Reference no: EM132737670

SPIRE assignment guidance

Bilingualism and English as an Additional Language (EAL)

The SPIRE assignment is primarily designed to engage you in a critical study of an aspect of diversity covered in the taught course. It should take a philosophical approach and you will be expected to discuss and link theoretical and practical educational issues.
Assignment title: "A critical analysis of an aspect of diversity in the classroom/setting, with a focus on an individual child as a case study. What implications does this have for your professional practice?" (4,000 - 5,000 words)

• Choose a child to study on your school experience who links with one of the aspects taught in the course and set up a reflective journal
• Conduct a child study through observation of the child, looking at their work, talking to the child, the teacher, the TA and possibly the parents.
• Undertake a literature review of your chosen area
• Present evidence from your child study and critically evaluate it in the light of the general research in the area
• Reflect on the implications for your future practice

Possible outline of your SPIRE assignment:

Introduction (approx 250 words)
• Here you should introduce the area of diversity you are focusing on and your reasons for choosing it.

• You should also give a quick thumbnail sketch of the child you have chosen to study (remember to give them a pseudonym), with an explanation of why you find this child interesting.

• You might like to give an outline of the structure of the following assignment

Literature Review (approx 1,500 - 2,500 words)
• Here you need to engage in a critical discussion of theoretical viewpoints around your chosen area of diversity, reviewing the theories of major writers in the field.
• You need to critically analyse these theories from the point of view of other theorists in the field.
• You will also need to give your own critique of the literature you have read.
• Make sure you write this section in an interesting and discursive way, not just giving a list of theories, writings or research

Child Study (approx 1,500 - 2,500 words)
• Here you will draw on your child study data which may be observations/ child's work/ conversations with the child, teacher, TA, parent... etc. to present your evidence
• Identify themes emerging from your data and use these as sub-headings to organise your child study. Make sure your themes link back to the theory presented in the literature review
• You will not be able to present all your data, but will have to select "telling examples" that are significant about the child.
• If you are attaching one or two appendices, make sure you refer to them in the body of your writing.
• Analyse and comment on your data as you present it, reflecting on its significance and making explicit connections back to the theory in the literature review.

• Perhaps highlight similarities and differences between your child and the theory discussed previously.

Implications for future practice (approx 500 words)
• Here you need to summarise your findings and the links you have made to the theory in the area

• You also need to comment on the implications this study will have on your future professional practice as a class teacher in the light of the above.

Bibliography (not in word count)

• Use Harvard referencing, include only references cited in the text in alphabetical order
Appendices

• You may include one or two examples of the child's work, examples of conversations, or your observations at the end, ensure that you have referred to them in the body of the assignment.