PGCEPED - Primary Education

Objectives:

The aims of the Primary Education (5-11) programme are:
1. to support the College’s mission to provide high quality education in a supportive learning environment;
2. to provide an academically challenging, stimulating and rigorous programme, which incorporates the standards required for qualified teacher status in the primary school;
3. to ensure students have the academic understanding and skills to become lifelong learners;
4. to ensure students continue to be highly employable in a competitive job market;
5. to meet the needs of those preparing to work in a perpetually developing education system
6. to ensure that students have the professional and academic skills to meet the learning needs of all children and to become reflective professional practitioners

Content:

Stage 1: Planning, teaching and assessment
This phase of the course includes: introduction to teaching; National Curriculum and its aims and values. Introduction to schools’ aims, curriculum and policies. Relationship between planning, teaching and assessment. Introduction to classroom organisation and layouts. Principles of planning. Introduction to planning for learning, the organisation of learning and assessment for learning. Introduction to theories of learning. Values and positive classroom climates. The place of the child in society. Introduction to managing behaviour including: rights, responsibilities, rules and routines. The role of the teacher including values, knowledge, skills, expectations and strategies. Helping children to build relationships and self- esteem. Theories relating to social and emotional and moral development. Introduction to individual needs including EAL, SEN. School characteristics and organisation, stakeholders and governance, aims, roles and responsibilities in schools, policies. Personalised learning. Introduction to Child protection. Introduction to school communities including stakeholders, families, cultural diversity, social diversity.
SBT: students will engage in a gradual process of development: week 1 will involve observations and planning for the block experience; weeks 2 and 3 will involve group teaching and beginning to plan with the teacher’s support for aspects of literacy and numeracy and weeks 4, 5 and 6 involve developing independence, ideally teaching independent whole class sessions.

Stage 2: Individual learning needs and broadening teaching strategies
This stage of the course includes: evaluation of and reflection on planning, teaching and assessment on first period of SBT. Developing planning. Differentiation. Working with other adults. Managing learning – whole class, grouping and individual. Teaching strategies, e.g. explanations, modelling, questioning. Assessment for learning and assessment of learning. How to apply theory into practice including how social constructivist models influence learning. Learning outside the classroom. Identifying areas for development in SBT, reflecting and identifying areas for development from 2nd period of SBT and creating an action plan for 3rd period of SBT. Managing challenging behaviour and bullying. Develop subject knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and associated issues. PHSCE education. Working with parents. Working with support staff. Roles and responsibilities of other professionals and integrated working. SEN identification, policy and procedures in SEN, role of SENCO, role of parents, knowledge of a range of needs. Gifted and talented. Exploring more issues in relation to diversity and meeting the needs of all children including EAL. Recognising and overcoming barriers to learning.
SBT: Wk 1 observations and planning; weeks 2 and 3 literacy and numeracy teaching; weeks 5 and 6 50% timetable moving to 80% by week 7 and 8; week 9 is transition into Stage 3 in school

Stage 3: Professionalism and Induction
This stage of the course includes: values and positive classroom climates. School characteristics and organisation, stakeholders and governance, aims, roles and responsibilities in schools, policies. Personalised learning. Introduction to Child protection. Introduction to school communities including stakeholders, families, cultural diversity, social diversity. Ensuring a comprehensive understanding of professionalism and reflective practice and the impact of these on practice and children’s progress. SBT: Wk 1 observations and planning; Wks 2 to 7 80% timetable 2 weeks research or learning in an alternative setting: providing the opportunity to pursue an area of interest and engage in a practical project in this area for the placement school. Or to experience learning in an alternative setting such as a special school.

Learning and Teaching Information:

The Postgraduate/ Professional Certificate in Education: Primary Education (5-11) (QTS) course fulfils the principles and strategies of the Student Centred Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy 2012-2015 in as far as these relate to postgraduate, professional learning. Students are challenged to reach the standards required to gain qualified teacher status. Teaching within College is focused on developing their skills in acquiring new knowledge; assimilating skills and understanding from a range of sources and developing the thinking and problem-solving skills to evaluate the underpinning theory. They are expected to become reflective classroom practitioners who can accommodate the needs of a diverse classroom population, whilst fulfilling the requirements related to professional values, skills knowledge and development. Teaching within the department reflects our understanding of good practice in learning and teaching, combining the best of interactive learning with development of the students’ independent learning skills related to reading; research; reflection and evaluation. Tutors across the programme model effective use of interactive whiteboards, ICT, practical activities and group-work, as well as challenging debate and reflection of new theoretical material.

Teaching is a balance of lecture, workshop, tutorial and independent study tasks. Through this balance students receive relevant input on the area of study; they are supported in their engagement with new material and guided in how to develop their understanding and then encouraged to review and evaluate their learning independently. Tutors make good use of reading materials and the CLARCS pack for independent reading and the VLE for support materials, online assessments, sharing good practice and links to additional materials.

Masters provision: throughout the course of the first module students will be developing their expertise in analysing data from research and evaluating sources. They will engage independently in researching areas of interest and presenting these through oral and written formative exercises. It is expected that this engagement in evaluation will support students’ professional development, too, through self evaluation and reflective practice. The second module starts before the end of the PGCE and will see students engaged in a practical action research project to enhance their practice.

Assessment:
• Professional Studies: Planning, Assessment, School Communities and Relationships – Planning Evaluation.
• Professional Studies: Behaviour Management, Management Strategies, Record Keeping and SEN - Research/Findings.
• Art and Design and the Primary Curriculum – Ideas Resource.
• Design and Technology and the Primary Curriculum – Planning.
• English Reading and the Primary Curriculum – Presentation.
• English Writing and the Primary Curriculum – Writing Resources.
• Geography and the Primary Curriculum – Session-based Tasks.
• History and the Primary Curriculum – Session-based Tasks.
• ICT and the Primary Curriculum – Own Resource Review / Reflective Report.
• Mathematics and the Primary Curriculum – Maths Resources and Audits.
• MLF and the Primary Curriculum – Partner Presentation.
• Music and the Primary Curriculum – Session-based Tasks.
• PE and the Primary Curriculum – Lesson Plan Activity.
• RE and the Primary Curriculum - Portfolio
• Science and the Primary Curriculum – Science Audit and Plans.

Assessment: