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148 - A conversation with Alka Townend about Bereavement in Schools: How to Support Children and Teachers
Join the conversation with Alka Townend as she delves into how educators can address grief and loss in the classroom. Learn about the ways in which grief might manifest in children and understand why it is crucial for every teacher to have some knowledge around loss in childhood. Discover practical strategies, including bibliotherapy, and book recommendations, to support students through difficult times like bereavement, divorce, or migration. Alka will share her insights linked to research and her training as a bereavement counsellor. She will highlight the significant role that school communities hold in nurturing a compassionate and inclusive classroom environment and how international educators and school leaders can facilitate this.
About Alka Townend
Alka is an Assistant Professor in Education and EDI Director based at the University of Sussex. Prior to this she gained many years of experience working within different London universities as a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for BA undergraduate and post-graduate education courses. Alka’s subject expertise resides in English and Drama and she enjoys opportunities to be a guest speaker at various national and international conferences including the UKLA, NATE, ICET and ELSA. Alka was also recently invited to a conference in India to share her insights and knowledge related to the use of oracy as an effective pedagogical strategy for learning and assessment in the classroom. Alka has a particular passion for children’s literature and how stories can be utilised as a learning tool and support strategy across a range of ages.
Alka’s research area is focused on childhood bereavement and how grieving pupils might be supported in their school communities. To inform this work, Alka trained as a bereavement counsellor for a national UK charity and specialises in supporting children and young people. Alka also provides educational consultancy services and recently provided support for a government funded project aimed at supporting young people in managing challenging life experiences related to different forms of loss. This year. Alka has been invited to present her research and bereavement CPD at various educational conferences including Paris, Cologne and Toulouse. Alka is passionate about teachers being provided with the appropriate skills to support loss in the classroom and has recently embedded this training across all aspects of teacher education at her university.
Alka is currently the Director for Equality Diversity and Inclusion within her faculty. She recently organised a research event focused on ethnic representation in children’s literature. She is also the national co-chair for ARTEN (the anti-racist teacher educator network).
Alka’s background experience was gained in primary teaching, and she spent many years working in both state and independent schools in England as a teacher and senior leader.
One of Alka’s proudest achievements was when she became the Winner of Sussex Extra Mile Award (given to staff who have shown extraordinary commitment and compassion towards their students).
Alka Townend on Social Media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alka-townend-mres-ed-ba-hons-qts-0bb005106/
Resources
Articles for review which have open access:
Childhood bereavement: The role of school leadership in developing inclusive learning environments : My College
Let’s talk about death: All children in England should receive grief education at school | PolicyBristol | University of Bristol
Available as downloadable reports
Research into childhood bereavement and the British school system
Vol. 2 (2023): Bereavement: Journal of grief and responses to death | Bereavement
Recommended literature resources for the classroom:
Books and resources for bereaved children up to 11 years old | Child Bereavement UK
Best children's books - Bereavement, Grief & Loss
Grief and Loss (teen) | BookTrust
UK Charity Support: (useful open access resources)
Winston's Wish: Winston's Wish - giving hope to grieving children
CB UK: Child Bereavement UK
Cruse: Home - Cruse Bereavement Support
Grief Encounter: Home SUPPORTING BEREAVED CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE - Grief Encounter
Different Countries have all types of bereavement support - some sparse and some vast! A quick google will guide your listeners. But for starters, I have included the following outside of the UK.
USA
NACG
History | Rainbows for All Children
Sweden
About grief - Efterlevandeguiden
Denmark
About us - Det Nationale Sorgcenter
John Mikton on Social Media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmikton/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmikton
Web: beyonddigital.org
Dan Taylor on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appsevents
Twitter: https://twitter.com/appdkt
Web: www.appsevents.com
Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube
Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial
View all episodes
By theinternationalschoolspodcast
5
44 ratings
Join the conversation with Alka Townend as she delves into how educators can address grief and loss in the classroom. Learn about the ways in which grief might manifest in children and understand why it is crucial for every teacher to have some knowledge around loss in childhood. Discover practical strategies, including bibliotherapy, and book recommendations, to support students through difficult times like bereavement, divorce, or migration. Alka will share her insights linked to research and her training as a bereavement counsellor. She will highlight the significant role that school communities hold in nurturing a compassionate and inclusive classroom environment and how international educators and school leaders can facilitate this.
About Alka Townend
Alka is an Assistant Professor in Education and EDI Director based at the University of Sussex. Prior to this she gained many years of experience working within different London universities as a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for BA undergraduate and post-graduate education courses. Alka’s subject expertise resides in English and Drama and she enjoys opportunities to be a guest speaker at various national and international conferences including the UKLA, NATE, ICET and ELSA. Alka was also recently invited to a conference in India to share her insights and knowledge related to the use of oracy as an effective pedagogical strategy for learning and assessment in the classroom. Alka has a particular passion for children’s literature and how stories can be utilised as a learning tool and support strategy across a range of ages.
Alka’s research area is focused on childhood bereavement and how grieving pupils might be supported in their school communities. To inform this work, Alka trained as a bereavement counsellor for a national UK charity and specialises in supporting children and young people. Alka also provides educational consultancy services and recently provided support for a government funded project aimed at supporting young people in managing challenging life experiences related to different forms of loss. This year. Alka has been invited to present her research and bereavement CPD at various educational conferences including Paris, Cologne and Toulouse. Alka is passionate about teachers being provided with the appropriate skills to support loss in the classroom and has recently embedded this training across all aspects of teacher education at her university.
Alka is currently the Director for Equality Diversity and Inclusion within her faculty. She recently organised a research event focused on ethnic representation in children’s literature. She is also the national co-chair for ARTEN (the anti-racist teacher educator network).
Alka’s background experience was gained in primary teaching, and she spent many years working in both state and independent schools in England as a teacher and senior leader.
One of Alka’s proudest achievements was when she became the Winner of Sussex Extra Mile Award (given to staff who have shown extraordinary commitment and compassion towards their students).
Alka Townend on Social Media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alka-townend-mres-ed-ba-hons-qts-0bb005106/
Resources
Articles for review which have open access:
Childhood bereavement: The role of school leadership in developing inclusive learning environments : My College
Let’s talk about death: All children in England should receive grief education at school | PolicyBristol | University of Bristol
Available as downloadable reports
Research into childhood bereavement and the British school system
Vol. 2 (2023): Bereavement: Journal of grief and responses to death | Bereavement
Recommended literature resources for the classroom:
Books and resources for bereaved children up to 11 years old | Child Bereavement UK
Best children's books - Bereavement, Grief & Loss
Grief and Loss (teen) | BookTrust
UK Charity Support: (useful open access resources)
Winston's Wish: Winston's Wish - giving hope to grieving children
CB UK: Child Bereavement UK
Cruse: Home - Cruse Bereavement Support
Grief Encounter: Home SUPPORTING BEREAVED CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE - Grief Encounter
Different Countries have all types of bereavement support - some sparse and some vast! A quick google will guide your listeners. But for starters, I have included the following outside of the UK.
USA
NACG
History | Rainbows for All Children
Sweden
About grief - Efterlevandeguiden
Denmark
About us - Det Nationale Sorgcenter
John Mikton on Social Media
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmikton/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jmikton
Web: beyonddigital.org
Dan Taylor on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/appsevents
Twitter: https://twitter.com/appdkt
Web: www.appsevents.com
Listen on: iTunes / Podbean / Stitcher / Spotify / YouTube
Would you like to have a free 1 month trial of the new Google Workspace Plus (formerly G Suite Enterprise for Education)? Just fill out this form and we’ll get you set up bit.ly/GSEFE-Trial
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