BA Single Honours Studies in Primary Education (with Foundation Year)

This module, delivered in whole or in part by subject-specific staff, will introduce students to the content and staff of their chosen degree subject. Students will explore the disciplinary conventions, core concepts and professional requirements of their degree. The themes under discussion will vary according to the degree the students are studying, but each degree group will enable students to gain familiarity with their chosen area of study and subject staff. In the tutor group, students will complete a capstone assessment designed by staff in their subject area.

Students will explore big ideas around higher education, society and identity as they develop their academic skills and confidence. Students will be introduced to theory, examples of which include education theories, theories of learning, race theory, gender theory. Students will be introduced to the context and development of these concepts over time, and from literary and philosophic perspectives. The module will explicitly engage with digital literacy and will include opportunities for students to engage with the online learning environment and develop their digital skills.

This module is designed to facilitate students’ further critical engagement with the context and concepts to which they were introduced in semester one. Students will exploring ideas about childhood, life and old age in a digital world and have the opportunity for the continued development of core academic skills as well as providing opportunities for students to reflect on their progress. The module will include opportunities for students to engage with the online learning environment and develop information literacy skills.

This module will develop student’s knowledge and understanding of child development and learning. The module will focus on development of the body, language, cognition and social and emotional aspects. It will provide students with theories for development and learning, and relate these to aspects of learning and teaching. Theorists considered will include, among others; Piaget, Bruner, Skinner, Vygotsky and Chomsky. It will also explore theories which focus on the impact of biological and maturational processes on human development, including theories of attachment. Students will also consider individual factors that impact on child development and learning such as health, environment, personality and self-esteem. Interpersonal relationships will be considered in the context of the learner and will consider the role of these in supporting teaching and learning and also how these affect the students as learners.

The purpose of this module is to inspire students to embark on a professional career in teaching and provide them with the knowledge and skills required to progress on to a teacher education programme. In particular, it offers to students the opportunity to develop an appreciation of the personal and professional values and attributes underpinning the profession, as well as to understand teachers’ professional roles and responsibilities. This module will support students to begin to develop professional knowledge and understanding across the compulsory school age ranges, in a variety of learning settings. This module enables vocational learning and progression in Higher Education providing opportunities for students to develop confidence and belief in their potential, together with an increased awareness of the professional career options open to them. This module is designed specifically to promote highly skilled, graduate-level employability by supporting aspirant student teachers to progress onto a PGCE. It provides valuable, practical insights into the application processes for the various professional routes into the teaching profession.

This module provides students with an introduction to the English, Mathematics and Science programmes of study of the National Curriculum. Key aspects of subject knowledge within the three subject areas will be addressed and these will be used as a vehicle to explore effective principles and methods of supporting teaching and learning within the primary classroom. Key pedagogical approaches to the teaching of the three core subjects will be explored and students will consider in detail the role of school staff in supporting teaching and learning effectively. Students will be given the opportunity to plan and teach activities that facilitate learning in English, Mathematics and Science and begin to develop strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching and learning they observe and are also involved in. Students will also consider some of the ways in which teaching strategies may be matched to specific learner needs. The students will consider the role of resources in supporting learning and teaching and will be given the opportunity to plan and teach activities that facilitate learning in English, Mathematics and Science and begin to develop strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching and learning they observe and are also involved in.

This module aims to enhance students’ understanding of a range of factors that impact upon the ‘life journeys’ and ‘life chances’ of individuals and groups, during their primary education. Students will explore the constructs of childhood and adolescence through the investigation of societal and other factors such as the family, identity, class and disaffection. The module will enable students to critically evaluate the extent to which these factors impact on different individuals and groups. They will be invited to reflect on the factors influencing their own ‘life journey.’

This, level four, module will introduce students to a range of issues surrounding the inclusion of so-called ‘vulnerable’ groups in the English education system. Wider considerations of inclusive policy and practice will also be explored, including possible reasons for high exclusion rates, and low achievement for certain groups. Thus, for example, the needs of Gypsy, Roma, Traveller children, looked after children, and refugee children will be considered, as will support for pupils whose first language is not English. National policy and guidelines in this area, in relation to primary education, will be explored, as will wider issues of perceptions, attitudes and potential prejudice.

This module seeks to introduce discussion of the purposes and processes of educational systems from a number of different perspectives. The module is designed to give students insights into the nature of primary education as a field of study and the disciplines, concepts and themes that inform the study of education. In the process of exploring key concepts such as learning, development, identity, agency, structure, power, social class, cultural capital, curriculum, inclusion, ideology and diversity students are also introduced to the evolving political and social arenas in which the study of primary education is located. This introductory module is specifically designed to introduce the idea of education as an essentially contested concept and practice, and problematise it as a discrete area of study.

This module will enable students to explore research in education in the context of social, political economic and historical influences. The module begins with an exploration of current and past research in education to help students understand the difference between different methodological approaches and their broad philosophical and ideological standpoints, and where social science research is now positioned. Students will also be introduced to the knowledge and understanding necessary for the design of a presentation of a research plan, demonstrating awareness of differing approaches to methodology, the importance of literature review, research planning and research governance including ethical processes. Students will be introduced to a range of research methods including understanding of data and information collection techniques of observation, interviews, focus groups, survey design and use of secondary data.

This module will focus specifically on children and young people and seeks to raise your awareness of a range of social, emotional and psychological factors that affect their learning and development. Through the use of research it will draw upon different perspectives to develop understanding of key and contested concepts in education, such as multiple intelligences, learning theories, cognition, labelling, self-fulfilling prophesy and the hidden curriculum. You will be encouraged to explore and critically reflect upon how these ideas can influence children’s and young people’s educational experiences.

This level 5 module considers the function of creativity and imagination in educational practice. Drawing on contemporary thinking, research, and inspection evidence, students will explore the different ways in which creativity has been defined and conceptualised, and the relationship of imagination to the creative process. The module will consider the attributes of creative and imaginative practice and the environments and conditions for promoting imagination and creativity.

This year-long module offers learners the opportunity to apply and explore knowledge within a work-based context, through the mode of workplace learning. The subject specific tutor will negotiate the focus for the learner’s role , with the learner. Students have the opportunity to complete at least 100 hours in the work setting. The learner will reflect critically on different dimensions of the workplace setting and their own employability.

Children, parents and educators have the right to good quality care and education which is free from any form of overt and covert, individual and structural discrimination on the grounds of their protected characteristics (Equality Act, 2010) multilingual skills. This module recognises the importance of Early Years education in building a strong foundation that fosters positive awareness of diversity which can then be built on throughout the rest of the education system. A range of key policy and legislation will be drawn on whilst exploring critical theoretical perspectives around children’s rights (UNCRC) and to challenge dominate thinking of key principles such as dignity, fairness, equality, respect, power and autonomy drawing upon critical theory, feminism, critical race theory, queer theory, intersectionality.

This module will further examine the tools and strategies that support the inclusion and care of children within practice and society who have a wide range of disabilities or further needs. This will be explored through the context of research, policy and legislation. Implications for the Early Years Practitioner working with children, families and multi-agency teams will be critically examined.

This module considers the increasing role that digital media is playing in young people’s lives, and the implications of this for their development, education and well-being. Drawing on research, policy and contemporary thinking, students will explore the various ways in which young people’s digital behaviour can be understood (including both empowerment and protectionist discourses), as well as young people’s uses of and attitudes to technology. The module also considers e-safety issues and conditions for promoting digital literacy.

Building upon students’ developing knowledge base and educational interests, this module undertakes discussion around some of the dominant ideologies and philosophies that have shaped educational discourses within Western educational systems and the developing global context. It is designed to provide students with an understanding of education in terms of its relationship to broad socio-historic and political contexts, enabling in turn an informed evaluation of competing interests in educational practice, policy and provision. To this end it considers a variety of educational possibilities that exist both within and outside of mainstream educational provision.

In this module we invite students to select a topic of personal interest to be explored through field research or a desk-based study (depending on route) and reported in a written study of 10,000 words. The Research Project is designed to enable students to investigate educational phenomena that hold particular interest for in them and actively encourages the exercise of originality and personal autonomy. It requires students to identify and apply an appropriate research design, addressing ethical principles, and employing systematic research procedures. Students will present and analyse their findings with critical reflection on their research question, methodology, management and organisation and analyse limitations of their study. They will identify the implications for policy and practice, where appropriate. The module aims to draw and build upon students’ previous knowledge and experience at certificate and intermediate level study.

This module focuses specifically on the multicultural multi-ethnic nature of the world and the fundamental impacts this has on early education in both contemporary and historical contexts. We explore central issues of diversity and the ways in which this concept exists in tension with neoliberal influences that promote conformity and encourage capitalism and inequalities. We unpick this by considering key concepts including colonialism and post-colonialism, otherness, race and racism, patriarchy and gender inequalities, and the datafication of the human subject. The module offers an integrated exploration of global historical contexts to consider how these relate to current worldwide controversies and challenges in educational policy and practice. Active student participation is central to this module with teaching being based around close discussion of material and experience. Midway through the module you will undertake an ethnographic walk to critically explore a chosen area of the environment, the results of which are presented in the module to deepen understanding of sites of contest and the ways in which history and ideology are reflected in our everyday urban.

The thematic and analytical focus of this module is the impact of digital media and new information and communication technologies upon culture, notions of identity and education and learning. You will be introduced to the perspective that the spread of technologies is the source of some profound cultural changes that have huge implications for both socialisation and educational processes. You will also be introduced to some of the ways in which educational outcomes for the 21st century can be facilitated by the incorporation and creative exploitation of the new technologies. You will be expected to demonstrate that you can use the new technologies in your own creative educative production that critiques the impact of technologies on education.

This module builds on previous modules such as PSU405 and PSU406 and provides further opportunities to explore and critically evaluate social, moral and well being issues in a primary classroom. Students will deepen their knowledge of the whole child in the primary classroom and critically analyse the roles of professionals involved in supporting these in primary schools. They will gain a critical understanding of how these can affect pupils’ participation and learning and can lead to underachievement. They will explore and critically evaluate support strategies and interventions designed to improve outcomes for primary children.