Postgraduate Module Descriptor

EDUM061: Primary Teaching and Learning

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:

  • 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.

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

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

  • EQUITY. Tackling the continuing challenge of social and educational disadvantage, and find practical ways to help schools to close the overlapping gaps in social equity and educational attainment.
  • VOICE. Advancing children’s voice and rights in school and classroom, in accordance with the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.
  • COMMUNITY. Promoting community engagement and cohesion through school-community links and a community curriculum that supplements and enriches the national curriculum, and by developing communal values in school and classroom.
  • SUSTAINABILITY. Embedding sustainability and global citizenship in educational policy and practice, linking to the UN agenda for global education after 2015.
  • AIMS. Developing and apply a coherent vision for 21st century primary education; enact CPR aims through curriculum, pedagogy and the wider life of the school.
  • CURRICULUM. Developing a broad, balanced and rich entitlement curriculum which responds to both national and local need, eliminates the damaging division of status and quality between core and non-core, and teaches every subject, domain or aspect to the highest possible standard.
  • PEDAGOGY. Developing a pedagogy of repertoire, rigour, evidence and principle, rather than mere compliance, with a particular emphasis on fostering the high quality classroom talk which children’s development, learning and attainment require.
  • ASSESSMENT. Encouraging approaches to assessment that enhance learning as well as test it, that support rather than distort the curriculum and that pursue standards and quality in all areas of learning, not just the core subjects.

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
511490

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities27Practical classes and workshops, including Peer Teaching and Learning Support Groups
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities8Seminar Days
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities15Activities week
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities1Tutorials with academic tutor
Guided Independent Study20Reading set texts
Guided Independent Study20Wider reading
Guided Independent Study22Web-based activities
Guided Independent Study35Seminar/workshop preparation
Guided Independent Study12Peer-teaching activity preparation
Guided Independent Study20Learning support group preparation
Guided Independent Study20Coursework assignment preparation

Online Resources

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

  • CPRT website: www.cprtrust.org.uk

  • CPRT publications: http://cprtrust.org.uk/publications