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Welcome to WELS! Freshers' week from the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)

Live broadcast

Event date : 22nd September 2020

Duration : 4h 00m

Recommended level : 123Post Graduate

Organised by : Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS)

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Programme

13:50

How does our understanding of wellbeing change when applied to children and young people? How do different stages of their development affect their wellbeing? What are the complex needs children face when they live with chronic health conditions or face mental health issues? How do global events, such as a pandemic, impact on children’s perception of their self and the world around them?  And what can we do as educators, health or communication professionals to promote wellbeing for young people and maximise their participation in education and society across their lifespan? Bringing together insights from health, education, and English language studies and applied linguistics, we discuss the risks and opportunities of media and social media for children’s and young adults’ lives, and explore the important role of stories and creativity in navigating difficult emotions, one’s complex self, and a constantly changing world. 

With

14:20

How can you ensure your digital presence and communication is ethical and professional?  How can you increase your professional visibility and maximise your digital networking opportunities? And how can your OU study help you in developing your digital professional presence? This session discusses how you can grow into a digital professional in line with existing codes of professional online ethics as well as norms of digital interaction, and how interactions with peers and your tutor during your OU study can be a key part of the process. 

With

14:50

Are you a professional? Will you be more of a professional at the end of your studies? In this session we discuss different ideas of what makes for a professional and professional practice, and link this to your studies at The Open University. We will discuss the notions of values, ethics and competencies and how these impact on professionalism as a student and at the workplace.  

Our conversations will also explore attributes and approaches that are highly valued by employers in the health, social care and education sectors, and which can be developed throughout your studies and within your practice. These include valuing and listening to others, acting ethically always, adhering to high professional standards, and adopting person-centred approaches in caring and supporting clients and patients. 

With

15:10

The session focuses on how people learn, what makes a successful learner, and how learning changes us and the way we view our world.  

With

15:40

Has learning a new language always been an ambition? Are you fascinated by different cultures and want to know more? Do you know what intercultural communication is, or why these skills are becoming increasingly important?  

Understanding cultures, languages, behaviours and gestures helps to foster not only personal and professional growth but also societal inclusion.   

However, since the introduction of the higher tuition fees in 2012, the number of students studying a different language at a higher education institution in the UK has dropped by almost 25 per cent. Most of these students were studying for personal interest, and suddenly became priced out of study. This is a huge loss to society.   

Join Mirjam Hauck and Rosina Marquez-Reiter, from the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics, to find out about how new short courses are making these skills much more accessible, affordable and flexible. You can also test your cultural knowledge with our Twitter polls. 

With

16:00

Wouldn’t it be easier if everybody spoke the same language? What are the benefits of speaking more than one language? What can multilingualism do for me, my community and society? What does learning a new language really mean? These and other common questions related to multilingualism and language learning will be discussed in this session. We will share our experiences on interacting with different languages and we will discuss how languages are more than instruments of communication, but ways of understanding and shaping the world we live in: learning a language not only involves grasping its grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, it also has an indispensable value for understanding how societies are structured and governed and for empowering culturally aware and self-reflective citizens.   

16:15

This session will give an overview of the type of work The Open University is doing around the world to use open and distance education to change lives. It will cover:    

·         the range of international projects we are working on  

·         the reasons why The Open University does this type of work  

·         the practical things that we do to make sure our work is life-changing.   

With

16:35

Tyrrell and Kate will introduce you to some of the exciting and varied aspects of the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport, including some of our research, international projects and collaborations with the BBC. The School is a varied and vibrant community where you can share and develop your interest in the lives of children and young people in the UK and around the world. As well as an exciting curriculum, we also have many resources to help you develop your academic skills. We will introduce one of our new OpenLearn resources, Building confidence in using online learning forums. 

With

16:55

This session will give an outline of who might come and study with us in HWSC and what our programmes are. Many of our HWSC students will also be gaining practice experience as they study, and we will explain how this works and what support is built around the student to be successful. We will speak about what kind of support we offer our students and look at the reality of study from a student perspective. 

With

17:20

This session welcomes you to the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics (LAL), an internationally recognised leader in teaching and researching language, communication and cultures in a complex and connected world. We’ll give you a tour of the different modules and courses you can choose from and sketch out what it’s like to be a member of our School’s knowledge community - a community of researchers and practitioners that extends to local communities with a commitment to social justice, inclusion, and intercultural cooperation. The session will show you how, as a LAL student, you'll embark on a creative and transformative journey into language worlds, cultures, societies, in the course of which you'll be taking a closer look at contemporary issues where language and communication play a central role. 

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