Credit: Drazen via Adobe Stock.

By Olivia Amponsa-Gyasi and Kelly Cummins, Child Development MSc

Since our original conversation in 2022, we recognise that departments at IOE have invited non-white guest speakers to talk or promote their work and have done more to champion inclusion within the university.

It started with an assignment…

Kelly:
Being from a minority background within academic spaces is something you quickly become hyper-aware of, knowing that the way you navigate the space will be different and often more challenging. Exploring these experiences has always been something I was interested in so when I had the opportunity to choose my topic for a Master’s assignment, I knew exactly what to do.

I interviewed Olivia about her experiences as a Black Master’s student at UCL. The importance of this topic became even more apparent after researching systemic racism within higher education institutions and particularly data surrounding Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students’ progression, or lack thereof, within higher education. The statistics were both (more…)

By Michael Jones, Development Education and Global Learning MA* 

*This programme has been renamed the Global Learning MA. 

As an MA student in development education and global learning, my research journey formed a crucial part of my dissertation, which focused on the role of global citizenship education in post-conflict societies. I was drawn to the Iraqi context due to its unique challenges and the potential for education to contribute to peacebuilding and social cohesion, and due to my current position working at the American University of Iraq, Sulaymaniyah.

During my research journey, I had the opportunity to work closely with the ‘Iraqi Travellers Café’ (ITC) initiative, an inspiring organisation that was actively promoting aspects of global citizenship education through its workshops and events in the capital, Baghdad. I was fortunate to witness first-hand the dedication and passion of the ITC team, who were committed to creating transformative educational experiences for participants. The workshops provided a safe and inclusive space for individuals from Iraq’s diverse backgrounds, including the limited foreigners that live in the country, to come together, exchange ideas and engage in critical dialogue about global citizenship.  (more…)

(Image source: Elisabeth Herbert).

By Eleni Kanta, Special and Inclusive Education (Specific Learning Difficulties) MA

The Special and Inclusive Education (Specific Learning Difficulties) MA at UCL is a must for all teachers who are keen to have a more in-depth knowledge of specific learning difficulties with a focus on Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a phenomenon teachers around the world come across often.

The sessions are delivered by specialists in the field of literacy difficulties, which makes the course rich in knowledge and gives an extra point-of-view. In addition to lectures, students attending this programme have the opportunity to attend a school visit at William Tyndale Primary School in Islington.

This was organised by UCL and our programme leader, Associate Professor Elisabeth Herbert. As this MA course encourages both international and home students to apply, the school visit was something particularly beneficial for international students, who had the chance to see how a “dyslexia-friendly school” works in the national context. (more…)

Pupils at UCL Academy. Credit: Matt Clayton for UCL.

By Kyle Meyers, Education (Science) MA

I was brought up in an environment of highly motivated educators in the form of my grandmother and both my parents. My mother has been a co-ordinator of the Pre–Primary section of a prominent school in south-central Mumbai and my deceased father, apart from being a radio-analyst by profession, was the proprietor of Meyers Teaching Institute, where he himself passionately taught along with a band of teachers. Since 2011, the demise of my father, I had to shoulder the mantle of running Meyers Teaching Institute, along with my mother when I was 15 years of age.

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Does working while studying seem impossible to you? Would you like to combine your full-time studies with some part-time working, but you find that too scary? This blog was written for you, then! I will share with you my experience as a full-time MA student and part-time worker, and provide some tips which may be useful for those who are students and wish to start working.

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