Curriculum and Pedagogy 1c: Expressive Arts, Languages, Sciences and Technologies (U04483)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 8 ? Acronym : EDU-1-C&P1c

This course progresses from Curriculum and Pedagogy 1b and encompasses a group of related subjects and themes contained in the Curriculum For Excellence at early years and level 1. The subjects are: Science, Technologies, Expressive Arts and, with less emphasis than in course 1b, Social Subjects. The course emphasises learning processes which encourage enquiry and expression. Themes addressed include wonder, perspective, function, design, connectivity, relevance, investigation and communication. In order to promote successful learning, teachers need to be confident in teaching these areas and making connections between them. It is therefore essential that students learn about good practice in these areas, both in terms of content and pedagogy, and the underlying theory.
Science and technologies, language, dance and music are acknowledged and taught mainly as discrete strands in the course. However, opportunities are sought through collaborative rich tasks to encourage students to plan and demonstrate how selected areas might be integrated purposefully. During the course, students will also use outdoor contexts as focuses for wonder, expression and investigation, and to envisage how these contexts can provide rich learning experiences for children. There will be a brief residential field course at the end of the second semester.

? Keywords : Science, Technologies, Expressive Arts, Sustainability, Citizenship, Learning Outdoors.

Entry Requirements

? Costs : Students will need to meet the costs of accommodation, travel and meals provided for outdoor learning experiences provided as part of the course including the residential field course.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Education, (The Moray House School of Education, Schedule C)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 1st year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 4 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course students are able to:
describe and justify language, expressive arts (music and dance) and technologies as key areas of learning in primary schools
show understanding of selected content, learning principles and inclusive teaching approaches in the range of curricular areas addressed in the course;
show how language and the arts, as media for communication, support learning in the range of curriculum areas addressed in the course;
justify and describe the use of different strategies in language, science, technologies and arts to encourage young learners to express understanding and feelings with confidence.
exemplify how understanding informs and empowers decision making and action, with reference to early years learning contexts;
justify the importance of using environments beyond the classroom as contexts for learning about, learning in and learning through;
demonstrate and exemplify how planning for learning and teaching in language, expressive arts (Music and Dance) and science & technologies is influenced by knowledge about children?s development in early years

Assessment Information

The assignment will be a rich task consisting of a formative continuous element and a summatively assessed final product. The continuous element will be based on regular formative class tasks where students are expected to collaborate and share each others? reflections. This will be supported by guidance notes in order to assist students in consistent use of scholarly approaches. The final product will take the form of an electronically submitted Reflective Portfolio (2000 word equivalent). This will contain evidence of progressive learning based on the strands of the course. Possible media included could be: video, animation, soundtrack, photographs and written texts. The overall assignment will have collaborative and individual elements with the emphasis on the latter.