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The Moray House School of Education
Postgraduate
Study |
PGDE (Secondary)
The aim of the PGDE (Secondary) is
to provide a route to qualified teacher status for graduates whose qualifications
satisfy the requirements for entry into the teaching profession in Scotland.
It aims to produce reflective and competent teachers, sensitive to the
demands of the pupils and the job, responsive to a changing education system
and committed to continuing their own professional development throughout
their careers.
This is a one year programme of 36 weeks duration and is divided into
a first block of 16 weeks, a second block of 11 weeks and a final block
of 9 weeks and comprises an equal balance between Moray House-based and
school-based activities. Please note that this programme of study commences
in late August.
... develop the ability to relate theory to
practice in all aspects of education.
The PGDE (Secondary)
course aims to develop in our students: |
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the knowledge, skills, attitudes
and competencies necessary for a beginning teacher. |
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knowledge of the distinctive traditions, practices,
and forms of organisation of education in Scotland. |
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the ability to relate theory to practice in
all aspects of education. |
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the attitudes and values necessary to support
reflective practice. |
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skills in professional research and enquiry,
including skills in action research. |
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a critical understanding of the teaching and
learning process, including those relating to special needs, new
technology, and equal opportunities. |
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an ability to work successfully in collaboration
with others. |
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skills in planning, reviewing and monitoring
their own and academic development. |
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enhanced ability to work in a critical, innovative
and creative manner. |
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enhanced communicative skills. |
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Design principles |
This programme is designed to prepare our students adequately for the range
of roles that teachers are expected to play. It is coherent and progressive
and features assessment that will support student learning to provide
reliable feedback and reporting. These requirements lead to the following
principles for the design of the programme.
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Student learning will address an
appropriate set of unifying themes and core topics. |
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The programme curriculum will be informed by
an explicit developmental model which describes how students' learning
will progress. |
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University-based studies will be organised
around a sequence of tightly integrated lectures and workshops |
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Placement experience will be built on an effective
partnership between the Institute and schools. |
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Assessment tasks will be well matched to the
developmental model and will be guided by explicit performance-related
criteria. |
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Teaching roles |
Teaching in the early twenty first century is a highly complex profession.
A teacher is required to be proficient in not one major role, but several.
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The teacher in the
classroom, as a competent reflective practitioner, responding effectively
to the learning needs of a wide range of pupils. |
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The teacher in the school, as a
good collaborator and positive contributor to the school ethos through
the formal and informal curriculum. |
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The teacher in the curriculum development
process, as a subject specialist, curriculum developer, and contributor
to educational innovation. |
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The teacher in the profession,
as an active member of a community of educationalists with shared
obligations, values and responsibilities. |
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The teacher in society, with relationships
at many levels: for example, at local level with parents, other professional
agencies, and education authorities; at national level, with assessment
authorities, policy making, advisory and research bodies; at international
level with exchange programmes. |
| Each role brings a
distinctive set of challenges and requires deep knowledge and skill. |
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Core topics |
There are two unifying themes underpinning
the programme: Learning and Teaching, and Policy and Change.
Learning and Teaching encompasses the knowledge and skills that
are essential for the teacher's roles, especially in the classroom, in
the school, and in the development of the curriculum. A number of core
topics are subsumed under this theme.
Policy and Change provides the knowledge and understanding that
will prepare the beginning teacher to interpret, evaluate, and contribute
to development in education. This theme provides central support for the
teacher's roles, especially in the school, in the profession, and in wider
society. There are a number of core topics subsumed under this theme:
• special educational needs
• Information and communications technology
• core skills
• policy and organisation of the school
• child protection
• the health-promoting school
• a European dimension
• professionalism
Further details about Learning & Teaching:
Lectures: These provide the framework for the introduction to the roles,
themes and core topics. Research findings and methods are described, providing
essential background information. The lectures set the agenda for the multidisciplinary
and subject workshops.
Multidisciplinary Workshops: These support group engagement through discussions
and debates about the ideas introduced in the lectures. Their aim is to
encourage collaboration and student-centred learning in a multidisciplinary
setting. They also provide a forum for tasks and presentations which show
the relevance of core topics in a range of subject areas and assist in
the preparation of assignments.
Subject Workshops: These aim to articulate, exemplify and model the application
of core topics within subject specialist contexts. They also encourage
collaboration and student-centred learning between subject specialist peers.
Curriculum knowledge is developed and support provided for the assignments.
School Experience: Half the programme involves students working in schools.
Opportunities are provided for: observing teachers in action; observing
pupils and considering special educational needs; developing teaching skills;
relating concepts and skills studied in Moray House to contexts in the
actual school situation; developing theories and beliefs about teaching;
applying subject specialist knowledge; obtaining feedback; providing a
context for assessment and reporting; learning about and participating
in wider school contexts; and interacting with a broad range of professionals.
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Programme assessment |
Assessment of the programme is continuous. Students are required to satisfy
the examiners in each of three areas:
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Subject studies - assessed
by both tutors and teachers in schools. |
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Professional portfolio - based
on work done in schools, containing a number of practical tasks. |
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A professional project based on
a theme of the student's own choice. |
Assessments can be formative or summative. However, only summative tasks
are used for evaluating student progress and only these tasks will be assessed
by the Programme Board of Examiners. Formative tasks enable tutors to provide
feedback on a task.
Summative written assessment tasks are graded using the University's A
to E scale. The interpretation of these grades is as follows:
A - excellent
B - very good
C - good
D - minimally acceptable
E - unacceptable
The performance-related criteria used in the assessment of placement provide
explicit, adequately detailed and clear descriptions of different levels
of performance.
The programme assessment schedule is as follows:
| Block 1 |
Shadow study (F)
Professional portfolio (F)
5-14 unit development (F)
Teaching benchmarks (F) |
| Block 2 |
Professional project (S)
Professional portfolio (F)
14-18 task (F)
Teaching benchmarks (S) |
| Block 3 |
Professional project (S)
Professional portfolio (F)
Collaborative presentations (F)
Teaching benchmarks (S)
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(S) = Summative
(F) = Formative |
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Entry requirements |
The qualifications for admission to the PGDE (Secondary) are:
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A degree from a UK Higher Education
Institution or degree of an equivalent standard from an institution
outwith the UK. |
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The degree should be in the subject to be taught
and containing at least two graduating courses (80 credits) in the
relevant subject. |
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SQA Higher Grade pass at levels A, B, C (or
equivalent) in English. |
Selection involves a professional interview.
The Secondary subjects currently planned to be offered for entry at the
end of August 2009 are:
Art and Design
Biology
Chemistry
Drama
English
Geography
History |
Mathematics
Modern Foreign Languages
Music
Physical Education
Physics
Religious & Moral Education
Technological Education |
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Registration with GTCS and Teacher
induction scheme |
On successful completion of the programme,
students are recommended to contact the General Teaching Council for Scotland
(GTCS) for provisional registration. Full registration is awarded on the
completion of one satisfactory year of teaching the subject(s) for which
qualification has been gained through this programme.
Further information about the GTCS can be found at their Website: GTCS
The Scottish Government and the General Teaching Council for Scotland
have recently introduced a guaranteed probationer year for students graduating
from a Scottish Higher Education Institution with a teaching qualification
whose training has been publicly funded. Students who pay overseas or full
fees are not in publicly-funded places and are therefore not eligible to
join the scheme.
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Contact |
The contact for further information and admissions advice is:
Susan Bobby
The Undergraduate Office (Education)
College of Humanities and Social Science
The University of Edinburgh
2nd Floor, David Hume Tower
George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JX
Telephone 0131 651 3146
Email: susan.bobby@ed.ac.uk
Please Note: Application forms and details on the application procedure
are available from GTTR at: www.gttr.ac.uk
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