Course Objectives

Introduction

This curriculum is based on the National Curriculum for General Teacher Education approved by the Ministry of Education and Research on 3rd April 2003.

Being a teacher in today’s society requires skills in several fields. First, teachers are required to have thorough knowledge of the subjects which they intend to teach. The teaching profession also places emphasis on didactic skills which are necessary for helping children and adolescents to develop their characters and contribute to society in a meaningful way. Teachers also require a high degree of social skills in facing the many challenges they meet in their interactions with colleagues, parents and pupils of differing backgrounds and experiences. In our time, teachers should also possess development and change skills so they are able to participate in the renewal of the school’s content and teaching and learning methods. In a pluralistic society that embraces different cultures, perceptions, attitudes and forms of expression, the teacher must also be an active co-player supported by a clearly formulated professional competence.

Consequently, the Pedagogy study programme is designed to promote coherence in teaching and help students to develop an overall competence supported by practical training, subject studies and interaction with other students and teachers.

Pedagogy focuses on how people develop and learn through interaction with their surroundings. Possessing pedagogical insight is of fundamental importance for teachers in their daily instructional environments. Students will acquire this insight through theoretical studies, activities, and reflection regarding their activities. Students should be able to analyse and reflect upon what promotes learning in the context of knowledge and important pedagogical questions.

Pedagogy is a multi-faceted subject and comprises elements of intellectual history, didactics, philosophy, psychology and sociology. Pedagogy is concerned with the knowledge, skills and attitudes which the teacher needs in his/her encounter with students, schools and society. Through the study programme students will develop a professional foundation for their future careers in primary schools, secondary schools, adult education programmes and other educational contexts.

The study programme will, through the choice of content and literature, be based on the following three competence aims:

• The teacher and the pupils

• The teacher, pupils and the school

• The teacher, pupils and society

Under each of the themes a target area is formulated related to various sub-themes. The goal of the competence aims is to provide guidelines for the students’ learning processes, and to make explicit the overall criteria for assessment.

Overall competence aims

Students will through the study programme:

• Be able to plan, implement and assess teaching and learning anchored in the child and culture.

• Be able to interpret the educational system’s fundamental values and be able to reflect critically and constructively on the tasks and responsibilities of schools and teachers.

• Function in the professional role of the subject teacher through knowledge and understanding of those ideas and values that have shaped the practical and aesthetic subjects in the past and present.

• Be able to master situations involving children with different backgrounds, and cope with learning environments and the framework conditions which are present in the different types of schools and the individual schools.

• Be able to communicate with the individual pupil and reflect upon their own views concerning equal rights, equality and cultural diversity.

• Be able to reflect on their own working role and behaviour.

• Develop the capacity for participating in pedagogical development work both in relation to schools and the subject.

Course Description

First year of study

During the first year of study students will become acquainted with the various pedagogical disciplines and thematic areas which provide a fundamental understanding of children and adolescents’ development and learning. Students will gain knowledge of the curricula, and acquire an understanding of teaching planning, various teaching and learning methods and the didactic ideas which these are based on.

1st semester

The content of the teaching in pedagogy in this semester consists of psychology. Psychology consists of two parts, Psychology 1 and 2. Psychology 1 is an introduction to pedagogical/psychological theories and mapping and observation. Pedagogical/psychological theories focus on children’s development and learning. Important themes are intellectual, social and emotional, and physical/motory development. Development and learning always takes place in social situations; it is therefore important to consider this in connection with, and to assess the quality of, the learning environment. Mapping and observation are important tools when assessing learning environments, groups and pupils and individual pupils.

Psychology 2: involves an intellectual and practical reflection upon the themes which are described in Psychology 1.

2nd semester:

The content of the pedagogy teaching in this semester consists of didactics. Didactics consists of two parts, Didactics 1 and Didactics 2. Didactics 1 provides an introduction to systematic planning of teaching and assessment of learning. Didactics is an important tool for the teacher in this work. Didactics involves making conscious choices when planning and organising teaching, whether this concerns the class as a whole or for adapted learning plans for individual pupils or groups of pupils. Mapping, observation and analysis are important, and will be put into new contexts. The teacher’s work involving teaching, and the planning and organising of learning for all the pupils, requires insight and knowledge of regulations and curricula that are relevant for the school. Students must become familiar with these documents.

Didactics 2 involves academic and practical reflection upon themes which are described in Didactics 1.

Second year of study

During the second year of study, students will work with the school as an organisation or concern. They will become familiar with the diversity of pupils who have their natural place in the “Unified School” ( Enhetsskole) through knowledge of pupils’ varied backgrounds and learning strategies, and plan and organise adapted learning. Students will gain knowledge of how one plans and carries out pedagogical development work/project work and they will also carry out smaller development tasks. In the last semester students will acquire knowledge regarding the subject pedagogy’s roots and scientific basis. They will learn to analyse changes in teacher and pupil roles from historical, philosophical and current social perspectives. Students will learn to discuss central professional-ethical issues.

3rd semester:

The content of the teaching in pedagogy during this semester consists of the school as an organisation, adapted teaching and pedagogical development work/project work. The school is part of society, a society which is constantly changing. Students will acquire insight and skills in communication and supervision and will learn how to use this knowledge in professional contexts. Likewise, students will learn to analyse and assess an organisation from various perspectives. Students will become familiar with the concepts, “Unified. School” ( Enhetsskole) and adapted teaching and aspects of the field of the special needs. Mapping, observation, analysis, didactics and reflection will be placed in new contexts. The student will become familiar with various methods used in pedagogical development work.

4th semester:

The content in the pedagogy teaching in this semester examines parts of themes from previous semesters and relates them to new contexts. The students will acquaint themselves with teacher and pupil roles in social, historical and philosophical perspectives, and examine school in society, socialisation factors in a didactic perspective and professional ethics. The school has changed continually in both past and present. Knowledge of the past may enable us to say something about the present, and on the basis of this we are able to influence the future. An important question in this context is: what kind of knowledge and skills will we need in tomorrow’s society? Socialisation is concerned with becoming a part of society and developing one’s own particular character. Students will acquire knowledge regarding the socialisation factors we find in schools and society. Students will also become familiar with the importance that good relations and cooperation between parents and schools has for a child’s academic and social development. Everyone is influenced by mass media, PCs, and Internet. In this context, students should reflect upon use and misuse. Students will become familiar with ethics as a subject and reflect upon the professional-ethical dilemmas they may meet in the practical training school.

Learning Methods

The students will actively participate in planning, organisation and assessment of the study programme, and as far as it is possible relate studies to the practical training. The organisation and teaching and learning methods should be arranged in such a way that the students experience a natural progression throughout the course of the study programme - with an emphasis on basic skills in the beginning, and a focus on more demanding skills further on in the study programme. The teaching and learning methods will be specified in more detail in the theme and semester plans. Students may also refer to the practice plan which describes the organisation of the practical training.

The tasks a teacher must master in the exercise of his/her profession requires knowledge of varied teaching and learning methods; the study programme includes: self-study, lectures, observation, supervision, and tasks related to the practical training, interactive learning methods (such as ICT), oral and written presentations and group work etc. During the course of the study programme the semester plan may include reading periods; the number of weeks will be specified at a later date.

Pedagogy, which is part of the General Teacher Education study programme at Telemark University College, will be organised in the following manner.

Problem-based learning is an important approach to pedagogy and in all other subjects. In addition, there will be teaching of larger groups (joint-lectures and seminar groups), supervision in base groups and through individual work. Pedagogy provides an introduction to basic research-methodological topics, observation, and R&D methodology and project work equivalent to 3 ECTS. Knowledge regarding the use of digital tools (ICT) will also constitute an important part of the programme.

The programme is vocationally oriented and practical training comprises an important focus. Students are responsible for acquiring the knowledge which the programme covers. In order to acquire this competence active participation in the teaching and in the field of practical training is required; educational reflection and development are built on these two fundamental aspects.

Parts of the programme are obligatory. The semester plan provides more specific information concerning this. This will normally include study groups, submission of written work as well as work related to practical training including preparatory and follow-up work. Students who have a unsatisfactory large degree of absence in the obligatory parts of the study programme will not receive a pass mark.

Assessment Methods

The assessment consists of two parts: continuous assessment, which is comprised of four documentation assignments, and a final examination which covers the whole programme. All the documentation assignments must be approved or receive passing marks.

Students will receive a single grade on their final certification, graded A to F, where A is the highest grade and E the lowest pass grade. The final grade is calculated thus: 1st year of study = 1/3; 2nd year of study = 1/3 and the final examination = 1/3. However, when calculating the final grade, the grade given for the final examination is given more weighting.

For more detailed information, please refer to Telemark University College’s Examination Regulations.

Overview of documentation requirements of the programme:

1st semester:

a) Individual written examination with graded mark followed by b) documentation assignment in groups. Documentation a + b together represent 5 ECTS but are not counted as passed before both have been completed and approved.

2nd semester:

a) Individual written examination with graded mark followed by b) documentation assignment in groups. Documentation a + b together represent 5 ECTS but are not counted as passed before both have been completed and approved.

3rd semester:

Individual oral examination, Graded mark. Documentation counts for 5 ECTS.

4th semester:

Pedagogical development work, semester assignment in groups, graded mark. Documentation counts for 5 ECTS.

Individual written final examination, graded mark. Documentation counts for 10 ECTS.

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