External summary

This is a one year Initial Teacher Education Programme which prepares student teachers for entry into the teaching profession as a probationary teacher on successful completion of three University based courses and three school placement courses. The programme carries 120 credits. The three university taught courses each carry 20 credits at SCQF level 11(masters level) and the three school placement courses carry 20 credits at SCQF level 10 (undergraduate honours level). Student teachers must meet the Standard for Provisional Registration by the end of the ITE year. The underpinning philosophy of the programme is that of the transformative teacher who has the necessary dispositions, reflexivity, powerful subject knowledge, skills and agency to effect change and positive outcomes for the learners they will teach. To this end the programme educates student teachers in propositional knowledge about classroom teaching; placement learning affords the opportunity to make this knowledge in and through practice; and further university work deepens student teachers’ theoretical knowledge and understanding of pedagogy. The themes of the programme are: curriculum; learning, teaching and assessment; equalities, diversity and values (social justice); and research.

Educational aims of programme

The educational aim of the programme is to prepare student teachers to enter the profession as well prepared knowledgeable, reflexive, transformative classroom teachers. Consequently, on this taught programme student teachers study the relevant areas of curriculum and pedagogy for their subject discipline. Student teachers will have a knowledge of arrangements within their curricular area for learning, teaching and assessment. They will have knowledge and understanding of the important elements within the Standard for Provisional Registration in relation to social justice and learning for sustainability and how this can be embedded in classroom practices. Student teachers will develop through teaching in the university and through placement experience, the necessary professional, reflexive critical understanding of the wider remit and responsibility of the teacher in the school, community and society. They will have engaged critically, in the university and on placement with ideas related to the purposes and values of education; matters of social justice; the value of research in education and the teacher role of enquiry as stance.

Overall
Students will:

• 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 an effective, reflective and reflexive practitioners in planning to teach and in their role in the wider life of the school.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

• critically appraise and evaluate theories of learning and teaching
• demonstrate the ability to incorporate these into their planning and preparation for practice
• demonstrate the ability to incorporate these into their planning and preparation for practice
• have a critical understanding of a range of assessment practices including formative and summative, self and peer assessment

Curriculum

• critically appraise and evaluate curricular arrangements for the different stages of secondary school education
• use the curricular arrangements critically, creatively and reflectively in order to plan teaching
• individual and series of lessons which take account of theories of learning and teaching and the needs of individuals and groups of learners

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
• demonstrate that they take account of these values in their analytical and critical personal reflection on their own development as a teacher
• demonstrate that they take account of these values analytically and critically in their planning for practice
• demonstrate an analytical and reflective understanding of aspects of social justice which can be embedded in teaching (for example, this may be focused on literacies and empowerment, numeracy and health and well and including those at risk of marginalization )

Research

• read and respond critically and analytically to research in education (academic texts and articles from a wide range of sources)
• use research reflectively in planning teaching and practice and to inform development as teachers
• critically appraise and evaluate the relationship between educational research, government initiatives and national curricula documents
• demonstrate ‘enquiry as stance’ in their approach to research and its relationship to practice; and in their own professional development

Programme outcomes: Knowledge and understanding

• Students will develop the pedagogical knowledge and understanding necessary to deliver powerful and effective teaching of their subject and in interdisciplinary contexts within the secondary school.
• Students will develop critical knowledge and understanding of school curricula and the contested areas within this.
• Students will learn how to engage critically and analytically in the university classroom as learners and in the school classroom as developing practitioners.
• Students will develop critical and analytical understanding of social justice issues and how these impact on learners and therefore the ways in which teachers must act.
• Student teachers will engage critically with research led learning. They will understand that research informs practice in the classroom and that teachers are often best placed to conduct research in order to improve practice and outcomes for learners.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in research and enquiry

Students will be able to demonstrate the following attributes.

• The ability to read and evaluate research appropriate to their own area of expertise.
• The ability to evaluate the role of research in public and professional life
• Be able to plan to conduct a systematic enquiry into their own teaching and effect change as a result of this.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal and intellectual autonomy

Students will acquire and further develop the following intellectual skills.

• Analytical thinking, involving the ability to reflect critically on theory and practice and on research in education.
• Reflective and reflexive thinking and action on their own practice and on their developing teacher identity.
• Application of theory to practice – turning propositional knowledge into practice knowledge.
• Understanding theoretical stances and the ways in which theory informs practice and practice informs theory and their own active critical role in this.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in communication

Students will be able to demonstrate the following attributes.

• The ability to deliver complex ideas in a clearly and in a well constructed manner and appropriately pitched for an audience
• The ability to use technology appropriately to support communication
• The ability to communicate clearly in different circumstances with different age groups and different needs.

Programme outcomes: Graduate attributes - Skills and abilities in personal effectiveness

Students will acquire and further develop the following transferable skills.

• General analytical and critical thinking skills
• Organizational skills (necessary for working with young people)of an intellectual and practical nature
• The ability to work collaboratively with peers and other professionals
• Professional resilience
• The ability to reflect and act on reflection in relation to their professional responsibilities

Programme outcomes: Technical/practical skills

Students will acquire and further develop the following professional/practical skills. They will have the ability to:

• Critically and analytically reflect on and take appropriate action in relation to teaching.
• Work effectively within various groups and with other professionals and parents/carers in the interest of the child or children.
• Develop and create effective, interesting and appropriate curricula materials
• Become personally resilient
• Problem solve in order to resolve issues and create opportunities

Programme structure and features

The programme carries 120 credits. Students must achieve all 120 credits before they are deemed to have met the requirements for the PGDE (Secondary) award. Student teachers must take 6 courses. These are prescribed courses. There are three university based courses. Each carries 20 credits at masters level, SCQF Level 11.These are: Curriculum and Pedagogy; Professional Studies; (either) Curriculum Plus 1, or Curriculum Plus 2,or Curriculum Plus 3 or Curriculum and Pedagogy (second subject). There are three placement courses. Each carries 20 credits at undergraduate Honours level, SCQF level 10.

Teaching and learning methods and strategies

Teaching is an inherently social and dialogic practice and this is reflected in the methods of the programme. Students are timetabled to classes where they work collaboratively with peers and tutors to develop a deep understanding of their profession, their professional identity and their classroom skills. Students work in different groups including multi disciplinary groups. Tutors deliver interactive lectures and tutorials which scaffold learners and take account of the complexity of learning and understanding student teachers face in a short and intensive programme. There is a focus on directed study beyond the tutorial, much of which involves further collaborative work. There are numerous opportunities for students to lead the teaching either as individuals or in groups. There is also a focus on reflection and reflexive practice and this is evidenced in the weekly reflective journal kept by students in which they are led to make sense of the university courses and the placement courses as theory into practice.

Assessment methods and strategies

The programme adopts a wide range of formative and summative assessment practices outlined below.

Formative assessment

• Using observation schedules in the classroom
• Micro teaching
• Giving presentations on a range of topics
• Various written tasks
• The weekly reflective journal
• Participation in two multidisciplinary problem solving tasks on barriers to learning and on learning for sustainability in the curriculum

Summative Assessment

• Feedforward tasks for each summative assignment
• Written assignments
• Presentations (individual or paired)

Assessment strategies

Within the programme there are opportunities for the following assessment strategies:

• Self and peer assessment
• Tutor assessment and feedback

Whilst on placement students are engaged in extensive self evaluation and self assessment. They are formatively assessed by supervising teachers and the tutor. They are summatively assessed by the tutor and the supervising teacher working jointly on evidence garnered during placement.

Career opportunities

The vast majority of students who graduate from this programme move directly into the profession through the probationary route offered by the Scottish Government or into teaching in other countries. This qualification is often welcomed by bodies or commercial companies who have an education in their work such as Museum education or theatre education.

Other items

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