Education (Transforming Practice) PGCE entry only

This popular course offers a flexible blended learning approach for full or part-time education practitioners at different stages in their careers who are interested in developing and transforming their practice. Education practitioner is construed as a broad term to encompass not just teachers in school settings, but teachers in other educational contexts and professionals whose work is located in education settings such as counsellors, those who work with school assessment etc.

The course aims to foster:

- Knowledgeable practitioners who have an advanced understanding of practices, processes, and outcomes of teaching and learning;

- Open-minded practitioners who will challenge practice through critically analysing multiples sources of evidence and developing appropriate arguments for change;

- Innovative practitioners who will transform their practice on the basis of their learning;

- Influencing practitioners who will develop the practical, organisational and communicative /presentational skills and agency to persuade others.

- This will be achieved through:

Appropriate course content, pedagogical approach and assessment procedures;

Access to outstanding research facilities;
The opportunity to work closely with specialists in their field;
A supportive, stimulating environment with excellent supervision;
A strong community of like-minded students who will provide mutual support.
These elements, knowledge, open mind, innovation and influence feature in all aspects of the course design, content, pedagogy and assessment. Through the key modules on reflexive practice, innovation in education, and influencing education practice and policy you will engage with debates surrounding education and practice and undertake relevant practical activities. The approach is collaborative, interactive and contextualised. You will also be exploring in depth an area of professional interest to you within a community of enquiry and will undertake a small-scale practical enquiry that aims to transform practice.

Students will be able to:

- Demonstrate understanding of relevant and ethical professional practice, policies, theories and process of change

- Critically analyse multiple sources of evidence

- Reflect on the challenges and affordances of professional practice and opportunities for change

- Develop a coherent argument supported by policies, theories and practices

- Demonstrate the communication and leadership skills required for effecting change

- Engage others through communication and leadership

The educational aims are:

- to examine the theoretical frameworks used in the study of education and its constituent disciplines;

- provide training in research methods appropriate to education;

- advance students’ capacity for professional reflection and judgment;

- cater to a range of specialists interested within the field of education or one of its constituent disciplines

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have:

- a comprehensive understanding of research techniques, and a thorough knowledge of the literature applicable to their specific educational domain;

- demonstrated originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field;

- shown abilities in the critical evaluation of current research and research techniques and methodologies;

- demonstrated self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and acted autonomously in the planning and implementation of research.