1. A critical understanding of the importance of supporting children and students in education settings

In this paper, you are supposed to focus on the given case study that defines the following elements to explore in detail:

• Explain how governments, schools, teachers, and staff work together to support pupils with their individual or collective needs in the school or college environment.
• Examine how a school support any programme or process that reinforces the learning process within the school context.
• Explore the concepts of learning, student development, and student support at different levels.
• Research on how students require supporting from the staff, school, and policies that enhance their progress and learning power.
• Research and investigate the pedagogical practices and policies that support the teaching and learning processes.
• Define the significance of encouraging students in different educational contexts.
• Critically evaluate the circumstances and factors which affect the educational experience and achievements of learners.

Instructions 

EDPM01 Development of Learning: A Case Study

At its core this module is about understanding how governments, schools, teachers, and staff work together to support pupils with their individual or collective needs in the school or college environment. It requires you to examine how a school support mechanism, programme, or process supports pupils and develops ‘learning’ in your particular school context – be it a ‘push-in’ programme put in place to support EAL, a set of extra-curricular activities or lessons designed to facilitate progress in a specific academic subject, an embedded programme to support the most able and/or talented pupils in the school, ‘pullout’ support for dyslexia, a behaviour improvement initiative or policy, or a reading programme designed to improve literacy. You will pick a focal point for your studies on this module and build a case study that looks at how and why that particular support mechanism develops learning in your context. We all focus closely on what takes place in our own teaching on a daily basis but this module and set of accompanying assessments and tasks allows you to look at learning, pupil development, and pupil support at a level other than that of the classroom teacher. Your work on this module may take place in the classroom and the support mechanisms, programmes, or processes you examine may take place either within or without daily lessons - but the emphasis is on understanding how and why pupils need supporting in the wider sense and how the school, the staff, and any underpinning policies work in tandem to ensure that our pupils are allowed to make progress, stay safe, and be as happy, as productive, and as successful as possible in their learning during their time at school. The programme you are sitting makes continuous links between the development of academic skills, knowledge of pedagogic theory, understanding of curricula and supporting policies, and the development of the practical skills you need as an educationalist. This module sits on the cusp between these areas as it requires you to not only understand the pedagogical practices and policies that underpin teaching and learning in the practical sense but, as it is research-based, it also requires you to conduct meaningful and widespread literature searches, collect and analyse data, and make conclusions about the effectiveness of provision and how (if necessary) it may be improved in the future – all of which are geared towards improving your academic skills and knowledge and, as a result, empowering you as a knowledgeable and research-capable educator. We all conduct ongoing research in our classrooms and our schools every single day we teach or observe or attend lessons (whether we realise it or not) and it is intended that this module allows you to sharpen your research practices while better understanding those pupils to which we all have a duty of care. Mahatma Gandhi once said that “by education, I mean an all-round drawing of the best in both child and man, in body, mind, and spirit” - and this statement rings equally true for the 5 year old in Reception class as it does for the 50 year old trainee teacher changing careers. We are each on our own learning journey and this is your chance to look both indepth and holistically at the pupil support structures and mechanisms at place in your particular school context while also facilitating key improvements in your own teaching and knowledge. I would hope that you enjoy this opportunity to expand your academic, pedagogical, practical and theoretical understanding of teaching and learning and I look forward to working with you all in the coming year.

What will the students know or be able to do at the end of this module?

Knowledge

1. A critical understanding of the importance of supporting children and students in education settings

2. An understanding of the importance of the interventions available to teachers in this area.

3. A critical understanding of a key educational theme applicable to your age phase.

Skills

4. Identification of an appropriate approach and context on which to base a case study.

5. Analysis of the role played in individuals’ learning by the teacher, teaching assistants etc. within the context of the educational system, policies and legislation.

6. The review of a wide body of literature appropriate to the situation identified for the case.

7. A critical analysis of the circumstances and factors which affect the educational experience and achievements of learners.

8. Collection of data, critical analysis and the drawing of appropriate conclusions based upon a critical evaluation of the evidence.

Content Synopsis

The module has been structured so as to allow you to build core knowledge through set lectures and online/seminar activities in order to allow you to apply these to your chosen phase and context. You will develop knowledge of supporting policies, in-school support mechanisms, and cutting-edge academic research practices in order to understand how pupils can be supported in a range of traditional and non-traditional ways. You will need to submit two academic assignments. The first of these is a research proposal which will detail your plans for your research project with the second being a case study based on your findings. All set activities and assignments are intended to facilitate the creation of evidence towards your teaching standards folders. Overall, the module will facilitate progress and learning in the following areas: - Knowledge and understanding of a range of education policies

Knowledge and understanding of a range of approaches to teaching and learning in the whole school setting

Knowledge and understanding of academic case study research practices

Knowledge and understanding of academic writing practices and principles

These areas will be covered and supported via on-line resources such as videos and power point notes, and by your reading and your research work in your schools and colleges. The emphasis will be to build on the grounding provided by the range of modules offered on your programme, allowing you to blend practice and theory and extend your knowledge of educational issues within institutions and beyond. Evidence for teaching standards The module has been designed to empower you as a research-capable educator and as such ample opportunities exist to collect evidence for your teaching standards folders. The module materials (discussion boards, set activities, and assignments) will all be useful as evidence, though the following might be of particular note: - critical knowledge of how to ‘establish a safe and stimulating environment for pupils…’ (TS1) - ‘demonstrate knowledge and understanding of how pupils learn and how this impacts on teaching’ (TS2) - the ability to ‘reflect systematically on the effectiveness of (lessons and) approaches to teaching (TS4) - TS5 (all barring the first bullet point) - Having the opportunity to consider how you can potentially improve your own teaching ‘through appropriate professional development’ (TS8) - Part Two (depending on your context and choice of focus) - Others, as applicable, depending on your chosen context.

Assessment 001 Proposal – Approximately 1000 words (Guidance)

This assignment is designed to help you focus your thinking as early as possible. You will present a detailed outline of the design and implementation of the methodologies you propose to use to collect data for your case study and their predicted outcomes. The proposal will also review your developmental understanding of the context. You will identify key texts to be used both in the text of the assignment and in a briefly annotated indicative bibliography. This assignment will form the basis of discussions with your tutor as it will identify how you propose to design and implement your methodology.

Assessment 002 Case Study – Approximately 4000 words (Guidance)

A case study of 4000 words or equivalent which reflects upon how the school or college addresses the particular educational needs of individuals or small groups of pupils/students and which shows how learning is developed over a short period of time, or alternatively, what could be done to enhance its development in the future. The proposal and the case study itself should be submitted electronically through the University VLE – this allows them to go through the ‘Turnitin’ system which scans for plagiarism and collusion.