The Ed Stu - Issue 9

The Ed Stu LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITY’S EDUCATION STUDENT NEWSPAPER ISSUE NO 9 | Summer/Autumn 2023 VOLUME 1

Greetings from some of the journalists in this issue! Clockwise from the top left is Mark Booth, Onome Akaunu, Emily Slinger and Kursha-Louise King.

SCHOOL DIVERSITY AND EQUITY POLICIES Onome Akaunu, a Master’s student in Education, discusses the persistence of racist discrimination despite anti-discrimination legislation, and the damage that this causes.

TECHNOLOGY’S IMPACT ON EDUCATION Ellie O’Donnell-Toole, a third year student in Single Honours Education, considers how educators can harness the power of technology to enhance equality, and student engagement.

WHY FEEDBACK MATTERS Mark Booth, a Master’s student in Education Leadership and Management and Pedagogy, shows that embedding feedback into the whole classroom culture enhances student responsiveness to it.

SCHOOLS AND SOCIOECONOMIC CHANGE Emily Slinger, a Master’s student in Education and Education Leadership and Management, explores the origins of Pupil Premium policy, and its strengths and

weaknesses in schools in the North West.

PLUS… Kursha-Louise King, a Master’s student in Early Childhood and Special Educational Needs discusses neurodiversity in early childhood, while Eden Povey, a second year student in Education and Early Childhood, reflects on a transformative teaching trip to Thailand with her school.

School diversity and equity policies: a path to inclusion, or a cover screen for discrimination?

Onome Akaunu, a Master’s student in Education, discusses the persistence of racist discrimination despite anti-discrimination legislation, and the damage that this causes.

Are school diversity and equity policies working, or are they a cover screen to perpetrate continued racial discrimination against defenceless children in schools? Policies can become an end in themselves because by having one, there is an assumption that the policies solve the problems and therefore that the problems no longer exist (Cushing, 2023).

Equality policies won’t end racism unless teachers also seek to understand how it manifests in schools, its impact, and how to tackle its different guises. (Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash) 2

“Policies can become an end in themselves because by having one, there is an assumption that the policies solve the problems and therefore that the problems no longer exist.”

The policy can become a statement of intent and not purpose, because they have no defined or quantifiable outcome deliveries or stringent compliances, and there are no instituted processes to ensure targets are being met. Even with diversity policies, therefore, schools can undermine diversity and inclusion, and may even use such policies to aid discrimination (Arday, 2018; The Voice Online, 2023).

I. Anti-Discrimination Policy and Government Guidance Under the Equality Act (2010), schools must not discriminate against a pupil in a number of respects because of a characteristic protected by the Act, including race, and schools have a legal duty not to discriminate against pupils (House of Commons, 2023; Henry, 2022). However, government is starting to recognise that the Equality Act, and other protective legislation, is not enough alone to combat discrimination.

Such concern over the limited power of legislation is suggested by the fact that, in February 2023, The House of Commons produced a Debate Pack in response to racial discrimination in schools, outlining how school leaders should tackle racial discrimination in schools.

There have also been government recommendations for education leaders to create forums for staff to talk about racial discrimination in schools, albeit that it is an ‘uncomfortable conversation’ (Batholemew et al, 2023).

But although schools may say that they are supporting ethnic minorities, many teachers are exceptionally defensive when the topic of race comes into the conversation (Tate and Page, 2018).

“despite the many recommendations to eliminate racial discrimination in British schools, a report written by Dr. Remi JosephSalisbury (2020) explains the realities for BME students, how woefully misguided recent advice has been, and how urgent it is that schools prioritise anti-racism.”

Even with the government giving advice and guidance about how this topic can be implemented in schools (Long and Roberts 2023), racial discrimination remains deeply entrenched according to Critical Race Theorists (Smith-Maddox and Solorzarno, 2002).

Certainly, despite the many recommendations to eliminate racial discrimination in British schools, a report written by Dr. Remi Joseph-Salisbury (2020) explains the realities for BME students, how woefully misguided recent advice has been, and how urgent it is that schools prioritise antiracism. It is questionable whether the government’s debate pack and forum recommendations will be enough to tackle entrenched discrimination. With a growing body of research that shows that the harmful consequences of direct and indirect race-based discrimination, harassment, and micro-aggressions manifest in both the body and the mind (Wong et al, 2014) the drive to address discrimination should be as urgent now, as ever.

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II. Persistence and forms of racerelated discrimination in schools Research shows that racism is endemic in British schools (JosephSalisbury, 2022). It seems that in practice, the problems range from explicit manifestations of racism, such as black pupils being placed in lower-ability classes (Busby, 2018), low teacher expectations (Demi, 2022), psychological abuse and physical violence, to more subtle expressions such as discrimination, micro-aggression, social exclusion, ethnocentric education, hate speech, and racial violence (Arneback and Jamte, 2022).

BME students are already subject to racial discrimination in British schools, specifically in relation to disciplinary procedures (Joseph-Salisbury, 2020).

Racism in the classroom is a serious issue that needs to be addressed according to a report on Critical Race Theory (Rollock and Gilburn, 2011).

Critical Race Theorists have argued that the majority of racism is hidden beneath a veneer of normality and it is only the more crude and obvious forms of racism that are recognised as problematic by most people (Rollock et al, 2015).

In addition, research shows that racism is widespread in British schools,

“95% of young Black British people have witnessed racist language in education, and more than half of black males said they hear racist language in school ‘all the time’…”

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with 59% of British school children encountering unconscious bias, or systemic racism in school (Kaufmann, 2022). Results of racial trauma also occur inside schools and classrooms where, despite rhetorical commitments to educational equity, teachers routinely silence, police, and denigrate students of colour with harmful consequences (UK Trauma Council, 2022). There is also overwhelming evidence that is in support of concerns that exclusion rates for black children in the UK are six times higher than those of their white peers (Cooper, 2021), causing experts to call it an “incredible injustice” for school children from minority ethnic backgrounds (Murray, 2021).

95% of young Black British people have witnessed racist language in education, and more than half of black males said they hear racist language in school ‘all the time’ (Weale, 2020; Marchant, 2020). More shockingly, teacher perceptions are seen as the biggest barrier to educational success (Merchant, 2020). These daily encounters with racist microaggressions are sometimes the result of ‘unconscious bias’ (Tate and Page, 2018), and trigger students’ sense of invisibility and reproduce race-related trauma (UK Trauma Council, 2022).

Research shows that students of colour, especially black students, are disciplined more frequently and harshly than majority-group students (Cooper et al, 2022). This is true even when students of colour misbehave the same number of times and in the same ways as their majority group peers (Vector Solutions, 2022; Shande-Baptiste, 2020).

Alexander et al (2015) present the argument that Black boys in English

“Black boys are forced to endure educational environments that communicate the stereotype of their supposed intellectual inadequacy and “troublesome” behaviour, deficit-based narratives, fuelled by historical racist and sexist stereotypes…” schools are considered older than they are owing to their height and body mass, and also as ‘aggressive’ which leads to them being treated more harshly than white students. According to Young, (2016) Black boys are viewed as four and five years older than they are, demonstrating that racial disparities in school discipline exist in the most subjective categories, “wilful defiance”, “insubordination”, “disrespect”, and so are deemed less deserving of dignity and respect. Furthermore, Black boys are forced to endure educational environments that communicate the stereotype of their supposed intellectual inadequacy and “troublesome” behaviour, deficit-based narratives, fuelled by historical racist and sexist stereotypes, which contend that Black boys are deviant, disengaged, disruptive, undisciplined, unintelligent, problematic, confrontational, threatening, and difficult to teach – all in a place that should be safe and affirming – schools (Little and Talbert, 2018). Terms such as ‘difficult’, ‘problem kids’, and ‘maladjusted’ has become part of a teacher’s vocabulary (Henry,

2022). In the case of minority ethnic students, they are at a greater risk of being treated unfairly by their teachers, likely due to stereotyping, and teacher prejudicial behaviour which may account for a lack of academic engagement (Kollerova and Killen, 2021). These deep-rooted discoveries are only a tiny part of a far greater problem within schools in the UK and their teachers.

A true anti-racist commitment will require educators to take the first of many steps to develop their understanding of the emotional, psychological, and physical effects of racism on students of colour, and make tangible change.

Some of the literature in my extended reference list below will be important resources in this educational endeavour.

References Alexander-Weekes et al. (2015) The Runnymede School Report: Race, Education, and Inequalityin Contemporary Britain. Runnymede Perspectives. https://www.runnymedetrust.org/publications/ the-school-report Arday, J. (2018) Understanding Race and Educational Leadership in Higher Education: Exploring the Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) Experience. Management in Education 2018, Vol. 32(4) 192–200 ª 2018 British Educational Leadership, Management & Administration Society (BELMAS).

Arneback, E. and Jamte, J. (2022) How to Counteract Racism in Education – A Typology of Teachers’ Anti-Racist Actions, Race Ethnicity and Education, 25:2, 192-211, DOI: 10.1080/13613324.2021.1890566 Bartholomew, T. T., Pérez-Rojas, A. E., Bledman, R., Joy, E. E., & Robbins, K. A. (2023). “How Could I Not Bring it Up?”: A Multiple Case Study of Therapists’ Comfort when Black Clients Discuss Anti-Black Racism in Sessions.

Psychotherapy, 60(1), 63–75. https://doi. org/10.1037/pst0000404

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Busby, E. (2018) Black Students More Likely to be Incorrectly Put in Lower Ability Maths Set. The Independent. https://www.independent. co.uk/news/education/education-news/blackstudents-ability-set-streaming-maths-ucl-instituteeducation-research-a8526301.html# Cooper et al. (2022) School Discrimination, Discipline Inequalities, and Adjustmrnt Among Black Adolescent Girls and Boys: An Intersectionality-Informed Approach. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, 32(1), 170–19. Black Lives Matter!: Systems of Oppression Affecting Black Yout. Special Series: Dismantling Systems of Racism and Oppression during Adolescence Cooper,B. (2021) Black Caribbean Pupils Excluded from Schools Six Times More Often Than Peers. Independant. https://www. independent.co.uk/news/education/educationnews/black-caribbean-children-schoolsexcluded-b1822163.html Cushing, I. (2023) How Black Children in England’s Schools Are Made to Feel Like the Way They Speak is Wrong. The Conversation. https:// theconversation.com/amp/how-black-children-inenglands-schools-are-made-to-feel-like-the-waythey-speak-is-wrong-198830 Demi, F. (2022) Tackling Teachers’ Low Expectations for Black Caribbean Students in English Schools. Equity in Education and Society.

Volume 1. Issue 1. https://journals.sagepub.com/ doi/10.1177/27526461211068511 Demi, F. (2021) The Experience of Black Carribean Pupils in School in School Exclusion in England. Educational review., 73 (1). pp. 5570. Further information on publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.1590 316 Gandolphi, H. and Rushton, E. (2023) Decolonial and Anti-Racist Pedagogies and Curricular in Teacher Education: The Importance of Partnerships Between Practice and Scholarship.

BERA. https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/decolonialand-anti-racist-pedagogies-and-curricular-inteacher-education-the-importance-of-partnershipsbetween-practice-and-scholarship Henry, L (2022) The Voice: 40 Years of Black British Lives. London: Ebury Publishing

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Kollerova, L. and Killen, M. (2020) An Experimental Study of Teachers’ Evaluations Regarding Peer Exclusions in the Classroom. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12373 Long, R. and Roberts, N. (2023) Racial Discrimination in Schools. House of Commons Library. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/ research-briefings/cdp-2023-0049/ Joseph-Salisbury, R. (2022) Everyday Experiences of Racism in English Secondary Schools. Decolonising Geography. https:// decolonisegeography.com/blog/2022/04/ everyday-experiences-of-racism-in-englishsecondary-schools/ Joseph-Salisbury, R. (2020) Race and Racism in English Secondary Schools. https://www. runnymedetrust.org/publications/race-andracism-in-secondary-schools Kaufmann, E. (2022)Report: Critical Race Theory is Endemic in British Schools. UnHeard.com/The Post. https://unherd.com/thepost/report-criticalrace-theory-is-endemic-in-british-schools/ Little S.D. and Tolbert, L. A, (2018) The Problem with Black Boys: Race, Gender, and Discipline in Christian and Private Elementary Schools.

Volume 15, Issue 3 https://doi-org.ezproxy.hope. ac.uk/10.1177/073989131880576 Marchant, S. (2020) Study: Almost All Black British School Children Have Experienced Racism at School. World Economic Forum. https://www. weforum.org/agenda/2020/11/racism-unitedkingdom-schools-black-children-inequality Murray, W. (2021) Thursday Briefing: ‘Incredible Injustice’ for Ethnic Minority School Children.

The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2021/mar/25/thursday-briefing-ethnicminority-schoolchildren-expulsion-rates Rollock et al (2015) The Colour of Class: The Educational Strategies of Black Middle Classes.

London: Routledge Rollock, N. and Gilburn, D. (2011) Critical Race Theory (CRT), British Educational Research Association online resource. https://www.bera. ac.uk/publication/critical-race-theory-crt Shande-Baptiste, K. (2020) UK Schools Have Targetted Black Children for Generations - The Education System is Overdue for a Reckoning.

The Independant Newspaper. https://www. independent.co.uk/voices/school-racism-blackstudents-exclusions-hair-kiss-teeth-a9280296.html

Smith-Maddox, R. and Solorzarno, D. G. (2022) Using Critical Race Theory, Paulo Freire’s Problem-Posing Method, and Case Study Research to Confront Race and Racism in Education. Qualitative Inquiry. Volume 8 Number , 2002 66-84. Sage Publications.

Tate, S.A. and Page, D. (2018) Whiteliness and Institutional Racism: Hiding Behind Un(conscious) Bias. Ethics and Education, 13:1, 141-155, DOI: 10.1080/17449642.2018.1428718 Vector Solutions, (2022) How Does Unconscious Bias Impact Teaching and Learning? https:// www.vectorsolutions.com/resources/blogs/ how-does-unconscious-bias-impact-teaching-andlearning/ The Voice (2023) Schools Minister Blasted for ‘Whitewashing’ the Facts On Race. The Voice Online https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/ uk-news/2022/02/15/schools-minister-blastedfor-whitewashing-the-facts-on-race/

UK Trauma Council, (2022) Racism, Mental Health and Trauma Research Round Up. https:// uktraumacouncil.org/research_practice/racismand-trauma-research Weale, S. (2020) Most Black British Children Report Experiencing Racism at School. The Gaurdian. https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2020/oct/29/most-black-british-childrenreport-experiencing-racism-at-school Wong et al. (2014) The What, the Why, and the How: A Review of Microaggressions Research in Psychology. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC4762607/ Young, Y. (2016) Teachers Implicit Bias Against Black Students Starts in Pre-School, Study Finds.

The Gaurdian. https://www.theguardian.com/ world/2016/oct/04/black-students-teachersimplicit-racial-bias-preschool-study.

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Why feedback matters: some examples from teaching English in an international school in Qatar Mark Booth, a Master’s student in Education Leadership and Management and Pedagogy, shows that embedding feedback into the whole classroom culture enhances student responsiveness to it.

Understanding what feedback works from the perspective of pupils is key to supporting student growth, development, and creativity. (Photo by Jené Stephaniuk on Unsplash) 8

Recently, I conducted research into the responsiveness of Year 6 English language students to feedback comments in an international school in Qatar. The school follows the British curriculum.

The Qatar National Vision 2030 document outlines that the future economic success of Qatar is contingent on the Qatari people’s capacity to engage with a knowledgebased and highly competitive global environment. To meet this challenge, Qatar is striving to establish advanced educational systems and build a modern and world-class education system that delivers high-quality education comparable to the best in the world.

“Qatar is striving to establish advanced educational systems and build a modern and world-class education system that delivers high-quality education comparable to the best in the world..”

Given the high value placed on education in The Qatar National Vision 2030, research on the effectiveness of feedback comments and their impact in Qatari schools may be particularly timely. Below, I discuss my research on feedback, and note its findings with recommendations for the future in Qatar, Britain, and beyond I. What is feedback?

Ramapasad (1983), characterises feedback as “information about the gap between the actual level and the reference level of a system parameter which is used to alter the gap in some

way.” It acts as a key performance indicator that teachers use to target measurable progress in learning. The quality of marking and feedback is fundamental for students’ achievement and progression (Bloxham and Boyd, 2007; Yorke, 2003).

Feedback frequency and detail are not the only crucial factors. According to Murphy and Cornell (2010), the value lies in how students understand and use feedback. Scott and Nagy (2004), suggest instructional strategies such as creating a print-rich environment to promote word consciousness and vocabulary development in students.

Repeated exposure to words, connecting them to prior knowledge and fostering a love of language are essential for pupils to appreciate feedback.

Feedback delivered by the instructor is worthless if it is incomprehensible, illegible, or ignored, according to Brown (2001), Gibbs and Simpson (2002), and Stiggins et al., (2004). Langer and Applebee (1987), add that instructors’ comments are often superficial, poorly thought-out and problematic for students to understand, requiring revision and clarification. Williams (2010), stresses that students prefer detailed, timely feedback tied to clear learning outcomes that is constructive, supportive and focused on their efforts.

Learners need opportunities to act on feedback through revision and reflection to achieve learning objectives fully. Students may disregard written feedback due to various factors: a lack of training in responding to marking and creating a dialogue, generic comments or closed questions from previous teachers, or time constraints with close9

“…the DfE (2016) identified a problematic practice in schools where teachers leave exhaustive commentary on every piece of written work, despite the possibility of pupils not reading, understanding or acting on them.” the-gap marking, where the pupil is already moving on to another task in the next lesson.

This research about the varying effectiveness of certain feedback approaches reminds us that teacher awareness of student responses to feedback are key to its effectiveness.

And while there is a growing field of research that considers the importance of student-friendly feedback, the DfE (2016) identified a problematic practice in schools where teachers leave exhaustive commentary on every piece of written work, despite the possibility of pupils not reading, understanding or acting on them.

My study built on the expanding field of educational research that evaluates pupils’ perspectives on feedback and teachers’ marking to increase awareness of ‘what works’ from the student perspective, in ways that may be useful in British and Qatari settings, and beyond. If there is no value placed on feedback by the pupil, it becomes a futile exercise for educators.

II. Preferences for types of feedback comments among English language learners Senior leadership teams value the importance of feedback in enhancing pupil progress, promoting learning, 10

correcting misconceptions and narrowing the gap between a student’s level and their teacher’s expectations.

However, poorly given feedback can impede progress and providing feedback can be time-consuming without always producing the desired results. To gauge student feelings about feedback I administered a questionnaire to over 20 Year Six students who were studying English, and that included a range of questions about the feedback they receive.

My research showed that to ensure effectiveness, a classroom culture must cultivate pupils’ receptivity to feedback and their ability to use it fully.

This aligns with the principle drawn by Stiggins et al., (2004), that learners, more so than their teachers, make the most significant choices in the classroom and choose whether to act on feedback or not.

“Students seemed to particularly like ‘Even Better If’ comments and their clear guidance. These comments are used in my classroom routinely to highlight how to reinforce already good practice, thus building in a common assumption that responses to feedback are part of the learning process.”

Providing feedback that, firstly, centres on the task or subject, secondly, builds advice for improvement into praise, and that, finally, links to a classroom culture that embeds the importance of feedback, can be highly effective in increasing student receptiveness to their feedback.

This combination of approaches to feedback may also positively impact pupil attainment. An illustration of the benefits of these approaches is found in student feedback to the survey that I administered. Students seemed to particularly like ‘Even Better If’ comments and their clear guidance.

These comments are used in my classroom routinely to highlight how to reinforce already good practice, thus building in a common assumption that responses to feedback are part of the learning process. These comments also provide advice about what may have gone wrong, without being excessively negative. Participant 10, for instance, felt ‘The most helpful comments I get from my teacher is the “even better if” as it shows me what I can include in my work to make it better.’ Participant 11 agreed that ‘I find the EBI (Even better if) comments most helpful because they help me know where I went wrong and where I failed.’

Feedback also needs to be tailored to the particular subject it is being written in response to. In the field of language mastery, several students mentioned that they found comments on their grammar, spelling and word choice helpful, with Participant 1 feeling ‘that vocabulary comments are most helpful, as I am always looking to improve and up-level my description and word choice.’ The effectiveness of praisebased feedback also emerged in relation to sentence structure with Participant 6 reflecting that they found their writing ability particularly enhanced by ‘the comments where sentences are highlighted in green (are) most helpful because I can re-use them in future lessons.’

Personalised feedback that was specific to students’ work, as opposed to generalised comments that may be copy and pasted, were also highlighted as particularly effective by students.

Participant 3 felt ‘personalised comments help me the most because they tell me what I can do better,’ while Participant 15 expanded specifically on feedback that required them ‘to change how I structure a sentece (sic) because they simple to do and will show me what to do when malking (sic) a sentence.’

Precise personalised instruction was also favoured to advance overall quality and to convey meaning through language. Participant 25, for example, found reminders to employ literary devices most helpful, ‘I think to use fiigrtvit (sic) writing’.

Overall, the themes that emerge suggest that students, whether knowingly or not, see their teacher as guide, to provide opportunities which enable ownership of their own learning through specific, actionable comments, targeted to individual needs. A balance between advice on the technicalities of the English language, with that focused on how to build meaning and force with expression, seemed to work well and met the needs of a variety of students.

Providing feedback that centres on the task or subject, and builds advice for improvement into praise can be effective. Moreover, a classroom culture that embeds the importance of feedback can be highly effective in increasing student receptiveness to their feedback.

III. Student perspectives on ineffective feedback comments This aspect of enquiry aimed to investigate unhelpful aspects of 11

written feedback that hinder academic performance in English. Overall, 56% of the students appreciated feedback comments they receive from their teacher and find them helpful in improving their English skills, as ‘every single comment contains information on how my work can be upgraded.’

(Participant 7). While the majority of the responses were similar in nature, the fact that 44% of respondents had a different perspective offers an altogether more intriguing dimension to the findings.

“comments that demanded a significant effort for minimal gains were perceived as being of little benefit by students.”

Through the analysis, a theme emerged where comments that demanded a significant amount of effort for minimal gains were perceived as being of little benefit by students. Participant 1 did ‘not like comments that require a relatively large amount of writing or a long explanation, as it seems like a lot of work for something that doesn’t add much value to my learning.’ Another participant echoed this sentiment, expressing dislike for comments that focused solely on minor errors in grammar and spelling. Participant 19 observed that such corrections did not significantly improve their writing skills as ‘comments like G which is gramer (sic) or the spelling, I think it’s a bit abserved (sic) because your (sic) only changeing (sic) a letter, or writeing (sic) a dot.’ Similarly, Participant 15 disliked ‘the grammar ones because they out way (sic) the one (sic) that 12

are more important.’ These findings are consistent with those of previous studies by Hendrickson (1978), Lalande (1982), Semke (1984), and Robb et al., (1986) which all suggest that correcting mechanical and grammatical errors is not the most efficient way to enrich writing skills.

It is noteworthy, however, that the vast majority of the class appreciated comments over the mechanics of writing, such as spelling and grammar.

Yet, this perspective was by no means universal. One way of explaining these differences in response may be that some of the participants that disliked the corrective feedback based on grammar struggled the most with spelling and grammar rules. Since they found these aspects of language particularly challenging, they were likely to encounter grammar based feedback frequently and as such may be inclined to view it negatively.

“emphasizing … mistakes without providing an explanation is not beneficial for the students … they know the “what” is wrong but not necessarily the “why” of the error.”

It was found that children did not appreciate written comments from their teacher when the handwriting was difficult to read and lacked clarity; Participant 4 did ‘not like the comments that are hard to read.’

Here, the inference is that it is difficult to decode the message, rather than to gain meaning from it, although this was apparent too. It is neither logical nor realistic to assume that

pupils intentionally include errors or inconsistencies in their learning tasks.

Therefore, emphasising such mistakes without providing an explanation is not beneficial for the students in spotting them; they know the “what” that is wrong but not necessarily the “why” of the error. Feedback merely acts, for Participant 8, to ‘show what I got wrong without explaining it.’

After analysis, it was revealed that some students were unable to comprehend the feedback they received. It was observed that the feedback provided was not personalised enough to suit their individual needs and it was not differentiated in a simple enough manner to enable understanding. Participant 24 disliked, ‘the comments which I can’t understand because it doesn’t improve my English.

For example, “Rewrite this boxed section as it does not make sense.”

The dislike for rewriting comments could also indicate deflation in response to feedback, as expressed by Participant 23, ‘When I have to rewrite the whole thing again, it tells me I have not done very good in my writing and it tells me I can do better.’ This aligns with previous studies by Harlen and Crick (2003), on the negative impact of marking and feedback on student motivation.

In the instance of Participant 23, it is apparent this feedback destabilises their sense of self-worth and supports the findings of Raihany (2014), who explores common trends among teachers’ written feedback, such as an excessive number of negative comments. A number of students expressed preference for individualised spoken, one-to-one feedback in addition to written feedback, which may serve

“an excessive number of negative comments … [can] destabilise [students’] self-worth … one-toone feedback … may serve as a corrective.” as a corrective to any demotivation experienced by students such as Participant 23.

While the data reveals a majority of pupils (56%), are satisfied with feedback comments, a significant percentage (32%), perceive responding to marking on a daily basis as excessive. This theme was anticipated, based on the reading of Williams (2010), and Hattie and Timperley (2007) who noted the importance of suitably timed guidance on learners’ performance. My findings, in combination with this earlier research, reminds us that there is a requirement to strike a balance between offering useful feedback and the form this takes, against potentially overloading students with an excessive amount of responses that they are required to process.

Conclusions Overall, my research showed that feedback can affect student learning experiences significantly. In general, building a classroom culture that shows that responding to feedback is an integral part of the learning process has a positive impact on student receptiveness to feedback. This was indicated by students’ elective use of a feedback term I employ in the classroom - ‘even better if’ - when they explained those comments that they found most helpful. Building advice for improvement in to positive feedback 13

(as with the ‘even better if’ comments) also, generally, increased student cooperation with the feedback process.

My research also identified some aspects of feedback that were specific to either the individual or the subject.

Firstly, feedback that was directed to the specific student and their written work was received well by students.

Secondly, effective feedback might look different for different subjects. Technical feedback on grammar and structure clearly has an important part to play in language learning and mastery, and was appreciated by many students in the research study.

The student perspectives brought forward by this study also shined a light on the need to remember that those students who were facing the most challenges with structure and grammar may be receiving the most of this type of corrective feedback. This experience could be demotivating for such students, and would not be equally experienced by students who did not face challenges in this area. More positive comments on progress made in grammar and structure, one-to-one discussions that praise progress, as well as more breaks in feedback on such areas may be beneficial for this specific group of students in particular.

As with all participants, this study is a reminder that too much feedback can be self-defeating, and of the importance for some ‘rest days’ when it comes to feedback.

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These findings on feedback practices may be useful to schools and government agencies who seek to use feedback, along with other strategies, to help to build student well-being and attainment.

References Bloxham, S. and Boyd, P. (2007). Developing effective assessment in higher education: A practical guide. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill International.

Brown, G. (2001). Assessment: A guide for lecturers. York: Learning and Teaching Support Network.

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Hattie, J. and Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research 77, 81–112. doi: 10.3102/003465430298487 Harlen, W. and Crick, R. D. (2003). Testing and motivation for learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 10(2), 169-207. DOI: 10.1080/0969594032000121270 Hendrickson, J.M. (1978). “Error correction in foreign language teaching: Recent theory, research, and practice,” The Modern Language Journal, 62(8), pp. 387–398. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1978. tb02409.x.

Lalande, J. (1982). “Reducing composition errors: An experiment,” The Modern Language Journal, 66(2), pp. 140–149. Available at: https://doi. org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1982.tb06973.x.

Langer, J.A. and Applebee, A.N. (1987). How writing shapes thinking: A study of teaching and learning. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Murphy, C. and Cornell, J. (2010). ‘Student perceptions of feedback: seeking a coherent flow’, Practitioner Research in Higher Education, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 41-51.

Raihany, A. (2014). The Importance of Teacher’s Written Feedback on the Students’ Writing in Teaching Learning Process. Okara: Journal Bahasa dan Sastra, 8, 91-106.

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4–13. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/ bs.3830280103.

Robb, T., Ross, S. and Shortreed, I. (1986).

“Salience of feedback on error and its effect on EFL writing quality,” TESOL Quarterly, 20(1), p. 83. Available at: https://doi. org/10.2307/3586390.

Semke, H.D. (1984). “Effects of the red pen,” Foreign Language Annals, 17(3), pp. 195–202. Available at: https://doi. org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.1984.tb01727.x.

Stiggins, R. J., Arter, J. A., and Chappuis, J. (2004). Classroom Assessment for Student Learning, 1st ed., Pearson, New Jersey.

Williams, J.A. (2010). “‘you know what you’ve done right and what you’ve done wrong and what you need to improve on’: New Zealand students’ perspectives on feedback,” Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 17(3), pp. 301–314. Available at: https://doi.org/10.108 0/0969594x.2010.496249.

Yorke, M. (2003). Higher Education, 45(4), pp. 477–501. Available at: https://doi. org/10.1023/a:1023967026413.

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Technology’s impact on education Ellie O’Donnell-Toole, a third year student in Single Honours Education, considers how educators can harness the power of technology to enhance equality, and student engagement.

Technology has the potential to be the key to better educational futures, and should continue to be harnessed by educators. (Photo by Avi Richards on Unsplash)

Technology in education can come in any form such as computers/laptops, iPads, phones, smartboards (Hinds, p.5, 2019).

Since Covid-19 technology became a saviour for schools. Now as children go back to school into classroom based teaching, it is important to consider the long term role of technology in education.

I. Accessibility The general assumption is that technology has made education more accessible. For example, during the pandemic zoom became a new norm that allowed for teaching to continue 16

outside of the usual class room setting.

Even through my own experience of doing first year - technology allowed me to go at my own pace when accessing lectures. However during Covid it actually highlighted technology was not accessible for everyone. Disadvantaged families struggled in particular. It was estimated that “between 1.m and 1.8m children did not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home” (BBC 2021). This meant that many children fell further behind in education as they could not access resources that provided them with education.

III. Cost effectiveness

“during Covid it … was estimated that “between 1.m and 1.8m children did not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home” … This meant that many children fell further behind in education as they could not access resources that provided them with education.”

II. School Funding Technology has shown the inequalities children faced outside of school. But what about the inequalities they face in school? As technologies advance many schools are left behind. With funding cuts being made and funding in “202425 expected to be 3% lower” (Weale 2022), schools are faced with the challenge of where to allocate funding.

Factors such as electricity bills and food are clearly important. However, when “81%” of students feel that technology improves their academic success (Baruffati 2023), how can we justify inadequate funding of it?

“when 81% of students feel that technology improves their academic success … how can we justify inadequate funding of it?”

Technology does have many pros, one being that it can cut costs at the same time as environmental impact. Digital based learning reduces the amount of paper being printed off for handouts, provides e-books, and homework that can be done through online programs. As well as these savings, technology is also seen as a way to increase engagement. As children’s home routines are already attached to electronic devices, incorporating them in schools is a way of “enhancing involvement” both in children’s learning and their protection of the environment (Haleem and Javaid, p.275, 2022).

However are children today too dependent on these devices?

“children’s home routines are already attached to electronic devices, incorporating them in schools is a way of “enhancing involvement” both in children’s learning and their protection of the environment…”

IV. Technologies influence on Students academic performance According to the 2018 PISA study, excessive use of technology and social networks, both during the week and at weekends, impairs performance.

(Navarro-Martinez and Peña-Acuña 2022). To gain the benefits a balance seems to be key. The important question to ask is if students find technology effective in helping their academic 17

performance. Well 82% of students felt smart devices gave them more time to study (Baruffati 2023). Technology can therefore make it easier for students to prioritise work time more effectively.

Which you could argue could help teachers too.

“Technology is often useful in education, for instance, when teaching strategies are aided by it, rather than by virtue of the technology itself” V. Teachers with technology Technology can be a great resource in helping teachers. In fact “91% of teachers agree that technology gives them more ability to tailor lessons to the student’s individual needs.” (McNeil, 2016). The problem is teachers not having the time to make this possible.

23.3% of teachers reported not having training in using technology (National Literary Trust, 2019). Technology may help in gaining access to information quicker, or even allow for more participation in classes. However the education system must adapt to present changes in order for it to benefit students. Technology is often useful in education, for instance, when teaching strategies are aided by it, rather than by virtue of the technology itself (Valverde -Berrocoso, Acevedo-Borrega and Cerezo-Pizarro, 2022).

VI. Positive case studies of technology in schools Highfurlong School – (Based in Blackpool) is an SEN school. Technology allows for things such as sensory rooms.

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These not only empower students to be active in their learning but also help staff. It is important to note that while technology has certainly helped this school it is also dependent on teachers knowing how to use these technologies in ways that meets the needs of the children. However, the staff at the school believe that these communication methods would be impossible without the support of technology (Hinds 2019).

Bolton College - used IBM Watson to build a virtual assistant, ‘Ada’, who helps give advice and guidance as well as answer questions on curriculum content.

This has saved staff time, whilst it could discourage that interaction between teacher and students. Staff believe, however, that it has enabled students to receive the best quality in teaching as staff have more time to focus on delivering content (Hinds 2019).

“Bolton College used IBM Watson to build a virtual assistant, ‘Ada’, who helps give advice and guidance as well as answer questions on curriculum content.”

University of Wolverhampton - uses a 3D visualisation system to supplement lessons on anatomy and dissection.

IPads and other smart devices with tools such as touch screens have increased participation and knowledge gain that students would not necessarily be able to gain as quickly without it (Hinds 2019).

VII. Conclusion Technology has a significant impact on education and students’ learning and teachers are starting to feel comfortable with the newer technologies that are being introduced in classroom settings.

It is important that there is a balance so that the power of technology is harnessed for the purposes of equality, engagement, and education, rather than their opposites. Technology will always keep on improving and is here to stay, so it is important that educators continue to adapt, and direct its potential in fruitful ways.

References Baruffati, Alexandra. “Technology in Education Statistics: 2023 Trends.” GITNUXBLOG, 2023, blog.gitnux.com/technology-in-educationstatistics. Accessed 28 June 2023.

BBC. “Digital Divide “Locking Children out of Education.”” BBC News, 2021, www.bbc.co.uk/ news/uk-england-55816686. Accessed 24 June 2023.

McNeil, Elisha. “Teachers like Technology in the Classroom, but Few Think It’s Well Integrated.”

Education Week, 2016, www.edweek.org/ teaching-learning/teachers-like-technologyin-the-classroom-but-few-think-its-wellintegrated/2016/05. Accessed 24 June 2023.

National literacy trust. “Lack of Access to Technology in Schools Is Holding Pupils Back.”

National Literacy Trust, 2019, literacytrust.org.uk/ news/lack-access-technology-schools-holdingpupils-back/. Accessed 23 June 2023.

Navarro-Martinez, O., & Peña-Acuña, B. (2022).

Technology Usage and Academic Performance in the Pisa 2018 Report. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 11(1), 67-76. Doi: 6.

Valverde-Berrocoso, Jesús, et al. “Educational Technology and Student Performance: A Systematic Review.” Frontiers in Education, vol.

7, no. 9, 28 June 2022, pp. 1–12, www.frontiersin. org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2022.916502/full, https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.916502.

Accessed 21 June 2023.

Weale, Salle. “Schools in England Face Funding Crisis as Costs Soar, Study Warns.”

The Guardian, 2022, www.theguardian.com/ education/2022/aug/02/schools-in-englandface-funding-crisis-as-costs-soar-study-warns.

Accessed 28 June 2023.

Haleem, Abid, et al. “Understanding the Role of Digital Technologies in Education: A Review.”

Sustainable Operations and Computers, vol. 3, no. 1, 2022, pp. 275–285, www.sciencedirect. com/science/article/. Accessed 29 June 2023.

Hinds, Damian. “Realising the Potential of Technology in Education: A Strategy for Education Providers and the Technology Industry.” 2019.

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The power of schools to address socio-economic inequality Emily Slinger, a Master’s student in Education and Education Leadership and Management, explores the origins of Pupil Premium policy, and its strengths and weaknesses in schools in the North West.

Applications of Pupil Premium are varied and can be tailored to the individual student and school, ranging from trips to art galleries, to school shoes. (Photo by Juliette Contin on Unsplash)

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Put simply, ‘children from disadvantaged households tend to do worse at school’ (Tahir, 2022, no pagination). Whilst this is a very broad and generalised statement, it is reinforced by years of data showing that, on average, this is the case. Whichever metric we look at to determine student attainment, on the whole, students from poorer backgrounds do not achieve as highly as their more affluent peers. For example, in the 2020-2021 academic year, only 32% of students who were eligible for free school meals achieved 5 GCSEs at grade 5 or above (Social Mobility Commission, 2022) compared to 59% of all other students.

“in the 2020-2021 academic year, only 32% of students who were eligible for free school meals achieved 5 GCSEs at grade 5 or above … compared to 59% of all other students.”

from a working-class background increasing from 32.9% in 2014 to 38.6% in 2020 (Social Mobility Commission, 2021). This is encouraging and shows that improvements are being made.

However, when gains in social mobility are paired with continued lower performance for students on free school meals, this prompts the question of whether or not policies in place to address socio-economic inequality through education are enough.

One policy that the government has introduced to address socio-economic inequality is the Pupil Premium, which was established in 2010 (DfE, 2010).

In my research with professional staff in two schools in the North West, I considered their responses about their own sense of their school’s power to address socio-economic inequality. In particular, their answers, which will be discussed in the rest of this article, provided insights about whether or not Pupil Premium was ‘enough’ to address the socio-economic gap, and how its implementation could be improved.

I. What is Pupil Premium?

Whilst it is important that we look at how being from a disadvantaged background affects children in education, it is also essential that we look at how it affects them in later life.

The whole concept of social mobility focusses on the idea that people should be able to move beyond their background – those from working class backgrounds should be able to achieve professional careers if they so wish. According to data from the last six years, there have been small improvements in this area, with the number of people in professional jobs

Pupil Premium is a source of funding, given directly to schools, in order for them to establish strategies to improve the educational experience for those students who qualify for the funding. For a student to qualify for pupil premium funding, they must be in receipt of free school meals, or have been in receipt of them some time in the previous six years. Schools are assigned extra funding for each student who qualifies under the pupil premium scheme.

School leaders are essential in the fight to close the socio-economic gap, as they are ultimately in control of both 21

the strategies and the spending of available funds to better enable social mobility. The needs of each student who is eligible for Pupil Premium will be different to the next and so strategies need to be tailored to those students (DfE, 2010, Freedman & Horner, 2008).

School senior leadership teams are far better placed to be able to make these decisions than anyone inside the Government or the Local Authority because they know their students’ specific needs. Morris & Dobson (2021) present some strong evidence to suggest that this autonomy, bestowed upon schools by the government to better allow schools to tailor strategies to the needs of their own cohort of students qualifying for additional support, is actually not autonomy at all because they are still answerable to OFSTED and their Local Authority to justify all spending. This is worthy of note, because it indicates that although head teachers have overall responsibility for the decision making, they are still overseen and are held accountable.

II. What does Pupil Premium get spent on?

My research into two schools in the North West added some important insights about the impact of Pupil Premium. I found that Pupil Premium could to be tailored effectively to the needs of students. In School A, there was a real level of support for an iPad scheme, giving students on Pupil Premium access to technology to aid their education that they would not normally have had. Whilst no single strategy will ever solve the problem of equality in education, this scheme goes a long way to helping to break down a major barrier. Access to resources 22

such as technology and the internet is a problem for many students living below the poverty line, something that was particularly visible during the pandemic (Goudeau et al, 2021).

“In School A, there was a real level of support for an iPad scheme, giving students on Pupil Premium access to technology to aid their education that they would not normally have had” Staff in both schools gave many examples of what PP funding was used for in their schools – a list has been compiled below, for a clear and concise view of the key themes: Educational Support

Wider Support

High Quality Staffing

iPad funding (school A)

School trips

Family support workers

Extra support in lessons

Breakfast club (free breakfast)

Educational welfare officers

Revision guides

Careers visits

Family outreach officer

University visits Duke of Edinburgh scheme (funded for PP students) Shoes and uniform for those without

It is clear from this list that schools employ a wide and varied range of strategies to try to combat this problem

and make education equal for their students. The fact that schools are responsible for their own allocation of this funding and can apply it where they see fit is evident in the answers to this question.

“…both of these schools are doing everything that they can to ensure that students get a holistic approach to education and are not focusing simply on the academic which is encouraging to see. The idea of increasing students’ cultural capital is vital, especially post-Covid -19.”

What is interesting is how much of the support falls into the ‘wider support’ category. Clearly, both of these schools are doing everything that they can to ensure that students get a holistic approach to education and are not focusing simply on the academic which is encouraging to see. The idea of increasing students’ cultural capital is vital, especially post-Covid -19.

III. Benefits of high staff awareness of Pupil Premium On a local level at least, schools are trying to do the best that they can for their students. A range of reasons why teachers felt that they were in a position to help were given. Heads of year, in particular, felt that they had additional knowledge of the issues, with one saying:

‘As a HOY, I am aware of students who are PP and can help channel funding their way’.

Pastoral staff, school A And another stating: ‘I refer students for extra support and have given free shoes (new) and uniform to those without’.

Pastoral staff, school A One member of SLT from school A pointed out that: ‘I can drive staff attention towards those students struggling and can allocate funding where students stand out, though it can be difficult to target individuals. This might be improved by a named allocation.’

SLT, school A This statement stood out because, in a response from a member of pastoral staff at school B, it was said that: ‘We are expected to know which of our students are eligible for extra support.’

Pastoral staff, school B From the other responses, it does not seem like staff outside of the senior leadership team (SLT)/pastoral staff at school A are aware of which students qualify for Pupil Premium, whilst in school B it seems all staff are aware, thus increasing the degree to which the funding could be tailored to meet the needs of individual students, and indeed, increasing the chances that student needs could be identified in the first place.

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IV. Drawbacks of limited knowledge of Pupil Premium 12 years on from the policy’s introduction, there was, it appeared, some waning awareness among some teachers of their power to use this extra funding to meet the needs of students.

Two participants felt that they could not make a difference to their students. It is a shame that two people feel that they could not make a difference. Both respondents gave feedback as to why they felt this way. One, a teacher with some managerial responsibility, stated: ‘It would help if we knew what we could do.’

Teacher with management responsibility, school A This suggests that there is a lack of clarity in the policies amongst some staff. The second comment, from a member of support staff, was more detailed and explained: ‘I don’t feel informed on pupil premium, what is available and how we can apply it. There are numerous occasions where additional funding would benefit disadvantaged students – extracurricular activities and sixth form resources are just examples’ Support staff, school A This should not be taken lightly because it highlights that not every member of staff is ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’ – not everyone knows what strategies are available to them or knows how to access what is available, leaving a further inequality in education for these students.

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V. Conclusions The main lesson that was learnt is that schools would benefit from looking at communication. Better, clearer communication is needed between policy makers (SLTs, in this case) and other staff. There were several staff members in both schools who were not fully aware of how Pupil Premium funding was spent or if they were able to access it for their students. They were also not always aware of what strategies were in place to assist those students who qualified for Pupil Premium funding, or, in some cases, which students were eligible for the additional support in the first place. If there is a lack of clarity for some staff, it can almost become a lottery – if you are a student who would benefit from a catch up session or additional resources for a particular subject, but you have a teacher who is unaware of the existence of Pupil Premium, you will not benefit, whereas a student who has a teacher that is aware, you will. For schemes such as this to work and for all students to receive the necessary support, everyone must be fully aware of the policies.

“it can almost become a lottery – if you are a student who would benefit from a catch up session or additional resources for a particular subject, but you have a teacher who is unaware of the existence of Pupil Premium, you will not benefit…”

The policies designed to help those students who qualify for Pupil Premium funding are essentially aimed at fixing the inequalities that exist between those students who live under the poverty line (although there are other factors too, such as looked after children and children who have one or more parents in the armed forces). With this in mind, it is important that we do not create further inequalities between these students, even accidentally. It is worth remembering that these policies were created within schools some years ago, when the government introduced the scheme. This could possibly go some way to explaining why not all staff are aware of the policies in place – have educational professionals been recapped since they were introduced?

Do they regularly get reviewed and if so, do all staff have the change to inform policy? Are they asked about the success of various aspects of the policy that they are responsible for applying with their students? These are all valid questions that it is recommended that schools look at in the near future to ensure that all staff are working to the best of their ability on this matter.

Goudeau, S., Sanrey, C., Stanczak, A., Manstead, A. & Darnon, C. (2021) Why Lockdown and Distance Learning During the Covid-19 Pandemic are Likely to Increase the Social Class Achievement Gap. Nature Human Behavior [online]. 5, pp. 1273-1281. Available from: <https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-02101212-7.pdf> [accessed 26 February 2023].

Social Mobility Commission (2021) State of the Nation 2021: Social Mobility and the Pandemic [online]. Social Mobility Commission. Available from: <https://www.gov.uk/government/ publications/state-of-the-nation-2021-socialmobility-and-the-pandemic/state-of-the-nation2021-social-mobility-and-the-pandemic--2> [accessed 10 January 2023].

Social Mobility Commission (2022) State of the Nation 2022: Chapter 3 – Intermediate Outcomes [online]. Social Mobility Commission.

Available from: <https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/state-of-the-nation2022-a-fresh-approach-to-social-mobility/ state-of-the-nation-2022-chapter-3-intermediateoutcomes#intermediate-outcome-1-the-years-ofcompulsory-schooling-aged-5-to-16> [accessed 09 January 2023].

Tahir, I. (2022) The UK Education System Preserves Inequality – New Report [online].

The Institute of Fiscal Studies. Available from: <https://ifs.org.uk/articles/uk-educationsystem-preserves-inequality-new-report>

References Rebecca Morris and Graeme Dobson, ‘Spending the pupil premium: what influences leaders’ decision making?’ in Educational Management Administration and Leadership, March 2021, pp.

284 – 302.

Freedman, S. & Horner, S. (2008) School Funding and Social Justice: A Guide to the Pupil Premium [online]. Policy Exchange. Available from: <http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2016/09/school-funding-and-socialjustice-oct-08-3.pdf> [accessed 12 October 2022].

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Autism in early childhood: some important things to know Kursha-Louise King, a Master’s student in Early Childhood and Special Educational Needs, shares some of her research findings about neurodiversity and early childhood.

Research into autism is transforming our perspective on how it is experienced and diagnosed.

(Photo by Erlend Ekseth on Unsplash)

It could be said that changing your perspective changes your experience.

This is something that I have felt more than ever before this year as an educational practitioner, mature student and, perhaps most importantly, new mother. My dissertation focused on autism and explored the research of academics who consider neurodiversity in early childhood (Braden et al, 26

2022, Sturrock et al 2022). Increased awareness of research such as this has started to change practitioners’ perspectives, and has a lasting impact on pedagogical practice (Harrop et al, 2017)). The greater understanding of autism that I have acquired in my degree has been so transformative for me, that I would like to share some of my findings more broadly in this newspaper article.

“My dissertation focused on autism and explored the research of academics who consider neurodiversity in early childhood…”

One area of discussion in the research is the different diagnosis experiences in the early years of boy and girls who may be neuro-divergent. Harrop et al (2017) suggest there is an unparalleled difference between autism prevalence rates in girls and boys within the early years of life.

Furthermore, there also appears to be a range of misunderstandings in how autism presents in girls. Such misunderstandings are then prematurely diagnosed as other neurological conditions leading to lasting issues such as anxiety and eating disorders (Sturrock et al 2022). With such stark results, this author felt it necessary to ask the bigger question as to why this was and why autism prevalence in girls remains to be an aspect of autism we know so little about.

“there … appears to be a range of misunderstandings in how autism presents in girls.

Such misunderstandings are then prematurely diagnosed as other neurological conditions leading to lasting issues…”

There are some (Maynard and Turowetz, 2019)) that are of the opinion that such vast differences in autism prevalence rates exist due to a male bias that dominates the discourse in how autism is diagnosed. Most diagnostic procedures are based upon the works of Kanner and Asperger, who whilst influential in this field of neurology, there is little evidence to support their understanding of ASD in girls with most of their published works centred upon the presentation of autism in boys (hence the myth ASD is a boys’ condition (Cologon, 2012, Rivard et al, 2019, Brodin and Listrand, 2007).

What is interesting to note however is that not only do medical professionals adhere to this interpretation of autism but educators do too (Beggiato et al, 2022). This in turn has an influential impact in how teachers observe, understand and suspect ASD in girls.

“there are those who extend this argument indicating the difference in prevalence rates is due to a girl’s ability to ‘mask’ their autism…”

Yet there are those who extend this argument indicating the difference in prevalence rates is due to a girl’s ability to ‘mask’ their autism (Hobson, 2014). This argument suggests there is a biological, social drive built within the psyche of females to ‘fit in’, thus, ASD could potentially be more difficult to observe in a young girl due to their 27

ability to ‘pick up’ on social cues in an attempt to be accepted by their peers.

I hope that readers find this discussion of my research useful to think in new ways about autism and the early years.

References Beggiato, A, Peyre, H, Maruani, A, Scheid, A, Rastam, A, Amsellem, F, Gillberg,C,I, Leboyer, M, Bourgeron, T, Gillberg, C and Delorme, R (2016) Gender Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Divergence Among Specific Core Symptoms, Autism Research, 10 (4) pp. 680-689 Brodin, J and Lindstrand, J (2007) Perspectives of a school for all, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 11 (2), pp. 133-145 Cologon, K (2012) Confidence in their own ability: postgraduate early childhood students examining their attitudes towards inclusive education, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16 (11), pp. 1155-1173

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Harrop, C, Green, J and Hudry, K (2017) Play complexity and toy engagement in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder: Do girls and boys differ? Autism, 21 (1), pp. 37-50 Hobson, R, P (2014) The coherence of autism, Autism, 18 (1), pp 6.-16 Maynard, D, W and Turowetz, J (2019) Doing Abstraction: Autism, Diagnosis and Social Theory, Sociological theory, 37 (1), pp. 89-116 Rivard, M, Millau, M, Magnan, C, Mello, C and Boule, M (2019) Snakes and Ladders: Barriers and Facilitators Experienced by Immigrant Families when Accessing and Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis, Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 31, pp. 519-539 Sturrock, A, Chilton, H, Foy, K, Freed, J and Adams, C (2022) In their own words: The impact of subtle language and communication difficulties as described by autistic girls and boys without intellectual disability, Autism, 26 (2), pp. 332-345

Transformative teaching in Thailand Eden Povey, a second year student in Education and Early Childhood, discusses play dough lessons, elephants, and her changing perspective on life, education, and the ocean after a trip to Thailand with her school.

Learning about the impact of natural disaster and of educational hurdles in Thailand can put experiences in England in a different light. (Photo by note thanun on Unsplash)

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“Nowadays it is not uncommon to see secondary school trips to Austria for skiing, or to Paris to visit the museums. For me, a trip halfway around the world was more appealing.”

When I was 15, I was lucky enough to visit Thailand as a part of my secondary school’s ‘Ambassador’ program, to go see and our partnership school.

Nowadays it is not uncommon to see secondary school trips to Austria for skiing, or to Paris to visit the museums.

For me, a trip halfway around the world was more appealing. My teacher planned everything, and we had weekly after-school sessions to prepare us, so we could learn about the culture, what to expect, what to pack, and to my surprise, how to use a squat toilet. The sessions talked us through the trip, and we were challenged to plan two lessons to teach a class in our partnership school. Mine and my partner’s plan was to make playdough with our group, and to teach some English phrases around the topic of schools with the students.

We were officially prepared after months of weekly lessons.

“The trip involved visiting elephants at a sanctuary, learning about the Thai culture and the Buddhism religion as well as visiting some of the amazing temples.”

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Suitcase packed, me and 7 others were ready for the 24-hour trip. We started off at my secondary school, waved off all our classmates and then headed to Manchester airport for the long journey.

The journey consisted of two 6-hour flights, to Dubai and then to Phuket.

This was the furthest I’d ever been from home, especially at 15 years old. When we landed in Phuket we got settled and looked at the itinerary for our trip.

The trip involved visiting elephants at a sanctuary, learning about the Thai culture and the Buddhism religion as well as visiting some of the amazing temples. When you are that age it’s hard to imagine that there is a life outside of your small town, but we came to learn about the history of Koh-Lak and the effect that the 2004 Tsunami had on the city. One of the most striking views was of boats stranded in the middle of a field that had been land swept there after the Tsunami.

For me, my knowledge of this crisis was to the extent of the 2012 film ‘The Impossible’ but the things me and my classmates witnessed truly changed our perspectives on life, luck and the ocean.

“When you are that age it’s hard to imagine that there is a life outside of your small town, but we came to learn about the history of Koh-Lak and the effect that the 2004 Tsunami had on the city.”

After our days out, we then went to our partnership school, most of the students in the school were Burmese and travelled hours every day for their

“most of the students in the school were Burmese and travelled hours every day for their education.” education. The classrooms were bright and the welcome we got from the students aged 7-15 was amazing. At first, I thought that we would just teach them a few phrases in English, then go home, but what I got to see was the exchange of cultures and learning for both parties, one of the best moments was when we got the guitar out and sang Ed Sheeran together. We learnt together, them teaching us some of their language and interests, and us teaching them about Snapchat Filters.

As a teenager you never think about the struggles that other people face to get their education, and often take the education that you do receive for granted, but after experiencing the struggles that some students had to face to get their education we all went back to our school with a new found appreciation for the lives that we live.

The experience was amazing for me and all my classmates, it was a bonding experience for us all and really highlighted how amazing long-haul trips can be for teenagers’ education, especially as a lot of us come from working-class backgrounds and would never have had this opportunity present to us before. The independence and the perspective that the trip gave us is something we have taken everywhere with us, and even to this day when I make playdough for the children that I work with I’m reminded of that experience that I once had.

“what I got to see was the exchange of cultures and learning for both parties, one of the best moments was when we got the guitar out and sang Ed Sheeran together.”

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Future Contributors Would you like to contribute to the Winter/Spring 2023-24 edition of The Ed Stu? If so, we would like to hear from you. Please contact Rosie Germain with your idea at germair@hope.ac.uk All ideas welcome.

The Ed Stu T: 0151 291 3947 E: germair@hope.ac.uk Edited by Rosie Germain and designed by Liverpool Hope University Design Team.