education

News: “IASS Academics Showcase New Approaches to Using Social Media for Research, Teaching & Learning”

Just posting an article from the University of Birmingham’s Institute of Applied Social Studies website that involves me. The original news article can be viewed by clicking here.

IASS Academics Showcase New Approaches to Using Social Media for Research, Teaching & Learning

On Friday 19th April, two IASS academics – Tarsem Singh Cooner and Chris Allen – facilitated a Higher Education Academy (HEA) event at the University of Birmingham titled, ‘Changing the Learning Landscape – Practical uses of social media in social work and social policy teaching and research’.

Bringing together around 40 participants from different universities and practical settings who were involved in teaching, research or directly managing degree programmes in social work and social policy, the event provided participants with an opportunity to find out more about the role social media can play in enhancing the student and tutor experiences. Comprising two workshops – the first on research and dissemination, the second on teaching and learning – participants engaged in a series of practical hands-on activities and discussions as a means of introducing them to a range of new and innovative social media approaches and methods. In doing so participants explored the use of Storify in their research and dissemination as also closed Facebook groups for teaching and learning.

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Report: QuestionTime@IASS event – 27th September 2012

Reproduced below is a short news report about the Question Time event I organised for students last week at the University of Birmingham. To read the original report, click here.

Around 75 students gathered in the Business School on Thursday 27th September to take part in the ‘QuestionTime@IASS’ event. Based on the popular BBC1 television programme, the IASS event brought together an eight strong panel of politicians, policymakers and commentators.

As well as Gisela Stuart (Labour MP for Edgbaston) and John Hemming (Liberal-Democrat MP for Yardley), students were able to put their questions to James Burns (Chair of the West Midlands Green Party), Alison Garnham (Child Poverty Action Group), Paul Nowak (TUC), and Siobhan Harper-Nunes (Shakti Women). The panel was completed by the inclusion of IASS’s own Professor of Social Work, Sue White and Owen Williams, the Vice-President of the University’s Conservative Futures group.

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In pursuit of shared values: a worthy endeavour or waste of time?

This post reproduces a short think-piece co-written with my friend and colleague Arshad Isakjee. We were asked to write it following discussions about the establishment of a set of ‘shared values’ with some of those leading the ‘People’ strand of Birmingham City Council’s Social Inclusion Process. As part of this, we submitted it to the Process earlier today.

In pursuit of shared values: a worthy endeavour or waste of time?

What are ‘values’?

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New Article: Teaching Islamophobia as a Higher Education subject

I’m really pleased to have published an article on the teaching of Islamophobia as a higher education subject. I’m led to believe that this is a first of its kind. There’s articles about Islamophobia and education – and Islamophobia in education – but not specifically within the higher education setting.

Published in the Islamic Studies Network‘s journal, Perspectives, the article is titled, “One size doesn’t fit all: considerations on the teaching of Islamophobia as an academic subject”. The journal is available to view and download free from the Islamic Studies Network’s website by clicking here.

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Birmingham’s Super Diversity: Interview on BBC Radio WM

This morning I was interviewed by BBC Radio WM’s Phil Upton about the increasing diversity in Birmingham.

Focusing on this year’s Census, raised concerns about how Birmingham’s ‘white’ population would soon be a minority.

Here’s how the interview went:

Phil Upton: “The Census later this year is expected to show white pupils in Birmingham’s schools will be in a minority…we’ve all known for some time that Birmingham will become the first white minority city in the UK but we didn’t think it would be for a few years yet – is this change is happening faster than we expected?”

Chris Allen: “Well I’m not sure things are moving any quicker…when you look at BME communities in the city they have a much younger demographic profile than the white British population and so you’ll see more BME heritage kids in our schools because of this. If you look at older communities, you’ll see that they remain predominantly white.”

Upton: “How does Birmingham compare with elsewhere in the country, are we notably different?”

Allen: “We’re moving into a period of what we we might call ‘super-diversity’. This means that Britain is moving into a time where not only are we diverse in terms of our ethnicity, we’re also diverse in terms of our culture, religion, ethnicity, language and so on. When you look across Britain, there’s a number of cities that are beginning to look like this. London has always been much more diverse and so Birmingham’s better being compared to places like Leicester or Manchester. We’re moving in a different way to both of those in terms of what our diversity looks like but it is a general process that is moving across other areas of the country also.”

Upton: “There will be a social impact of this change and there will be concerns amongst the white population that is becoming a minority, they’ll feel threatened”

Allen: “We let’s remember that Birmingham has been a diverse city for over half a century now so this change is something that we are well aware of. Having said that, no-one likes change and in the past ten years, the diversity of the city has changed a little bit more rapidly than in preceding decades. What we all need to do is look at how all people can identify with a place. How we identify with Birmingham will help us to locate the positives rather than merely pondering on the potential problems…”

Extremely short and, I guess, sweet also. The joys of trying to be an ‘academic’ on breakfast radio…!!!

Islamaphobia, Islam and Education – BERA SIG Conference 4th March 2010

The British Educational Research Association’s conference, “Islamaphobia, Islam and Education” conference is taking place at the University of East London on the 4th March 2010. The flyer for the event can be downloaded here.

As well as my own paper which will be entitled, “Islamophobia in an educational context” other papers will be presented by Arun Kundnani, Farzana Shain, Nasima Hussan and Farid Panjwani.

To register for the event which I believe is FREE, email Veroica Burton, University of East London at v.a.burton@uel.ac.uk.