THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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

Postgraduate Course: Teachers as Agents of Change (EDUA11340)

Course Outline
SchoolMoray House School of Education and Sport CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course introduces teachers and others engaged in education to ideas about how to create conditions for all students' learning, how to work with others to propose change for social justice in educational settings, and to reduce the effects of social inequalities.
Course description Drawing on the most recent international research and scholarship in the area of teacher agency, the course is designed to develop:
1) an understanding of a professional sense of purpose as agents of change (e.g. commitment to and understanding of social justice);
2) competence for exercising transformative agency (e.g. understanding how teachers can help create conditions for all students¿ learning, and mitigate for external social inequalities, poverty, or other intersecting markers of diversity);
3) engage with the given degrees of professional autonomy to explore ways of influencing change in school and policy environments (e.g. by collaborating purposefully with other professionals and families); and
4) reflect critically and systematically on issues of social justice (e.g. by engaging in systematic analysis of teachers¿ individual and collective practices and environments). Participants will devise a plan to initiate a change intended to promote socially just policy and practice.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2020/21, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  25
Course Start Semester 1
Course Start Date 21/09/2020
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 5, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 15, Other Study Hours 174, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 2 )
Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) Reading, taking notes, discussion with colleagues, planning initiatives, evaluating, assignment prep
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Feedback Feedback will be given within 15 working days on both formative and summative assessment. Formative feedback may include peer and tutor comments in class or comments on plans. Summative assessment will include comments on the script and written comments using the common postgraduate marking framework on TurnItIn.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the diverse conceptualisations of social justice and the contextual nature of social justice issues
  2. Use research and scholarship in the area of social justice and teacher agency for critical evaluation of current policy and practice
  3. Engage in a critical, evidence-informed discussion of the implications of social justice principles for professional practice
  4. Work collegially with others to negotiate the meaning and implications of educational structures and cultures, and values underlying given policies and practices
  5. Draw on critical and systematic reflection to explore strategies for addressing social justice issues and transforming structures and cultures
Reading List
Ballard, K. (2012). Inclusion and social justice: teachers as agents of change. In S. Carrington & J. Macarthur, J. (Eds.) Teaching in Inclusive School Communities, pp 65-87. John Wiley & Sons Australia.
Eteläpelto, A., Vähäsantanen, K., Hökkä, P., & Paloniemi, S. (2013). What is agency? Conceptualizing professional agency at work. Educational Research Review, 10, 45-65.
Gewirtz, S. (1998). Conceptualizing social justice in education: mapping the territory. Journal of Education Policy, 13(4), 469-484.
Pantic, N. (2015). A model for study of teacher agency for social justice. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. 21(6), 759-778
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Develop a thorough understanding of key concepts, for example 'inclusion', 'inclusive education', 'additional support for learning', recognising them as problematic and contested terms
Critically engage with theoretical and disciplinary perspectives in relation to practice, and their implications for policy
Be able to exercise substantial autonomy and initiative in academic activities, including decision making on the basis of independent thought
Be open to new perspectives, methods and creative ideas in inclusive education
Special Arrangements Students on MSc Inclusive Education will be given priority entry to this course.
Keywordsinclusion social-justice agents change education
Contacts
Course organiserMrs Diana Murdoch
Tel: (0131 6)51 6336
Email: Diana.Murdoch@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Marie Hamilton
Tel: (0131 6)51 6678
Email: marie.hamilton@ed.ac.uk
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