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The value of an education degree

Discover the joy of an education degree!

In a world brimming with diverse career paths and opportunities, one field stands as the cornerstone of social, political, and economic progress: education. The pursuit of an education degree is not merely a journey towards personal growth; it is a commitment to re-shaping the social world, one child at a time. As we navigate through the complexities of social inequalities, of racism, sexism, nationalism, and other isms, the value of an education degree cannot be more important now than ever.

Education is the foundation upon which societies thrive. At its core, an education degree equips individuals with the knowledge, skills, and insights needed to foster learning environments conducive to growth. Whether in a classroom, a community centre, or a virtual setting, educators play a pivotal role in nurturing the intellectual curiosity and critical thinking abilities of learners. They are architects of inspiration, guiding students towards realizing their fullest potential.

Beyond the transmission of subject matter knowledge, an education degree cultivates essential competencies such as communication, empathy, and adaptability. Educators serve as mentors, counsellors, and advocates, championing the holistic development of their students. By fostering socially just spaces where identities are affirmed and recognised, they lay the groundwork for a more socially just society.

Moreover, an education degree serves as a catalyst for social, racial, economic, and political change. In an era characterized by growing inequalities, the need for socially just approaches to education has never been greater. Educators equipped with a solid understanding of critical pedagogies are better positioned to address these historical challenges and creating opportunities for radical transformation.

Furthermore, the value of an education degree extends far beyond the confines of traditional classrooms. Beyond preparing individuals for careers in teaching, it opens doors to a myriad of professional pathways. From educational leadership and curriculum development to educational technology and policy advocacy, the possibilities are limitless. By empowering graduates to effect change at systemic levels, an education degree becomes a catalyst for broader educational reform.

In conclusion, the value of an education degree cannot be overstated. It empowers individuals to re-shape the social, political, and economic opportunities through education. By fostering socially just learning environments, driving social change, and opening doors to diverse career opportunities, an education degree enables the radical transformation of tomorrow.

Written by Dr Amina Shareef. February 2024.

Learn more about Dr Amina Shareef’s teaching and research.

Learn more about the Staff at the Educational Studies Department.

Learn more about BA Education at Goldsmiths.

Four ways education can make the world more socially just

It was a very rainy cold night in New Cross, London, but it was warm in the Margaret McMillan Building on the Goldsmiths Campus! Several Educational Studies staff, former and current students, and prospective students had gathered both in the building and online to discuss a vital issue for our times: how can education make the world more socially just?

It is a huge topic, but a very important one to consider. The discussion was very fruitful and a few key points emerged by the end of the evening, which I’ll sum up here.

ONE: Make every voice count.

If there was one strident point to emerge from the evening, it was this. If we are going to institute social justice in the world, then both formal and informal educational settings need to foster listening cultures where everyone feels they can be heard and listened to with respect, kindness and consideration. This is not to say that there shouldn’t be disagreements, but the crucial issue here is that people should feel their opinions, their thoughts, their feelings, their experiences count. This is something that all the programmes at Goldsmiths encourage. The BA Education as Dr Amina Shareef, a lecturer and tutor on the degree, pointed out, is all about giving students the confidence to articulate their views, and to listen to other people. Equally, within the Masters’ programmes in Educational Studies, this theme was a constant. Dr Chris Millora, module leader on globalization and education on the MA Education, Culture, Language and Identity, highlighted what happens when people are not given a voice. He showed us a photograph of a bulldozer ploughing down homes in the Philippines, where he is from, in order to build a resort, and pointed out that while for some the bulldozer is a symbol for helping communities become richer by building a resort that fosters tourism, for other people, particularly the local community, the bulldozer represents losing their homes. His module and others on the MA interrogate these issues. Whose voice really counts in the world? Who is listened to and respected? Too often, the voices of the economically disadvantaged and of marginalized groups are ignored at best, and at worst obliterated.

TWO: Help everyone become critical and creative thinkers.

Professor Vicky Macleroy, Head of the MA Children’s Literature, talked powerfully about the ways in which her MA explores the ways in which people, children and the world are represented in children’s literature. This MA is innovative in the way it helps students on the degree become critical and creative thinkers simultaneously. They read so many wonderful children’s texts – written by staff on the course like Professor Michael Rosen and alumni like Dean Atta – and then are given space to respond both critically and creatively with their own analytical essays, podcasts, pictures, and creative writing. On the MA Creative Writing and Education, students are encouraged to use creative writing in all sorts of educational ways: to use it as a form of self-healing, to get communities writing poems, plays and stories about the injustices they see around them. Seb Duncan, alumni of the MA Creative Writing and Education, is just about to publish a novel, The Book of Thunder and Lighting, which explores these issues in some depth. His time-travelling hero undergoes a fantastical psychic and physical journey through London’s past and learns about the injustices that have happened throughout the ages to emerge as a changed person.

THREE: Foster the spirit of rebellion against injustice.

This was a theme that was raised initially by a student on the MA Creative Writing and Education, Denise Dixon Roberts. She’d run a wonderful workshop earlier in the term for the general public on Creative Rebels. She pointed out that it is often the rebels that change the world for the better. We talked about artists like William Blake and Linton Kwesi Johnson (Goldsmiths’ alumni) who fostered this spirit.

FOUR: To use research as a tool for social justice.

This was another theme that came up again and again. Dr Chris Millora talked about his own research into literacies in the Global South, and how the label ‘literacy’ can be oppressive when used in certain ways, if, for example, certain people and communities are labelled ‘illiterate’. Emeritus Professor Eve Gregory spoke about her research into literacy which had highlighted a similar issue in the United Kingdom and London. Her research conducted with many other academics over the years has shown that there are many hidden literacies amongst groups who are often labelled as lacking literacy skills, such as the Bangladeshi community and the white working class in the East End of London.

Exciting research within the Educational Studies Department with Social Justice as a key theme:

BeLiFS: www.belifs.co.uk

‘Becoming literate in faith settings: Language and literacy learning in the lives of new Londoners’ (BeLiFS) is a research project funded by the Economic and Social Science Research Council. This is a 3-year long project on four faith groups: the Pentecostalist community from Ghana, the Catholic community from Poland, the Muslim community from Bangladesh and the Hindu community from South India/Sri Lanka.

Multilingual Digital Storytelling Project (goldsmithsmdst.com)

The Critical Connections Project, initiated in 2012 with funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, is about enabling young people across the primary and secondary age range to create and share multilingual digital stories. It offers an approach to language learning, literacy and citizenship which recognises that communication is enhanced when plurilingual and digital resources are drawn upon purposefully and creatively. Consistent with Project Based Language Learning (PBLL), the value of a wider cross-curricular orientation, particularly in relation to the arts (drama, music, visual art) is also viewed as highly significant.

Other MAs in the Department of Educational Studies which you might be interested in are:

MA Education: Culture Language and Identity, soon to be MA in Social Justice

The MA Education: Culture, Language and Identity has been developed into the MA Social Justice in Education (new from September 2024). We build very much upon the strong and popular basis that is the MA Education: Culture, Language and Identity drawing upon the expertise of talented and knowledgeable academics. This programme is designed for you if you are interested in how questions around social justice impact upon education as well as lived aspects of our lives. In part, this new MA aims to address issues faced by those in informal learning contexts as well as formal educators at all levels, international settings and related fields.

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

MA Children’s Literature

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

MA Children’s Literature: Illustration Pathway

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

MA Arts and Learning

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

MA Multilingualism, Linguistics and Education

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

MA in Creative Writing and Education

You can learn more about the MA in Creative Writing and Education here.

Spotlight interview: Amina Shareef

We have a series of blog posts introducing colleagues who have recently joined Goldsmiths’ Educational Studies Department. Find out more about their role at Goldsmiths, why they decided to join, the areas they teach and what they do during their spare time! This gives you a glimpse of the vibrant research and teaching community at our department.

Dr Amina Shareef, Lecturer in Education, joined Goldsmiths in September 2023

What was your role before you came to GS?

I was a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge.

Tell us a bit about your research and teaching expertise – what do you specialize in?

My research is animated by an abiding interest in understanding how young British Muslim women are subjected by power—made into liberal female subjects—by anti-Muslim racism. My understanding of anti-Muslim racism is grounded in the discourse and practice of the War on Terror on the home-front, particularly the PREVENT policy which I take as a gendered regime of security. And I am particularly interested, following Saba Mahmood’s work on secularization, in understanding how the management of British Muslim populations takes place through the remaking of religious subjectivities into liberal subjectivities.

What drew you to Goldsmiths? And to the department?

I was drawn to the department of Educational Studies at Goldsmiths by its reputation for being committed to the project of racial justice and for encouraging radical intellection in the areas of race and racism. I was also drawn by the diversity that is reflected in the student body which I see as an opportunity for a rich and meaningful teaching experience.

Which programmes do you teach on here and what your contribution to those programmes?

I teach on both the MA and BA programs at the Department of Educational Studies. On the BA program, I teach on a number of modules. They are: Culture and Identity, Race and Representation, Children’s Cultures, Children and the Construction of Identity, and Youth Cultures. I also supervise undergraduate and master’s dissertations.

What makes the programme(s) interesting and important? How do you think potential students might benefit from taking the programme?

What makes the BA programme an incredible program is that it offers our students a more analytical perspective on educational institutions and systems. Our program allows our students to explore the following questions: What is education? How is education experienced by young people? How do educational systems intersect with other axes of domination such as race, class, gender, and nation? Whose knowledge counts as knowledge? How are identity and belonging produced through education? Our program gives potential teachers a robust understanding of the system of which they are a part as well as frameworks for doing education differently. Our program nicely positions our students for pursuing a master’s and doctoral degree in the future if they so wish to do so.

What do you do in your spare time?

What spare time! Between work and my two young sons, I do manage to find some time to pursue a pastime beyond research and teaching. I am active in anti-racist advocacy that serves marginalized communities in Britian. And I am currently training to run my first half-marathon in October!

What reading/books/resources would you recommend to students who might be thinking of taking your programme?

Some of the areas of critical thinking that have been fundamental in making me into the researcher and teacher that I am have been Islamophobia Studies, Critical Race Theory, Black Studies and Feminist thought. Arun Kundnani, Sherene Razack, and Mimi Thai Nguyen have been some of my favourite thinkers.

Learn more about Dr Amina Shareef’s teaching and research.

Learn more about the Staff at the Educational Studies Department.

Learn more about BA Education at Goldsmiths.

Spotlight Interview: Chris Millora

Dr Chris Millora, Lecturer in Education, joined Goldsmiths in August 2023

What was your role before you came to Goldsmiths?

I was Senior Research Associate with the UNESCO Chair in Adult Literacy and Learning for Social Transformation at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. I also completed my PhD at UEA in 2021.

Tell us a bit about your research and teaching expertise – what do you specialize in?

My research interest is around the role of literacy and learning in youth social movements. I currently lead a 3-year research project called Literacies of Dissent where I work with youth activists in the Philippines (where I’m from!) and Chile to explore how they learn in/through their activist work. More generally, I am interested in learning and literacy in everyday life (beyond school settings). I think we can learn a lot about social justice and social change by understanding how individuals acquire knowledge and skills through everyday tasks such as volunteering, praying together, setting up online campaigns etc! I also work a lot internationally – either researching in or collaborating with colleagues in places like Malawi, Nepal, Ethiopia, South Africa and of course, the Philippines. I am also concerned about how research can reach wider audiences so I work with civil society organisations with whom I share similar vision like the Global Campaign for Education (South Africa) and the International Association for Volunteer Effort. Here in the UK, I Chair the British Association of Literacy in Development.

What drew you to Goldsmiths? And to the department?

Like Goldsmiths, I also believe that social justice should be at the heart of what we learn and how we teach. I was also attracted to Goldsmiths’ long history of student activism: for many years many students and young people here have been working towards shaping the kind of education they want. That, for me, provides an excellent context for teaching and research.

Which programmes do you teach on here and what your contribution to those programmes?

I teach at the Department’s MA Education: Culture, Language and Identities (which will soon be renamed to MA Social Justice in Education). I contribute to various modules on topics such as educational reform and student movements, global education, family literacy and indigenous learning; youth social action and participatory research methods. I am also involved in MA dissertation supervision. In terms of research, I am part of the Centre for Identities and Social Justice – one of the many exciting research groups that you can be part of if you study MA or MPhil/PhD with us!

What makes the programme(s) interesting and important? How do you think potential students might benefit from taking the programme?

Our programmes at Goldsmiths explore fundamental questions on how education and social justice interlink. Our students are invited to think critically and radically with us – asking difficult questions. Our sessions are designed in a way that students are encouraged to draw from their own experiences and reflect on how our classroom discussions are applicable to their real-life situations and challenges. The programmes also have a strong ‘action’ component that students can then take further in their own work and interests! For me, these aspects make our programmes excellent foundations for advancing one’s career.

What do you do in your spare time?

I’ve been trying to get better at playing guitar and I promised myself to finally take guitar lessons (wish me luck!). I also like reading fiction. Last year I challenged myself to reading 12 novels for the year – I ended up doing 18! I also recently moved to London which is so exciting, so been trying to get to know the city more.

What reading/books/resources would you recommend to students who might be thinking of taking your programme?

There’s a lot of really great scholars exploring education and social justice from various perspectives. You have the work of Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Arturo Escobar Encountering Development. If you’re interested in informal learning, I recommend Alan Rogers’ The Base of the Iceberg and Uta Papen’s Adult Literacy: More than Skills – both are excellents book where complex ideas are explained really simply.

Learn more about Dr Chris Millora’s teaching and research.

Learn more about the Staff at the Educational Studies Department.

Learn more about the MA Education, Culture, Language and Identities and other MA Programmes.

The BA Education Studies at Goldsmiths is the ticket to a golden future…read a student’s testimony!

Learning all about learning on the BA Education Studies, and secure a bright future!

When choosing a university degree to pursue, we oftentimes find ourselves asking, what do I want to do with my life? What kind of career do I want to pursue? Where do I see myself in three years? Asking these questions is perfectly normal. After all, for many of us, what we study is linked to what we do after graduation.

That is why a BA degree in Education is a good option. Our program nicely positions our students for pursuing a master’s and doctoral degree in the future. Our degree prepares students to go off and work in a variety of positions in the education sector such as education consulting, community education, further education, learning mentorship, education mental health practice, and, of course, teaching.

Our degree prepares educators with a robust understanding of educational systems, giving them answers to questions such as what is education? How is education experienced by young people? How do educational systems intersect with other axes of domination such as race, class, gender, and nation? Whose knowledge counts as knowledge? How are identity and belonging produced through education? These frameworks prepare our students to take up education-related jobs and perform them well.

Our current, third-year student, Zubida, testifies to the strength of our BA degree in preparing students for work in the education sector:

“My experience with Education, Culture, and Society course is that it is a very rewarding and informing course. We take a range of modules which can lead to a number of roles and careers in the future.”

Going through the BA program at the Department of Educational Studies, Zubida attests that the modules she has taken will widening her career prospects.

But beyond preparing students for a life of work, our BA degree gives students critical and ethical frameworks for understanding education and educational institutions and therefore equips them with the tools necessary to do education differently and to do so with commitments to social justice broadly conceived.

Take again the words of Zubida. She says that the BA program gave her critical perspectives on race and gender and to contemporary political events, making her experience with our BA program rewarding and informing:

“The fact they teach about the struggle of race and gender is another plus—especially for me as a brown girl in a male-dominated society. They also talk about major world issues and conflicts.”

For Zubida, learning critical perspectives and bringing in current political issues is what allows her to enjoy our BA degree.

To sum up, our BA program delivers the demands that students are looking for in a degree: a degree that translates into employment success and a degree that offers opportunities for developing critical perspectives for understanding the social world.

“I genuinely can’t fault this course as I have enjoyed the three years learning from it,” said Zubida.

Check out our website at https://www.gold.ac.uk/educational-studies/ for more information about our BA degree.

Hope to see around!

Amina Shareef, January 2024.

The MA Children’s Literature joins the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education to celebrate their latest Reflecting Realities research

Last week, students from the MA Children’s Literature programme visited the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) for an insider’s look at their influential work promoting diversity and inclusivity in publishing.

The CLPE is a children’s literacy charity dedicated to raising the achievement of children’s reading and writing. Since 2017, they have published annual Reflecting Realities reports, which examine the quantity and quality of ethnic representation in the UK children’s book market. Our students heard first-hand from Farrah Serroukh, Interim Executive Director for Research and Development, about the key findings of the 2023 report, which was published last week. Together, we celebrated that 30% of the children’s titles published in 2022 featured racially minoritized characters – a big increase from 4% in 2017 – at the same time as thinking about how much further we have to go before the children’s publishing industry is truly inclusive.

For many students, the visit affirmed the importance of culturally relevant books for showing underrepresented readers that they have a place in the world and in the books they read. This message is fundamental to us on the MA Children’s Literature, where the first module “Children’s Literature, Culture and Diversity” examines how texts for young people can challenge and disrupt existing power systems and reimagine a more inclusive world.

One of the highlights of the visit was the chance to explore the 23,000 books and resources in the CLPE’s Literacy Library – a booklover’s dream. With fiction, non-fiction, picture books, graphic novels, and more, the Literacy Library gave students across all three pathways of the MA – Theoretical Approaches, Creative Writing, and Book Illustration – the opportunity to be immersed in the world of children’s books. Our visit made for a brilliant end to a great first term.

If you’d like to learn more about the MA Children’s Literature and the ways that we enable students to access cutting-edge insights into children’s literature and the publishing industry, visit our website. You can also contact our Head of Programme (Prof. Vicky Macleroy) or one of our Heads of Pathway (Theoretical Approaches – Dr Emily Corbett, Creative Writing – Dr Tori Bovalino, and Book Illustration – Bruce Ingman) for a more in-depth chat about how the MA Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London can support you.

Other MAs in the Department of Educational Studies which you might be interested in are:

MA Education: Culture Language and Identity, soon to be MA in Social Justice

The MA Education: Culture, Language and Identity has been developed into the MA Social Justice in Education (new from September 2024)

MA Children’s Literature

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-childrens-literature/

MA Children’s Literature: Illustration Pathway

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-childrens-literature-illustration/

MA Arts and Learning

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-arts-learning/

MA Multilingualism, Linguistics and Education

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-multilingualism-linguistics-education/

Undergraduate BA programmes

https://www.gold.ac.uk/ug/ba-education/

Then, Now, and Beyond Goldsmiths – a great student voice event! Listen to what students really have to say!

A wonderful Department of Educational Studies initiative taking place in December is a Student Voice event –Then, Now, and Beyond Goldsmiths – online on Tuesday 12^th at 18.30- 20.00.

This evening session will have short presentations from a number of current students in the department and alumni. They will be discussing how their experiences of differing courses and programmes has impacted their thinking and/or careers. We have speakers who did their BA, PGCE’s, MA’s and PhD’s at Goldsmiths. If you would like to come and hear from these wonderful and inspiring people then please follow this Teams link. You may be a current student, or a new applicant or someone who is just interested in hearing more about the Educational Studies department. We would love to see you there.

MA Arts and Learning is unique, life-changing and innovative

On the MA Arts and Learning programme we are interested in exploring approaches to art practice and pedagogy by questioning theories of contemporary art and learning. Importantly we question what our practice is, what form it might take and how we can share innovative approaches with others. This term the students have been thinking about rules and disruption through a material engagement, making cats cradles, projecting ideas in spaces, questioning the identity of objects and themselves. We have thought about practice research methods, and how we can develop different ways to know, and engage complex ideas through materials and actions.

Next term we are excited that as part of our Critical Pedagogies in Contested Spaces module the students will be working with; The Mosaic Rooms, Bow Arts, The Young V&A, Autograph, and Bishopsgate. As part Of the Spaces of Practice module students will be also be working with CCA Goldsmiths, Gasworks and Iniva. These connections will enable us to unpick current pedagogical developments, and explore social and cultural issues within these wonderful venues and initiatives.

Our research and thinking on the MA Arts and Learning is closely connected with the Centre for Arts and Learning which is a research centre led by Dr Miranda Matthews in the Department of Educational Studies. This academic year the CAL theme is Arts Economies. If you interested in hearing more, you can access some of the fascinating previous presentations on Goldsmiths Learn.Gold webpage. You can also Follow us on twitter. (X) and instagram@maartsandlearning

Other MAs in the Department of Educational Studies which you might be interested in are:

MA Education: Culture Language and Identity, soon to be MA in Social Justice

The MA Education: Culture, Language and Identity has been developed into the MA Social Justice in Education (new from September 2024)

MA Children’s Literature

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-childrens-literature/

MA Children’s Literature: Illustration Pathway

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-childrens-literature-illustration/

MA Arts and Learning

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-arts-learning/

MA Multilingualism, Linguistics and Education

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-multilingualism-linguistics-education/

Undergraduate BA programmes

https://www.gold.ac.uk/ug/ba-education/

Four reasons why we have a Connected Curriculum at Goldsmiths

What is the Goldsmiths’ Connected Curriculum?

The Connected Curriculum is a series of interconnected modules which undergraduates across the university take during their first and second years.
During the first year, undergraduates from Departments which have opted into the Connected Curriculum take two modules:

• Identity, Agency and Environment 1: Everything is a Text, which focuses upon developing critical thinking skills by learning about how everything around us can be interpreted and analysed
• Identity, Agency and Environment 2: Researching our World and Lives, which focuses upon students learning research skills by learning about the environment and climate change

During the second year, students take an Elective module, where they can choose from a whole selection of different modules across the university, and also work in small groups on the Goldsmiths’ Project in order to tackle a social, intellectual or environmental problem.
The diagram below shows how it is structured:

The Connected Curriculum brings together students from across the university

There are a lot of reasons for instituting the Connected Curriculum, but a central one is to bring together students from across the whole university to engage in systematic, engaged conversations about their own learning and the learning more generally at the university. In the Connected Curriculum, there is a focus upon getting students to teach each other what they know and understand of the world, and to listen to other students’ opinions mindfully and in an emotionally literate fashion. This not only helps generate vital employability skills, but also widens minds to embrace learning beyond specific subject disciplines. So far, students have taken part in some amazing discussions in the first module, Identity, Agency and Environment 1: Everything is a Text. They’ve considered their own thoughts and feelings about being at university, talked about feminism, the importance of social action in the face of oppression, decolonising the curriculum, the role of Artificial Intelligence in the contemporary world.

To impart shared Goldsmiths’ values and concepts

The Connected Curriculum is a place where Goldsmiths can impart the values and concepts its learning community believes in, not least its commitment to interdisciplinary learning. Staff and students have the opportunity to examine their own subject discipline in depth and relate it to wider learning and research. Significantly, academics from across the university share their research and suggest ways in which it is relevant to everyone. In the first module, this has provided students with a dazzling array of lectures, where they’ve heard from experts on contemporary art critiquing Damien Hirst’s famous diamond studded skull, people’s histories about the New Cross Fire, analysis of the film Barbie and Marxist analysis of cultural hegemony and much else. After listening to these lectures, students have unpacked these lectures, and related the content to their own concerns and disciplines, developing their critical thinking skills in the process. The point here is that they’ve been challenged to think differently about the world and to hone their own informed, analytical opinions about it. This approach creates new ways of thinking and innovative ideas, much of which we’ve seen in evidence in the seminars.

To encourage innovation in assessment

An innovative form of assessment has been developed for the Connected Curriculum whereby students can submit different forms of assessment for the module. They can submit:

• 1,000 word academic research project
• Or: 3-5 minutes of produced audio
• Or: edited song/music of 3 mins
• Or: a concept map consisting of images and words (approx. 500 words)
• Or: a poster aimed at a specific audience, consisting of images, diagrams and 250 words
• Or: a blog post of 750 words which could include original images, video clips, diagrams
• Or: 5-minute video (appropriately edited)
• Or: designed newsletter; leaflet/information sheet of 750 words + appropriate pictures/diagrams.
• Or: negotiated practical project with annotation of 500 words

The point here is that in the modern world, sometimes it is more important to be able to concisely and critically present information in multimodal forms (film, audio, photos/pictures etc) than it is to write an academic essay. Students have the choice, and can choose the assessment form that works best for them, working closely with their wonderful seminar tutors who have been trained to teach this assessment approach. Recently, the university has become an Adobe Campus, and is working closely with Adobe, the IT department and the library to deliver additional training sessions for using Adobe for the Connected Curriculum assessments. The college has recently appointed an Adobe Digital Skills Evangelist who will also assist considerably with this training.

To promote vital shared skills and content

The Connected Curriculum has been very carefully planned so that students achieve certain learning outcomes. These are outcomes which speak directly to the students.
These are the learning outcomes for Identity, Agency and Environment 1: ‘Everything is a Text’
When you complete the module, you should be able to:
1 Engage critically with different theories of texts and account for the role of text in social worlds
2 Apply textual analysis to contemporary cultural debates
3 Collate evidence to support your ideas and arguments about a topic of your choice
4 Organize and structure an engaging presentation of your ideas in your own text
5 Reflect upon how your work in the module relates to your own aspirations and learning

For Identity, Agency and Environment 2: ‘Researching our World and Lives’ they are:

When you complete the module, you should be able to:
1 Investigate and critically evaluate effective sources of evidence to inform your research.
2 Demonstrate that you can reference your research appropriately, accurately & academically.
3 Draw informed academic findings from your research.
4 Organise and structure an engaging, academic presentation of your research.
5 Apply critical reflexive methods for constructive self-evaluation, and how you will plan-approach your learning progression.

These learning outcomes are ones which the university has agreed are core skills and approaches that students should learn in their first year of the university. The benefit of learning these skills in an inter-disciplinary module is that students develop their ability to understand their subjects in wider contexts but also communicate their learning to an eclectic community.

The BA Education Programme at Goldsmiths is an amazing journey!

For many young people, going to university for the first time is a daunting experience. For some, it may be the first time away from home. For others, it may be the first time leaving the well-known neighbourhoods, routines, and cityscapes of childhood. For many, going to university is a first step into the “real world,” the world of being independent, thinking about and planning a career, and living on your own.

Whatever the situation, it is all the more necessary that young people have a supportive university environment in which they can learn and learn what excites them, speaks to their passions, and learn in ways that acknowledge their ways of knowing and being, brings their personal biographies, communities histories, and personal aspirations into the learning experience. It is also equally important that young people have an environment where they are valued as a individuals, their emotional needs are paid attention to and taken care of and they can seek pastoral care if necessary.

The BA program at the Department of Educational Studies provides just that kind of environment. The Goldsmiths BA program encourages students to re-think what they know about education and pay attention to its relationship to culture, identity, social justice, race and racism, citizenship, democracy, and much more. The program is led by well-accomplished scholars in their respective fields who understand how to make learning thought-provoking, culturally relevant, and transformative. At the same time, the small size of the program provides a tight-knit community that is nurturing, caring, concerned for wellbeing. In the BA program, tutors know students by their names and show genuine concern and care. The friendships made last a lifetime.

Nora Khan, a third year student, shares her reflections of the BA program:

“The BA program was an amazing journey! The classes were intellectually stimulating and well-structured. The professors were knowledgeable, approachable, and friendly, which created an environment conducive to learning. Interacting with peers was fun and enriching. The academic atmosphere within the department was one of diligence and camaraderie, creating a close-knit family. Overall, the BA program exceeded my expectations and offered a rewarding educational experience.”

For Nora, the BA program was not just a course, but a journey of traveling through ideas, concepts, and news ways of thinking and being. For Nora, the BA program was marked by the tutors who created a learning environment that was fun yet enriching.

Nora is not the only student to share such views about the BA program in the Department of Educational Studies. There are many others.

So, if you are thinking of a career in education, know that the BA program in the Department of Educational Studies will offer you a stimulating academic experience as well as a validating and comfortable social environment.

Hope to see you here!

By Amina Shareef, Lecturer in Education at Goldsmiths.

Undergraduate BA programmes

Log on here to find out more:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/ug/ba-education/

MAs in the Department of Educational Studies which you might be interested in if you already have a degree are:

MA Education: Culture Language and Identity, soon to be MA in Social Justice

The MA Education: Culture, Language and Identity has been developed into the MA Social Justice in Education (new from September 2024)

We build very much upon the strong and popular basis that is the MA Education: Culture, Language and Identity drawing upon the expertise of talented and knowledgeable academics.

This programme is designed for you if you are interested in how questions around social justice impact upon education as well as lived aspects of our lives. In part, this new MA aims to address issues faced by those in informal learning contexts as well as formal educators at all levels, international settings and related fields.

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-education-culture-language-identity/

MA Children’s Literature

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-childrens-literature/

MA Children’s Literature: Illustration Pathway

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-childrens-literature-illustration/

MA Arts and Learning

You can find full details about this very popular MA on the website here:

https://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-arts-learning/