| Unit name | Assessment, Learning and Intervention |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ACHSD0002 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | D/8 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Gaulter |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Drawing upon a broad range of relevant psychological theory and its practical application, this unit examines perspectives on learning and development, including behavioural, psychodynamic and medical models. Concepts of adult-child proximation and the impact of learning contexts on individual behaviour have changed our understanding of children's learning difficulties to include interactive and ecological factors. Planning appropriate interventions acknowledges these wider perspectives. Areas covered include: Assessment of general intellectual abilities, rationale and practical techniques; Dynamic assessment; Norm- and criterion-referenced assessment; Curriculum-related assessment; Literacy, numeracy and their assessment; Specific learning difficulties and their identification; Assessment of learning environments; Knowledge, awareness and values that enables effective work with diverse client populations through a clear understanding of the influence of culture, gender, ethnicity and factors influencing social exclusion and underachievement; Use of informal and formal observation; Use of checklists, profiles and developmental schedules; Screening, baseline measures and value-added; Uses and abuses of testing, and the role of quantitative measurement in research; Test construction, validation and evaluation; Programme planning, drawing up of IEPs, use of Information Technology.
Aims:
To enable EPs to become reflective practitioners who are competent at formal, statutory work which requires an element of routine efficiency, but who also seek innovative, creative solutions which are realizable within the organizational frameworks in which they operate. To develop assessment and intervention skills that impact on work with individuals, groups and systems, based on a cycle of clarification, formulation, intervention and evaluation consistent with the reflective-practitioner model. To develop practical competence in a wide range of observation, identification, assessment and profiling strategies in relation to learning, behaviour and social contexts, across the age range 0-19 years, in the contexts in which they live or are educated. They will show evidence of ability to select, carry out and interpret and formulate interventions from a wide range of assessment strategies documented in fieldwork observation, practical portfolios and written reports.
By the end of this unit, students will be equipped with the competence and strategies to apply educational psychology across a variety of different contexts through the development of creative approaches to assessment and intervention that draw on a wide range of theoretical models, frameworks and psychological paradigms. They will be able to make assessments of children, across the age range 0-19 years, in the contexts in which they live or are educated, with due consideration of the impact of differences and diversity on life opportunities. They will have developed an understanding of the implications for promoting equal opportunities and ethical applied EP practice. They will show evidence of ability to select, carry out and interpret a wide range of assessment strategies documented in fieldwork observation, practical portfolios and written reports. They will be able to support children, young people and their carers in contributing to the assessment process and the evaluation of interventions. They will also be able to work collaboratively with teachers and other professionals, as appropriate, to promote effective outcomes for clients.
Guided reading, lectures, seminars, presentations across 15 contact hours in the University, supported by supervised practice in the field. Placements will be organised so that trainees are directly involved in the work of EP services and LEA organizations, including attending meetings, liaising with LEA officers and other professional colleagues (teachers, doctors, clinical psychologists, speech therapists, social workers). Course inputs will include range of professionals, updates on legislation, required reading on professional issues.
Completion of a 4000 word assignment which shows the student’s ability to critically appraise the strengths and limitations of a wide range of assessment approaches.
