HCD Student Partnership Developing Children and Young People as Researchers
Spring Term 2009
Attendance: Wednesdays 21st and 28th January, 11th and 25th February, 11th March 2009
Venue: Faculty of Education, Hills Road, Cambridge
Lead Tutor: Ros Frost
Course Description
This 30-hour course is aimed at school, local authority and voluntary sector staff from all phases of education with an interest in developing and supporting young researchers. This is a practical course which requires participants to work with at least two chidlren or young people from their own setting. The course is also sufficiently flexible to support those who wish to develop small groups or whole classes of mixed-ability researchers or consider whole school development in this area.
Engaging with children and young people's perspectives is currently high on many organisations' agendas. Increasingly schools and other agencies are wishing to support the development and work of young researchers as a way of ensuring this engagement. Developing young people's social research skills has also been shown to enhance their personal, social and academic capabilities within contexts that are personally meaningful to them and which can bring about improvements in their lives and settings.
This course offers participants comprehensive practical and theoretical guidance on developing researchers in Key Stage 1 to 5. This includes a consideration of the current policy contexts surrounding student participation, the benefits and challenges of developing young researchers in school and other contexts and organisational, ethical and safeguarding issues.
Aims of the course
The overarching aim of the course is to guide and support participants as they develop and work with young researchers on personal or school/organisation-related topics. The course will comprise presentations, group discussions and independent work which will enable participants to:
- gain a practical and theoretical understanding of children and young people's participation and research within current policy contexts
- exercise leadership of school-based enquiry and development activity
- develop a group of young researchers within their setting and support them as they undertake their own small-scale research projects
- produce a simple portfolio of evidence and commentary about their own learning
For the young people working with course members in school or elsewhere this programme is primarily concerned with developing their active skills in social research rather than book-based learning. This will involve young people identifying an area to investigate or change as well as trying out a range of simple ways of collecting and analysing data. For example, this course include using photographs, models and drama or more traditional approaches like questionnaires, interviews and observation. They will then be supported in planning and carrying out a simple ethical research project and sharing the outcomes of this work and reflections on their own learning with others. All young researchers will receive a certificate of achievement on completion of their projects.
Accreditation: The course may be taken on a free-standing basis leading to the award of a Certificate of Further Professional Study (CFPS). Alternatively, if you are currently studying or wish to enrol for an Advanced Diploma in Educational Studies (ADES) you may count this as one of your units. (For full information on the requirements please contact the PPD Office.)
All participants will be expected to attend regularly (a minimum of 80%) and to complete a related assignment to the satisfaction of the course tutor.
Applications: If you would like an application form for this course please contact the PPD Office (01223 767725) or you can download the form here
Applications should arrive no later than Friday 5 December. (After this date, please telephone the PPD Office to see whether places are still available.)
The tuition fee of £410 will be payable prior to commencement of the course (this excludes the cost of meals and refereshments). An invoice will be issued on acceptance to the course and applicants are therefore asked to indicate who will be responsible for the payment of fees. Cheques should be made payable to the University of Cambridge.