everyone’s favourite. The upsides? People are naturally drawn to you. You’re good at giving advice and tent to radiate a warm presence. The downsides? You’re a bit of a pushover. Don’t let other people walk all over you.
YOU’RE A FRAPPUCCINO.
Mostly d’s.
YOU’RE A LATTE.
You’re a total classic. You can be sweet, but you also have a sharp side. A good balance. The upsides? You can assess situations to determine how to act. This is useful as you’re always equipped with the right attitude. The downsides? Sometimes you work too hard. Make sure you find the right balance between work and play.
by Lauren Dimmick
COFFEE SHOP TOUR
*********
Last week myself and Lee, our lovely editor did a tour of some of the coffee shops in Sunderland with the hope of finding the best independent shop in town! We couldn’t have asked for a better day, the sun was shining (finally!) and we got to walk around the town seeing what the coffee shops had to offer! Here’s what we found.
Our first stop was Biz R; which has an ideal location, on the corner of High Street West, which guarantees a lot of business from passing shoppers! Along with a wide range of different coffees and teas there was also a wide range of food on offer from simple sandwiches and Panini’s to Lee’s choice the Salmon pasta bake! Everything on the menu was reasonably priced, and our order which consisted of 3 drinks and 2 meals all came for under £15! I particularly liked the atmosphere inside Biz R; the décor was very interesting due to the vibrant colours on the walls and the artwork which hung on them. Additionally the jazz music which played in the background added to the ambience of the place, creating a chilled out mood, making it a very comfortable place to sit, drink coffee and recharge! On our way to the next coffee shop we headed further to the outskirts of town, down Frederick Street, where on the way to one, stumbled across Serendipity! We had a chat with the owner inside and they’ve only been open for 6 months before which is why neither of us had heard of it before but once we were seated I fell in love! It was decorated in more of a boutique style; the walls were white which were accompanied with pink and white decorations, along with quirky one off furnishings which gave Serendipity a truly unique look! Another thing that struck me was the
amazing range of choice which they had! Along with the different coffees, Serendipity also offered a wide assortment of teas and hot chocolate flavours! I decided to try the banoffee hot chocolate which was gorgeous, and a selection of homemade cakes were also on offer which were presented beautifully on the counter space! I’ll certainly be taking a return visit and taking all my girlfriends with me! Our next stop Kafen café, which we were originally headed for, is just a few doors down so wasn’t too far for us to go! Immediately we could note that Kafen café was more food based than coffee, as there was less choice in the drinks menu but the food counter was set out very well and everything looked very appealing! Kafen café seemed like the ideal place for the working person to pop into during their work break for lunch and whilst we were there this seemed to be the clientele that they were attracting. The last place which we visited was called The Place, which is based on Athenaeum Street, and built next to an office complex. The design inside The Place was much more contemporary compared to the previous places we had seen and the furniture was much more open plan and spacious. There is a mix of chairs, tables and sofas where customers can sit down and we managed to bag a sofa next to the full length windows which were definitely the comfiest seats we’d found all day! The Place also looked more multifunctional and I’m assuming that it would have been open till later in the evenings due to the bottles of spirits which took pride of place along the back wall of the counter. By the end of the day we were all ‘coffee-ed’ out! We both agreed that we felt that overall Biz-R would be our best place of the day! The atmosphere inside was very relaxed and the wide range of drinks and food all at reasonable prices made it the ideal place in Sunderland to stop for a coffee! So next time you’re about to go into Starbucks, have a look around and see what smaller independent coffee shops are out there! Because as we found that, there’s certainly a lot of choice, and some great places to go too!
BY CHARLOTTE PELL
Coffee on the Brain by David William Yearnshire BSc (Hons) Psychology
To begin, an anecdote. On the 22nd of October I drank my first coffee. A latte, in fact (I chose a milkier beverage to settle me in lightly). One of those fancy, new-fangled chilled cups you’d find on the shelves of most supermarkets nowadays. I didn’t know what to expect, but the scent of roasted coffee bean extract liquefied in warm cups that pass by in the hands of happy consumers sparked off my keen aim to sample the luxurious liquid gold. It had me enthralled. On reflection, however, I regretted it. Coffee, it seems, is not for me. Though I understand the attraction for coffee drinkers, and here’s how. From the very moment that the idea of coffee is in your mind, an individual becomes determined to drink it (if, unlike myself, you are immune to its questionable taste). This is most likely due to reinforcing the behaviour of drinking it to wake you up or keep you alert. Taking it back to basics, coffee contains highly concentrated caffeine. Caffeine is something of a permeable drug, meaning that roughly after half an hour to an hour it will have spread across the bloodbrain barrier and have worked its way to the majority of your body’s cells. Remarkable ability right there. The key to its reinforcing ability, however, lies within its capability to do two vital things. Firstly, and in a similar way to cocaine and amphetamines I might add (though with reduced strength and less problems, obviously), it creates a rush of dopamine (Garrett & Griffiths, 1997). Dopamine is known as the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitter which is associated with reward learning; therefore if you feel good from drinking coffee (which you probably will) you’ll do it again because dopamine, as directed by the brain, wants you to, making the future consumption (and build up, presumably)very, very likely. Avoiding this dopamine reward will result in the withdrawal ‘down’ after dopamine levels return to normal; therefore further consumption will avoid those negative effects (Schuh & Griffiths, 1997). Slave to the system, people! The second point is that caffeine can block what are known as adenosine receptors, thus reducing adenosine (which is a neurotransmitter important for sleep promotion and arousal suppression, among other vital functions). Because of this, when caffeine is consumed, mood, blood pressure, heart rate and gastric activity are all elevated. Can you guess which one is the only good one to have elevated? Yep, mood. Caffeine makes you feel happy (most likely because of that dopamine flood, then). It has also been shown that the elevation of blood pressure can also allow for more pain tolerance (Keogh & Gerke, 2001)-
but consider the effects of having an often raised blood pressure (I’ll give you a hint, some involve the words ‘chronic’, ‘attack’, ‘failure’, ‘renal’ and ‘heart’). But don’t worry though; it’s not all doom and postdopamine gloom (indeed the keen-eyes among you would have noticed hidden benefits nestled in the aforementioned). Regulated and moderated coffee intake often results in (brief) higher mental functioning (Smith, 2002), which can help with problem-solving, big picture thinking and turning a situation around for its benefits. Chess players among you (do they still exist??) will thrive on coffee when playing (Holck, 1933), and those who are concerned about their future mental and physical health will seek comfort in the relatively new research suggesting that moderate coffee/ caffeine consumption can be protective against onset of certain dementias and Type II diabetes. What is advised, however, are three key points: • Caffeine is best with physically active activities. After the caffeine dissipates, the exercise will maintain that positivity and low stress. • Coffee after 2pm (or thereabouts) is not recommended as caffeine can remain in the system for 8+ hours. Don’t disrupt your sleep! • Moderate amounts are much better. It will not only reduce your craving and dependence (and some nasty withdrawal effects, think migraines and muscle pain), but it will allow you to get the best out of coffee. References Garrett, B.E. & Griffiths, R.R. (1997) The role of dopamine in the behavioral effects of caffeine in animals and humans. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 57, 533–541. Holck, H. (1933). Effect of caffeine upon chess problem solving. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 15, 301–311. Keogh, E. & Gerke,W. (2001) Hypoalgesic effect of caffeine in normotensive men and women. Psychophysiology, 38, 886–895. Schuh, K.J. & Griffiths, R.R. (1997) Caffeine reinforcement: The role of withdrawal. Psychopharmacology, 130, 320–326. Smith,A. (2002). Effects of caffeine on human behavior. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 40, 1243–1255.
Mature and Parent Led Environment by karen clarkson About MAPLE MAPLE is the Mature and Parent Led Environment, a new social group that has been set up by the Student’s Union. It is specifically designed for mature students and students of any age who have children. It is a great resource for those who have similar commitments to get together, share tips and experiences and above all, make friends and have fun! The group is run by Karen Clarkson, the Student Support Officer at the Students’ Union and it is designed to be flexible and to adapt to the busy lifestyles of the members. Events available to members include coffee mornings, buffets, cinema trips, Park Art, bowling and whatever else people would like to take part in. The majority of the events are family friendly and so members are welcome to bring children of all ages. Some events will also have toys available for the younger children. For those who do not have children or who want a break from family life, nights out in town will be arranged in future for adults only. Also, you will be pleased to hear, most activities are free to attend! All ideas and suggestions of events, venues, times and dates will be taken into consideration. The MAPLE Tree In future we hope to have smaller, more specific ‘branches’ expanding from MAPLE. We have already created a Facebook Community page called ‘Be able, talk to MAPLE’. This has been designed for members who cannot attend all, if not any, of the events and also students who may attend partnership colleges or study off campus. It is updated regularly and comprises of helpful tips and stories from members, relevant news articles and support links. Future ‘branches’ of MAPLE could include support for Post Graduate, Part time students and student carers.
About Me I am Karen, the Student Support Officer. I created MAPLE after speaking with mature students and realising that there was no resource specifically designed to support mature student or students with children. My role at the Union is a voluntary position; I am still a student of the University and I have two children, Katie, 4 and Robbie, 2. Because I know how difficult it can be juggling University with work and family, I felt that something needed to be done to provide support. There are, of course, support links within the University and the Union, but nothing specifically focusing on mature students and student parents.
And so I went ahead and designed the social group MAPLE and with the support of the Union I hope that it continues to thrive and grow and prove to be a very useful resource for students. To me, MAPLE is not simply there to give advice and tips of how to improve time management or budgeting skills. Not every student needs to learn these skills as many have already gained them. But everyone can benefit from meeting people in similar situations to themselves. When I first started at the University I found it very hard to meet new people and make friends as I felt I had nothing in common with my fellow students. MAPLE is a social group first and foremost. It is a chance to take a break from work and relax in a friendly environment. Get Involved If you would like to become a member of MAPLE there are a number of things you could do. Contact Karen Clarkson at su.support-officer@sunderland.ac.uk Join MAPLE on Facebook Join Be able, talk to Maple on Facebook Follow UoS_MAPLE on Twitter Then all you need to do is look out for upcoming events and share your experiences! Hope to see you soon.
SUNDERLAND BYDAVIDROBINSON Sunderland is a very odd city to take photos of. As a local photographer, the challenge is to try and capture its history and represent it in a way that people can easily identify with, and know where the photo was taken. However, it’s recently gone though a bit of a change as of late. It’s a totally different city to what it was 15-20 years ago. Most of the old 70’s buildings have gone and made way for newer…. more contemporary buildings.. It was stuck in a time bubble, trapped in a concrete jungle of greys and blacks. I can still remember the old Bridges shopping centre and the main bus station in the middle of the town; and it was ugly. But now it’s improving. I think when you take pictures in Newcastle, for example Grey Street or the Quayside, you can tell where you are and can identify the place from the pictures because Newcastle has an identity where-as Sunderland, as a city, is just starting to develope a sense of architectural identity, but also a recognition of local talent. How do these two elements – people and the city’s architecture sit together, and react/ play off each other? I started taking photos from an early age, using a Canon camera I found on a family holiday. I just remember taking photos everywhere we went. My dad would get the film developed and I would keep the often silly photos I had taken and put them in a scrapbook! Family photo albums were very big with my family and my mam has thousands of them. After taking a photography class at college I became the
person in my group of friends to take a camera out and try and document the night we had. I kind of fell into taking photos out on the gay scene on a Tuesday night in Sunderland, but instead of becoming a keyring sales person, I would post them to facebook and let people use them and tag themselves. It taught me a lot about handling a camera in a dark and loud environment, that no training could prepare you for. Drunken people trying to grab your camera is not a fun experience. I got a chance to work in an American summer camp while I was at Sunderland University, and my role was to teach photography and other aspects of media to the kids, the pictures I took were also used on the camp’s website to promote the camp. I love colourful and wacky photos, I think simple humour is universal, people can have different options on how they see art, but everyone either gets the joke or not. Thats why I love photographers like David Lachapelle and graphic designers like Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. I have my own website where I showcase my own photography http://dtrphotography.co.uk/ I put all my work on there as well as any projects I’m working on. If you have any questions or would like to get in contact with me about my work, please contact me through my website.
ABOUT ME AND MY TIME AT SUNDERLAND UNIVERSITY I’ve written quite few columns for DN over the past year or two, and it’s come to my attention (from my editor) that you don’t know anything about me. First things first, Hiya I’m Jordan and I am a nobody. And secondly…my favorite film is Goodfellas, my best dish would be my mum’s sausage and mash or a chicken korma. My three biggest fears are flying, snakes, and getting in lifts (elevators), I was a fat child/teenager and I have slight obsessions with Hitler and Elvis. There, I think that just about sums me up. If truth be told I find it uncomfortable talking about myself because let’s face it, who gives a shit who I am? However my editor is worried that because I don’t attend Sunderland Uni anymore a lot of new students won’t know anything about me. I graduated from The University of Sunderland in July 2011. Officially I graduated but I didn’t go to my graduation ceremony because I’d booked an eleven day piss up to Magaluf with my mates. To this day, this is the biggest regret of my life – well that and missing Burnley’s Carling Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspurs. I started at Sunderland Uni in September 2008 studying Media Production: TV & Radio, so I lived in Sunderland for three years and I absolutely loved the place. I still miss it now and had the best three years of my life right here in the North-East. I used to work behind the bar and as a chef at North Shore. I’ll never forget working one Freshers’ night when Bodger and Badger had been booked to perform (don’t ask but whoever decided on this should have been shot-btw Bodger and Badger was a popular children’s TV series in the late 90’s) Anyway Bodger and Badger didn’t go down well. That’s an understatement they were dying on their arses and it didn’t help that halfway through the act Badger decided to cover the front row in mash causing absolute uproar. You imagine getting yourself dolled up in your best gear like you do for Freshers’ night out, you’re there with your new shirt from Topman and then some bloke and his puppet cover you in mash. Christ it didn’t half kick off. Students were complaining, girls crying, and lads swearing it were like a scene from Saving Private Ryan but instead of bullets we had mash wounding people.
Some lad approached me and said in his strong mackem accent ‘what’s the craic here mate this shirt cost me twenty quid and now its covered in mash, and it’s not even mash its fucking Smash’!
It’s safe to say Bodger and Badger were never booked again. The biggest highlight of my time at Sunderland was my involvement with Spark FM. I’ve always wanted to be a Radio Presenter since I was 15, and UOS had a fantastic media production course to offer plus some industry standard equipment so naturally I decided to study here and in my first year I was given a show on Spark (although it was called Utopia then and I really can’t be arsed explaining that and I’ve only got a few more words left before I’ve hit my limit) Anyway I presented a string of shows on Spark FM including, Breakfast, Drivetime and a show from my bedroom when we got snowed in. I learnt so much here and gained loads of experience. Spark was a fantastic place to be, admittedly the ‘sparkies’ are quite geeky and the majority don’t have frequent sexual encounters (myself included) but hey these are my people and we’re proud radio geeks. So when I left Uni in 2011, I managed to blag a job at BBC Radio 5 Live, I’m still there now. My job role is basically to make tea, answer the phones and book the odd taxi but hey it’s a start. Also I present a show for Capital FM in Manchester, yes there’s one here in Manchester too. In fact there are eight Capital FM’s across the country. I started doing some overnight shows for Capital North East and then moved home and got the gig in Manchester. So that’s all you need to know about me, I was a student at Sunderland Uni, I now make tea at BBC Radio 5 live and present a weekend breakfast show at Capital FM. In the past my columns have talked about lads holidays, public transport, and my favourite gay people, these are the kinds of things you can expect when reading my columns. Cheers Jordan x
RAG CONFERENCE REPORT I arrived at the RAG conference in Loughborough not sure what to expect but excited to be representing Sunderland Students’ Union at my first official conference. The one thing that immediately struck me was the terrific organisation from our hosts at Loughborough RAG. Having attended the Olympics, the level of organisation and volunteers was on a very similar level. Once check in was sorted, it was time to hit the union bar for charity speed dating. If anything this was one of the very few things that could have been organised better. The concept was terrific in that delegates from RAGS got to network and discuss ideas with other delegates and charities. However, the speed dating only lasted for 30 mins and we only got to meet 5 or 6 people which was a shame I feel. After the speed dating we opted for an early night in order to be prepared for an important day of seminars on Tuesday. On the Tuesday our first seminar was extremely inspiring. It was given by a man called Jeremy Gilley. Here we had a man with no academic qualifications or background but someone that had managed to achieve something quite remarkable. He was the founder of the organisation “Peace one day”. The concept is that there is one day of peace across the world. The whole idea started very simply with Jeremy sending out correspondents to major leaders asking whether they would back the idea of peace one day, whilst informing them that he would be recording their answers. Soon the concept snowballed and
ironically the idea was ratified by the UN on the 7th September 2001. The day has continued to get bigger and better ever since, with an agreement with the Taliban, not to pursue violence on that day allowing essential aid and vaccinations into Afghanistan. The day is also measured in a very complicated and expensive way and records that there is 70% less violence across that day than any other day on average. Like I say – an inspiring man! Anyway after that keynote speech it was onto seminars about how to improve your RAG or start from scratch. It was interesting that going into the conference I had assumed that we were quite a small RAG as you always hear about the incredible success stories of other university RAGS. However, at the conference I realised that many other RAGS were in poorer situations than us and that our total at £14,300 (2011-12) was both very respectable amongst other universities and gave us an excellent base from which to build. I must talk about an afternoon seminar on “The adventurists”. Here presented a rather unique challenge in raising money for charity. If you have time I thoroughly recommend going to their website http://www.theadventurists.com/. Anyway to give you an idea of what they are about – death defying stunts all in aid of charity. Events include “The mongol rally” in which participants rally from the UK to Mongolia with unsuitable cars
and objects such as sofas. The events really are quite amazing but they are for the extreme daredevil! After the day’s seminars came a BBQ, which was 30 minutes late! However the food was tasty, plentiful and most importantly FREE so I can’t really complain. After this it was onto the night’s entertainment which was excellent. The Loughborough Students Union bar is amazing and they had a great variety of offers and gimmicks on. We all were given headbands to wear and given cocktails in a boot. Having said that the boots had ran out by the time I got to the bar so I had to wait until I acquired mine. The event included Irish dancing and provided one of these do you or don’t you moments. On this occasion I chose to remain dignified and steer clear although I cannot say that I didn’t regret it! These occasions have a duAl purpose –
amount of good that has done for people locally, nationally and internationally around the world. It made me really proud to be in such a room of remarkable people – I hope to be one of them next year through contributions for RAG. BY CARL TAYLOR
IF YOU WANT MORE INFOMATION ON RAG, THEN PLEASE VISIT THE STUDENTS' UNION WEBSITE..... www.sunderlandsu.co.uk
a) to have fun but b) to network and talk to other RAGS and Union members and support each other to be bigger and better. I have to say that throughout the event there was a great atmosphere and cameraderie between all of the RAGS and it really was an excellent event. And so came Wednesday, the penultimate day of conference, and what a day it was. After breakfast, it was time for the Charities Fayre and first up was a demonstration from the Guide Dogs Association. I must admit that when I was beckoned into this demonstration I thought it was going to be a quick 5-10 minute demo and not an hour long lecture! That said I was amazed at the guide dogs caring nature and level of intelligence and it was a truly worthwhile cause. At the Fayre there were 70-80 amazing charities all doing an incredible job, It was amazing yet daunting to see how many good causes are out there in desperate need of money. I hope to do work with a quite a few of them this year! Anyway that brings me to the most exciting part of the day if not the trip. They had a free bungee jump from 175 ft. It was one of those short yet unforgettable occasions. Just before going up I was very blasé about the whole situation and yet when I got there I was petrified. I didn’t want to be the one who had to come back down though or let my RAG down so I did it and I am thrilled that I did it. That brings us onto the last night which was an awards ceremony. It was during this night that I found out that RAGS across the country had raised over £7 million. I cannot imagine the amount of good that has done
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MEET MEET NORTH SHORE'S DJ* MEETNORTH NORTHSHORE'S SHORE'SDJ* DJ*
CRAIG CRAIG RIDLEY RIDLEY
I have been DJ’ing at North Shore for the past two and a half years now. I started working there for there entertainment officer at the time as a favour really, then just ended up being the resident for North Shore. My best experience at North Shore was both UniTrash Ministry of Sound night and the Ibiza Night. They were both really great fun, and I love the music that I was able to play. I have met many celebrities over the years of DJ’ing at NS, but the best celeb I got to meet, has to be, Chris Fountain aka Tommy Duckworth. He was actually a good DJ himself. We had a laugh and managed to go though half a bottle of vodka! Nice guy. When trying to figure out a career path, being a DJ wasn’t on my to do list. But after getting a taste of it, I then developed a passion for it. I couldn’t get enough. Ironically, I actually sort of fell into being a DJ. I worked at a nightclub when I was younger in Uni. And the DJ at the time (Danny Hamilton aka Best mate) took me under his wing and taught me how to go on with the decks. I trained for about a year solid with him until I eventually started to get my own gigs. This was many years ago now. And since then I have worked in many different clubs around the country, Working for Ministry of Sound etc... the list really does go on. My advice for other students out there that want to be a DJ: get lots of practice, and networking is also necessary (networking is always a good way of getting gigs and getting noticed) but most important of all, have a passion for it..... Get your music knowledge to a level where you can just recognize a tune from the first few seconds of its intro. Teach yourself mixing techniques. Not all mixes are the same, different songs require different styles and techniques to make it sound good. If you DJ’ing, email
want any more information on contact me through the DN – dnmagazine@sunderland.ac.uk
Bring on next Freshers’…. always nice to see fresh faces in Sunderland Universitiy’s nightlife.
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Marlee &Fee Marlee & Fee are an imaginative , unique, artistic collaboration between a designer and illustrator, Jacqueline 'Marlee' and Fay Winwood ('Fee')
Together Marlee & Fee's DREAMS are to create new looks which have been INSPIRED by contemporary ART with a VINTAGE twist.
MESSAGE FROMYOUR ENTS & MEDIA RYAN DOWSE
Freshers12: Carnival Review Freshers’ week is always described as one of the “best weeks of your life” and in many ways that is correct! At times you may feel that it is the worst time of your life, but that tends to be the horrendous hang-over after the amazing night before! Our recent Freshers fortnight will have to go up there in what I would call one of my best weeks. My Freshers’ week memories for 2012 won’t be because of how drunk I was every night or anything like that but because of what was achieved by my colleagues and in our roles across the Students Union. This year will hopefully be regarded by many as the “Best Freshers” that the University of Sunderland has ever seen! It certainly is being broadcast like that from our end as we are all very pleased with the way things have gone this year! As a Union and Exec we managed to get around Halls throughout the day helping you all move in before we headed back on the night to make sure you were all fitting in well! Down at Panns Bank, we managed to get a lot of students out of their flats and mixing with others while playing a few games and singing a few songs, my favourite of which was when we found a few other fellow Leeds United fans and eight of us started singing Leeds songs! In North Shore itself things went well, we had fire performers outside before the stilt walkers headed in, and took to the stage! The whole Carnival atmosphere worked brilliantly and the extras seemed to go down really well with the Freshers too. The School Disco was a big achievement for myself. In the absence of an Entertainment Co-ordinator and an act (James Buckley pulled out only a week before) I was left 4 days to find a replacement. Rushing around ringing and emailing agents all week took its toll and it was through our partnership with Passion Nightclub that we managed to seal Coronation Street’s Chris Fountain, to do a DJ set, late Friday night for the gig on the Monday! I don’t watch Coronation Street so meeting him wasn’t particularly a big “star struck” moment for me, unlike several of the girls who did manage to meet him! I think that Monday
for stepping in at the last minute! A really genuine nice guy and one of the best DJ sets I’ve ever heard! Following the success of the rest of the nights, it was only a matter of time before something went a little wrong, but no-one will have expected the events at North Shore or across the city when Tim Westwood visited Sunderland! Everything was going well; the crowds were flooding in, everyone was having fun, and Tim Westwood was wandering around the crowds taking photos and randomly pointing and laughing at things! Then once 11pm hit, the lights, sound and everything else just stopped! What was going to be a brilliant night was unfortunately cut short! Rob Temple, Comedy Hypnotist was once again one of the main attractions over the Freshers fortnight. Performing in front of a packed out North Shore Temple went around giving over 20 volunteers some extremely funny things to do, say and act out – obviously stopping before things got too out of hand though! Funniest night of Freshers and I cannot believe I had missed it the 2 years previously! Week 2 began in Passion after a weekend at Split Festival! The Where’s Wally night seemed to go down a storm to launch this year’s Bang Tidy Mondays! Once I managed to get rid of my working head and start enjoying the night for itself it was a brilliant night, and time just flew by! Within what seemed like half an hour, the lights were coming on and we were being escorted out as the club closed. The following night began just as the hangover left! Chris Ramsey made an appearance back in Northshore after studying at the University while the building was still known as Manor Quay! Ramsey gave one of the funniest stand-up routines I have seen in a long time, using old material but also material he seemed to be developing as the night went along, linking things back to his time in Sunderland and stating that North Shore needs to change its name as it is not actually located on a shore! Very good point Chris! The rest of the week included Walkabout and the Bar’lympics! Both seemed to go down really well with
MESSAGE FROM YOUR ENTS&MEDIA OFFICER CONTINUED...
those attending and the latter even producing a game of musical chairs on the Northshore dance floor! The final night was Hadouken and Ministry of Sound night! Although there were less people there than expected it was a brilliant night! For someone who would much rather listen to Nickelback or The Script, Hadouken actually surprised me when performing live. I had been trying to learn to like them all summer but hadn’t actually achieved it for more than one song, but they surprised me that night and I really enjoyed watching them. Luckily I was going around with the camera so I didn’t end up covered in sweat and melting like the hundreds ofpeople down on the dance floor! The night seemed a fitting end to a great fortnight, with many of the people there that we were seeing every night. It was great to see some people still standing at the end!
SUNDERLAND PRIDE - 2012 SUNDERLAND PRIDE - 2012 Sunday 23rd September was Sunderland Pride day! This is only the second annual Pride event that the city has had, and was a huge success with everyone enjoying themselves throughout the day and partying into the night. The day began with a parade starting behind Mowbray Park, then up past the Winter Gardens, round through town past the theatre, and finishing up in the City Centre near Park Lane bus station. Anyone could join in the parade, and when it arrived at the Main Stage there were approximately a hundred people in it, with another hundred more congregating to watch it arrive. Sunderland University had a group of Exec and students marching, headed by LGBT Officer Lee Mitchell. As the acts began on the main stage, the crowds gathered around. The local bars, including Gatsby’s and Chase, were on board serving drinks so everyone could get into the party mood. Boyband Rewind were a brilliant success, with local student Myk Gorse and his fellow bandmates receiving a huge welcome from the crowd. Despite being one member down (due to family commitments), they still managed to produce an amazing performance.
Singing two cover songs and one of their own, they had the girls and guys alike screaming for more. This is what Myk had to say about the day: “Sunderland Pride was an amazing experience for me, the crowd were so electric and full of energy! There was just an incredible atmosphere that day, and all of us guys enjoyed performing (and getting drunk afterwards).
“Would definitely go back and perform there next year!” Another local was Thomas Hedley, who plays a mixture of zen and pop music written, produced and performed by himself. Here are his thoughts on the day: “Pride was really exhilarating, I was super nervous about being the opening act and playing unknown music but everyone was really open-minded and energetic; people danced so I was happy, haha. The whole day and night was really fun, everyone was very supportive of each other and it was a great experience!” Totally Gaga (you guessed it, a tribute to Lady Gaga) was extremely well received both on the main stage and again on the night in Ttonic, performing hits such as Born This Way, Poker Face, and Judas. The official Pride after party took place in Passion Nightclub. Performing there was X Factor finalist Kitty Brucknell!
Overall the whole day was enjoyed greatly by all who attended. It was a huge success and an indication of what is to come in the next few years. Hopefully Sunderland Pride will become even bigger and better next year and in years to come!
LGBT Officer Lee Mitchell – The Interview HOW DID YOU FEEL THE PARADE WENT?
I think the parade was a great success. Pride events are never about the numbers present, but I personally think that the turnout was fantastic. Sunderland is not a large city (around 180,000 people in total), but still has sizable LGBT community. Sunderland Pride showed that, even in small numbers, when everyone teams up, a great day can be had! DO YOU THINK THE STUDENTS’ UNION COULD HAVE DONE MORE TO SUPPORT PRIDE AND SHOW STUDENT SUPPORT FOR LGBT STUDENTS? WHAT SHOULD/WILL THE STUDENTS’ UNION DO NEXT YEAR?
As the current LGBT officer for the Student Union, I am always open to suggestions on how we can get more involved with LGBT matters across the city/ wider community. I would personally love for the Students’ Union to become more involved with Pride. This year, the date of the Pride event was a little bit of an issue – it clashed with Split Festival which was an integral part of our Freshers’ programme. Next year’s event has been moved forward to much earlier in September, which makes it easier for the Union to get involved but sadly makes it difficult to get students involved – they don’t come back to University until a fortnight or so later. This isn’t a major issue however, as most of our students (estimated to be around 85%) live in the North-East area. The key is to get as many students involved as possible, as early as possible and hopefully they will stay involved throughout the year and not just in term time. I will personally be recommending to the Student s’Union Executive Committee that we try and
play a stronger part in Pride 2013. I have already mooted the idea and we are currently looking at how this can be progressed. One issue is that I will finish my time in office at Easter. I am considering going up for the position again, and if successful I will progress with any plans we put in place. Getting non-LGBT students (and other members of the community) involved in Pride events is a goal of mine. I think the answer to this lies in getting the message across that Pride is not just about personal pride but in showing solidarity as well. We also need to get everyone to realise that the majority of LGBT citizens do not have a sense of ‘entitlement’ – it’s not about rights, it’s about respect. DID YOU HAVE AN ENJOYABLE DAY? DID YOU SEE ANY HOMOPHOBIA OCCURRING/ANY HOMOPHOBIC COMMENTS BEING MADE?
I loved Pride 2012. It was one of the highlights of Freshers’ Fortnight for me. The majority people who marched behind the Students’ Union banner were not LGBT and were there to show their solidarity. Members of the Students’ Union Executive Committee, Freshers’ Welcome Team and previous Executive members all turned out to show that to them, being LGBT is no longer something to be ashamed of. To some, it isn’t even an issue at all. They see everyone as equal, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender variance. I didn’t witness any homophobia on the day, but I have witnessed it across the city. It has to be noted that it is only an issue to a minority of people, and the majority of people of Sunderland seem to be open and accepting. I do think that more could be done to make LGBT people in Sunderland feel safer, especially on a Tuesday night when there are a lot of LGBT people in the city centre. DID YOU ATTEND LAST YEAR’S PRIDE? IF SO, HOW DID THIS YEAR DIFFER? IF NOT, WHY NOT?
I did attend last year’s event, but not for long. I had just moved to the city and had made other plans. From what I saw, this year’s event was bigger and better than last year’s – let’s hope that next year’s builds on that success and is greater still! INDIA THOMAS
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ISSUE 001
FUN MAGAZINE
for teachers in training*
The Way Humans Learn Bringing Teaching out of the Dark Ages & much much more.............
UNIVERSOTY OF SUNDERLAND
THIS MAGAZINE IS PUT TOGETHER BY PCET POST GRADS!
Bringing Teaching out of the Dark Ages The Visual-Audio-Kinaesthetic (VAK; Fleming, 1987) approach to learning is, for want of a more negative word (I’d encourage you to think of your own), rubbish. The fallacy of it has been bandied about in education for many years (since 1987very outdated indeed for a model), and quite frankly it is more harmful than helpful (as are the majority of learning style approaches that seek to section out learners into categories). Suggesting that learners have a specific ‘style’, ‘approach’ or ‘way’ of learning not only dismisses the FACT that individuals vary from situation to situation (and hence topic to topic), but also diminishes the teachers ability to deliver content in an inclusive, catch-all way, having to instead focus on specific learning ‘types’ to ensure that their learning type is catered for. Masses of evidence and assessments question the existence of these varied modalities (Coffield, Moseley, Hall & Ecclestone, 2004), and many researchers have shown that there is little or no effect for learners when teaching to specific modalities, which was concluded before the announcement of the formulated VAK approach (Kampwirth and Bates, 1980; Kavale and Forness, 1987), but simply ignored by the majority. Perhaps it is a comforting thing to teach and design to modalities? In any case, it’s bad. And to summarise all of that: learners learn in a variety of ways, and these ways are highly flexible in situations and certainly not fixed forever. So what needs to be done is to look at tried, tested and (most importantly) effective methods of teaching for the learner/s to actually learn. The first thing that should be mentioned at this point is that no matter what it is you bring to a classroom in terms of pedagogical technique, resources, planning or even personality, it likely matters very little as students are often finding more
benefit from their classroom in the quality of their working relationship with the tutor (Jarvis, 2005). This, then, suggests that you should, as humans should generally, be nice, be helpful and be there. Aside from that, what is helpful to do is to teach not to learners individual styles (as discussed in the previous paragraph, kindly do not bring it up again), but to teach as is appropriate to a) the subject you are teaching, b) the content you are covering, and c) what it is that you actually want your students to learn. An example of this is as follows. Say you are teaching the structure of a chemical in chemistry. You would a) remember that the topic is chemistry (this is the easiest step, hopefully), b) understand that the content is simple yet very important to the core of the subject, and then c) as it is a structural item, it is essential to actually show it to the class (talking about it only just won’t do). They will then be able to demonstrate it back and the memory trace should be stored. It seems relatively simple and common sense but it is the truth that so many people ignore or deny; it just works. Moving on to teaching in a more modern and appropriate way then, we can apply the simple three points mentioned above in a variety of ways to enhance the classroom/learning experience (I have selected two key techniques in this short article but more may follow). One helpful method is to employ tests and recall opportunities both often and randomly, whilst remembering what it is/how you want them to demonstrate they have learned (this method stems from the cognitive ‘information-processing’ approach, if you’re interested). If you assess your learners often, they will come to expect it and as such they will be more prepared to work independently to encourage their own grades and learning to rise (a cheeky hint: this will of course have a perfect knock on effect of improving your grade levels in class, every little helps!). Leeming (2002) suggests an ‘exam-a-day’ approach (perhaps a little too harsh?), which vastly improves the retention of taught items/content over the entirety of a course. Taking advice from Sappington et al. (2002), however, will allow for randomisation of testing, keeping your learners on their toes more and bringing their grades up significantly (as Ruscio, 2001, also suggests). Remember though that the assessment doesn’t have to be an exam or ‘quiz’, it could be anything from deep level questioning or generating a short essay to producing a poster or completing a crossword (your imagination really is the limit).
. The second methodological approach lies within social-constructivism, basing itself in the work of Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky (a review is provided by Jarvis, 2005, bringing his work up to date) and his ‘zone of proximal development’ (ZPD; in a nutshell, learning of anything is enhanced and caused by interaction across varying social groups, ‘scaffolding’ the information together and in an upward movement). A key manifestation of this approach is in the infamous (like a cowboy, not because it is bad, just well known because of what it is...ok, the ‘famous’) jigsaw technique. In this technique learners can tutor and collaborate with each other, as well as use their own critical thinking and informational ‘breaking-down’ abilities, bringing out the best in them as well as developing both their key functional skills and social skills. Now isn’t that good teaching?? Of course no technique is good practice without research to back it up, so Perkins and Saris (2001) back up the effectiveness and go on to suggest the positive experience of the technique that the learners have gained. It is important to remember that the three steps of before are taken into consideration, though generally this method can be adapted to pretty much any class and topic (it really is THAT adaptable). So there you have it, a critique of a backward way of looking at learners and a modern suggestion for modern teaching (sprinkled with, of course, a couple of methods to use in any classroom). Hopefully the current generation of trainee teachers can step up to the challenge of implementing modern techniques, and hopefully the world of teaching will change to an improved system. It’s up to all of us- no pressure then.
References Coffield, F., Moseley, D., Hall, E. & Ecclestone, K. (2004) Should we be using learning styles? What research has to say to practice. London: Learning and Skills Research Centre (LSRC) Jarvis, M. (2005) The psychology of effective learning and teaching. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Kampwirth, T. J. and Bates, M. (1980) Modality preference and teaching method. A review of the research. Academic Therapy, 15, 597-605 Kavale, K. A. and Forness, S. R. (1987) Substance over style: Assessing the efficacy of modality testing and teaching. Exceptional Children, 54(3), 228-239 Leeming, F.C. (2002) The exam-a-day procedure improves performance in psychology classes. Teaching of Psychology, 29, 210-212 Perkins, D.V. and Saris, R.N. (2001) A jigsaw classroom technique for undergraduate statistics courses. Teaching of Psychology, 28, 111-113 Ruscio, J. (2001) Administering quizzes at random to increase students’ reading. Teaching of Psychology, 28, 204-206. Sappington, J., Kinsey, K. and Munasayac, K. (2002) Two studies of reading compliance among college students. Teaching of Psychology, 29, 272-274
by David William Yearnshire BSc (Hons) Psychology
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The Way Humans Learn (or don’t, as some have shown)
An issue that has been toyed with for years and years (and years) is the search for how people learn. From the moment a human is born (and before, which has been proposed) the brain encodes and processes information and behaviours in a way that it is said to be ‘learnt’. Of course, what learning is in nature, whether it is purely a process or whether it is based in memory retention and recall, is not to be discussed here. As such, and for the purpose of this introductory disentangling article, learning is viewed as both process and memory system (with no real biases presentedhow’s that for a change?). We’re taking a walk through history here; just because we can (it also fits in nicely as the theories and models have moved in the typical historically developing wayalthough it can get messy as history often does). It is also worth bearing in mind that each of the theories do have their strengths and weaknesses, but they all remain very valid (and certainly well researched). The names of the fathers of the approaches will also be mentioned, just to add that personal sparkle (and have you talking about them like they are old friends). An initial step towards understanding learning (defined as metacognitionthinking about thinking, basically) was made by the behaviourist John Watson (in 1913, after, allegedly, much thought and argument in the area). The proposition made was that learners (both human and not- though I wouldn’t be comparing your learners to dogs as it’s considered a no-no) learn based on stimuli and the responses to it, and then the consequences, such as reward, neutrality or punishment. Reinforcing the behaviour is key here, and repetition is very much desired. B.F. Skinner (1974) suggested that humans are
fundamentally empty boxes, and conditioning in the stimulus-response-consequence paradigm make the person able to learn information through conditioning. Re-conditioning (behaviour modification) is also possible. A useful example of this is presented through times table learning in the format of: Teacher: 8 times 5 is?? Student: 40 Teacher: Well done. The behaviour is, of course, conditioned previously and during the event both from the class (peer pressure and the reward of moving on) and the teacher (verbal positive reinforcement). So that’s behaviourist learning theory in a capsule. That leaves us with a problem. Surely humans are more than just an empty box which has malleable content? In step the Gestaltists (spearheaded by Koffka, circa 1935) and the cognitive approach. These two go hand in hand, as the main theme of their approaches is that humans have a complex internal process and information system with many more variations and inputs (as well as constant evaluations and thoughts) than what the behaviourists suggest. These approaches highlight the very important information processing that goes on in learners minds when presented with new (or previously learnt) information. The Gestaltists (who take any psychological perspective in view of the ‘whole’ rather than the individual parts) see learning as a constructivist action taken by the learner when presented with information. As such, the learner must be built up with information that can fit together in a pattern based on their previous knowledge, restructuring and integrating new or contradictory information to establish whole topic knowledge. Gaps in knowledge can then be filled progressively by the learner, who takes an approach that
processes any items correctly and appropriately. Patterns, strategies and rules are appreciated in this approach. Cognitive approaches agree that learning is shaped by modification and adaptation of held information, and memory and language play a very important role in this re-structuring and influence. Dewey (1938) established experiential learning, which monopolised on student’s ability to learn from taking in new information from language and memory, and put the learner in the centre of learning. Problem based learning is credited to Dewey, where students become active researchers and information processing is vital. Bruner (1956) took this and went further by suggesting that more than just information is improved within the individual; the individual is improved as well-perhaps including a social dimension. What is forgotten, then, in the cognitive approach is the use (and influence of) social groups and the people around the learner. For socialisation to be effective, obtainable goals should be set, and the guidance of increasing levels of interaction should be sought by the learner. The zone of proximal development (ZPD; Lev Vygotsky, 1978) allows for this interaction and goal setting to happen. Initially interaction is between the learner/s and the skilled adult (defined as the ‘More Knowledgeable Other’- MKO, the teacher perhaps?), and then it expands to a wider zone or circle of individuals to increase learning and social interaction. Scaffolding occurs in this constructivist approach, much like the cognitive approach but including increasing levels of interaction with a variety of people of, hopefully, higher and higher levels of education and ability. This approach also allows for a variety of differing perspectives and skills brought to the table (the learners learning environment). Piaget agreed with this thought and suggested that learning is built up through a learner’s curiosity and active learning in the subject. Are learners really curious? What about their achievements, their personal strive (snore)? To add the final point, we go into what is pretty much hippy territory. Carl Rogers (1983), the key thinker in humanistic psychology (a term I use loosely here), suggested that a positive relationship to learning is necessary, and that the facilitator of learning (the teacher) must harness that relationship with positivity towards the learner also. Within this school of thought, Abraham Maslow (1943) agrees that learners must feel the
need to educate themselves and allow education to flow into them. The need for value and self worth being developed through learning, according to Maslow, fulfils the steps towards a higher feeling of purpose- self actualisation. Perhaps it is all about that positivity? Are the other theories necessary? In any case, here are the theorists and their theories, each with their criticisms set out. It is up to the teacher, the students and the situation to determine the path (or a mix up bag of paths) to take. It is all just down to professionalism and the ability to make that choice that makes the teacher a skilled teacher.
So what needs to be done is to look at tried, tested and (most importantly) effective methods of teaching for the learner/s to actually learn. The first thing that should be mentioned at this point is that no matter what it is you bring to a classroom in terms of pedagogical technique, resources, planning or even personality, it likely matters very little as students are often finding more benefit from their classroom in the quality of their working relationship with the tutor (Jarvis, 2005).
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