In the 2023-24 academic year several students have focused on animals in education as part of their studies. Primary PGCE student Kirsty Winters has chosen to focus on school dogs for her final research project. She is exploring the strategies the school uses to ensure the safety and well-being of children in the presence of the resident school dog, and is looking to identify any challenges associated with these strategies. BA Education student Megan Driscoll has undertaken her dissertation in this field, and which explores 'What are the experiences of teachers and children using animals in education?
Helen Lewis was awarded Taith Knowledge Exchange funding to visit the University of British Columbia in November 2023. Her focus was on finding out more about the well-established BARK (Building Academic Retention through K9s) programme. This supports the well-being of students in the university, as well as visiting children in local schools. During her visit Helen was able to observe sessions in schools as well as visiting the university to meet volunteers, the team and learners of all ages to learn more about the implementation of this highly successful programme.
Dr Helen Lewis (far left) with colleagues at the University of British Columbia
Helen Lewis, Janet Oostendorp Godfrey and Cathryn Knight (University of Bristol) have had a paper entitled 'Tales of the unexpected: Teacher’s experiences of working with children and dogs in schools' published in the Human-Animal Interaction jounal. This paper focuses on looking at the challenges of involving dogs in classroom practice.
Helen Lewis has published a chapter entitled 'Canine-assisted Educational Activities in a University Setting: Reflecting on Ways to Promote Happy and Mutually Beneficial Experiences' in the forthcoming book 'Animal Assisted Intervention'. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/book/10.1079/9781800622616.0000
Helen Lewis and Russell Grigg have been successful in gaining an ESRC Impact Acceleration Account grant. This will focus on the development of guidance for schools interested in developing school dog interventions.
Dr Helen Lewis, Dr Janet Oostendorp, and Masters student Marikris DeLeon presented a poster at the International Society of Anthrozoology Conference, Edinburgh 2023 entitled Examining the relationships between children, handlers and dogs in canine assisted educational contexts. At the same conference Swansea University SPiNterns Bethany Hill, Lydia Morgan and Wish DeLeon co-authored a conference poster with Dr Helen Lewis entitled Designing an analytical framework for canine-assisted interventions in school contexts.
The BBC’s The One Show filmed Helen Lewis and teachers in local schools for an item broadcast early in 2023.