Postgraduate Module Descriptor

EDUM038: Secondary Biology with Psychology Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Module Aims

The principal aims of the module are to:

  • enable you to gain a comprehensive understanding of the background theory, issues and practice relating to current teaching of science in the secondary curriculum, with particular reference to the teaching of biology and psychology;
  • support you to meet the Standards required for the award of Qualified Teacher Status and thus be in a very good position to gain employment as a science teacher able to specialize in both biology and psychology; and
  • nurture your development as a reflective and autonomous professional practitioner who is able to identify strengths and areas for development in your subject knowledge and pedagogy, through evaluating current professional practice in relationship to developments in research and curriculum theory.

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 the teaching of science, with particular reference to biology and psychology, and engage in critical debate about current educational issues in the teaching of these subjects drawing on evidence from theory, research and practice;
2. recognise pupils’ learning needs in science, with particular reference to biology and psychology, and interpret these learning needs in order to plan, teach, assess and evaluate lessons and schemes of work;
3. demonstrate confident academic and pedagogic subject knowledge to teach science to Key Stage 3 and biology and psychology to Key Stage 4 and beyond;
4. demonstrate secure understanding of the statutory requirements for teaching science;
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.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

The module introduces students to current thinking in the teaching of science, with particular reference to biology and psychology, and develops students’ pedagogic and academic subject knowledge in the field of science education. Key elements of the module include:

  • Science Lecture Programme: lectures to cover the theoretical basis of Science and Psychology education, including an introduction to current ideas on the development of science teachers’ professional thinking and practice.
  • National Curriculum Physics and Chemistry Courses: a series of lectures, seminars and practical classes to develop practice in physics and chemistry teaching at KS3 and to develop students’ own subject knowledge in these subjects.
  • Main Subject (Psychology) Course: a series of lectures, seminars and practical classes to address the range of practice in current Psychology teaching at KS4 and post-16 level.
  • Main Subject (Biology) Course: a series of lectures, seminars and practical classes to address the range of practice in current Biology teaching at KS4 and post-16 level.
  • Subject Support Teaching (Biology and Psychology): a series of sessions in which students teach specialist aspects of degree level Biology and Psychology to their peers followed by tutorial review to encourage the development of reflective analysis.
  • Peer Teaching: teaching sessions in which students use the University of Exeter Model of Initial Teacher Education to develop their skills of reflective practice followed by tutorial review and feedback.
  • Science Pedagogy Workshops: a series of practical workshops introducing a range of pedagogical approaches to the teaching and learning of science at KS3 – KS5.
  • Seminar Days: Five days when students return to the university to share school-based work experiences and develop the links between theoretical and practical aspects of teaching Science and Physics.
  • Fieldwork: a day learning about ecology and geology on a local rocky shore.

On the Secondary PGCE, you will learn and reflect on the skills and knowledge required by the programme’s credit-bearing and non-credit bearing modules throughout the year. You will need to think about the modules in relation to each other. To facilitate this, the learning and teaching activities and guided independent study described below are scheduled to occur across all three terms both in the context of your university taught course and in the context of your 24 weeks of applied professional experience in schools.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
932070

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities15Lectures; Science Lecture Programme
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities60Practical classes and workshops: Main Subject (Biology) Course; Main Subject (Psychology) Course; National Curriculum Physics and Chemistry Courses; Peer Teaching and Subject Support Groups; Science Pedagogy workshops
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities5Fieldwork
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities10Seminar Days
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities3Tutorials with academic tutor
Guided independent study207Independent Study

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).