Secondary Geography PGCE

University of Bedfordshire

This largely placement-based course focuses on developing the practical teaching skills, educational theory and subject-specific knowledge necessary to become an art and design teacher in secondary education. It aims to develop you into an artist-teacher with a comprehensive understanding of the art and design curriculum, enhancing your awareness of professional issues; current educational focuses on sustainability and the role of technology; art, craft and design pedagogy; core approaches to powerful knowledge; art history; critical thinking; and essential teaching aspects such as planning and assessment.There is the option to take this course part time over two years, making it easier to balance study with your other commitments.What will you study?Studying our Secondary Geography PGCE course will equip you with in-depth knowledge and skills to teach geography at secondary level. This is where our unit in The Curriculum Specialist (Secondary Geography) will allow you to explore a range of theories and recent research around the teaching and learning of the geography curriculum through various workshops. The units taught may include Tourism, Climate Change, Development, Urbanisation, Farming and Fairtrade as well as Poverty, Wealth and Population, Rivers, Natural Hazards and many more.There will also be debates around school geography curriculum content and how to teach core geography concepts such as Globes, Data interpretation, Map skills, GIS, Case Studies, and Fieldwork. You will be supported in applying this theory in creative ways within your own teaching practice through collaborative planning, weekly progress reviews and evaluations.This ties in closely with our Evidence Informed Curriculum Specialist unit where you will build your understanding of current contexts in geography, as well as how to apply that knowledge in practice. In areas of practice, you will have the opportunity to undertake a school placement where you will build your experience to independently plan and deliver lessons based on your observations and learning in our School Experience 1 unit.Careers: On graduating you can apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) enabling you to work as a geography teacher in a secondary education setting. Many of our graduates go on to rewarding employment in local schools.As well as Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) completing the course also offers you up to 60 Master's-level credits with opportunities for further study at MA/MSc MPhil PhD and EdD levels.