Postgraduate Module Descriptor


EDUM042: Secondary English Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

The module introduces students to current thinking in the teaching of English and develops students’ pedagogic and academic subject knowledge in the field of English education.  Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, the content will cover:

  • Best practice in pedagogy for English: how to support students' development in talk, reading and writing
  • Understanding of the National Curriculum for English, and how English is  assessed
  • Key pedagogical concepts, e.g. scaffolding,modelling
  • Research-informed approaches to teaching English

key elements of the module will include:

  • Seminars: the taught course is realized principally through highly interactive sessions which combine and integrate workshop approaches, practical work, seminar-style discussion and lecture-style direct  input;
  • Directed Online Study Programme: this covers the theory and practice of English PedagogyPeer and Expert Teaching: each student participates in peer teaching sessions during which they develop skills of teaching and reflection before going into their first placement
  • Independent and directed study activities: including developing subject knowledge, directed reading, and other tasks as relevant to the seminar sessions.
  • 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  English.

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
922080

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities72Seminars and workshops
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities9Peer Teaching
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities10Seminar Days
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities1Tutorials with academic tutor
Guided Independent Study20Subject knowledge and enhancement tasks
Guided Independent Study20Directed tasks
Guided Independent Study20Directed reading
Guided Independent Study40Independent reading for assignments
Guided Independent Study108Assignment preparation and writing

Online Resources

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