Aims

To support professional learning by enabling education practitioners to engage at a higher level in critical reflection on emerging professional practice or a significant dimension of their professional role. This dimension will typically involve an emerging practice, which will often be supported by a training programme or network. Examples include action research networks, mentoring of student teachers, developing a new collaborative relationship or undertaking a new professional responsibility. The appropriateness of the student's chosen theme will be negotiated with the module leader.
Essentially the module aims to prompt the students to integrate professional experience with current developments in research. Students will not only be able to identify key concepts in the literature on the role of critical reflection in professional learning but also use that process of reflection to consider the contextual significance of their emerging practice, on both personal and wider scales.

Outline Of Syllabus

Students will discuss with the module leader their intentions prior to registering for the module OR will be participating in an approved professional development activity (such as an Action Research network or mentoring a student teacher). The module consists of introductory seminars and individual and small group tutorials support to locate the professional experience within current literature on effective practice and policy guidelines, and to explain the requirements of the assessed portfolio

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The university based seminar and tutorial support enables the students to reflect on their experience and make connections between the implications for their professional life and practice and current research into effective teaching and learning and school improvement.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Work at Pass level will show:

•       An understanding of the value of critical reflection in the process of professional learning exemplified from experience of emerging professional practice;
•       Reference to relevant evidence beyond students’ personal context (through reference to research or theory);
•       Appropriate standards of presentation (see assessment criteria).

The best work will demonstrate:
•       A high level of reflection and the development of a sustained discussion across the portfolio;
•       Evidence of the identification of concepts that make strong links between the types of evidence presented;
•       A high level of critical engagement with the evidence, including academic literature;
•       Emerging personal theories that are relevant to the tasks set;
•       A recognition of the validity and relevance of the work beyond the personal into wider, more generalisable contexts