Reference no: EM133626390 , Length: word count:4000

Developing Subject Competence

Title: 'What constitutes effective pedagogy in your chosen subject area?'

Assessment 1
An essay of 4000 words which answers the following title: What constitutes effective pedagogy in your chosen subject area?

Introduction (approximately 500 words)
This section should set the scene and provide some context and signposting.

Briefly describe the particular setting of your teaching; the school, the class and issues at a local or national level that may impact upon your setting and the subject. You may include quantitative data that the school holds in this section such as key stage results, % additional language learners.

Draw initial conclusions from your interrogation of the data and identify TWO subject specific pedagogic themes that you will develop during the main body of the assignment. These might be related to key development issues for the school or individual passions.

Examples of early years' pedagogical themes could include discovery learning, outside learning and learning through play. Pedagogical themes for primary and secondary subjects could include enquiry based learning (geography and science), mastery (maths), active participation or games for understanding (physical education), using artefacts (history), creative writing through drama (English). Think carefully about how your chosen subject knowledge is best taught to children which may be very different to how other subjects are taught.

Main body of text (approximately 3000 words, 1500 for each theme)

(i) Engaging with theory
This section is about introducing the theory.

What is written about good teaching and learning in your specific subject area at this key stage with regard to your theme? What is suggested about engaging pupils and moving forward their learning with regard to your theme? Try to get a range of literature here that encompasses the Governmental, the practitioner, the theoretical and the research base. Think about the claims that are made and the evidence they provide for these claims.

(ii) Evaluating your practice
This section encourages reflection and integration of your own practice and should encompass examples from your teaching practice in relation to your key theme.

How well did your teaching move the children's learning forward? (You do not need to describe what you did, this should be clear in your scheme of work, which should be included in your appendices).

What were the strengths and weaknesses of your teaching and what evidence do you have for this? (Think here about the pupils' work, observations done by you during lessons, evaluations you make of lessons, your own marking, observations done of you by others).

How can you use your reading to reflect upon your teaching? Have you found similar things? Different things? Synthesise theory and practice.

Conclusions (500 words)
This section should draw together your thinking. What have you learned from this? What would you change if you were to teach this again? How will it impact on other units you teach in this subject? What future professional development opportunities would help continue to develop your subject competence? Make links here to your reading.

Attachment:- essay template.rar