Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2007-2008 (archived)

Module EDUS1681: PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC STUDY SKILLS

Department: Education [Queen's Campus, Stockton]

EDUS1681: PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC STUDY SKILLS

Type Open Level 1 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2007/08 Module Cap None. Location Queen's Campus Stockton

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To develop students' knowledge and understanding of:
  • the professional skills needed for effective classroom management, strategies for behaviour management and promoting children's learning;
  • the scholarly skills needed for successful academic study and their development as reflective practitioners.

Content

  • The module consists of two skills based themes:
  • A range of professional issues related to QTS
  • The necessary academic study skills and capabilities underpinning independent academic studies.
  • Professional:
  • A range of professional issues related to QTS:
  • planning an effective learning experience in the primary classroom
  • effective classroom management in the primary classroom
  • effective approaches to differentiation
  • appreciating the roles and value of formative and summative assessment
  • behaviour management
  • contemporary resources available in the primary classroom
  • Academic:
  • Relevant academic study skills and capabilities and professionalism:
  • management of information from a wide range of e-based and literary resources
  • effective academic study such as time management
  • identifying appropriate sources of information and evidence
  • critical evaluation, formalizing arguments and discriminatory skills
  • effectively communicating ideas and findings

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Professional Study Skills:
  • By the end of this module students will be able to:
  • demonstrate they can effectively plan and manage classroom based activities
  • match activities appropriately to children's individual capabilities
  • understand the relationship between planning, differentiation and assessment
  • make appropriate use of classroom resources.
  • Academic Study Skills:
  • By the end of this module students will be able to:
  • search appropriate literary sources and data bases for relevant information
  • discriminate between salient and minor issues and themes
  • critically evaluate sources
  • construct academic arguments
  • effectively communicate these with supporting evidence to others.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • This module is a central element of the BA (Ed) programme design which requires students to combine professional skills and academic study from the onset of the course. It aims to equip students with:
  • the professional skills they need for effective classroom management and to foster children's learning;
  • the scholarly skills they need for their own academic studies and their development as reflective practitioners.
Key Skills:
  • Transferable Skills
  • Make appropriate use of academic and professional resources
  • Construct oral arguments and evaluate those of others
  • Think critically and independently
  • Understand the relationship between effective planning and time management
  • Communicate effectively

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Teaching methods will include lectures and directed tasks related to school based experience or independent study skills. These will allow for the learning outcomes to be addressed. The lectures will focus on specific issues related to both professional and academic development.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 20 Term 1 Professional each week, Academic, alternate week. Term 2, Academic each week 1 hour 20
Directed tasks Each week Term 1, total 22.5, Term 2, total 7.5 30
Preparation and reading school based tasks Each week Term 1, total 90, Term 2, total 60 150
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Written Assignment Component Weighting: 50%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Written Assignment 2,000 words 100%
Component: Learrning Logs/Literature Search Component Weighting: 50%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Literature Search Max 20 50%
Learning Logs 8 tasks 50%

Formative Assessment:

Academic Studies Week 5 - Framework for written essay on given topic.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University