“By creating we think, by living we learn” Patrick Geddes
The MA (Hons) Education degree is designed for students who want to qualify to teach in nursery or primary schools, teaching children in the 3-12 years age range.
Primary teachers teach all the areas of the curriculum so you will learn to teach:
You will also have Educational Studies and Pedagogical Studies as part of your programme. This will cover the theoretical underpinning of the approaches to teaching and learning, as well as practical help and support in, for example, planning for Professional Practice.
You will have the opportunity, in all years of your programme to choose elective modules. In Years 1 and 2 your choices will be from a wide range of academic modules offered from across the university. In Years 3 and 4 you will choose modules that focus on the learning and teaching associated with specific curricular areas.
Professional Practice is an important part of the programme. You will spend a significant amount of time in schools obtaining practical experience in the classroom. In Year 1 you will have 6 weeks in schools. This will culminate with an 11 week placement in Year 4.
In Year 2 you will undertake a placement of your own choosing. Whilst this should have an educational focus it need not be in school and if you wish, could be a placement in another country.
We provide placements in Years 1, 3 and 4 of your Programme in different types and sizes of schools including city and rural locations. This is important as you need to be able to work flexibly in a variety of situations.
Students are required to have a Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme check (PVG check) before commencing the programme. Failure to provide information will prevent students from undertaking any placement activities associated with the programme of study.
You will have examinations and other written assignments. Your teaching in the classroom is assessed on each placement by academic and school staff.
No, you have to qualify as a Primary teacher first, then after some teaching experience you can study for an additional specialist qualification. Additional Support Needs is, however, an integral part of the programme.
This is decided by the Scottish Government and varies on an annual basis. In recent years our Year 1 class has been about 65 students in total.
For entry in 2012 we received 998 applications for the MA (Hons) Education Programme.
Since most of our applicants meet the academic requirements for entry, selection procedures also focus on non-academic aspects of the application. Each application is scrutinised and graded, by a School Admissions selector.
The selectors are particularly interested in the UCAS personal statements including evidence of non-academic personal achievement and voluntary work.
The selectors also look for evidence of:
The professional assessment offered by the referee on the UCAS / GTTR form is also influential. If the selectors confirm that you meet all the initial criteria from your UCAS form, you will then be invited into the University to take part in a selection process.
After the initial assessment by the selectors, applicants meeting the required entry criteria will be invited to attend a selection process where you will be required to do a short presentation and take part in a group activity.
The panel of selectors will look for:
This allows us to assess whether you have the knowledge and suitability for primary teaching. It also gives you the opportunity to find out more about the course and its content. These selection days (usually either a morning or an afternoon) are held from January until March. For entry in September 2010 over 350 BEd (Hons) applicants were invited to attend a selection half day.
This is a highly competitive Programme. Applicants are expected to demonstrate knowledge of, and a commitment to teaching, usually through work experience in a school setting e.g. Primary School or nursery school setting, after-school club or working with children who have special needs. The more experience the better. Experience should be gained prior to application.
All students beginning this course are required to be registered on the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG Scheme) which has been introduced by the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. This process replaces the "Enhanced Disclosure" check. Further information is available on the Disclosure Scotland website. If you are made an offer and once you accept these forms will be sent to you from the University and you will be expected to pay for this yourself.
Applications for deferred entry will be considered, provided you intend to spend your gap year in a manner which will benefit you educationally or socially. All the necessary academic requirements have to be obtained before the 'year out' and we can only defer applications that have an unconditional offer.
Some offers will be made soon after interview, and others may not be made until March after all the selection days have taken place.
Welcome Week is specially designed to allow you to get to know the University, the School and each other before classes begin in earnest.
You will receive lots of information about the University, the School and about the programme and you will also meet your Director of Studies, who has been allocated to you. This tutor plays a part in helping you settle into the programme, the School and student life.
We currently have a 'Buddy System' in which students from other years team up with first year groups to help them settle into the campus and the programme.
Students on this course are eligible to apply for student loans. The Student Advisory Service can provide further information about funding.
If you have any questions about the MA (Hons) Education programme, please contact:
Naseem Ahmad (Ms)
Admissions & Student Recruitment
University of Dundee
Nethergate
Dundee
DD1 4HN
Scotland
Telephone: 01382 388 074 (from the UK)
Telephone: +44 1382 388 074(from outside the UK)
Email: contactus@dundee.ac.uk
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