TE0487 - Curriculum Studies 1

The teaching and learning approaches for this module provide you with a mix of lectures and workshops reflecting the Notional Student Workload (NSW) contained in the descriptor for this module.

Your lectures will critically examine key sources of policy, evaluation and theoretical literature and will encourage you to connect with your own independent reading, which will be key to your success here. You will experience a diverse range of input from University-based tutors and Partnership teachers, who have relevant practical experience and theoretical knowledge in teaching and learning the core and non-core subjects across the Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Subsequently, you can be assured that lecture content is relevant, up-to-date and takes account of recent practice and policy changes surrounding planning, teaching and assessment approaches in schools.

Your workshops are a practical, challenging element of this module and will demand your full participation. Workshops are not an optional extra for this module and we have found that students who have done well previously have prepared, attended and participated in the workshop work and independent supporting tasks. We are mindful that you will have a range of preferences for small group work, but we do expect you all to thoroughly prepare for and participate in these sessions. Practical workshop sessions will also be led by a mixture of University-based tutors and Partnership teachers who will ensure that the key elements of each subject are explored in further depth to allow you to consider how to apply ideas to your own planning during your Educational placements.

You will be expected to make active use of the eLP (Blackboard), using it as a starting point for your own reading. All lecture and workshop presentations will make reference back to the Teachers’ Standards (2012) to allow you to join up your learning across the programme and begin to compile evidence towards the completion of your Teachers’ Standards file. The module team are committed to ensuring material is placed on the eLP in a timely manner (wherever possible) so you are able to use this to complement your face-to-face learning and reading.

As with all other modules on your programme, successful academic achievement requires a system of robust support and guidance to help you focus on your learning needs. In addition to the pastoral support you will receive, the tutors involved in delivering this module will provide guidance and academic counselling to ensure that you are able to confidently engage with the academic rigour of this module. This dialogue will be face-to-face in lectures, workshops or individual tutorials and is an essential aspect of the programme’s assessment for learning strategy. Extensive support is also accessible online as part of the University’s commitment to technology enhanced learning. This employs the use of the e-learning portal (Blackboard including Pebble+) and social networking and collaborative tools.

A central feature of the academic support available to you is the service provided by the University Library. This 24/7 service caters for all your learning needs, has extensive access to electronic texts and tutorials that will directly support the development of academic skills aimed at improving your critical thinking and analytical writing.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Consider the subject knowledge, skills and understanding supported by the theoretical pedagogical principles underpinning each curriculum subject;
2. Consolidate and develop your own knowledge and skills across curriculum subjects creating a positive attitude to them;

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. Develop your understanding of the contribution of each specific subject in children’s development;
4. Develop your understanding of the transferable knowledge, skills and pedagogies between the subjects for children’s development;
5. You have successfully demonstrated the correct use of standard written (within all written aspects of the submission) and verbal (through the delivery of the assessed presentation) English, e.g spelling, punctuation, grammar and pronunciation in accordance with Teachers’ Standard 3c (DfE, 2012).

Personal Values Attributes:
6. Develop your abilities to work collaboratively and independently to evaluate sequential planning, teaching and learning across subjects.

Summative Assessment:
Poster Presentation; (10 mins; 8 min presentation plus 2 mins Q&A); and submission of a ‘learning mind-map’ which explores the potential learning opportunities drawn from a children’s book will form 100% of your summative assessment for this module across either age phase (3-7 or 7-11).

This assessment approach is intended to offer you the opportunity to design and propose series of integrated learning opportunities, drawn from a children’s book, across the core and non-core subjects and demonstrate how they link to the curriculum in your chosen age phase. You will be asked to discuss your learning mind-map to identify specific subject knowledge, key approaches to children’s learning and their theoretical underpinning. This is intended to form an evidence base upon which you can draw to support your development throughout your initial assessed placement later in the semester.

Proposed (Draft) Presentation Title:
Utilising a children’s book, which is appropriate for use within either age phase (3-7 or 7-11), as the stimulus for designing a ‘learning mind-map’ propose a series of integrated learning opportunities across the curriculum.

Summative grades, alongside formative written feedback regarding your presentation will be provided.


Summative grades, alongside formative written feedback regarding your planning will be provided.

(KU 1,2; IPSA 3,4,5; PVA 6)

None

Educational Research and Enquiry 1
Educational Placements 1
Professional Studies 1

In this module you will be introduced to the subject knowledge and skills for successful planning, teaching and differentiating of children’s learning in the core and non-core subjects across the Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. You will investigate the range of Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum subjects discretely as you begin to study the pedagogical approaches that are similar and different between these subjects through consideration of approaches to and models of effective planning for children’s learning across the 3-7 and 7-11 age phases. You will begin to look at developing appropriate learning opportunities and lessons, exploring both the discrete subject specific differences between subjects and their similarities across curriculum to allow for integrated learning to evolve; all of which is underpinned by theoretical foundations and utilising children’s literature as the source.

You will have the opportunity to apply and practise your emerging understanding and skills developed here; across your placements in the Educational Placements 2 module across semesters 1 and 2. This approach, and the initial acquisition and opportunity to development your subject knowledge and skills across the core and non-core subjects of the curriculum, allows you to begin to consider your chosen age phase, and will begin your journey towards your success both; during not only your placement this year, but also as the foundations of success for your assessed placement next year and in your final year; before ultimately your first post as an Early Career Teacher.