There are no pre-requisites for this module to be added

This module on School Experience articulates with the development of professional skills and abilities in Teaching and Learning. It represents the 18 weeks when you will be in school and developing your skills to enable you to take responsibility for your timetabled classes. You will have opportunities to demonstrate increasing confidence in your abilities and to inspire the pupils with subject knowledge and use of effective learning and teaching strategies.

During this period you will also be required to gather evidence for future professional recognition by the General Teaching Council Scotland’s Standards for Provisional Registration. This detailed matrix is both aspirational and achievable for you by the end of the 10-month PGDE programme, and as an audit towards the probation (NQT) year ahead.

The assessment at all stages is holistic in nature and will involve both university curricular specialists and school based mentors working with you. This partnership is essential to ensure that professional standards are maintained and that support is offered at every stage of the three school experience placements that you will undertake.

As part of the process you participate in developing three personal development plans that will clearly determine your professional needs and advice on how to realistically achieve these targets. It will also be relevant for engaging in professional discussion with colleagues to gauge how the placement is progressing rather than waiting until the end of each placement for purely summative report.

In preparation for your school experience placements you will also explore professional values and generic aspects of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, as well as facilitating understanding of the schools as inclusive learning communities in which you will teach and your professional responsibilities within them.

You will know and understand the content of the curriculum in relation to literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing, and the methods and underlying theories for effective teaching of these cross curricular priorities. A variety of strategies to build relationships with learners, promote positive behaviour and celebrate success will be explored and the importance of applying the school’s behaviour management policy, including strategies for inclusion, emphasised.

Learning activities will encourage reflection and engagement in self-evaluation using the Standard for Registration and relevant educational theory. You will maintain a record of their own professional learning and development, and use the reflective journal as a method of capturing this.

• Education systems and professional responsibilities: You will develop an understanding of the sector and schools in which they will be working, including: the role of education authorities, the organisation and management of schools and resources, improvement planning, professional review and development, and how these connect to teachers’ professional practice. The module will provide a working knowledge of the teacher’s contractual, pastoral and legal responsibilities and enable students to develop an understanding of the legal and professional aspects of a teacher’s position of trust in relation to learners. The roles and responsibilities of various members of staff within learning communities will be explored, including interprofessional practice and child protection.

• Pedagogy: The module will support student understanding of theories of learning and the importance of these in planning, teaching and learning. You will also consider how to plan and provide an inclusive, safe and secure, well organised learning environment; make appropriate use of available space to accommodate whole class lessons, group and individual work and promote independent learning including the use of digital technologies where appropriate. You will also learn to apply health and safety regulations as appropriate to your role and the diverse learners you teach.

• Professional qualities and capabilities: The module will enable students to engage in professional dialogue with peers and university staff and to work collaboratively, at times taking a leading role, in a culture of trust and respect, to share their professional learning and development with others.

The Learning Outcomes of this module are aligned with the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s Standard for Provisional Registration (http://www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/the-standards/standards-for-registration-1212.pdf).

Upon successful completion of this module you will be able to:

LO1. Apply the principal skills, techniques, materials and practices that will allow you to realise your potential as an effective teacher.

LO2. Work effectively under guidance with qualified practitioners, and with other education professionals.

LO3. Exercise autonomy and initiative in professional activities, especially those related to effective learning and teaching in the classroom.

LO4. Critically reflect on professional values, learning and development, drawing on theory where relevant culminating in a clear indication of intended future action.