Programme of Study Catalogue

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Understand and explain the varieties of alternative education in theory and practice, drawing on international approaches;
Critically assess competing theories of alternative education and their implications for current educational practice;
Critically analyse the assumptions built into alternative education theories and their strengths and weaknesses.

Content:

TThe course will:
� Explore alternative education theories;
� Examine specific practices of alternative education such as democratic schooling, human scale schools, de-schooling and home education;
� Critically assess the evidence and theory in relation to impact on pupil learning and well being;
� Compare the impacts to mainstream schooling;
� Explore what, if any, lessons can be learned from alternative educational provision for restructuring mainstream education;
� Explore examples of practice and draw on theoretical approaches developed in different areas of the world.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The module will be taught via lectures and in seminars, tutorials and workshops that utilise a range of pedagogies. This will include case studies, discussion groups, project work and presentations by guest speakers. By definition this course explores alternative education, so there will not be a standard prescription of how the course will be taught. Rather, this will follow the philosophy of the course itself and be, in part, dependent on student suggestions.

Lectures, seminars and workshops
Hours: 27
Intended group size: Cohort

On-line support and small group tutorials
Hours: 1 (min)
Intended Group size: 6-10

Guided independent study
Hours: 172

Further details relating to assessment
The project will pick a phase of current schooling/education e.g. primary or secondary and critically evaluate and design it according to principles advocated in theories of alternative education. This will include:
� Identifying and justifying the key aims of education
� Critically justifying curriculum provision and organisation
� Critically justifying forms of pedagogy
� Critically justifying assessment forms
� Explaining how, where and when education will take place
� Exploring how behaviour, attendance and pupil involvement will be managed.