British Early Childhood Education Research Association
BECERA The Art of Practice Based Inquiry: Early Childhood Professionals & Research
23rd & 24th February 2011 mac – Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, England
WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND?
PRACTITIONER RESEARCH This inaugural BECERA conference is foregrounding the importance of Practice Based Research in the UK. It aims particularly to encourage and support the development of Practitioner Researchers with a clear focus on an evidential knowledge base for practice. Practice based research has the key intention of advancing practice through a process that is more than trying out new ideas or showing that something works but rather looks rigorously and systematically into questions of ‘why’ or ‘how’. The validity and reliability of this kind of research is enhanced because it is grounded in real life situations and is based on a strong and robust ethical code of action. Practice based research is often carried out by people involved directly in the situation, not outsider observers. Practitioner Researchers might include anyone who is involved in the service being studied eg professionals, administrators, officers, leaders, students.
CALL FOR PAPERS
Conference themes Methods How systematic and rigorous research processes create knowledge
Knowledge What knowledge we generate from the research process
Participation Who is involved in the knowledge generation
Call for papers Conference participants are invited to send proposals that correspond to the conference themes. A proposal can be submitted for: Individual paper presentation: 30 minutes including discussion. Individual papers will be grouped into larger symposia by theme. Poster presentation: selected posters will be displayed, and sessions will be set up for conference participants to interact with poster presenters. Go to: www.becera.org.uk
PROGRAMME
Day One 8:00 – 9.00 – Registration and refreshments 9:00 – 10:30 – Opening session and Keynote I 10:30 – 11:00 – Coffee break 11:15 – 12:45 – Symposium Set I 12:45 – 13:45 – Lunch 14:00 – 15:30 – Symposium Set II 15:30 – 16:00 – Coffee break 16:15 – 17:45 – Symposium Set III
Day Two 8:00 – 9.00 – Registration and refreshments 9:00 – 10:00 – Keynote II 10:00 – 10:30 – Coffee break 10:45 – 12:15 – Symposium Set IV 12:15 – 13:15 – Lunch 13:30 – 15:00 – Symposium Set V 15:00 – 15:30 – Coffee break 15:45 – 17:15 – Symposium Set VI
KEYNOTES
Professor Chris Pascal Chris is a Director of the Centre for Research in Early Childhood and a Director of Amber Publications and Training Ltd (APT). In 2008, she was elected President of the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) having been Coordinating Editor of the Association’s journal (EECERJ) for 16 years.
Professor Jean McNiff Jean McNiff is Professor of Educational Research at York St John University and holds Visiting Professorships at the University of Limerick, at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa and at the Ningxia Teachers’ University, People’s Republic of China. She is one of the UK's foremost scholars in the field of Action Research and has a life-time interest and commitment to developing workbased learning. Her presentation will be interactive.
SOCIAL
Educational Visits
25th February 2011 at 10 am – Visit to Children Centres in Birmingham £15
Speed Networking Evening 23rd February 2011 at 7 pm – A twist on speed dating with drinks and nibbles included. You will have 3 minutes with everyone at the event. Make sure you bring some business cards. A must networking event! £20
£225 (+ VAT)
Please note VAT rises from 17.5% to 20% in January 2011
To book a place at BECERA’s inaugural conference please sign up at www.becera.org.uk and pay online. If you have any queries or would like to book more than 5 spaces, please contact Selma Manjee on 0121 464 7233 or s.manjee@crec.co.uk For cancelation details please refer to the terms and conditions on our website.
BECERA’s conference is being organised by the Centre for Research in Early Childhood (CREC). For more information visit www.crec.co.uk