ED3PSPA: Professional Studies, Research Engagement and School Placement 3 (Alternative)

Module code: ED3PSPA

Module provider: Institute of Education

Credits: 40

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Miss Cara Broadhurst, email: c.broadhurst@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE ED2PSP2 OR ( TAKE ED2PS1 AND TAKE ED2SX1 ) (Compulsory)

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: Micro placement

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module builds on ED1PSP1 and ED2PSP2 as the students continue to deepen their understanding of the primary school environment.It serves to provide an alternative yet enriching assessment experience for students who will not be continuing on their journey towards QTS. 

The university-based content provides a basis for students to be successful on the school placement element of the module, where they will synthesise their learning to allow them to assume the role of a teaching assistant (TA), under guidance. The module considers the widest aspects of a school’s obligations to meet the diversity of challenges encountered daily. At the same time the module is concerned with ensuring students become critical consumers of the research they are expected to engage with, and that their application of research to practice is well-considered, intentional and context-driven. As in ED1PSP1 and ED2PSP2, the role of the student as a reflective practitioner underpins the whole module as students are required to critically review their own and others’ practice. 

The aims are therefore to: 

• Ensure students are equipped to positively impact pupils across the typical range of needs in a primary classroom. 
• Develop understanding of the pedagogies that support greater depth learners. 
• Understand the role of parents and out of school learning in a child’s education and the impacts these might have. 
• Develop understanding of how a TA should supplement the practice of the class teacher when working with groups or individual pupils.
• Ensure students are confident in ways to collaborate successfully as part of a team that includes teachers and TAs. 
• Develop research engagement and criticality to a point that informs their professional development. 
• Ensure reflective practice is fully embedded in their identity as an autonomous, curious and intentional education practitioner. 
• Ensure students are able to self-organise and manage workload relating to the role of a teaching assistant. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate eight Teaching Assistant Standards of Conduct as defined in the module handbook. 
2. Demonstrate ability to engage with research critically, expecting high quality research design and ethical conduct. 
3. Make links between research and classroom pedagogy in an analytical way that informs future practice. 
4. Produce detailed written reflection that appraises practice and suggests next steps. 

Module content

All five ITE strands are explored to a greater depth than they have been in previous years, with lesson pedagogy, behaviour management and assessment being looked at through the lenses of pupil diversity, parental perspectives and colleagues’ needs. There is a specific focus on how to develop greater depth learning with pupils. Students consider the role of external partners and agencies in supporting pupil wellbeing and learning, plus the role of out of school learning is explored. Students probe what it means to be an anti-racist and LGBTQ+ aware teacher. Research criticality is explicitly taught, and students are expected to select an aspect of education that they can investigate through engagement with the research before exploring it on their placement at an assigned primary school. After the placement, students are supported to write up their findings and reflections.  Support is given for identifying non-QTS career paths and transition to these or further qualifications is explored. 

The module makes reference to relevant and key aspects of the Primary Phase Curriculum and ITT Core Content Framework (CCF) to inform design. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module shares all non-placement elements with ED3PSP3. It is predominantly taught through face-to-face large group sessions which include some lecture style presentation and also small group tasks and discussion. There is an expectation that some small preparatory or background reading tasks will be completed outside of sessions. Some content is reserved for students to work through digitally at their own pace, e.g. screencasts or readings. The nine-week alternative TA placement halfway through the module is for students who have not previously passed the QTS placement element of ED2PSP2 (or students withdrawing early from the QTS placement) . This placement will not support QTS. However, it will allow them to successfully engage in their research study, develop valuable TA skills, and continue to understand and reflect on the learning outcomes of the module. 

Students are expected to pay £2.50 per day towards travel costs to their placement school. The remainder of the costs (minus usual daily travel costs) can be reclaimed from the University but only based on economy mileage or if standard class transport has been used and the cheapest ticket obtained 

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve all of the following to pass this module:

1. A pass in the placement
2. An overall module mark of 40%

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

A range of activities are carried out in sessions for immediate feedback. A longer dialogue is about the development of each student’s individualised research project for which students will receive feedback for related short tasks that will help them prepare. 

Reassessment

Additional costs