Postgraduate Education 2019-2020

This course provides opportunities to acquire advanced knowledge, understanding and skills in self evaluation and critical reflection of practice, collaborative working, professional learning and professional portfolio development. The course will help early career teachers to develop the confidence, knowledge, intellectual and practical skills required to take forward their practice in these areas. Participants will critically engage in professional reading, thinking, writing; engage in the process of self evaluation and reflect on impact of approaches used on self and others; engage in professional learning action planning; engage in and reflect on role and impact of collaborative learning on own learning.

This course is for students undertaking postgraduate study which requires a good standard of critical reading and writing skills.

The essential aim of the course is to provide participants with a working knowledge of what is required to appraise journal and other material, and be able to present a reasoned argument based on evidence. By the end of the course you will be able to demonstrate the capability to

• develop a critical understanding of the principal theories and concepts of the topics studied, together with knowledge of major policy issues involved

• analyse critically evidence and arguments to support professional judgments

The course is focussed on social science research and applications in professional / work contexts. Participants make critical connections between policy, theory, research and practice in the context of investigating their own practice. Course coverage includes research philosophy and methodology, research implementation (design, methods, data collection and ethics), data analysis and interpretation, and reflective evaluation. Participants conduct a small scale research activity to enable exploration and evaluation of the application of research in their own context. The course offers a supportive, formative learning experience in preparation for a larger project.

This course provides the opportunity to engage in an extended, context-specific classroom-based (action) research project to enhance the learning of pupils, self and others. Aligning with aspects of current discourse in education, participants will demonstrate a respect for evidence, in turn evaluating the impact of their project on self/others.  Through an enquiry based approach participants will work with others (in learning communities) to identify and carry forward their professional knowledge in a specialist area of interest with a particular emphasis on pupil learning gains.

This is the first module in the Into Headship PG certificate Programme. The aim of the course is to enable participants to understand their role as head teachers in applying the principles and practices of strategic leadership to frame and conceptualise educational problems and issues. The course provides opportunities for students to develop and to demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas. It is based upon the model of professional learning which comprises four interdependent components: critical reflection, knowledge building, experiential learning and social learning processes.

This module focuses on the middle levels of leadership.  Formal and informal roles will be explored from a practical and research perspective. The role of the Head Teacher’s in facilitating and building teachers’ capacity to lead will be reviewed. Participants can focus on the concept of leadership, related to the different models of leadership that prevail in schools today with some accent on the impact and delivery of Distributed Leadership. The values and principles of leadership will be reviewed within the context of the participant's own professional context, and by open exchange of ideas with others in the group.

This programme aims to engage learners in taking a critical overview of the Scottish Education system, current policy and curriculum drivers that impact on professional practice of teachers.

The School of Education has existing experience of successful collaborations in marketing and recruitment through the DLITE Primary and Secondary (PGDE) programmes.  Previous marketing has included joint marketing open evenings; sharing of flyers which the Local Authorities have distributed and feedback from Local Authority based events to support interested applicants.    The University has already created calendar statements which can be released at any time onto the School website for interested applicants.  In some Local Authorities potential participants are already known for consideration.  Further in discussion with GTCS, it is intended that a redirection will be possible from the GTCS website for suitable candidates to the University of Aberdeen.  This is also currently advertised on the GTCS website.

This module provides opportunities for participants to investigate current theories and research in improvement,  and further explore  those theories in relation to practices in their own school/work environment, along with the principles and practices of self-evaluation that inform them.  A seminar format will be followed providing participants the opportunity to contribute to discussion and actively input ideas relating to ways and means of initiating and leading improvement. Participants will meet regularly in a virtual, online learning environment which facilitates discussion and inter-action with others. Many of the principals and practices of school improvement are transferable to other organizations.

ED505A Mindfulness is the first course in the MSc in Studies in Mindfulness. The course introduces the three elements of the Programme: mindfulness practice, the study of mindfulness (and associated concepts) and the relevance of mindfulness to a self-selected professional, work or voluntary context. An introduction to developing a sustained, formal mindfulness practice, based upon a unique approach, is encompassed within the course. Within the course there are two residential weekends of teaching, study and practice.   

The course is assessed through the submission and assessment of a written assignment (4000-6000 words).

This course follows the same teaching approach as the first two courses. Its distinctive feature is understanding how and why we get caught up in habitual patterns of thinking and behaviour. Mindfulness and Compassion provide the foundation for clear seeing into the hidden mechanisms that give rise to conditioned reactions; and seeing how these have their roots in the subliminal level of mental activity. Practice is developed through Insight meditation and reflection. The module also draws on insights from evolutionary psychology, neuroscience and Buddhism.

The course is assessed by a written assignment (6000-8000 words). 

 

 

This module will form participants' first engagement with the 'In Headship' programme and be undertaken for the duration of the full programme.  During this module participants will engage critically and reflect on their transition to headship as they pursue equity and excellence through building capacity in self and others.

The unit will consist of an initial intensive study one night residential for the national cohort which includes a series of online critically reflective tasks pre-and post this event which draw on academic reading and experiences in practice). 

This module will provide focused challenge, requiring new head teachers to undertake a situational analysis and write action plans specifying what they want to achieve in their new post with an emphasis on strategic planning for school improvement drawing upon a range of academic literature and research evidence.

The mode of delivery for this module will be a blended model of face-to-face sessions complemented by online components.

There will be a focus on evaluative writing linked to strategic reporting which will be reflected in the formative and summative assessment tasks.

This course will support you to frame, specify, plan, implement and report an academic or work-related research-based investigation or development. The course is available if you have successfully completed a postgraduate diploma and allows you to complete your Masters degree. Normally your diploma should have included courses which introduced the process and methods of conducting research. The work-based project/dissertation course requires sustained independent research and you will receive individual or small group supervision. You will also have the opportunity to engage with workshops and online resources as part of a community of researchers in education and related areas.

This is a flexible online 15 credit (SCQF11) Masters course that allows students to learn about Mindfulness, what it is, how it can be practised and how it has been applied. This course allows student to undergo an introduction to definitions and debates around mindfulness, as well as look at evidence of its application, potential and efficacy in multiple contexts. Students will also be required to undergo a range of mindfulness practices. This course therefore blends academic and experiential learning as students interogate the claims made for mindfulness and also undergo an experiential training in key practices. This course can be taken by anyone who has an interest in mindfulness and professionals from various contexts such as Healthcare, Education, Business, Sport, Community Work and Creativity will be able to look at literaure and evidence for the application of mindfulness, as well as investigate how they can also apply it to their work. Given the appetite for mindfulness in society this course can be a significant addition to the continuing professional development of students. For example, teachers who graduate in this course can put it towards professional recognition in mindfulness with the General Teaching Council.

This module examines the concept of change as it relates to the development of inclusive curricula, and considers the influences and assumptions that shape the curriculum. It is designed to develop an understanding of the inter-relationships amongst various organisational systems, and to examine the professional and personal activities that take place within these interconnected systems.

Focus Courses: ED50BQ Literacy Difficulties and Dyslexia OR ED50BP An Introduction to Autism and Its Implications for Classroom Practice 15 SM Points each

The focus element of this combined 30 credit module examines either literacy difficulties or autism in detail. Participants have the opportunity to explore in their practice how they might facilitate the enhanced participation of pupils facing these potential challenges in their learning.

This course is designed to extend knowledge and understanding and enhance practice in counselling and mentoring.  Participants will develop a critical understanding of the theoretical concepts and principles underpinning approaches to counselling and mentoring; reflect critically on their own attitudinal qualities, interpersonal and communication skills when in role as a counsellor, mentor and mentee; through skills development, enhance their skills when involved in educational contexts; contribute to enhancing the quality of provision within their learning community through undertaking counselling, coaching and mentoring related activities and reflect on the impact of their role on self and others.

This course aims to:

• enhance and extend professional practice in the teaching of subject/stage through the medium of Gaelic

• familiarise students with the support structures available in Gaelic education

• provide the advanced knowledge, understanding and skills required to deliver subject/stage in Gaelic medium

• develop the relevant Gaelic language skills so that participants are able to teach through the medium of Gaelic and respond to the needs of the pupils they teach

• provide knowledge and understanding of the range of theoretical perspectives relating to immersion and bilingual teaching and the promotion of Gaelic Medium Education

This course covers a range of conceptual issues fundamental to an understanding of autism in inclusive contexts. Participants will therefore develop a critical knowledge and understanding of policy, literature and research relating to the diagnostic criteria for autism, the key theories of autism, the main strategies used to support learners and the key themes and issues in the field. This will be linked to a critical knowledge and understanding of policy, literature and research on inclusion and issues around its meaning and enactment. The role of interprofessional collaboration and learner participation in facilitating inclusion is emphasised across the course.

There are three study units.

Unit 1: Identifying a Focus and Rationale The purposes of independent study; forms of investigation; the benefits of sustained independent study; the selection of an area, theme or focus; making links to other study modules and practice; the place of research literature and other reading.

Unit 2: Background Reading and Study Plans The value of background reading; finding sources and resources; making use of literature and other sources; identifying themes and areas for study; finding and framing questions; identifying methods of evidence gathering; setting aims and objects in a timeline; planning practicalities; time management. Negotiating a contract of study and working with others

Unit 3: Implementation and Reporting Effective communication; ensuring rigour and quality; collecting and analysing evidence; discussing and presenting findings and conclusions. This module may be available in both contact and distance learning formats with optional support and interaction through computer mediated communication. Participants will complete a series of tutorials, readings and practical activities as appropriate in preparation for completion of an independent study or development. Additional contact-based elements of delivery may be added where circumstances allow (up to an overall total of 40 hours).

1st attempt: Formative assessment activities are embedded in the distance learning materials to prompt and structure regular participant-tutor contacts and to scaffold the final summative assessment activity.

There are three study units.

Unit 1: Identifying a Focus and Rationale The purposes of independent study; forms of investigation; the benefits of sustained independent study; the selection of an area, theme or focus; making links to other study modules and practice; the place of research literature and other reading.

Unit 2: Background Reading and Study Plans The value of background reading; finding sources and resources; making use of literature and other sources; identifying themes and areas for study; finding and framing questions; identifying methods of evidence gathering; setting aims and objects in a timeline; planning practicalities; time management. Negotiating a contract of study and working with others

Unit 3: Implementation and Reporting Effective communication; ensuring rigour and quality; collecting and analysing evidence; discussing and presenting findings and conclusions. This module may be available in both contact and distance learning formats with optional support and interaction through computer mediated communication. Participants will complete a series of tutorials, readings and practical activities as appropriate in preparation for completion of an independent study or development. Additional contact-based elements of delivery may be added where circumstances allow (up to an overall total of 40 hours).

1st attempt: Formative assessment activities are embedded in the distance learning materials to prompt and structure regular participant-tutor contacts and to scaffold the final summative assessment activity.

This final core course in the MSc EPP provides opportunities to review and consolidate the skills, knowledge, values and practices developed across the earlier part of the programme as well as other aspects of ongoing professional learning. The course will focus on critical self reflection and act as a mechanism to provide a synopsis and synthesis, within participants’ current work based context, of key new learning, enhanced ways of collaborative/cooperative working; enquiry/research techniques planned/implemented, action research project findings and impact; and enhanced professional practice arising from experiences across the programme.

This fully on-line course examines the current debates and research on leadership, particularly as these apply to not-for-profit organizations, such as education, nursing and other services.

This course provides the opportunity to extend/deepen knowledge and understanding of the responsibilities of all practitioners for literacy, numeracy and health and well-being, and associated principles and practices, in relation to the experiences and outcomes of CfE.  Participants will extend their knowledge, understanding, application and evaluation of cross-disciplinary learning and teaching practices; use action research based approaches, to design, implement, and reflect on, innovative cross-disciplinary classroom-based learning and teaching practices/interventions that will develop a number of the capacities of Curriculum for Excellence, at the same time gathering robust pupil learning attributes data to evidence the impact of these practices.

This course aims to enable students to develop the personal qualities and professional skills necessary for competent and reflective practitioners within a person centred framework. Self-awareness, counselling theory, practice and research are integrated to a level that enables course members to engage with therapeutic processes in a range of counselling relationships. Although the counselling programme is structured on a modular basis it is conceptualised as a comprehensive experience. The programme has four strands: Counselling Relationship and Therapeutic Process; Counselling Theory and Research; Personal Development; Professional Development. This course constitutes the 1st module of the counselling programme.

This course aims to enable students to develop the personal qualities and professional skills necessary for competent and reflective practitioners within a person centred framework.  Self-awareness, counselling theory, practice and research are integrated to a level that enables course members to engage with therapeutic processes in a range of counselling relationships. Although the counselling programme is structured on a modular basis it is conceptualised as a comprehensive experience. The programme has four strands: Counselling Relationship and Therapeutic Process; Counselling Theory and Research; Personal Development; Professional Development. This course constitutes the 3rd module of the counselling programme.

This course will allow students to engage with the theory and practice of working with children in a range of settings, 0-3, 3-5 and 508, but with a particular focus on the role of the teacher in the setting in which they work.  Students will explore a number of contemporary educational issues and approaches in Early Years Education.  Course content will support the Early Years Framework (2008) through the development of specialist Early Years provision which will help to build the resilience of children, improve the capacity of parents and contribute towards developing supportive communities.

The course provides students with the opportunity to explore contemporary theories of language development and engage with the role of the practitioner in supporting the development of language and literacy across the age ranges 0-3, 3-5 and 5-8, but with a particular focus on the age range of the setting in which they are employed. The course will further build on core aspects of early years education previously studied in units ED50P7 and ED50P8.

This course will support you to frame, specify, plan, implement and report an academic or work-related research-based investigation or development. The course is available if you have successfully completed a postgraduate diploma and allows you to complete your Masters degree. Normally your diploma should have included courses which introduced the process and methods of conducting research. The work based project/dissertation course requires sustained independent research and you will receive individual or small group supervision. You will also have the opportunity to engage with workshops and online resources as part of a community of researchers in education and related areas.

This course is part of an international Postgraduate Certificate in Education and postgraduate diploma in education: iPGCE / iPGDE.  The course is designed for teachers to enhance their critical reflection of practice through a social justice lens within an international context.

The concept of Inclusive Pedagogy has been developed by studying the practice of primary and secondary classroom teachers who think about learning and teaching in a novel way. This approach acknowledges and responds to difficulties that children may face in their learning in ways that respect the dignity of the child in the community of the classroom. This approach leads to innovative partnerships between classroom teachers and other specialists such as additional support needs (ASN). It offers a framework for thinking about learning and teaching that can support planning and classroom practice.

This on-line course offers the opportunity for teachers and others in alternative professional settings to attain the skills and understandings required to conduct action-based research within their own professional contexts. Participants will identify a research topic and prepare a proposal, supported by a line-manager, which will then form the basis of the course. A number of virtual face-to-face sessions will be conducted at intervals throughout the module giving participants the opportunity to interact with other members in whole group and small group settings. Assessment will include a poster presentation and a 5,000 word submission in a journal article format.

This course is designed to expand participants’ sense of their wider learning and teaching activities through examining critical issues that are facing higher education currently. The course explores the wider educational, corporate, political and social contexts in which higher education operates, introducing participants to some of the latest research and thinking on learning and teaching. An underpinning principle of the course is to develop participants’ ability to critically review educational practice and education research. This course is aligned with the UK Professional Standards Framework for Learning & Teaching in H.E.

This course will focus on the theoretical and professional issues relating to learning and museums, including informal and formal learning, professional identity, regulatory and curriculum contexts, relationships between community and professional providers and social inclusion. Alongside seminars, normally held in the University’s museums, tutor-directed activities will include visits and observation of learning activities in local museums and similar organisations.

The course is intended to enable participants to reflect on current provision and practice in relation to learning in museums through critical consideration of current constructions and understandings of the ways in which museums are sites of learning for visitors.

This course is for students undertaking postgraduate study which requires a good standard of critical reading and writing skills.

The essential aim of the course is to provide participants with a working knowledge of what is required to appraise journal and other material, and be able to present a reasoned argument based on evidence. By the end of the course you will be able to demonstrate the capability to

• develop a critical understanding of the principal theories and concepts of the topics studied, together with knowledge of major policy issues involved

• analyse critically evidence and arguments to support professional judgments

The course is focussed on social science research and applications in professional / work contexts. Participants make critical connections between policy, theory, research and practice in the context of investigating their own practice. Course coverage includes research philosophy and methodology, research implementation (design, methods, data collection and ethics), data analysis and interpretation, and reflective evaluation. Participants conduct a small scale research activity to enable exploration and evaluation of the application of research in their own context. The course offers a supportive, formative learning experience in preparation for a larger project.

Personal and social development linked to health and wellbeing is increasingly recognised as central to an effective education in which the potential of the whole individual is developed.

Curriculum for Excellence and Health and Wellbeing E&O’s emphasize the importance of planned approaches. This module is therefore designed to increase competence in identifying and meeting the developing needs of young people through effective planning.

The module covers aspects below:

• planning, development and delivery of inter-disciplinary programmes of PSHE including assessment, evaluation and improvement planning
• learner-centred approaches and the importance of a supportive climate

This is the second module in the recently developed, SCEL initiated Into Headship PG certificate programme. The aim of this course is to enable participants to gain the knowledge and understanding needed to manage a collaborative change process with members of the wider school community. The module will also map sets of strategies to address the educational issue identified in Module 1 of the PG Certificate.

This programme aims to engage learners in taking a critical overview of their own practice, taking account of the requirements of the Scottish Education system, current policy and curriculum drivers that impact on professional practice of teachers.

ED555B Compassion is the second course in the MSc in Studies in Mindfulness. The key study theme is the role and importance of compassion within mindfulness. ED505B Compassion is unique not only in prioritising the study of compassion but also in developing compassion within mindfulness practice. Specific topics include evolutionary psychology, our compassionate nature and ‘the undercurrent and the observer’.

 

 

This course provides the opportunity FOR students TO critically investigate AND improve aspects of their professional practice through enquiry. The course essentially explores the notion of the practitioner researcher WITHIN the policy – theory – research – practice landscape. The development of knowledge AND understanding of the research PROCESS, AND the evidence-based design, implementation AND analysis of an investigation exploring an important context-SPECIFIC aspect of EACH student’s professional practice, are KEY elements of the course. ON-line tutor-led GROUP sessions are used AT KEY points TO provide formative support FOR student learning.

 

 

Participants continue to develop their identities as school leaders through critical self-reflection and building capacity in self and others by addressing a key strategic issue (identified in Module 2a).

The mode of delivery for this module will be a blended model of face-to-face sessions complemented by online components.

This course aims to:

• provide a critical appreciation of how the key concepts of language understanding and development are integrated into subject/stage teaching and how they impact on each other
• give participants opportunities to understand and review critically pedagogies used to deliver their stage/subject through Gaelic medium
• examine theories of learning in the context of Gaelic medium and to engage the participants in an interrogation of how the Gaelic language is used in the classroom to teach the subject/stage and how children use the Gaelic language

• examine policy initiatives and their relationship with Gaelic Medium education

This course explores the links between the diagnostic criteria for autism (difficulties with social communication, social interaction, flexibility of thought & sensory integration) and behaviour. We critically explore positive, evidence-based approaches to identifying solutions. We also critically examine the links between the national strategy for autism, theory and practice and the meaning of the notion of the ‘autism friendly workplace’. Students are introduced to strategies for reflecting critically upon workplace provision via structured auditing and action planning for change.

This course encourages you to consider issues of innovation and change that arise from external and internal influences on the FE sector. It provides an opportunity for you to develop innovative, professional ideas and practice, interlinking theoretical aspects with practice and considering future professional contexts. The course offers an opportunity to reflect on your wider professional role and context, and the different factors that impact on these, taking into consideration, social, political, economic, legislative, and technical changes. This course will help you develop critical responses to a continually changing educational landscape.

Participants will review and critically appraise current conceptual understandings of change, gain an understanding of change management, and evaluate change processes in their own school/organisational setting. Implementing and managing change has become an on-going leadership task; coping with the complexity, ambiguity and stress which change can generate is seen as a key leadership skill. It is widely accepted that leaders and managers will succeed more often if they have the necessary knowledge of how to view, cope with, initiate and sustain change. This course is designed to increase the understanding of participants who are involved in leading to enhance performance.

This course aims to enable students to develop the personal qualities and professional skills necessary for competent and reflective practitioners within a person centred framework. Self-awareness, counselling theory, practice and research are integrated to a level that enables course members to engage with therapeutic processes in a range of counselling relationships. Although the counselling programme is structured on a modular basis it is conceptualised as a comprehensive experience. The programme has four strands: Counselling Relationship and Therapeutic Process; Counselling Theory and Research; Personal Development; Professional Development. This course constitutes the 2nd module of the counselling programme.

This course aims to enable students to develop the personal qualities and professional skills necessary for competent and reflective practitioners within a person centred framework. Self-awareness, counselling theory, practice and research are integrated to a level that enables course members to engage with therapeutic processes in a range of counselling relationships. Although the counselling programme is structured on a modular basis it is conceptualised as a comprehensive experience. The programme has four strands: Counselling Relationship and Therapeutic Process; Counselling Theory and Research; Personal Development; Professional Development. This course constitutes the 4th module of the counselling programme.

This course will  allow students to engage with the theory and practice of the role of the teacher in the setting in which they work, but with a particular focus on the other two settings in age range (0-3, 3-5, 5-8) in which they are not normally employed. This course is designed to follow on from and compliment ED50P7. Course content will support the Early Years Framework (2008) through the development of specialist Early Years provision which will help to build the resilience of children, improve the capacity of parents and contribute towards developing supportive communities.

This course will support you to frame, specify, plan, implement and report an academic or work-related research-based investigation or development. The course is available if you have successfully completed a postgraduate diploma and allows you to complete your Masters degree. Normally your diploma should have included courses which introduced the process and methods of conducting research. The work based project/dissertation course requires sustained independent research and you will receive individual or small group supervision. You will also have the opportunity to engage with workshops and online resources as part of a community of researchers in education and related areas.

This course is designed to enable participants to begin to link educational practice, evidence and theory in order to design, deliver and evaluate courses and programmes for both undergraduates and taught postgraduates. It encourages participants to experiment with, and take a critical, scholarly stance on, different approaches to learning, teaching and assessment. Course workshops are designed to facilitate participants’ engagement with pedagogical literature, to challenge current approaches to teaching and to encourage planning for their further professional development in the learning and teaching arena.