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PGCE Secondary - Information and Communications Technology
ICT holds a central position within the National Curriculum both as a subject and a cross curricular dimension. This reflects the importance of ICT which permeates all aspects of life – education, work, leisure and life at home.
As there is a nationally recognised shortage of ICT teachers, the employment prospects and longer term opportunities for promotion within the teaching profession are excellent.
This one-year programme provides an exciting opportunity to qualify to teach ICT to the 11-16 age range in secondary school and you will receive University based education for planning, teaching and assessing the post-16 age range. Another central theme of the programme addresses a range of professional issues including the transition between key stages, the characteristics of effective schools and the move towards multi agency working.
Course Structure and Content
This programme of study provides a carefully structured balance of University based teaching and school based phases. The programme develops your knowledge, skills and understanding of ICT to enable you to manage and organise high quality teaching and learning in Key Stages 3 and 4 across the full range of ability. The practical study is complemented by a theoretical, research based viewpoint.
The programme will give you a strong foundation in the national strategies which underpin the ICT curriculum in Key Stage 3 in secondary schools and gives you the opportunity to explore cross curricular themes and innovative approaches to the teaching of ICT in the new Key Stage 3 curriculum in ICT. It also gives you an understanding of teaching and learning within the range of vocational and academic qualifications available in ICT at Key Stage 4.
The other major element of the programme is the Professional Studies component. This offers a mix of experiences both in school, at the university and other settings. It positions you in the broader context of professional practice and considers key issues which take you beyond the confines of the traditional curriculum. All professional studies themes are developed further in the subject specialist context.
Teaching Methods and Resources
The PGCE Year consists of three main phases. There is an initial preparatory period in University, which also includes some time in schools. The subject teaching modules in this phase give you a broad knowledge of the approaches used in a range of school ICT settings to challenge learners. You then undertake an extended school phases teaching Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 ICT, which lasts until the end of the autumn term. This is followed by a period in university developing your understanding of the more complex aspects of teaching and learning and the post-16 phase. These elements are again unified through study of Professional Studies issues. The final school phase takes place in the spring and summer terms.
There is a strong emphasis throughout the programme on subject application and practical workshops where teaching strategies and appropriate contexts and techniques are modelled and discussed. There is a significant level of participation in terms of presentations, peer support, teaching episodes and projects in partnership with schools.
You will make considerable use of the materials designed for the Secondary Strategy in ICT and will also look in some detail at examination requirements, particularly with respect to coursework, for all the qualifications available at the end of Key Stage 4.
Entry Requirements
In addition to the General Entry Requirements, you are required to have a 2.2 honours degree or above, with at least 50% ICT content. We also welcome applications from candidates whose first degree is not in an ICT related discipline, but who have high level, sustained work experience of ICT and experience with pupils in the appropriate age range. GCSE equivalence tests are offered for English language and mathematics.