THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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

Postgraduate Course: Preparing for Teaching1: Early and First Level Education (Early Years) (EDUA11285)

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
SummaryPedagogy, Professionalism and Principles: Early Years Pedagogy and Social Justice. In this course you will prepare for Early Level teaching, considering professional issues of pedagogy. You will analyse the purpose, nature and outcomes of modern schooling.
Course description This course is the first course studied by students on the PGDE Primary Education Programme. It aims to help students begin their academic and professional development as primary school teachers within the context of early years education. Students are encouraged to engage in a professional community of enquiry considering curricular content, professional studies and practicum issues. Modes of learning and teaching are investigated and critiqued alongside an exploration of the nature/purpose of schooling.

1) The PGDE Primary Education programme engages learners in graduate education study, where three of the six courses are studied at Master¿s Level (Level 11). Students inevitably bring a wealth of prior learning and experiences to their studies. From this, we aim to explore autobiographical perspectives of learning and disrupt common misconceptions related to teaching and learning. Central to the course is the development of students¿ understanding of learning theories. These theories of learning are critically examined; unpicking cognitive, emotional, social and societal dimensions. Through workshops and guided peer learning opportunities we develop students¿ abilities to act as pedagogical thinkers, reflective practitioners and practitioner enquirers within the system of Scottish education.

2) Studies include Child Development & Childhood, Social Justice, Curriculum, Assessment and Active Professional. Within Professional Studies early childhood is considered in a holistic way by drawing on psychological, philosophical and sociological perspectives. The course acknowledges the impact of societal and cultural influences on schooling and children¿s learning. Theories of learning are introduced to develop understanding of the integrated nature of cognitive, emotional and social aspects of learning. Curricular studies explore pedagogy and curricular knowledge (related to Scottish CfE Curricular Guidelines).

3) The course is timetabled in half-day blocks. Student learning time allocated to both Professional Studies and Curriculum classes will include a variety of learning opportunities including lectures, workshops, independent study, collaborative study, formative presentations and e-learning. Some Wednesday afternoons are set-aside for Professional Development Consultations, RME study time or Professional Studies classes. Some Fridays are designated as flexible study time or the time available is directed towards particular learning experiences. These experiences include introductory visits to placement schools, time set aside for formative presentations and collaborative learning experiences.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs 0
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 33, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 66, Online Activities 3, Formative Assessment Hours 10, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 84 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Learning and Teaching Activities should now read: Total Hours: 200 hours

Lectures: 37 hours
Seminars: 94 hours
Formative Assessment: 6 hours
Directed Study/Independent Learning: 63 hours
Programme Level Learning and Teaching: 0
Assignment 4000 words 100%
Feedback Professional Reflexive Practice
Peer Teaching Exercise (August)
All students undertake the teaching of a brief lesson to their peers based on an area of personal interest or expertise. This exercise provides an early introduction to the SPIE teaching and learning cycle (Specify-plan-implement-evaluate)

Academic Development
Reading Log (August)
Based on their preparatory summer reading, all students are asked to submit an extract of their reading log through Turnitin.

Assignment Part A Submission (2000 words)
Feedback on the Early Years A assignment will be accessible within 15 working days of assignment submission, to allow students to take advantage of feed-forward comments for Part B
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate and work with sociological, psychological, philosophical and pedagogical knowledge as it relates to schooling, childhood, child development and early years education.
  2. Demonstrate critical understanding of Scottish education and current policy developments as they relate to early years practice.
  3. Demonstrate critical awareness of social justice issues in Scottish education and early years practice.
  4. Apply critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis to complex professional issues.
  5. Demonstrate effective interactions with peers and faculty to enable a community of enquiry and professional learning.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsPGDE primary education
Contacts
Course organiserMrs Carol Smith
Tel: (0131 6)51 4838
Email: Carol.Smith@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Ifigeneia Kyriakoglou
Tel: (0131 6)51 6436
Email: Ifigeneia.Kyriakoglou@ed.ac.uk
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