Unit information: Education in Practice in 2020/21

Unit name	Education in Practice
Unit code	EDUC20012
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24)
Unit director	Mrs. Lythgoe
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Education and Social Change (EDUC10002)
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

Education in Practice gives you the opportunity to connect your academic learning with the practice of education by conducting a 10-day placement in a setting where education matters. You might chose to spend time in a school or an early years setting, or in a community organisation, charity, or museum, or you might conduct your placement with a business, research group or with a government organisation. We have a number of placement options thanks to our partnerships with schools and organisations around Bristol. However, if you have an idea for a placement, you can also organise this yourself with support from unit tutors. Taught sessions support you to prepare for and make the most of your placement and support you in developing the unit assessment.

The aims of the unit are to:

• Develop your knowledge of education / psychology in education in practice in a setting of your choice
• Support the work of your setting, making a positive contribution and developing your skills for employability
• Explore an education or psychological issue in practice, applying and critiquing theoretical concepts and considering the relationship between research, theory and practice
• Reflect upon your own learning, professional and academic development

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Contribute professionally towards the daily operations of an education related workplace or other professional setting;
2. Demonstrate a developing understanding of opportunities, challenges and complexities of working professionally in education / psychology in education;
3. Reflect critically on the relationship between research, theory and practice in education / psychology in education
4. Reflect upon their own academic and professional learning

Teaching Information

In most weeks, your main contact hours will be in your placement. You will spend up to the equivalent of ten days in your placement setting. The identification and arrangement of placements will be in collaboration with the Faculty Professional Liaison Network. Completion of your placement could be through face to face or online contributions to your placement setting. You will also have 6 taught sessions as part of the unit to support your preparation, reflection and assessment. These taught sessions will be delivered using a blended approach consisting of a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities including seminars, reading, group activities and discussions.

During your placement, you will stay in touch with your tutors and peers using the placement discussion board.

Assessment Information

Contribution to discussion board (30%) ILO 1-4: Unit tutors will pose fortnightly questions (sometimes accompanied by a short reading) on the discussion board, inviting you to reflect on how key education concepts or pieces of research relate to an educational setting that you have experience of or would be interested in working in. You will be required to write 1,000 word and contribute a minimum of three entries.

Essay 2,500 words (70%) ILO 2-4. Your essay should draw on relevant course materials. Essay title: Reflecting on professionalism in educational settings. Suggested structure: The essay should be broken down into 3 parts:

1. Identify and discuss an educational setting you are interested in working in. What would it mean to contribute professionally in this setting?
2. Using relevant research, discuss the skills and qualities required to do this role and how they can effectively be learned.
3. Drawing on relevant research, critically discuss 2 educational or psychological issues you think that would raise important professional challenges for people working in your chosen setting.

Reading and References

Bassot, B. (2016). The Reflective Journal. 2^nd Edition. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Cottrell, S. (2015) Skills for Success: Personal Development and Employability. (3rd Edition). London: Palgrave MacMillan.

Hordern, J. and Simon, C. Eds. (2017). Placements and Work-Based Learning in Education Studies: An Introduction for Students, Routledge: Abingdon