Postgraduate Course: Curriculum Plus 3 (General Science) (EDUA11293)
Course Outline
| School | Moray House School of Education |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course introduces and develops the knowledge, understanding and skills required to effectively teach individuals and groups in secondary schools within a science context up to Level 3 in such a way that learners can progress to an SQA qualification in biology, chemistry and/or physics. It is appropriate for learning in schools within a single science context, an integrated science context or as part of an inter-disciplinary or cross-curricular programme. |
| Course description |
There is a General Teaching Council Scotland requirement that those entering the profession to teach biology, chemistry or physics are both competent and confident in teaching outwith their specialist area. This Curriculum Studies 3 course is designed to do this whilst also enabling students to engage with cutting edge thinking on particular issues within science education at a standard equivalent to Level 11. The structure of the course will place particular demands on all students to adopt a mentoring role within their specialist subjects to support their colleagues from the other sciences.
Working as a cross-subject group, students will be expected to:
1. engage critically with literature related to science education and triangulate academic literature, professional literature and national policy documents with their own developing practice as teachers,
2. become confident and competent in the planning of lessons, lesson sequences and organization of learning within subject areas outwith the comfort zone of their ¿home¿ subject (as well as in their ¿own¿ subject¿) and justify their decisions through engagement with the literature associated with learning in the sciences,
3. be able to critically appraise many of the ¿big ideas¿ which appear within the Curriculum for Excellence outcomes and experiences for science to Level 3,
4. critically debate the issues surrounding the teaching of particular ¿hot¿ topics in science,
5. show confidence and imagination in developing curricular materials that have a strong sustainability focus and are consistent with the Scottish government¿s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) agenda.
This course makes use of a range of teaching and learning approaches including direct teaching, task-based collaborative learning, student presentations, whole group and small group discussion, reflection, evaluation and enquiry. There is a particular emphasis on students acting as guides and explainers for others whose specialism lies beyond their own.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Flexible |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 36,
Other Study Hours 160,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
0 )
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| Additional Information (Learning and Teaching) |
Directed Learning, Practical Preparation and Delivery, Collaborative Working, Reading Groups
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Feedforward assessment by tutors, peers and external partners follows an assignment in the form of a presentation by individual students based on their tentative ideas relating to the summative assessment.
Summative assessment takes the form of a three-part assignment with a word count of 4,000.
1. a completed unit of work, including resources to support learning and teaching in an Appendix;
2. a rationale that draws on curriculum guidelines, policies and other literature to argue why the content of the unit and associated methodology would present a meaningful learning experience for the students;
3. a critical analysis and evaluation of the unit.
Further information and support is provided by the tutors.
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| Feedback |
Within the course there are many ongoing activities such as presentations, micro-teaching and group-work that lead to continuous feedback from peers as well as tutors. This makes a significant further contribution to the formative assessment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- The following outcomes are set within the underpinning themes and aims of the programme, i.e. at the end of the course, the students will be reflective, reflexive and effective professionals, prepared for 21st teaching within a science context.
- Students will critically appraise and evaluate theories of learning, teaching and assessment.
- Students will critically appraise and evaluate curricular arrangements for the different stages of secondary school education.
- Students will 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.
- Students will read, respond and act critically and analytically to research in education (academic texts and articles from a wide range of sources).
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Reading List
Core Reading is listed below. An extended reading list is available in the course booklet.
The Pupil as Scientist?, Rosalind Driver, Open University, ISBN 0 335 10178 X
Good Practice in Science Teaching ¿ what research has to say, edited by Monk and Osborne, Open University, ISBN 0-335- 20391-4
Improving Science Education ¿ the contribution of research, edited by Millar, Leach and Osborne, Open University, ISBN 0-335-20645-X
The Science 3-18 Curriculum Area Impact Project report: A Summary for Children and Young People, Education Scotland (2012)
bit.ly/sciences3-18childrenandyoungpeople
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1. This course prepares students to engage critically and analytically with current areas of development in learning and teaching in secondary schools and with broader issues and problematised areas in education.
2. Students on this course work collaboratively to design creative and effective approaches to meet the challenges of working with children and young people in the 21st Century classroom.
3. Students are taught to reflect, using appropriate theoretical models of reflective practice on their own practice and their own situated thinking; and to respond reflexively in order to improve learning and teaching. This often means making in-practice decisions in complex situations
4.Student teachers on this course develop the necessary skills to communicate effectively with a range of audiences from children to their professional colleagues, parents and other adults with professional responsibilities for children and young people, adapting communication appropriately to context and purpose.
5. Students must demonstrate their ability to use research papers which include graphical or numerical data to support their understanding of educational issues and to interpret and uses this data accurately and critically.
6. Student teachers on this course work collaboratively with peers and tutors. They learn to take the initiative, to demonstrate leadership and to take responsibility for their professional development as a teacher. Through a blend of tutorial tasks and their practice experience students develop the ability to think their way critically through complex , diverse perspectives and make ethically sound and well informed decisions which stem from their developing understanding of intra and inter personal skills as well as their sound professional knowledge of learning and teaching. |
| Keywords | PGDE secondary general science |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Douglas Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 6618
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Linda Craig
Tel: (0131 6)51 6449
Email: |
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