This session will explore how using Lego Serious Play (LSP), as a multi-sensory medium, can allow students to unpack complex problems and challenges relating to themselves and their personal well-being.   LSP allows the investigation, manipulation and representation of ideas physically before creating a verbal and textual response. 

LSP is a multi-sensory and multi-dimensional tool that produces quicker outcomes in a playful, non-threatening and non-judgmental way. It allows particpants to quickly prototype the whole picture before creating a verbal and then textual response. It also helps us, facilitators, to see and support their thinking.

Lego is clearly multisensory, through the use of the hands and eyes, which encourages the individuals to explore their thinking and promotes reflection and connections. The 3D model allows the of unpacking and processing of complex ideas from a chaotic muddle to a concrete structured relevant outcome.  The verbal exploration of the model is effective in deepening reflection and hence promotes metacognition and develops personal and academic independence.  At the end of this process the participants will have the opportunity to create a concrete visual representation of their personal well-being profile of needs to take away with them.  If appropriate, be used again to manipulate and interrogate, in more depth, smaller chunks of the whole.

The methodology is based on extensive research and its core theoretical elements are:

• Constructivism (Piaget: 1951)
• Constructionism (Charel and Papert: 1991)
• Complex Adaptive Systems’ Theory (Holland; 1995)
• Autopoietic Organisational Epistemology (Von Krogh and Roos: 1994, 1995, Weick: 2000)
• Flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: 1993)

This methodology (Lego, 2002) enables participants to:

• To simplify what is complex.
• Facilitate changes
• Create an overview of the chaotic and the complex.
• Identify possible solutions to challenges.
• Explore consequences of possible future actions.
• Be a catalyst to dialogue.
• Develop shared understanding, overview and acceptance.
• Collect information and knowledge in a concrete way.
• Implement and anchoring concepts and plans.
• Create shared goals and direction – culture and identity.

The workshop will begin with a brief overview of the Lego® Serious Play® methodology and its origins. This will be followed by a series of hands-on LSP activities which will involve modelling and then sharing well-being experiences and strategies.

Presenter biographies:

Jackie Hatfield - I have been supporting neurodiverse students at Loughborough University for 13 years.  I work with a range of students, from those beginning their HE learning journey through to those pursuing the challenges of researching and writing their PhDs. I use Lego® Serious Play® to support students to reach their potential academically, socially and subsequently in the workplace.

Tina Horsman - I have been assessing and supporting students with neurodiversity for over twenty years. As a Lego® Serious Play® facilitator I am excited by the way this multi-sensory methodology is developing my practice and I am keen to extend this work to wider contexts within learning and H.E.

There can be a recognised link between student wellbeing and accommodation with poor housing conditions or disputes often impacting negatively on the ability to study.

Through presentation, this workshop will help doctoral researchers to understand what they should be aware of when seeking a property in the private accommodation sector.

The workshop will explain the legality of assured shorthold tenancies and identify the rights and responsibilities of entering into such an agreement. Time will be taken to discuss damage deposit protection legislation as well as the Council Tax regulations covering PGR students. Finally, sources of advice and support will be identified and discussed.

Presenter biographies:

Shivani Sharma has worked in the advice field for over 10 years. She started off as an adviser at the Dudley District Citizens Advice Bureau, whilst at university studying law. She went on to qualify as a Housing Law Solicitor in Birmingham, working in a private practice and then working in the legal department at Shelter West Midlands.

Alice Brennan has worked in the advice sector for over ten years. She trained as a Money Adviser at Toynbee Hall in London before relocating to Leicestershire in 2008. Alice has since worked for Leicestershire County Council Adult Social Care services and for Leicestershire Citizen Advice Bureau, and most recently as a Housing Adviser for The Bridge in Loughborough. 

The fear of public speaking is common and affects most people in all walks of life. Learning to control one’s nerves and managing stage freight can make a difference in performance. In academia, the need to share papers and findings can add significant stress to those experiencing anxiety about public speaking. While Cognitive Behavioral Therapy recommends exposure-based treatments, there are not enough encouraging opportunities to develop skills to manage stage freight and stress before presentations.

In this workshop, individual exercises and interactions in groups to discuss practical tips in preparing for presentations. The aim is to explore common ways to control nerves and project confidence even in situations where the presenter lacks self-confidence. Peer-learning is facilitated when attendees are encouraged to share helpful methods.

THIS SESSION WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE LONDON CAMPUS.

Presenter biography:

Auri Evokari is a Doctoral Researcher at the Institute for Design Innovation at Loughborough University London. Prior to starting her PhD in 2019, Evokari has trained over 100 early stage startup teams in pitching and public speaking. While her dissertation topic is on fostering startup culture in Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in Southern Africa, Evokari freelances as a pitch coach.

This informal drop-in is for Doctoral Researchers to ask the University’s Specialist Study and Strategy Support staff questions around neurodiversity (dyslexia, dyspraxia, AD(H)D and Autism).

You may have a neurodiverse profile and want to understand the support available, or you might want to explore whether some of the challenges you experience academically, or in in your personal life, could be due to an unidentified neurodiverse profile.

Presenter biographies:

Tina Horsman - I have been assessing and supporting students with neurodiversity for over twenty years. At Loughborough University I work with students from all disciplines from undergraduate level through to PhD researchers and staff.

Jackie Hatfield - I have been supporting neurodiverse (dyslexia, dyspraxia, AD(H)D & autism) students, in a 1:1 setting, at Loughborough University for 13 years.  In this role I engage with students ranging from those beginning their learning journey in Higher Education through to those pursuing the challenges of researching and writing their PhDs.

Dr Joan Knight –I have been supporting neurodiverse students for 20 years across a variety of educational settings.  I have been at Loughborough University for 8 years, supporting the work of undergraduates and postgraduates, from study and research, to writing dissertations and theses .

On Thursday 5^th March 2020 we are organizing a special Doctoral Wellbeing Twitter Chat. The Twitter Chat will involve @LboroDocCollege asking those with doctorates at Loughborough University in various Schools and Professional Services questions between 12:30-1:30pm. 

The Twitter Chat has several aims that relate to the Doctoral College’s 3 V strategy (value, vitality and visibility):

• To highlight the importance of doctoral researchers to Loughborough and beyond
• To raise awareness of (and normalise – i.e. ‘it’s not just me’) common challenges faced by researchers during their doctorate
• To raise awareness of internal and external support available to doctoral researchers at Loughborough

Ultimately and importantly, the Twitter Chat will have a positive focus. That is, it’ll focus on providing advice to enable our researchers to thrive during the doctoral journey and not survive.

If you have any questions that you would like the Doctoral College to ask please share via this link by 27/02/2020 for consideration.

Mental Health Mates was created by bestselling author and journalist Bryony Gordon in 2016 as a national network of peer support groups who regularly meet to talk and walk without fear of judgement.

Since its inception, walks have taken place across the UK as well as countries in Europe, North American and the Middle East.

Join staff and students from across the University for this special event. Meet at the the Hazelrigg-Rutland fountain for a 12:45 start.

Loughborough Alumni and author of the upcoming book ‘You only DIE once: How to LIVE every single day’, Sanjeev Sandhu, will visit Loughborough University next month to deliver his life-changing session ‘You only DIE once – 5 ways to LIVE every day!’.

Sanjeev will share a very practical, proactive and progressive approach to enable attendees to become the best version of themselves.

His content is a refreshing blend of the latest and best in positive psychology, and personal experience in an easily digestible manner – it’s 100% relevant for the modern world and Sanjeev’s number one priority is for attendees to leave going ‘WOW’!

THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE LONDON CAMPUS.

Presenter biography:

Sanjeev is a Happiness and Positivity Trainer from the Art of Brilliance and has worked with numerous leading organisations (Accenture, Deloitte, BT) and educational institutions (Kings College London, Institut Montana) on positive psychology, resilience and mindset.

This session for Doctoral Researchers will introduce the use of mindfulness to apply to study and will help develop skills to move from procrastination to action and lead to more effective learning and study skills.

Mindfulness practice is about developing a way to pay attention to what you want, in the present moment, without judgement. It helps foster better mental wellbeing through confidence and self-determination, helps avoid distractions and procrastination and therefore students are better able to focus on study.

Alberto Chiesa and colleagues (2011) found that mindfulness practice improves attention, focus, concentration and memory.  These form part of the executive functioning of the brain. Executive Functions are the range of mental processes that allow the control of behaviour and help with performance of complex tasks (Brown, 2005).  Areas of executive functions that can pose particular difficulties for students include: impulse control; emotional control, working memory, work and personal management (time management, planning, prioritising and organising); task management and self-monitoring (Krcmar, 2014).  Emotions, thoughts and actions are not separate mental activities, but are dimensions of the same process and mindfulness exercises stimulate the brain in specific ways that encourage connectivity (Siegal, 2007).  There is considerable growing evidence that mindfulness helps support and develop the executive functions (Wallace, 2006; Brefczynshi-Lewis, et al., 2007; Lutz et al., 2008; Mrazek et al., 2013).

In our Mindfulness for Study programme we teach students the 3 basic anchors of mindfulness: mindfulness of breath, sound and body (Krcmar & Horsman, 2016).  We start each session with mindfulness practice of the 5 senses.  This helps to focus the session but also, importantly, students develop a better understanding of how their brain works.  This developing metacognition leads to better self-advocacy, better mental health and better learning.

Presenter biographies:

Tina Horsman - I have been assessing and supporting students with neurodiversity for over twenty years. I have co-authored the book Mindfulness for Study: From Procrastination to Action and use mindfulness within my work to help students reduce anxiety and bring focus to their work.

Jackie Hatfield - I have been supporting neurodiverse (dyslexia, dyspraxia, AD(H)D & autism) students, in a 1:1 setting at Loughborough University for 13 years.  In this role I engage with students ranging from those beginning their learning journey in Higher Education through to those pursuing the challenges of researching and writing their PhDs.

Group exercise is hugely beneficial to a person’s physical and mental wellbeing.

UV Zumba is a fun dance fitness class with the addition of UV glowing lights. The class is suitable for all abilities and is set to a mix of Latin and Pop music with some golden oldies! It's a perfect way to burn some calories and get moving whilst having a dance and sing-a-long!

NOT SUITABLE FOR THOSE WITH EPILEPSY OR PHOTO SENSITIVITY 

**NB: this session was previously Glow Beatz (5-6pm) but due to unforseen circumstances it was changed to Zumba**

Instructor biography:

Megan Nunn is a third year geography and sport science student who currently teaches UV Zumba for Mylifestyle. She is a qualified Zumba instructor and has done Zumba since the age of 14.

Engaging in creative activity is known to have a positive impact on wellbeing. For some, it can offer a welcome distraction and provide an opportunity to contemplate and express emotions.

This workshop presented by freelance illustrators who founded Pickle Illustration, will offer a step-by-step guide to illustrating simple line drawings of people profiles which will be presented on an a4 piece of card with the option of being framed.

Pickle Illustration  https://www.pickleillustration.com/about

Presenter biographies:

"Hello! We are Olivia Collins and Lauren Jefferis.

Both born in the Midlands we met at Loughborough University whilst studying Graphic Communication and Illustration. Wanting to become freelance illustrators (but not wanting to do it alone), we teamed up to together to bring Pickle Illustration into the world.

Our aims are to help local businesses have a creative edge. Whether this be doing live art, painting murals or designing business cards. We want to inject a bit of oomph into the community, being friendly faces who are always open to new ideas (and a good cup of tea).

We had the honour of designing a new sustainable takeaway cup for the glorious Bom Bom Patisserie based in Loughborough."