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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2015/2016

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Moray House School of Education : Education

Postgraduate Course: PGDE Secondary Professional Studies (EDUA11288)

Course Outline
SchoolMoray House School of Education CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryCourse content is designed to engage and familiarise student teachers with their role as reflective and reflexive practitioners. To this end students are taught about making systematic enquiry into practice, both how to do this but also the importance of adopting a disposition towards enquiry as stance. The other ares of teaching in this course relate to the idea of problemetised areas in teaching (including aspects of social justice and limited or boundaried practices), teacher identities and teacher responsibilities all of which may inform thinking and theorising around the area students choose to to make the subject enquiry.
Course description This course develops student understanding of the wider remit and responsibilities of the teacher in the classroom, in the school and in society. Students are required to read and respond critically and analytically to research literature and "grey" literature in the area of Social Justice and education; learning and teaching theories; the nature of the Scottish Curriculum and current debate; and teacher identities. Students are taught about the ways in which teachers can and should investigate their own practice in a systematic and critically analytical way.
Student teachers are introduced to the concept of reflective and reflexive practices and to begin their own development in this area through an online reflective journal.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2015/16, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Flexible
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 6, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 48, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1, Formative Assessment Hours 5, Other Study Hours 136, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 0 )
Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) Directed Learning, Collaborative Learning, Presentation Planning, Micro Teaching.
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Formative assessment

Students give presentations and deliver parts of the tutorial. Tutors and peers provide comment verbally on this. There are two collaborative learning projects which culminate in posters and group presentations. Feedback from tutors and peers is both written and verbal.

Formative Assessment Related to the Summative Assignment

Formative assessment which supports the assignment is embedded in this course from the start of the academic year.

The following formative assessments help students gain knowledge and understanding and confidence as they move towards systematic investigation of practice.
1. Students trial an observation schedule during Placement 1 as a source of insight and discussion about the ways in which data collection tools can capture information and what kind of information they capture.
2. Students are provided with a 10 minute individual tutorial, during which they discuss their area of interest, their emerging questions and the reason for their interest in their chosen topic.
3. A feedforward exercise is submitted in December which consists of a critical analysis of the observation exercise undertaken during Placement 1. In addition, a proposal for a small-scale practitioner based inquiry is submitted in January. Detailed written formative feedback will be given by tutors to students at this point.

Summative Assessment
Rationale for the assignment

The Professional Studies Task allows students to meet the GTCS Standards for Provisional Registration related to understanding and using research, and the role of the teacher in examining their own classroom practice, in order to become a transformative teacher.

Description of the assignment
The assignment consists of a 4,000 word report in which students give an analytical account of a small-scale, systematic investigation into an element of their own classroom practice. Students must choose to investigate an area of practice within a choice of prescribed topics.
Feedback There are many opportunities for formative assessment on this course. Students are provided with regular feedback throughout the course. Feedback takes a number of forms: tutor feedback on student performance during formatively assessed workshop tasks; peer feedback on student performance during formatively assessed workshop tasks; and tutor written feedback on the summatively assessed Professional Studies Task assignment.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a critical and analytical understanding of the ways in which curricular arrangements, theories of learning and teaching, research and equalities, diversity and values are used by effective, reflective and reflexive practitioners in planning to teach and in their role in the wider life of the school.
  2. Teaching, learning and assessment: Critically appraise and evaluate theories of learning and teaching.
  3. Curriculum: Critically appraise and evaluate curricular arrangements for the different stages of secondary school education.
  4. Equalities, diversity and values: Critically appraise and evaluate the values explicit in documents and legislation relevant to and/or about Scottish education which relate to inclusion, additional support needs, fairness and social justice. They will also examine their own professional behaviours and values.
  5. Research: Read, respond and act critically and analytically in response to research in education (academic texts and articles from a wide range of sources).
Reading List
Reading List
Course Core Texts

1. Anderson, L.W. & Krathwohl, D.R. (Eds). (2001) A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. London: Longman.

2. Arshad, R., Wrigley, T. & Pratt, L. (2012) Social Justice Re-Examined: Dilemmas and Solutions for the Classroom Teacher. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham Books Ltd.

3. Black, P. et al. (2003) Assessment for Learning: Putting it into Practice. Open University Press.

4. Elton-Chalcraft, S., Hansen, A. & Twiselton, S. (Eds). (2008) Doing Classroom Research: A Step by Step Guide for Student Teachers. Berkshire: OUP
5. Entwistle, N. J. (2009)¿Teaching for understanding at university: Deep approaches and distinctive ways of thinking¿Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

6. Kyriacou, C. (2009) Effective Teaching in Schools: Theory and Practice (3rd ED). Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes Ltd.

7. Pollard, A. (2008) Reflective Teaching (3rd ED), London: Continuum.

8. Pritchard, A. (2005) Ways of Learning: Learning Theories and Learning Styles in the Classroom. London: David Fulton.

9. Skinner, D. (2010). Effective Teaching and Learning in Practice. London: Continuum.



Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills 1.This course prepares students to engage critically and analytically with current areas of development in learning and teaching in secondary schools and with broader issues and problematised areas in education.

2.Students on this course work collaboratively to design creative and effective approaches to meet the challenges of working with children and young people in the 21st Century classroom.

3.Students are taught to reflect, using appropriate theoretical models of reflective practice on their own practice and their own situated thinking; and to respond reflexively in order to improve learning and teaching. This often means making in-practice decisions in complex situations

4.Student teachers on this course develop the necessary skills to communicate effectively with a range of audiences from children to their professional colleagues, parents and other adults with professional responsibilities for children and young people, adapting communication appropriately to context and purpose.

5. Students must demonstrate their ability to use research papers which include graphical or numerical data to support their understanding of educational issues, and to interpret and use this data accurately and critically.

6.Student teachers on this course work collaboratively with peers and tutors. They learn to take the initiative, to demonstrate leadership and to take responsibility for their professional development as a teacher. Through a blend of tutorial tasks and their practice experience, students develop the ability to think their way critically through complex , diverse perspectives and make ethically sound and well informed decisions which stem from their developing understanding of intra and inter personal skills as well as their sound professional knowledge of learning and teaching. .
KeywordsSecondary education professional studies teacher idenities
Contacts
Course organiserMr Greig Vickers
Tel: (0131 6)51 6506
Email: Greig.Vickers@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Linda Craig
Tel: (0131 6)51 6449
Email: linda.craig@ed.ac.uk
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