This module enables Associate Teachers on ITE programmes, and their tutors, to establish, track and develop their fundamental knowledge for teaching in English, Maths and (for Primary and Early Years ATs only) in Science. 

Common strands underpinning this module continue to include commitments to inclusivity in all its forms; safeguarding and well-being of children; promoting a positive classroom environment conducive to engagement and respecting diversity; and building curricula and sequences of lessons designed to ensure the progression of all.  Alongside this and in common with other modules, ATs will continue to be supported to prioritise their own well-being, achieve a sustainable work-life balance while managing their initiation into professional communities of practice.

This level 6 module is also designed to develop a range of ideas and themes related to education and teaching in primary and early years settings that were introduced in PR4820 and PR5821.  Targets that had been set in PR5821 to enable ATs to develop their inclusive practice will be revisited and revised and ATs will be increasingly expected to make informed justifications of their approaches and actions to ensure all learners can make progress.  This module also has a principle focus on assessment in practice and how it can be used more effectively and efficiently to diagnose pupils' needs. This ties in closely with a fortnight-long focused placement in the autumn term. The module will give opportunities to challenge and take an increasingly critical perspective to assessment practice on the basis of research and policy.  Narrow, reductive, burdensome and repetitive assessment practices will come under the microscope particularly and connections to this will be made within specific subjects and areas of learning in PR6823, PR6824, PR6825 and PR6826.  ATs will be increasingly invited to justify their assessment practices from an informed perspective, making good use of research and accumulated experience on placement.  They will reflect on the implications this has for curricular design and pedagogy and further develop their understanding of key curricular and pedagogical concepts.  In this way ATs will be developing their own perspectives, philosophy and convictions about teaching, learning and assessment, drawing from recent and earlier experiences from Levels 4 and 5.  There are additional opportunities in this module to develop understanding of classroom management and how to encourage a classroom environment conducive to learning, motivation, high aspiration and the building of positive relationships.  ATs will be advised about the expectation to and how best to initiate collaboration, on-going enquiry, professional dialogue with colleagues, and if opportunities occur, how they should engage with parents and carers to elicit support for children's learning.  ATs will be given opportunities to develop techniques for managing increasing workload demands and how they can organise their schedules to include space for them to reflect, lead their own professional development and contribute to widening the life of a placement school.  ATs will be supported to make job applications and to consider their approaches to interviews in different schools and institutions with differing priorities.  ATs will also be prepared for their Early Career first teaching year (NQT year in Wales), knowing the areas they need to prioritise in order to develop their practice within the specific support offered by the Early Career Framework.

Developing resilience and 'managing self' is a core theme of all professional studies-related modules.

Common strands explored within the context of this module include commitments to safeguarding, ethical enquiry and well-being of children.  Alongside this and in common with other modules, ATs will be supported to manage their initiation into professional communities of practice and enquiry.

This module provides opportunities for ATs to undertake school-focused educational research based on an authentic school issue. It will include: key issues in school or setting-focused research; issues surrounding supporting all learners in an educational setting; research methods and methodologies for educational contexts; the ethics of educational enquiry; identifying a line of enquiry to negotiate, plan, design, implement and evaluate a small scale educational research project; academic skills relating to the reporting of research and key findings.

Associate Teachers will be guided to design research projects within their scope and capable of yielding results which will be of value to the Associate Teacher, the participants and a broader audience. It will also equip Associate Teachers to review and reflect on their reading critically and to present results appropriately.   

Common strands underpinning this module include commitments to inclusivity in all its forms building on what was covered in PR5823; safeguarding and well-being of children; promoting a positive classroom environment conducive to engagement and respecting diversity; and building curricula and sequences of lessons designed to ensure the progression of all.  Alongside this and in common with other modules, ATs will be supported to prioritise their own well-being, achieve a sustainable work-life balance while managing their initiation into professional communities of practice.

This module develops ATs' engagement with research informed approaches to teaching, learning and assessment in each of the core subjects.  ATs will be increasingly expected to take a critical look at recommended practices, particularly assessment practices from policy and research.  ATs' own knowledge development continues to be an important focus of the module along with how this can help ATs identify misconceptions in pupils' responses to stimuli and how curricula can be designed to address common misconceptions pupils are liable to develop.  This requires assessment to be woven coherently into curricular and lesson design and ATs will be supported to use data and feedback from a wide variety of sources in order to respond to pupils' needs.