Postgraduate Module Descriptor


EDUM061: Primary Teaching and Learning

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 academic year.

Module Aims

The module will focus on extending the breadth and depth of your understanding of primary education in several directions, in order that you can develop children’s learning and your own teaching in a number of ways. These include:

  • acquiring a detailed understanding of research-inspired practice in primary education, largely based on the work of the Cambridge Primary Review Trust (as a springboard for further reading)

  • developing skills in critically reflecting on your professional learning to deepen knowledge and understanding of theory, policy and research, and recognise the implications of this information for your own professional philosophy and for improving practice;

  • understanding the roles and responsibilities of the primary school teacher, ways to support and inspire colleagues and approaches to school-based professional inquiry;

  • meeting the Standards required for the award of Qualified Teacher Status and thus be in a very good position to gain employment as a primary teacher

Each of these strands is developed throughout the module. Peer learning and teaching is a feature of the module both by sharing strengths within the group and by providing support for fellow students, where applicable.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.

On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. identify and evaluate educational concepts and issues related to primary teaching and learning; and engage in critical debate about current educational issues in primary schools drawing on evidence from theory, research and practice – with particular reference to the work of the Cambridge Primary Review Trust
2. deploy a range of personal and professional skills relevant to primary teaching and learning and justify solutions to various problems connected to primary education;
3. demonstrate confident academic and pedagogic subject knowledge to teach across the curriculum in Key Stage 1 and 2;
4. demonstrate secure understanding of the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum;
Discipline-Specific Skills5. critically evaluate the relevance of educational theory to practice;
6. synthesise relevant educational literature in support of an argument;
7. use appropriate technologies for data handling and writing in education;
8. present data and findings in a form appropriate in educational studies;
9. use research data in support of an argument in education;
Personal and Key Skills10. manage your own learning development;
11. learn effectively and be aware of your own learning strategies;
12. express ideas and opinions, with confidence and clarity, to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes;
13. work productively in different kinds of teams (formal, informal, project based, committee based etc); and
14. think creatively about the main features of a given problem and develop strategies for its resolution