Building an M level
PGCE and developing
routes for progression
Sheila King
Faculty of Culture and pedagogy
Director for Learning and Teaching (ITE)
Notice to readers of this presentation
These slides do not match what was presented at Conference. These
slides include more text which informs the reader better than my
simply including the chiefly visual slides of the presentation. During
the session I used three cases studies of individual student teachers
to outline ITE and M level progression.
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The Institute of
Education-secondary
schools PGCE
Partnership
• High quality Provider Grade A
• 1000+ Student Teachers
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Secondary - 720 Student Teachers
250+ Partnership Schools
14 Institute secondary subject areas
Over 40 secondary Institute Tutors, most national
experts in their field.
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How do we ensure that our M level
is contributing to equipping
Student Teachers to be more
effective teachers for the future?
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A PGCE with M level credits
Up to 90
transferable M level credits
(180 credits= a full Master’s qualification)
30 credits -Subject Studies
30 credits -Subjects in a wider context
30 credits -module which is chosen from a
wide range of options (see next slide)
+ 30 credits (non transferable) at H level
Professional Practice with recommendation for
Qualified Teacher Status
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Examples of option modules
Type 1
A Professional Learning Portfolio is built
from 3 tasks relating to practical teaching
and whole school issues.
Key principle = Developing reflective and
reflexive practice
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Examples of option modules
Type 2
A subject module, restricted to beginning teachers in
the relevant subjects and which extends existing
subject work.
•Learning outside the Geography classroom
•Art & Design: Learning beyond the classroom
•Historical consciousness & Public History
•Religion and School Life
•Learning opportunities beyond the music classroom
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Examples of option modules
Type 3
An open module available from within some MA courses
already offered by the Institute.
•Gender, Theory and Practice in Education
•Philosophy of Education: Knowledge, Mind and Understanding
•Philosophy of Education: Values, Aims and Society
•Introduction to music technology in education (distance learning)
•Learning to live together: children’s rights, citizenship and identities
(distance learning)
•Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Citizenship (distance learning)
•Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Religious Education Teaching
controversial issues
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A PGCE with M level credits
3 progression routes
Route 1
A generic, early professional master’s course with mixed
mode and face to face learning e.g. Master of Teaching.
Route 2
Subject specific Master’s e.g. MA Art & Design in
Education, Geography in Education
Route 3
Specialist Master’s course e.g. MA Educational
Foundations, Media Education, Teaching English to
Speakers of other Languages.
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Progression in Masters courses – a survey
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Initial survey of M level progression
Sample size so far = 121
1. Please tick the one statement most likely to apply to you and
comment at the end to elaborate on any points.
a) I am likely to continue with a Masters starting
during my NQT year
29%
b) I am likely to continue with a Masters after my
NQT year
23%
c) I am likely to continue with a Masters at a date
further into the future
31%
d) I am not likely to be interested in using my M
level credits
17%
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Initial survey of M level progression
Sample size so far = 121
2. I am likely to opt for the following type of Masters. (Please tick one
only)
a) MTeach 26%
b) A subject specific Institute Masters
14%
c) Another Masters from the existing Institute
range 5%
d) I am undecided at this stage. 55%
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Initial survey of M level progression
Sample size so far = 121
3. I am intending to complete a Masters in the first few years of teaching
because; (Tick as many as you wish).
a) It will increase my chances of career progression
60%
b) It will enable me to stay in contact with my PGCE
tutors and with the Institute 18%
c) It will enable me to stay in contact with my PGCE
peers 19%
d) It will help me develop specific knowledge and
skills (e.g. SEN/Leadership/Teaching English
overseas) 53%
e)
Other
(please state)
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“We all feel the extra module has placed a
great deal of stress on science Student
Teachers particularly as:
i) a large number have found it difficult to
write social science assignments
ii) they are having to learn a lot of subject
material (like physics and chemistry if they're
a biologist)
iii) the work load associated with it is high.
iv) they are not clear they can actually cash in
90 credits”
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“We have seen some very good pieces of
writing from Student Teachers, work that has
been genuinely reflective and critical. We
could have more of that in science if we did
not have so much volume to complete in a
short time.”
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“On reading submissions for the
option module Professional Learning
Portfolio I am struck by the very
good analysis of practice that this
module can foster, and the way in
which Student Teachers are now
drawing on literature in their
reflective writing.” A second marker
who did not teach the module
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“
“I have thoroughly enjoyed undertaking the (option) MA
module on Issues in Geography Education, particularly as it
has made me think more critically. The course topics are
interesting and stimulating as they provide the challenge you
need to become a better geography teacher. The module
itself is set up in such a way that it helps you become an
effective reader and enhances your academic writing
skills. The weekly readings help you focus on specific issues
which you are asked to comment on. This gives you
autonomy in your thinking and prepares you to develop
reflective and critical writing, which is shared with other
students on the course. You get to read each others
commentaries and appreciate or contest each others views. I
was particularly impressed with the way commentaries were
posted and then summarised on a weekly basis. ” Geography
Student Teacher
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Important questions….
•Are tutors focusing more on academic nature of assignments
needed for M level than on teacher education ? Are workloads higher
and if so how is that having an impact on professional practice?
•Are Student Teachers focusing more on academic nature of
assignments needed for M level than on being an effective
classroom teacher ? Are workloads higher and if so how is that
having an impact on professional practice?
•Are schools finding differences in their Student Teachers this year
compared to last? (distracted by their assignments? Engaged by
their greater reflection and criticality?) If so how is that having an
impact on professional practice?
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What next?
Continued monitoring ( Student Teachers, Tutors at
Institute and in schools, external examiners) ….not a
quick process…needs several years to bed down
Make changes resulting from 2007-8
Continue to work on progression routes
MTL – be involved in shaping it – be wary of what it offers
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Share
practice and disseminate
MTeach – what is distinctive
•Focused professional development
•Sharing and critical analysis of professional practice
•Underpinned by reading, enquiry and research literacy
•Explores alternative perspectives and possibilities for change
•Mixed mode of delivery; face to face and electronic communications
•Tutor group system and wider ‘learning community’
•Assessment opportunities arise from the participant’s practice
•Assessment based on a variety of forms: portfolios, reflective journals
and evidence studies
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Understanding Teaching – the NQT
module ( 30 M credits)
A long, thin module over 1 year
Specialist NQT tutor
Community of NQTs
3 face to face meetings on Saturdays
Computer mediated communication with individual work and group
discussion
Assessment through 4 online tasks, 3000 word assignment
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