Overview

This PGCE course prepares you to teach your specialist subject in either the 11 to 16 (with post-16 enhancement) or 14-19 age phases. It is a very practical course with around two thirds of the time spent in schools, mostly working with teachers and pupils, and around one third spent on directed study, with partnership training in the University and school. It is an integrated academic and professional preparation for teaching, combining study at either postgraduate or professional level with practical training to meet the Teachers’ Standards.

About The Course

The aim of this course is that you should become a reflective practitioner – a teacher who thinks about their experiences and learns from them in order to improve their practice. During the course you will study two academic modules. The first of these, ‘Theory into Practice’, allows you to explore your subject and its context in school. A chosen lesson in your subject is evaluated using a reflective tool, clearly linking theory to practice. In the ‘Classroom Focused Research’ module you will undertake a small research project in school having explored relevant research methods. You will also have a focus on the professional learning needed to meet the Teachers’ Standards, including looking at planning, assessment and classroom management along with the underpinning theory.

The PGCE Secondary Science course supports trainees to teach all of the Science subjects at KS3 and KS4 (GCSE) with post-16 enhancement in their specialist subject of Biology, Chemistry or Physics. There is a part-time option available. Trainees following this course are encouraged to explore a wide range of creative approaches to planning, teaching and evaluating Science lessons. The course is built upon principles of inclusion and diversity in teaching and learning for all pupils, whatever their potential and achievements. Throughout the course, trainees study different methods of assessment and how they support classroom learning and teaching; in particular, the role of formative assessment in the development of metacognitive skills. Outside speakers are invited in to supplement the University sessions, including from the ‘Institute of Physics’, the ‘Royal Society of Chemistry’ and the ‘Association for Science Education’. A visit to the National STEM Centre in York is also part of the course. Classroom practical work is encouraged and supported. In addition we are keen to introduce trainees to joys of learning outside of the classroom with, for example, learning visits to a local nature reserve and to Woolsthorpe Manor, the home where Sir Isaac Newton made so many of his wonderful scientific discoveries.

Careers & Further Study

The teaching profession has a well-structured career pathway which moves progressively from initial teacher training through to newly qualified (NQT) status to qualified teacher. Many continue to work in our partner schools, becoming mentors to our trainee teachers, pursing further study to full Masters and Doctoral level at BGU and taking on leadership roles including Headships.