1. First of two today from Lancaster University: next Friday, 4th February, at 13:00 UK time, Jennifer Rowsell from Bristol University will be giving the first of this term’s Lancaster Literacy Research Centre talks, on ‘Research creation during a pandemic’.
In Jennifer’s own words, “During the 2020 pandemic I struggled as a researcher at heart because the whole notion of ‘going into the field’ became challenging if not impossible. Of course, the urgency and uncertainty of the pandemic disrupted familiar research practices because the world was in crisis. But I had the good fortune to engage in a digital/analogue research creation project by sheer serendipity with Harriet Hand and Mark Shillitoe that led to one of the most fascinating research journeys I have experienced to date”.
More info and registration here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/research-creation-during-a-pandemic-tickets-228954167077
2. Number two from Lancaster, from their Language, Ideology and Power Research Group: at 12:00 UK time tomorrow, Thursday 27th January, Caroline Staquet from The University of Ghent will be talking about ‘Research as a Policy Instrument? Critically Deconstructing the Outset of CLIL Research in European Language Policy’. If you’d like to join, contact Johnny Unger at j.unger@lancaster.ac.uk. (I’m not quite sure what ‘outset’ means in Caroline’s title: once deconstructed that may be clearer.)
PDF of full programme for this term below – Tamsin Parnell’s talk on 3rd February looks interesting.
3. One of the speakers at today’s Embedding Resilience webinar was Jonathan Dando from Oak National Academy. Stacks of free stuff on their website here https://www.thenational.academy/
Interestingly, Oak managed to do a deal with all the big UK internet providers for data-free access to their site, so downloading lesson materials didn’t hit family data budgets.
I must confess to being distracted this afternoon by the perfect Dando eyebrows – was anyone else?
4. I was talking yesterday to colleagues at the Open University about their ReMaLiC project, which seeks to explore and understand marginalisation in education and the roles that English and technology play in intensifying or alleviating that marginalisation. Good, concise description here http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/REMALIC/index.php/about/
5. Some claim that this week’s phobia, arachnophobia, is the most common of all worldwide. I find that a little hard to believe – and my own spheksophobia is much more debilitating!
6. And, finally, a reminder: ¡Mañana comienza el Hay Festival Cartagena de Indias 2022! https://www.hayfestival.com/cartagena/home
Roy Cross's Blog 