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: Literacy, Learners and Learning (EDUA11383)

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
SummaryThis practice-orientated course focuses on the exploration and enactment of a professional disposition to the adoption of critically informed practices in literacy learning and development. Working co-operatively in a group, with tutor and site- based support, participants will engage in inquiry-based learning to begin to develop the necessary content and pedagogical knowledge, understandings and skills to enable them to promote language and literacy development.


Course description Literacy is pivotal in all areas of learning. Our ability to use language lies at the centre of the development and expression of our emotions, our thinking, our learning and our sense of personal identity. All teachers, across nursery, primary and secondary sectors, have responsibility for promoting language and literacy development. Enacting an adaptive, critically informed, inquiring disposition to practice is integral to transformative teaching and learning. Designed to promote the forging of meaningful connections across practice, theory, research and discerning engagement with policy, this course focuses on 3 fundamental aspects:
- critical consideration of different models of literacy development and of implications for practice
- beginning the career-long professional learning journey of developing the necessary content knowledge; pedagogical content knowledge and pedagogical skills to progress language and literacy
- practice-based inquiry into learners and learning-in-action

Outline of content
- literacy and literacies for 21st century
- critical consideration of different perspectives on literacy development and implications for practice e.g. psycho-linguistic;
cognitive-psychological; socio-cultural; socio-political
- contemporary research on literacy development and consideration of implications for practice
- school-based inquiry into learners and learning in action
Developing content and pedagogical content knowledge for professional practice e.g.
- language and reading comprehension; decoding; reading to learn
- understanding and supporting reading difficulties
- talking, thinking and listening
- viewing and visual literacy
- writing for different social purposes

Student Experience
Seminars 20 hours
Structured inquiry-focused group activities 90 hours
Self-directed study including reading,
preparing for seminars and flipped learning,
student-directed group work and working on
individual assessed tasks 90 hours

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Full Year
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 196 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 1. Professional learning journal (format and content to be negotiated with students at the beginning of the course). «br /»
Formatively assessed «br /»
«br /»
2. Unit of Work Plan + Critically informed rationale for proposed professional actions involved «br /»
Formatively, then Summatively assessed (3000 words or equivalent) (75%)«br /»
«br /»
3. Group presentation.«br /»
Summatively assessed (1000 word equivalent) (25%)«br /»
«br /»
Compensation is available on this course, i.e the final mark for the course will be the total of the two summative tasks, regardless of the individual scores for each.
Feedback Formative Feedforward from peers and tutor on self-selected contributions to Professional Learning Journal
Formative feedback and feedforward from peers and tutor on an outline lesson sequence plan and on outline plan of rationale prior to submission for summative assessment
Summative feedback on group presentation
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of key theories, principles and practices in literacy development
  2. Apply knowledge, skills and understanding to justify and use professional practices in literacy development
  3. Communicate, using appropriate methods, critical analysis of a current issue in literacy education
  4. Practise in ways which draw on critical reflection on own and others' roles and responsibilities
  5. Analyse their learning on this course in relation to relevant core concepts of social justice, sustainability, global perspectives, digital and statistical literacies and professional inquiry skills.
Reading List
INDICATIVE TEXTS:
Comber, B. (2015) Literacy, Place, and Pedagogies of Possibility. New York : Routledge
Hall, K. (2003) Listening to Stephen Read: Multiple perspectives on literacy . Buckingham: Open University Press
Janks, H. (2014) Doing Critical Literacy. Oxon:Routledge
Mercer, N. and Littlejohn , K. (2007) Dialogue and the development of children's thinking a sociocultural approach. New York : Routledge
Oakhill, J., Cain, K. and Elbro, C. (2015) Understanding and Teaching Reading Comprehension. Oxon:Routledge
Stuart, M and Stainthorp, R. (2016) Reading Development & Teaching. London:Sage
Wray, D and Lewis, M. (1999) Extending Literacy





Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills - be able to identify, define and analyse problems and identify or create
processes to solve them
- be ready to ask key questions and exercise rational enquiry
- search for, evaluate and use information to develop their knowledge and
understanding
- be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning, and
are committed to continuous reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement
- be able to use collaboration and debate effectively to test, modify and
strengthen their own views
- have the confidence to make decisions based on their understandings and
their personal and intellectual autonomy
- be able to flexibly transfer their knowledge, learning, skills and abilities from
one context to another
- make effective use of oral, written and visual means to critique, negotiate,
create and communicate understanding
- seek and value open feedback to inform genuine self-awareness
Keywordsliteracy learning and teaching,practice based inquiry
Contacts
Course organiserDr Gillian Robinson
Tel: (0131 6)51 6426
Email: gillian.robinson@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Ellen Callender
Tel: (0131 6)51 6449
Email: Ellen.Callender@ed.ac.uk
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