- UCAS course code
- X300
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
Primary Science, Arts and Humanities Education
Unit code | EDUC34552 |
---|---|
Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 3 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
The course will cover the following areas:
- The key elements of the aims, enquiry skills and knowledge of the national curriculum in science, humanities, and the arts. This will commence with a focus on the English national curriculum, and students will be encouraged to compare with another country’s primary curriculum
- The use of a reflective framework to understand yourself as a learner, reflect on your own experiences in education, and the influence they have had on your own philosophy of education
- A focus on learning theories to explore the teaching and learning strategies that work in the primary context
- What enquiry skills are, and how can they be applied in the primary context in England and other countries
- What child-centered learning is, and how this influences the planning, teaching and assessment process.
- Inclusion. How to ensure all children can access the learning.
- The benefits and limitations of cross-curricular and topic planning
- Learning outdoors – making connections with the world outside the classroom, the mental health benefits and how experiences support learning further in the classroom.
Aims
This unit aims to:
- Develop student’s understanding of science, arts, and humanity subjects within the primary education system, and the ways it can be taught
- Use a reflective framework to critically evaluate the student’s own experiences as learners in the primary school
- Develop their understanding of how subject knowledge and enquiry skills may be taught in primary Science, arts and humanities e.g., discreetly or through topic-based approaches
- Examine, and experience learning theories as applied to a primary setting and how these can affect engagement, motivation, and learning
- Use constructivist pedagogies to plan for a topic-based unit that supports pupil learning and engagement
- Conduct a critical analysis between two countries’ national curriculums and/ or teaching methods for a specific age group within the primary age range in science, humanities or the arts
- Explore how child-centered learning supports inclusion of all children
- Further their understanding of how outdoor learning for example, at educational centres, provide memorable experiences that can bridge the poverty gap and support attainment. This will include a virtual/ live trip to an educational setting.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
- Compile evidence from different primary national curriculums in science, humanities national curriculum to develop understanding of skills and knowledge and how it may differ across countries.
- Discover how topic planning and outdoor learning support primary aged children further – particularly in areas of poverty and deprivation
- Formulate an argument around child centered learning and make links to key learning theories, and their own experiences and philosophy of education
- Organise areas of science, humanities, and the art to modify an original topic-based plan and create their own topic-based plan
- Build their understanding of how different pedagogic approaches are applied in different countries
- Examine and make sense of different curriculums/ pedagogic approaches
Intellectual skills
- To critically reflect upon their own teaching and/or learning in relation to primary education and analyse the influence this has had on their own philosophy of education
- Demonstrate their ability to critically apply and evaluate key ideas in primary science, humanities and arts education
- Expression and Decision-Making – to be able to make a reasoned argument for a particular point of view– able to draw reasoned conclusions from their research and own experiences
Practical skills
- Communication skills through self and peer review, identifying strengths and making constructive suggestions for improvement where appropriate.
- Interpersonal skills through team activities
- To apply the primary knowledge and skills of science, humanities or the arts to a practical educational setting
- Evidence topic-based primary planning in science, humanities and the arts
Transferable skills and personal quailities
- Independent working skills
- Information Retrieval – ability independently to gather, sift, synthesise and organise material from various sources (including library, electronic and online resources), and to critically evaluate its significance.
- Presentation – capacity to make oral presentations, using appropriate media for a target audience
- Teamwork – recognising and identifying views of others and working constructively with them
- Applying Subject Knowledge – use of discipline specific knowledge in everyday situations
- Research – ability to plan and implement an effective research project.
Teaching and learning methods
The course will blend tutor-led input in seminars, with group work which is largely student-led but independently assessed, and practical work outside the classroom.
Students will create and present a topic-based plan in a primary school context on A2 format and write a critical analysis of their curriculum experiences as part of their assessment.
Assessment methods
Assessment task | Word length or equivalent | Weighting |
Individual Poster Presentation of a topic-based plan using science and the foundation subjects | A2 poster - 1000 words | 25% |
Conduct a critical analysis between two countries’ national curriculums and/ or teaching methods for a specific age group within the primary age range in science, humanities or the arts | 3500 words | 75% |
Recommended reading
Cross, Borthwick, Beswick, Board, Chippendall (2016) Curious Learners in Primary maths, science, computing and DT.
Department for Education (2014) The National Primary Curriculum in England. Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-primary-curriculum
Cross and Bowden (2014) Essential Primary Science
National Curriculum Expert Group, (2013). Characteristics of a genuine D&T experience within the school curriculum: Principles for guiding and evaluating practice. Available at https://www.data.org.uk/media/1130/school-curriculum-principles-for-dt.pdf
Ofsted, (2013). Maintaining curiosity: science education in schools. Manchester: Crown copyright.
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
---|---|
Karen Beswick | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
Activity | Hours allocated |
Lectures/visits | 26 |
Tutorials | 4 |
Directed reading | 70 |
Independent reading | 25 |
Assessed work | 75 |
Total | 200 |