Primary Education
This course is for practitioners, professionals and others with an interest in Primary Education at various levels and at various stages in their careers. The main intention is to fuse research and theoretical understandings with the current priorities in primary practice identified by, amongst others, the students engaged on the course.
The aims of this route are:
- To offer candidates the practical opportunity to engage in individual and collaborative critical enquiry into important educational issues and practice
- To introduce candidates to the best quality national and international educational research that has relevance to the primary phase of education
- To explore the possibilities of developing the primary curriculum, pedagogy and learning in ways that are school or classroom based and which may, for example, include a focus on such notions as 'personalisation' 'leadership' or 'assessment for learning'.
- To develop the skills and ability to contribute to informed policy and practice improvement within the primary phase.
Some of the content of the course relates to the themes covered by the Faculty-based Primary Review which is directed by Professor Robin Alexander. The course is designed and will be led by the Associate Directors of The Primary Review which is due to publish its Final Report in 2009. (www.primaryreview.org.uk)
There are four modules within the course.
1. Critical perspectives on Primary Education
This includes an analysis of current educational practice and explores the competing values and aims for primary education with the implications for the child, the classroom, the school and the teacher.
2. The Primary Curriculum and the Child
This module explores different views and ways of conceptualising the curriculum with consideration of cross curricular issues such as creativity, thinking skills and personalisation as well as the links between school, home and community.
3. Teaching and Learning within the Primary School
Teaching and learning will be examined with reference to interest in such topics as child development, teaching styles and learner preferences. Issues such as the nature of teacher-pupil dialogue, quality in learning and assessment will be considered and theories of learning, motivation and engagement will be of central interest.
4. The School as a Community
This module will focus on the ways in which schools can develop as a whole community and also relate to the wider community. The nature of leadership, collegiate collaboration, mentoring and professional development will be key and topics such as the physical environment and partnership with parents and other professionals will feature.
Route Co-ordinators: Christine Doddington, Linda Hargreaves and Ruth Kershner