Course Description

Introduction

This curriculum is based on the Curriculum for “Subject Teacher: Practical and Arts Subjects”, set by the Ministry of Education and Research on 3rd April 2003. Pedagogy is included as a professional and cohesive element in the degree programme Subject Teacher: Practical and Arts Subjects. This course focuses on the knowledge, skills and attitudes that teachers need to acquire in order to address the challenges posed by meeting the needs of pupils in the context of school and society. Pedagogy is a vocational course and forms a part of the teacher education; the course will provide students with the necessary knowledge and professional awareness to analyse the work of teachers and pupils in the light of relevant theories, frameworks and administrative guidelines. The course will also stimulate personal development and professional awareness.

The course focuses on how people develop and learn in interaction with their surroundings. Pedagogy is especially concerned with how children and young people develop their identity. Possessing pedagogical insight is of fundamental importance for teachers in their daily instructional environments. Students will gain this insight through theoretical studies, activities, and reflection regarding their activities. The aim of the course is to provide students, in their roles as future teachers, with skills which will enable them to develop a professional foundation in their work with all age groups in primary and lower secondary schools, as well as other types of teaching-related activities in various situations within the sphere of art and culture. In this way Pedagogy may be said to be an educational subject that together with the other subjects will prepare students for their future professional roles in a continually changing, educational, social and cultural landscape characterised by complexity and diversity.

In the Subject Teacher: Practical and Arts Subjects programme emphasis is placed on aesthetic learning processes and the teacher’s role as a cultural builder. Through practical creative work integrated with theory, students will be encouraged to develop a reflective and critical attitude towards being a teacher in various contexts. This involves oral and written skills in planning work and being able to make reflective observations on research within the field. The course will, as far as possible, be related to specific work in schools. Pedagogy will equip students to provide pupils with a complete learning environment, and contribute to a complete didactic approach which emphasises the learning aspect in multi-subject and interdisciplinary activities. It is considered to be important that students develop their aesthetic, creative and craft skills at the same time as their pedagogical skills, so that their skill as a subject teacher is developed as a whole.

Pedagogy will through its choice of content and literature be built around the following three target areas:

• the teacher and the pupils
• the teacher and the school
• the teacher and society

Students will be encouraged to analyse and reflect on the importance of effective teaching and learning for children and youth, by discussing the questions that the subject of pedagogy elucidates through the relevant subject literature. The syllabus has been selected in relation to the three target areas and reflects the social priorities and a perception regarding what is meant by the designations of the three target areas. In this context, it is important to consider the tasks and functions of schools in relation to what is proposed and stipulated in the relevant curricula and regulations.

The course in Pedagogy in the Subject Teacher: Practical and Arts Subjects programme at Telemark University College is taught during the first two years of the study programme. Although the course in Pedagogy is concluded after the second year of study, the pedagogical approach is maintained throughout all the three years due to the fact that subject didactics and teaching practice form part of the third year of study.

Main aims

Students will:

• Acquire practical skills regarding the planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching and learning skills anchored in the child and culture
• Acquire knowledge of how the educational system’s foundation of values commits the teacher, and be able to reflect critically on the tasks and responsibilities of schools
• Acquire subject-teacher skills by the acquisition of the knowledge of ideas and values that have shaped the practical and aesthetic subjects throughout the past
• Develop the ability to reflect in relation to varying pupil abilities, learning environment and framework conditions of schools
• Develop the ability to respect each pupil, and be able to reflect on their own views concerning equal rights, equality and cultural diversity
• Learn to reflect on their working role and behaviour
• Develop the capacity for participating in pedagogical development work

The mandatory parts of the course are specified in the semester plans and include work in study groups, project and theme work, submission of written work and preparatory and follow-up activities in relation to teaching practice.

The first year of study

During the first year of study, students will concentrate in particular on the teacher-pupil relationship, and acquire a basic understanding of children and youth’s development and learning in a socio-cultural context. Students will also become acquainted with the curriculum for primary and lower secondary school and the various aspects of the teacher’s role.

Pupils vary according to age, background and various life situations, and it is the teacher’s effort, insight and understanding which are of importance for the development of the class environment. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that good relationships exist between pupils, and between the teacher and pupils. It is an overall aim of the Norwegian inclusive state school system ( Enhetsskolen) that the principles of fellowship and teaching adapted to each individual’s needs is adhered to. It is a challenge for the teacher to meet and deal with the needs of children and youth with different backgrounds, interests and abilities. Students will gain insight into their own learning process and participation in learning activities which require cooperation and interaction.

II. Aims and target areas

Main elements:

The teacher and pupils

• Important concepts and theories on children and youth’s maturation, development and learning
• Aesthetic learning processes
• Teaching adapted to each individual’s needs
• Planning and implementation of effective group processes and communication
• Brief introduction to some special needs education approaches
• Observation and individual teaching plans

The teacher and the school

• An introduction to the school as an organisation
• The school’s mandate, foundation of values and purpose
• Basic aims, principles and guidelines of the curriculum
• Principal didactic models
• Important methods and organisational forms in primary and secondary schools, such as theme and project-based work.

The teacher and society

• Children and youth as a part of the local, national and global culture
• Preventive initiatives aimed at children and young people with social and emotional difficulties and pupils in critical life situations

Organisation, teaching and learning methods

Students will participate actively in planning, organising and evaluating the course.

The content of the course is divided into two parts: on the one hand, the study of theories and concepts with reference to the syllabus; and on the other hand, the preparation of learning material related to the students’ teaching practice.

Parts of the first year of study are included in the joint-disciplinary components for the first grade (see 3.1).

1. The study of theories and concepts with reference to the syllabus literature

• Psychology (4 ECTS)
  • Aesthetic learning processes, developmental psychology, social psychology and the psychology of learning.
• Didactics (3.5 ECTS)
  • General didactics, the curriculum, planning, observation, teaching adapted to the needs of the individual and special needs topics.
  • Teaching and learning methods: lectures, self-study, study groups and written documentation

2. Preparation of the learning material related to the teaching practice and students’ learning methods

• Psychology (3.5 ECTS)
• Practice assignments, discussion assignments, seminar presentations and reports
• Didactics (4 ECTS)
• Practice assignments, discussion assignments, seminar presentations and reports
• Teaching and learning methods: group work, problem-based learning, fieldwork and observation, written and oral documentation

The second year of study

During the second year of study, students will develop a further and more complete perspective on what is involved in being a teacher, and how the aims of schools may be put into practice within current framework conditions.

In the context of interdisciplinary project work within the subject, basic reading and writing skills, students will be able to acquire skills by participating in development work, and developing the ability to examine and evaluate research in a critical and reflected manner (cf. 3.1).

The school as a builder of our institutions is concerned with preserving the experiences and values of the past. In a developing society the school is also an active participant in the interrelations between parents, the local community and society at large. The teacher must therefore embody this double-sidedness in the meeting with parents and others.

The cultural concept includes both aspects of preservation and development. In its role as cultural bearer the school must attend to both the formative and creative forces, in order to provide opportunities for enjoyment and the many opportunities which cultural diversity provides.

In today’s society, the teacher will be confronted with many challenges. Primarily, he/she will be concerned with planning and organising the pupils’ learning, development and socialisation, but also with providing students with a foundation for a life-long learning process. This means that the teacher must be willing to develop both professionally and on the human level in the ongoing social interaction with the users of the school. The teacher’s work with basic pedagogical problems and practical and aesthetic educational aspects will be important in this context. By this we mean the ‘eternal’ questions related to the subject and the school as an institution. This concerns questions concerning the function of education and the development of character. The ethical aspects which shed light on right and wrong in upbringing and teaching will also be emphasised.

Aims and target areas

The teacher and pupils

• Document experience from teaching practice
• The role of schools as part of children and youth’s cultural and development environment

The teacher and the school as an organisation

• Norwegian inclusive state school system ( Enhetsskolen)
• Management and organisational development
• Assessment
• Cooperation between schools and parents and teaching adapted to local conditions

The teacher and society

• Cultural diversity and ethnicity
• The school as a part of the local, national and global culture
• Important aspects of the history of schools
• Ethical reflection

Organisation, and teaching and learning methods

Students will participate actively in planning, organising and evaluating the course. The content of the course is divided into two parts: on the one hand, the study of theories and concepts with reference to the syllabus literature; and on the other hand, the preparation of learning material related to the students’ teaching practice and work on interdisciplinary themes.

1. The study of theories and concepts with reference to the syllabus literature

• School, society and culture (2 ECTS)
  • Basic pedagogical problems, practical and aesthetic educational aspects and school history
• The school as an organisation (2 ECTS)
  • The Norwegian school system, the school in the local community, other cultural institutions, organisational theory, and the school in an international perspective
  • Teaching and learning methods: lectures, self-study, study groups and written documentation

2. Preparation of learning material related to the teaching practice

• School, society and culture (2 ECTS)
  • Practice assignments, discussion assignments, and seminar presentations
• The school as an organisation (2 ECTS)
  • Practice assignments, discussion assignments, and seminar presentations.
• Interdisciplinary project work (4 ECTS) (included as part of the joint-subject themes)
• Basic knowledge regarding the teacher’s role in the teaching of basic reading and writing skills in schools (3 ECTS) (included as part of the joint-subject themes related to the teaching of reading and writing skills).
• Teaching and learning methods: group work, written and oral documentation, fieldwork and observation, interdisciplinary project work and joint-subject study methods.

Assessment Methods

Assessment of the first year of study

During the first year of study, students will be assessed 4 times on the basis of 3 mandatory assignments and an individual written examination. The assessment is organised in the following manner:

Autumn semester:

Students must submit a mandatory assignment which will receive a final comment, and a written assignment which counts for 20% (7.5 ECTS). One of the assignments will primarily be related to the teaching practice.

The student must submit an mandatory assignment which will receive a final comment. This assignment relates to the theatre production.

Spring semester:

One of the assignments will be related to the joint-subject theoretical topic for the aesthetic dimension (cf. 3.1), and will be assessed as pass/fail.

An individual written examination (6 hours), which counts for 30% of the total grade (7.5 ECTS);The written examination may be taken online via the Internet.

Assessment of the second year of study

During the second year of study, students will be assessed 3 times on the basis of mandatory work, an interdisciplinary project and a final examination.

Autumn semester:

Students are required to present a mandatory assignment in the form of a written, oral or visual presentation. A final comment on the work will be given. This assignment is assessed as pass/fail (7.5 ECTS); Included as part of the interdisciplinary work ‘Interart’.

Spring semester:

Students will carry out a interdisciplinary project in groups related to practice/basic reading and writing skills. The project will be awarded a graded mark which counts for 20% of the final grade, and a graded 6-hour written examination which counts for 30% of the final grade (7.5 ECTS).

Final assessment

The final assessment includes all the mandatory assignments and examinations in the first and second years of study. A graded mark will be included on the diploma, graded from A to F, where A is the highest grade, and E is the lowest passing grade. Each part of the assessment must receive passing marks in order to achieve a final passing mark.

Please refer to Telemark University College’s Examination Regulation for further information.

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