Researching Practice 5-18 (Primary & Secondary Schools)
Part time, one year, blended (distance) learning course.
Open to PGCE graduates of Cambridge University as the second year of their MEd course.
Offered as a year module in conjunction with other MEd courses in the Faculty.
This course is intended for teachers who have an interest in developing their own practice through a teacher research route. It takes as its starting point teachers researching their own practice and relates these findings to relevant national and international literatures. The course is premised around the concept of teacher as researcher and this perspective, with an exploration of the theoretical and practical implications, informs the course design. The course allows students to explore practice and theory in the context of their own phase, subject and teaching context. The course asks students to engage with the debates surrounding research as professional development, and offers the opportunity to explore in depth an area of professional interest to them.
Course Aims:
The course seeks to introduce teachers into the debates and ideas surrounding the development of teachers as researchers: to understand international and national policy and practices, engage with examples of teacher research in schools in the UK and beyond and to take part in their own school based research activities. Students will take part in a research methods course which will support their research activities and develop knowledge in this area.
This central aim can be broken down into eight component objectives for student learning:
The objectives of the course are to enable students to:
(i) understand and be able to discuss with confidence the debates surrounding teachers as researchers
(ii) become familiar with an appropriate range of intellectual and methodological traditions within educational research
(iii) become skilled and critical readers of educational research
(iv) develop knowledge in depth of some substantive area of education and educational research
(v) develop their capacity to frame research questions and devise appropriate research designs
(vi) develop confidence and competence in using a range of both qualitative and quantitative approaches to gathering, analysing and interpreting evidence
(vii) develop their skills in presenting research-based evidence and argument
(viii) gain practical experience of educational research through conducting a small-scale investigation.
Course structure:
From October 2009, the Researching Practice MEd will be offered as a blended learning course. This means that the course will be offered online via a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and that weekly attendance will not be necessary, though you will be required to attend some Saturday Conferences and a short Summer school.
You will be able to follow the course via the University VLE (CamTools) and will be asked to take part in some online discussion fora. The Saturday conferences and the summer school will be an opportunity to develop and enhance the ideas you explore via the online component.
You will still be allocated a personal supervisor and be entitled to 6 hours of supervision over the year; but you might choose to have supervisions via email and telephone, as well as face to face.
Course programme
In term one, students will follow two strands: researching practice: teachers as researchers and research methods. The two strands are designed to complement one another and you will be asked to complete short research activities in your own school which will allow you to practice the research methods skills and knowledge. During this term you will also be offered a workshop on writing your thesis.
In term two, you will continue with the research methods course but in addition you will have a range of electives to choose from. Electives currently on offer are listed below:
• Creativity (Ros McLellan; Bill Nicholl)
• Teaching English at KS3 (Gabrielle Cliff Hodges)
• * Teaching History (Christine Counsell)
• * Teaching Geography (Liz Taylor)
• Teaching Mathematics (Tim Rowland/Fay Turner)
• Understanding Shakespeare Through Performance (Sue Brindley/
Shakespeare's Globe)
• Teaching Science (Keith Taber)
• Learning Without Limits (Mandy Maddock)
• Primary Teaching (Penny Coltman)
• Dialogic Teaching (Sylvia Wolfe)
Other electives are being developed and an updated list will be available via this website.
Term three is largely given over to working on your thesis. Additionally, there are study skills support sessions available to help you with your thesis writing.
For further information, please contact Sue Brindley (sb295@cam.ac.uk)
Course co-ordinators: Sue Brindley and Mike Younger