MEd Programme
Year 1 - Semester II (16 Weeks)
Core Courses:
Core Course 4: School Improvement
The aim of this course is to explore and debate the concepts of
school improvement and reform, the change process, and the role
of the teacher in school improvement. Furthermore, other school-based
and wider contextual factors which influence reform, particularly
in developing countries, will also be considered. This course will
introduce the knowledge base of school improvement and change and
encourage CPs to use this critically and in terms of its relevance
to understanding and planning school improvement and system reform
in their own contexts. It will help CPs access the experiences,
theories and frameworks presented in selected literature, analyze
and critique them, and assess their relevance to their own contexts
and experience. The following themes will be addressed:
- Defining school improvement;
- School structure and culture;
- Understanding the change process;
- Staff development and school improvement.
The readings will be approached in various ways including presentation
of the main arguments by the facilitators, jigsaw reading, and self-reading
of articles and sharing key ideas. Group and whole class discussions
will follow each reading. CPs will have the opportunity to study
a number of cases of school improvement presented to them in the
literature through presentations or school visits. They will be
required to respond to the cases critically and in the light of
the literature. CPs will also engage in the experience of introducing
change in a school through playing a `change game'.
Core Course 5: Teacher Learning
The aim of this course is to assist CPs to conceptualize and articulate
their roles as teacher educators. Areas of study include: teachers'
lives; teacher learning and its contexts; goals, objectives, approaches
and strategies for teacher development; assessment and evaluation
of projects/programmes. The content is arranged in four themes which
are taught through lectures, discussions, workshops and a practicum
where CPs work closely with one or two teachers to help improve
some aspect of their work.
- Teachers' lives - becoming a teacher, the beginning teacher,
the experienced teacher.
- Teacher learning and its contexts - the context of teacher learning
in different countries is explored.
- Models and strategies for teacher development - a range of models
and strategies for teachers as adult learners are investigated.
- Evaluating teacher development programmes - various approaches
to programme evaluation are considered with a particular focus
on impact evaluation.
Specialization Courses:
Box 2: Policy for Specialization in Teacher Education and Educational Leadership
A provision of specialization in two areas -- Teacher Education
and Educational Leadership and Management -- has been made to
acquire depth of knowledge and pedagogical skills in their respective
areas of specialization. CPs opting for Educational Leadership
and Management are expected to be able to employ leadership
and management skills to initiate school improvement programmes;
CPs opting for Teacher Education are expected
to be able to develop, critique and enhance curriculum and classroom
practice in specific areas.
Two courses each will be offered in four curriculum areas, that
is, English, Social Studies, Science and Mathematics. These courses
will be offered in two groups of curriculum areas. CPs are expected
to keep the following principles in mind while making a choice
about their preferred areas of specialization in the MEd programme:
- CPs will submit a one-page justification of their choice
for a particular area of specialization, keeping in view their
present and future professional roles. This form will be submitted
to Academic Administration;
- Places will be offered to CPs in their preferred areas of
specialization on the basis of outcome of the evaluation of
justification and allocations in each area of specialization;
- CPs will select two curriculum areas and for each area it
will be necessary to study two courses, that is, one at the
primary level and one at the lower secondary level;
- CPs will be expected to undertake research or project in
their respective area of specialization;
- A maximum of 14 CPs will be offered specialization in the
area of Educational Leadership and Management.
Specialization: Teacher Education
English Language Teaching Course I
This course aims at enabling CPs to develop an understanding of
the principles, practices and assessment of language and literacy
development at the primary level in a bilingual/multilingual context.
A variety of teaching and learning strategies, including discussions,
jigsaw reading, role plays, presentation and demonstrations, video
tapes, problem solving and teaching practice in the field, will
be used to analyze the following topics:
- Second Language learning theories;
- Issues in literacy and language development in the primary years;
- Theory and practice of teaching the language and literacy skills
at the primary level;
- Monitoring children's progress in primary English;
- Resource development for language and literacy development.
Mathematics Teaching Course I
The course aims to enable CPs to develop knowledge, skills and
attitude to enhance classroom practice in primary mathematics education.
CPs will develop knowledge and understanding of children learning
mathematics as well as understanding of the processes involved in
teaching mathematics for understanding. The new way of teaching
mathematics discussed in this course is being interpreted from a
social constructivist perspective of learning, based on the idea
that learners are active creators of their knowledge, not passive
recipients that a teacher can fill with knowledge. The focus of
teaching is not only to provide a fixed set of information but also
take into consideration the affective and cognitive development
of the human mind in a social interactive setting.
During the course three areas will be discussed: Mathematics Content
Knowledge, Pedagogy and Reflection. CPs will work on some topics,
identified from primary mathematics curriculum (eg Fractions, Measurement).
CPs will learn about strategies (eg do-talk and record), frameworks
(eg preparing to teach a topic), and processes involved in problem
solving. CPs will be encouraged to develop a critical stance towards
their practice at AKU-IED and its implications for their working
in the reality of classrooms. They will maintain reflective journals,
participate in classroom discussions, implement their learning into
classrooms and other relevant activities to develop and continue
to develop a high quality of thinking to become exemplary teachers.
Science Teaching Course I
The aim of this course is to develop awareness and appreciation
in CPs about the changing emphasis in learning primary science and
its implication to teaching primary science. The intent is also
to help CPs acknowledge and appreciate thinking and working scientifically.
Relevant science topics/themes in light of the current approaches
to teaching/learning of science at primary level will also be taught
in accordance with the current trends and practices. During the
course, CPs will be exposed to various aspects of Primary Science
Education including: review of literature on current theories, orientations,
trends and problems of science teaching/learning in light of own
context, engage in learning about senses, particulate nature of
matter, energy and related concepts, teach a reasonable number of
science lessons to primary students (based on the National Curriculum),
reflect on their practice individually and collectively to enhance
their own understanding about teaching/learning of science content
at primary level and, more importantly, their pedagogical content
knowledge.
Social Studies Teaching I
The aim of this course is to enable CPs to acquire a deeper understanding
of the nature and goals of social studies and what it means to be
a social studies teacher in a rapidly changing and challenging world.
The course also aims at enhancing CPs content knowledge and equipping
them with a repertoire of teaching strategies suitable to primary
classes, so as to facilitate teaching and learning in the real classroom.
A range of teaching and learning processes will be used to address
the following topics:
- Rationale and goals of Social Studies;
- Social Studies: An interdisciplinary approach;
- A critical review of social studies primary curriculum;
- History: concepts and teaching approaches;
- Geography: physical and human geography, concepts and teaching
approaches;
- Social studies skills: map and globe skills.
Specialization: Educational Leadership and Management
Course I: Effective Educational Leadership
The aim of this course is to enable CPs to conceptualize the notions
of educational leadership and management for developing a better
understating of the dynamics of leading schools and implications
for their roles. Through case studies, lectures, group discussions
and role plays the following themes will be addressed:
- Notions of educational leadership, management and administration;
- Types of educational leadership and their implications;
- Dynamics of an effective educational leader;
- Styles of educational leadership and their implications;
- Role of teachers and others as educational leaders.
Course II: School as a Learning Community
This course aims to develop CPs' understanding of schools as learning
communities, learning organizations and communities of practice
along with implications for their role as potential educational
leaders. The following themes will be addressed using a range of
teaching methodologies, including lectures, case studies, jigsaw
reading and group discussions:
Notions of community and organization;
- The school as a learning community and learning organization;
- Framework of a learning community and community of practice;
- Relationship between learning community and organization;
- Building capacity for the school as a learning community;
- Teachers and others' roles in making schools as learning communities.
Year 2 - Semester
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