Module EFPM916 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
EFPM916: Thinking Skills and Creativity in the Internet Age
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Aims
This module will enable you to develop your own understanding of what thinking skills and creative thinking are, whether and how we can teach for thinking and creativity and how teaching thinking relates to dialogue and networked technologies. You will also learn about the implications of the Internet Age for teaching and learning. The module will equip you with knowledge and understanding of a range of different theories and contemporary approaches to thinking skills. It will also introduce you to research on teaching thinking and creativity within the context of the internet age. It will be an excellent preparation for either developing and applying your own approach to teaching thinking in your own educational context or for continuing to further research and you will gain a good understanding of issues around thinking skills and creativity.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Demonstrate the ability to reflect on and critically evaluate claims that have been made about teaching thinking, and creativity; 2. Demonstrate the ability to examine and critically evaluate various accounts of the relationship between cognition, networked communication technologies and social context; 3. Demonstrate a systematic conceptual understanding of theories of social and meditational aspects of learning; 4. Demonstrate the ability to relate this knowledge in a critical and self-aware way to the practice of teaching and learning and furthermore of thinking as a subject in its own right; 5. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate and critique the arguments and the ideas around the development of dispositions, habits, skills and strategies in the context of the Internet Age (or 21st Century skills) in order to form your own original synthesis; 6. Demonstrate your originality and self-direction in dealing with complex issues by identifying dispositions, habits, skills and strategies for the Internet Age and applying these to other curriculum areas and to 'real-world' problems; 7. Demonstrate your originality and self-direction in dealing with complex issues by identifying dispositions, habits, skills and strategies for the Internet Age and applying these to other curriculum areas and to 'real-world' problems; |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 8. Demonstrate the ability to review and evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship relevant to the module content through close analysis of practice and theory; 9. Demonstrate awareness of ethical issues in relevant areas of the study and be able to discuss these in relation to personal beliefs and values; 10. Demonstrate the ability to critique theory, policy and research orally and in writing, drawing on relevant reading and research; 11. Demonstrate the ability to apply research-informed knowledge to evaluate ongoing school-based programmes; |
| Personal and Key Skills | 12. Demonstrate the ability to make sound judgements in the absence of complete data based upon critical reflection; and 13. Demonstrate the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development. |
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:
A number of sessions/topics will focus on theories and current ideas around teaching thinking in the context of the Internet Age. You will engage with ideas and theories around thinking and teaching thinking, as well as creativity and creative thinking, including current thinking around linking communications technology and social networks, group learning and theories of cognition and meta-cognition.
In other sessions/topics, you will be introduced to a number of more practical approaches to teaching thinking, including group thinking, and creative thinking and you will be asked to consider the relationship between teaching thinking and the wider school culture. In these sessions, you will link the theories and ideas to more practical approaches. You will be able to discuss and reflect on possible education futures in relation to teaching thinking and creativity and focus on new directions in teaching thinking and new research on thinking skills and cognition.
You will be provided with opportunities to discuss ideas with peers, both through online media and face-to-face in seminars throughout the module.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 270 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 30 | 30 hours of face to face and/or online seminars (1-3 hours) |
| Guided Independent Study | 100 | Preparation for assignments |
| Guided Independent Study | 50 | Set readings |
| Guided Independent Study | 120 | Engagement with specific online materials, videos, preparations for academic tutorial, preparing for seminar activities, responding to seminar, collaborative group tasks |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
