To: new SDK228 Learner in Steve’s
Tutor Group (SB2)
From: Steve
Contacts:
Steve Bamlett
Email: s.d.bamlett@open.ac.uk
Home tel: 01388 766738
Mobile: 07469616929
Twitter: @steve_bamlett
Hi everyone
This is my second year teaching
on SDK228, although it is my fourth
year teaching Psychology related courses (I also teach on DE100 Investigating Psychology 1 and last year DD210 Living Psychology). My career has been a very complicated one
but nowadays, I am all yours – having partially retired (from full-time work
that is).
I have lived in Crook, County
Durham with my husband, Geoff, and my demanding Staffordshire terrier, Ruby. My
contacts are given above and I will be delighted to hear from you if you have
any issues with the course, or just want to discuss anything or just be in
touch. I have only one rule on contact: don’t do it after 9 p.m. at night. (I
turn into a werewolf!)
Since I can’t know if I’m going
to be busy, it might be best to arrange telephone calls with me by leaving a
voice-message on either home or mobile or texting me. Email is another good
way.
Whatever, if you are having
issues – deep and complex or simple – don’t assume I won’t be interested. I
will!
Well, here’s my edited
professional life-story (told you it was complicated). I started my career as a
Lecturer in Higher Education, teaching English Language and Literature in
Roehampton in London (Now Roehampton University). However, when I moved to
Durham with my partner (40 years ago), I explored my options through taking
Open University courses, initially in social care.
After qualifying as a social
worker at Durham University (this was before the OU had a course) I worked as a
social worker in the statutory and voluntary sector, latterly with people who
give care for a relative or friend in the community or ‘carers’. So if you are
a carer – many OU learners are - I will know your issues a little.
During that period too I also
completed an OU Psychology degree and taught Psychology in 3 Further Education
colleges in the North East. I taught both A Level and Access to HE Psychology
and wrote a course on Health Psychology for online delivery by the University
of Northumbria.
The next stage was a return to
community social work in both primary care health settings with people with
problems with depression and anxiety and in outreach community work with people
with severe and enduring mental health issues and people who identified in themselves a
'learning difficulty'. After this I returned to teaching at Teesside
University, teaching Social Work with an emphasis on the use of social and
psychological issues in the understanding and work with people undergoing
difficult life-transitions.
Now 63 (October), and after
taking early retirement for a brief time and then returning to teaching, which
I was missing, with the Open University in 2014. I still however review
academic papers and articles for the British
Journal of Social Work.
I also continue my own study with
the Open University - you can never have too much of a good thing. I've just successfully
completed the MA in Open and Online Education and am now at the start of a MA
in Art History.
I tend to do PERSONAL blogging from my OU student blog-space. It is a
mix of book reviews, reflections on teaching and learning and lots besides. In
no way is this a model for you – it is my own personal thoughts and style and
that isn’t to everyone’s taste - but I do recommend that you try out blogging
yourself using your Student Blog. It can be done so it is invisible to everyone
but yourself if you prefer or are waiting for your confidence break. Join me on
mine and make a comment on ‘me thoughts’ if you like, though:
From 2016, I use my Tutor blog-space for communication my groups. The
address is: https://learn1.open.ac.uk/mod/oublog/view.php?user=250567#.
This should be a helpful resource.
This letter will appear in it. Hopefully, it encourages learners to do their
own blogs. My Twitter account is @steve_bamlett
I look forward to getting to know
you, chatting on the forum or on email – or meeting you if you attend my Face
to face Sessions on depression.
We have Adobe Connect (AC) Tutor
sessions booked. If you have never used AC, have a go now. Contact me for help
if you want. Once you have been on once, all the necessary (rather lengthy)
process of downloading the software will have occurred.
If you have studied with the OU
before, things are now a bit different. I mark and send feedback to you on all
your TMAs but the Face-to-Face (F2F) and AC sessions based on the TMAs are
shared out within our Cluster – that is a group of tutor Groups so I won’t
necessarily be teaching you on this. Although I’d love you to be present make
the choice of tutorials that is best for you – and remember I’m there for you.
Below is a guide to these
sessions. I will send you a larger version if you wish.
The cluster staff: SB = me, JM =
Jan Meyer, OH = Olha Hodgson, JC = John Crook, LD = Laura Dean, PH = Paul
Hubbard, JE = Jade Elliott, OE = Owen Earnshaw,
All the best
Steve
