THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Moray House School of Education : Education

Postgraduate Course: Inclusive pedagogy (EDUA11342)

Course Outline
SchoolMoray House School of Education CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course will introduce and explore the complex relationship between the principled ambition for inclusive education and classroom practice. Activities will be designed to include consideration of implications for a range of stakeholders and education policy, in addition to theory and practice.
Course description Sessions will enable students to learn about the development of inclusive education, and examine the current evidence base that has informed understandings of how and why inclusive education systems can and should be possible.
Students will explore principles relevant to understandings of teaching and learning that do not rely on determinist notions of ability, or conformity in terms of attainment. Particular attention will be given to identifying how to critically engage with evidence of practice in ways that reveal how practice might inadvertently (as well as intentionally) stigmatise or marginalise diverse groups of young people. This will reflect national and international commitments to the education of all children and young people together, within communities.
This knowledge and understanding will provide the context for exploration of relevant practical and political pedagogical realities such as: the phenomena of the widening attainment gap; the correlation between poverty and underachievement; how schools identify and support children recognised as having additional support needs; the need for specialist expertise, and how to access it. Attention will be paid to curriculum and assessment, as well as functional and strategic methods for inclusive pedagogy.

Students on the course who are also practitioners will be given the opportunity to reflect on their own practice, as well as consider that of others. Full time students will be provided with the opportunity to study practice in schools, as well as re-consider practice they may be familiar with in other contexts.

Two study groups will run alongside each other in semester one. The first (designed with full-time students in mind) will meet face-to-face for weekly workshops and tutorials. The second group (designed with part-time students/ practitioners in mind) will follow a model of blended learning, meeting face-to-face for two conference days at either end of the semester with a programme of online tutorial in the intervening weeks. There will be opportunity for the two groups to collaborate and learn from each other.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 1
Course Start Date 18/09/2017
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 196 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Summative assessment will be based on (a) the presentation of and (b) critical reflection on, the process of developing an intervention that students will devise in response to a pedagogical need. Equivalent to 4,000 words; the total mark for the course will be a weighted average of the two assessments.
The intervention will be a resource designed for a specific context relating to where the student either works as a practitioner or where the student has undertaken placement visits. The presentation may focus on the practical complexities encountered in identifying the challenge and developing a response, the written assignment will be expected to critically engage with relevant theory as part of reflective practice.
Task 1 (25%) Oral presentation | Task 2 (75%) Written assignment (3000 words)
Formative assessment (from tutors, peers and invited practitioners) will be provided following the presentations.
Feedback Formative feedback will be provided through the process of collaboration for the development of a pedagogical intervention to actively support inclusion. The course will actively provide opportunities for feedback from peers, tutors, professional collaborators (i.e. those based in educational settings) as well as self-assessment.

Summative feedback will be provided in the form of tutor comments using the common postgraduate taught marking criteria.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate and work with a critical understanding of the key theories, concepts, principles and practices relevant to inclusive pedagogy.
  2. Apply critical analysis evaluation and synthesis to issues that reflect the complexity of pedagogical practice, developing a capacity to make original and creative responses that are also well-justified and informed judgments.
  3. Undertake critical evaluations of numerical data reflecting the use of data to evaluate, inform and justify the development of school policies in relation to inclusive education.
  4. Demonstrate initiative and make an identifiable contribution to the development of new ways of working in relation to inclusive pedagogic practice. This may include recognising specialist practitioners, using a range of resources, and managing complex ethical and professional issues.
Reading List
Core readings for this course are:
Florian, L. & Spratt, J. (2013) Enacting inclusion: a framework for interrogating inclusive practices European Journal of Special Needs Education 28 (2) pp119-135
Hart, Dixon, Drummond & McIntyre (2004) Learning without Limits Maidenhead: Open University Press (e-book)
Leach, J. & Moon, B. (2008) The power of pedagogy London: Sage
Linklater, H. (2013) Teaching and the individuality of everybody FORUM 55(1) pp85-94
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Knowledge and understanding: develop a thorough understanding of key concepts, for example: inclusion, inclusive education, additional support for learning, and recognising them as problematic and contested terms.

Research and enquiry: identify, define and conceptualise new problems and issues relating to inclusive education, and identify appropriate research methods to address these.

Personal and intellectual autonomy: be able to exercise substantial autonomy and initiative in academic activities, including decision making on the basis of independent thought. Also: be able to reflect on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments in learning, teaching and education.

Skills and abilities in communication: be able to identify and effectively communicate with relevant individuals and organisations beyond their immediate environment.
Additional Class Delivery Information Two study groups will run alongside each other in semester one.
The first (designed with full-time students in mind) will meet face-to-face for weekly workshops and tutorials. 2 hour(s) per week for 10 week(s).
The second group (designed with part-time students/ practitioners in mind) will follow a model of blended learning, meeting face-to-face for two conference days at either end of the semester with a programme of online tutorial in the intervening weeks.
There will be opportunity for the two groups to collaborate and learn from each other.

Students will undertake visits to schools/other educational settings.
KeywordsInclusion,pedagogy,teaching,learning,mainstream,diversity,social justice,achievement,schooling
Contacts
Course organiserDr Holly Linklater
Tel: (0131 6)51 6254
Email:
Course secretaryMrs Susan Scott
Tel: (0131 6)51 6573
Email:
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