EDM200: Families and Learning

Module code: EDM200

Module provider: Institute of Education

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Geoff Taggart, email: g.taggart@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

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

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The interaction between the two sites of family and school gives rise to a series of perennial questions of theoretical and practical relevance:

• ‘What kinds of parent produce great learners?’
• ‘What do we mean by teachers operating in loco parentis?’ (i.e. what kind of parent?)
• ‘What is the impact of family circumstances upon educational achievement?’
• Do we (and should we) have childcare or early years education? What is the difference?
• ‘What kinds of learning happen at school and which at home?’
• ‘What characterises effective relationships between schools and families?’

The module has four aims:

1. To provide a theoretical understanding of issues relevant to the topic of families and learning. The questions above draw upon theoretical models such as family systems, attachment and parenting styles and feminist research in mothering/teaching.
2. To provide specialist subject skills, knowledge and understanding relevant to the topic of families and learning. The module enables students to analyse family structures and dynamics and to relate styles of parenting to real-life examples. It also introduces sociological research, both quantitative and qualitative in the field of families and education.
3. To enable students to apply their understanding to professional contexts. Formal and informal opportunities are provided for participants to reflect upon professional work with families and to apply theories and insights.
4. To improve students’ Masters-level study skills. Activities are provided which draw upon and promote the academic literacies required in the MA programme, in particular the skills of critical awareness and debate.

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Reflect upon theories of the family and use them to analyse social contexts of ‘race’, class, sexuality, religion and culture
2. Use theories about early childhood development to understand how parenting can influence adult behaviour
3. Reflect upon one’s own practice with families and to place these within the context of current research
4. Engage with recent research regarding the effect of the family context upon educational achievement

Module content

Students will be introduced to the module in the second semester with the module being taught within the second semester.

Learning opportunities will focus on  key research associated with:

• The family and educational success
• Gender, work and early childhood education
• Attachment and family systems theory
• Parenting styles
• Family learning and issues in home education
• Families and social diversity
• Communication between teachers and parents
• Gender, teaching and emotional labour

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Online materials will support a combination of lectures, seminars, group discussions, case studies and independent research. Complementary work-based tasks, independent activities and directed tasks will contribute to the achievement of the intended learning outcomes.

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 an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

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.

Reassessment

Additional costs