Events
Education Café® Series
A brief guide to the Education Café® can be seen here.
Zoom Café 9: Tuesday 28 June 2022
A panel discussion with representatives from School 21 – a London 4-18 state school that does things differently. Full details and free registration here.
Zoom Café 8: Monday 9 May 2022
Ben Rein, Sr. Director of Outreach & Partnerships at the Mastery Transcript Consortium
“A better way to measure school learning?”
Book your free place here!
This event is a sequel to Zoom Café 6 (see below) when Ben Rein was prevented from taking part at the last minute. You can read a full background to the topic here.
Zoom Café 7: Monday 24 January 2022
Further Education – the misunderstood middle
Karen Phillips, Principal, Coleg y Cymoedd
Most people will be very familiar with and understand the purpose of and output from schools and universities. The same is not necessarily true of further education where, unless you have seen it in action, you might have a pre-conceived idea of why it exists and what it does. I hope I can bust some of these myths and lead a discussion about how vital colleges are to individuals, communities and businesses.
Please save the date. Booking now open, via Eventbrite.
COMPLETED EVENTS – with links to resources
Zoom Café 6: Monday 6 December 2021
A different way to measure school learning?
In conversation with:
Ben Rein, (Senior Director of Outreach and Partnerships, Mastery Transcript Consortium), Raleigh NC, USA
Sarah Cottenden (Education consultant, FRSA), Bedford, UK
The UK may not yet be ready to abandon school examinations, but there are other ways of monitoring and rewarding student progress. Join us for a conversation in which we explore the practicalities of a successful system for compiling a profile of individual student achievements. The Mastery Transcript approach – adopted by hundreds of schools in the USA – enables every child to record and validate the full range of their achievements, both within and beyond the school classroom.
Click here to access resources from this event.
Zoom Café 5: Monday 20 September 2021
In conversation with Dr Adam Smith (Chief Scientific Officer, Nobel Foundation)
Receiving a Nobel Prize brings prestige and a nice cheque, but it also conveys a responsibility to support a number of worthy endeavours – both academic and educational. Important among these is the setting of aspirations for young people, and inspiring them in their studies. Click here for references from this event.
Zoom Café 4: Monday 21 June 2021
Rethinking Neurodiversity – moving from Labels to People with Prof. Amanda Kirby (University of South Wales). Click here for resources from this event.
Zoom Café 3: Monday 17 May 2021
In conversation with Robin Balbernie (Infant Mental Health Specialist)
The First 1001 Days – Right from the start. Click here for resources from this event.
Zoom Café 2: held on Monday 22 February 2021
In conversation with Professor Bill Lucas – University of Winchester
Rethinking Assessment – recognising all the strengths of a young person
Zoom Café 1: held on Monday 2 November 2020
Online presentation of “Resilience” – an award-winning film about Adverse Childhood Experiences, followed by Q&A with an expert panel. More details.
In normal times …
STE Education Cafés® at The Pantry, Cornerstone, 5:30-7:00
An Education Café® is a discussion held in informal surroundings, and generally consists of three parts:
- an introduction by an expert on a topic of current educational interest (15-20 min)
- small group discussion around the café tables (~ 40 min)
- open discussion with the speaker on the issues raised (~ 30 min)
Hot and cold drinks are available for purchase, but there is no charge for attendance.
The event originally planned for Monday 4 May 2020 is postponed until face-to-face Cafés become feasible again: The Spectrum of Education and Learning from Within (Jill Baird – Art therapist)
Education Conference 2019
Entitled, “A dawn of a new education world in Wales – what does it mean?”, it was opened by the Education Minister for Wales, Kirsty Williams, supported by the Police & Crime Commissioner for S. Wales, Alun Michael and the Chair of the RSA Advisory Committee for Wales, Professor Jane Davidson, a former Education Minister. Full details here
Education Cafés® 2019-20
Café 1
“Recognising ‘skills for life’: The importance of non-formal learning “ – a discussion led by Prof Manuel Souto-Otero, Cardiff University.
Notes of this Café discussion are available here.
Café 2
“Education in Wales: Fit for the Future?” – a discussion led by Prof Calvin Jones, Cardiff Business School.
In Summer 2019, Professor Calvin Jones of Cardiff Business School, and Sophie Howe, Wales’ Commissioner for Future Generations, outlined a vision of an inclusive, futureproofed and bespoke educational approach for schoolchildren in Wales. Their Report, Fit for the Future, also outlines the changes necessary to make this vision a reality, and to make the new curriculum a success.
Café 3
Inequality in the Education of Boys – a discussion led by Alan Evans OBE, Educational Consultant, Cardiff
The underachievement of boys in relation to academic performance has proved to be a chronic and not self-correcting feature of education in England and Wales over many decades. If, for instance, in September 2018, the percentage of males entering higher education in E&W had been the same as the percentage of females, there would have been 38,000 additional male entrants. This underachievement also affects the access of males to the labour market, and their contribution to society in general. Alan Evans has monitored this issue for the past 20 years, and made representations to governments about it. Sadly, the problem is generally ignored.