Postgraduate Module Descriptor


EDUM053: Primary Teaching and Learning Contextual Studies (School Direct)

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 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:

  • gaining a deeper understanding of new initiatives and policy in primary education;
  • nurturing your development as a reflective and autonomous professional practitioner who is able to identify strengths

and areas for development in subject knowledge and pedagogy, through evaluating current professional practice in

relationship to developments in research and curriculum theory;

  • enabling you to reflect critically on children’s learning and development, pedagogy and teachers’ roles and

responsibilities in multi-professional contexts

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
2. recognise pupils’ learning needs in the Primary phase 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 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.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

The module introduces you to current thinking in primary education and develops your pedagogic and academic subject

knowledge in the wider field of primary education.

Key elements of the module include a seminar programme covering:

  • Planning, teaching and assessment
  • Behaviour management,
  • Working with Teaching Assistants
  • Transitions
  • Creativity
  • Art in the Curriculum
  • Curriculum design
  • Computers in Primary Education
  • Safeguarding
  • Working with Parents
  • Being a Subject Leader and Performance Management
  • Outdoor Education
  • Writing at a Masters level

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
512490

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities33Practical classes and workshops: Pedagogy & theory workshops, Peer Teaching and Subject Support Groups
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities8Seminar Days
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities9Pathway activities
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities1Tutorials with academic tutor
Guided Independent study40Reading set texts
Guided Independent Study50Wider reading
Guided Independent Study22Web based activities
Guided Independent Study35Seminar/workshop prep/ follow-up
Guided Independent Study12Peer-teaching activity preparation
Guided Independent Study30Learning support group preparation
Guided Independent Study60Coursework assignment preparation

Online Resources

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