Learning outcome

After successfully completing the course, the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge:

The candidate can:

- Explain the importance of the diversity of family forms and child and adolescent development, as well as of learning in different social, linguistic, religious and cultural contexts

- Explain the theory of socialisation

- Discuss and analyse the concept of adaptive teaching based on supporting documents, theory and research

- Identify pupils’ specific needs and be able to implement relevant measures, both in groups and individually, to promote learning outcomes

- Demonstrate knowledge of basic skills as a foundation for pupils’ development of learning strategies and metacognitive understanding

- Analyse the curriculum to plan assessment activities throughout the school year

- Give an account of professional ethics, national and international laws and conventions relating to children and young people’s rights

- Demonstrate that she/he recognises the signs of bullying, abuse and maltreatment and is aware of the school’s normal procedures for such cases

- Discuss the impact of the media on children and young people and their participation in various social media

Skills

The candidate can:

- Recognise pupils’ needs for adapted teaching based on their achievements and background

- Identify and follow up on the needs of pupils from multi-cultural backgrounds

- Plan adapted teaching, both in groups and individually

- Plan pupils’ development of their own learning strategies

- Adapt a strategy for developing the basic skills of individual pupils

- Develop criteria for achievement in all subjects that will promote pupils’ learning

- Use professional guidance skills in the study programme

General competence

The candidate can:

- Lead a class socially, methodologically and professionally

- Implement systematic training in the basic skills in all subjects

- Develop awareness in relation to the importance of assessment for pupils’ learning

- Lead and facilitate the development of reading and reading strategies at beginner and intermediate levels

- Cooperate with others and demonstrate self-criticism as well as the ability to develop change-management skills

- Demonstrate an understanding of ethical and cultural differences, and of the problems teachers may encounter

Course Description

The course focuses on the relationship between teacher, pupil and content. In the second year of study (course code: PEL 502), the main focus will be on the pupils’ resources and abilities. Based on the knowledge the students will have acquired after the first year of study, and the content of the course (PEL 502), work on the subject will become more complex, and further characterised by holistic thinking with regard to learning activities at primary level and lower secondary level. The semester plans, assignments and teaching practice schedules will reveal how the course content is aimed at learning activities in years 5 - 10 of primary and lower secondary school.

R & D
The instruction is based on national and international research, theory and literature. Instruction at the college uses qualitative and quantitative research from the field of schools and teaching; this will help students acquire a critical and reflective attitude towards activities in schools. Students will be introduced to basic research methods; as a continuation of this, they will conduct a quantitative investigation in their teaching-practice school.

Collaboration:

The content and organisation of the topics will be coordinated with the other relevant study programme courses (subjects) in the second year. The study programme Pedagogy in Teacher Education has overall responsibility for all the programme activities, and for the collaboration between subject teachers and teaching practice mentors, so that theory and research are used during the period of teaching practice, and experience from teaching practice is used in teaching at the college.

Teaching and Learning Methods

The teaching will consist of seminars, lectures and group work. The interaction between students, college teachers and teaching practice teachers will provide a good foundation for versatile and mutual supervision. Group work as a method means that students give oral and written responses to each other.

The study programme emphasises that participation in social practice is important for individual learning. The learning community includes communication with all the parties involved in the teacher education study programme; through this community, students will learn to reflect on their own and others’ learning. All the seminars are obligatory, as are the teaching-practice seminars, teaching-practice reviews, mentoring groups and similar activities. Compulsory instruction at the college is indicated in the semester plan. The college requires a minimum of 80% attendance; however, it is expected that all students will participate in the compulsory activities.

Assessment Methods

Continuous assessment

The student must submit a written course assignment every semester related to the study programme’s topics, which must receive a passing mark before the student will be permitted to sit the examination.

In the autumn semester, the student must submit:

• 1 written assignment

In the spring semester, the student must submit:

• 1 written assignment

Final assessment (PEL 502):

Written, individual examination in the spring semester which counts for 100% of the final grade in this course (PEL 502). The examination will be assessed on a scale, A to F, where A is the highest and E the lowest passing grade. Please refer to the Regulations for Examinations at Telemark University College for further details.

The final grades for each course (PEL 501, 502, 503, 504) will be entered on the diploma.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean