| Unit name | Professional Development in Science Education |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EDUCM0052 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Professor. Justin Dillon |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Education |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
The core aim of this unit is to enable science education professionals to critically evaluate aspects of pedagogy and implement research-informed improvements through professional development; their own and when designing training for others. Course participants will learn how to describe and analyse innovations in their and/or others’ work in science education with a focus on impacts on student (schools) and visitor (museums, etc.) learning. This will be an iterative process allowing participants to develop their pedagogical content knowledge.
The unit aims:
Within the context of the chosen topic area students will be able to:
The teaching strategy will employ three broad approaches, where appropriate, with the aims of contextualising as well as theorising issues of central importance, the development of student autonomy, and the individualisation of study and support. These are:
Face-to-Face Teaching
Examples here include large and small group teaching methods, including presentations from staff and experienced professionals, debates, case study analyses, student presentations and practical workshops.
E-Learning
E-Learning approaches will be used to facilitate individualised study and support within the broad parameters of the units and programme. These will include: synchronous and asynchronous on-line discussion (with individuals and groups), online supervision and peer mentoring, guidance and feedback. Critical use of Web resources will be encouraged.
Individual Research
Where appropriate, the use of action research, small-scale empirical studies and observations of professional practice will be encouraged and facilitated to help students contextualise their theoretical study.
Contact Hours
20 hours
Assessment is designed to enable students to engage critically with literature whilst being flexible according to student circumstance and inclination.
Students will work with the tutor to identify personal, social and professional development goals through innovation in science education and create a reflective practice log of their progress towards these goals.
Summative Assessment
A written report, or equivalent, of 4,000 words in which students will use the log above as a source to report their selected innovation, its implementation and the subsequent outcomes as a critical, analytic case study. This report should include the relevant theoretical frameworks, evidence of the use of data to support professional development and a bibliography.
