This largely placement-based course focuses on developing your practical teaching skills, understanding of educational theory and subject-specific knowledge needed to be a secondary maths teacher. The course explores creative pedagogical strategies such as complex instruction considers the impact of maths anxiety and identifies strategies that promote engagement including problem solving, real-world connections and learning outside the classroom. In your University-based sessions, you explore professional issues such as your teacher persona, SEND education and classroom management.

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 Maths PGCE course will equip you with in-depth knowledge and skills to teach mathematics at secondary level. The Curriculum Specialist (Secondary Mathematics) focuses on developing inclusive and dynamic mathematics teaching that helps overcome mathematics anxiety in students and promotes engagement in mathematics. We will explore a wide variety of teaching strategies, theories and recent research and analyse the rationale behind using them. You will then be supported in applying this theory in creative ways within your own teaching practice through collaborative planning, weekly progress reviews and evaluations.

The university works closely with the The National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) and the Mathematics Education Innovation (MEI), with colleagues from both institutions leading training and development sessions on the course. These include introduction to teaching for mastery and the post 16 core maths qualification. Throughout the course, a number of sessions take place in alternative learning environments to help consider the role of mathematics in the real world and how these applications can be brought back to a classroom setting. The locations vary year to year and range from the forest school to a zoo.

The Evidence Informed Curriculum Specialist unit builds on your understanding of current contexts in mathematics, as well as how to apply that knowledge into 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. You will also explore new pedagogical ideas while also learning to align with behaviour management policy in schools. In the second part of this unit School Experience 2, you will continue to develop and apply your experience from the first unit while also learning methods to adapt teaching, effective use of assessment and to promote good progress. This course is available as both a one-year full-time or a two-year part-time course.

Careers

On graduating you can apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) enabling you to work as a maths 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.