| CODE | EPE1012 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Becoming a Primary School Educator | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Early Childhood and Primary Education | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit aims to introduce students to the vocational aspect of becoming a primary school educator, more specifically the essential qualities, values and skills required to work with children aged five to eleven years within the context of compulsory education. In this study-unit, the focus will be placed on the role of the educator as key player in the education and holistic development of primary school-aged learners. A participatory and reflective stance will be adopted to encourage students to engage in individual and collaborative reflection as they are initiated into their new role as trainee educators. The methods and strategies employed will seek to support the development and articulation of the values of trainee educators as they consider their impact on their role at both a relational and pedagogical level. This study-unit will help students to understand the lives of primary school educators, using personal and professional narratives and case-studies to analyse the qualities, values and attitudes needed for their own successful formation as prospective educators working with learners in educational settings. It will also encourage them to acknowledge and value the strong links between the personal and the professional, as they understand their responsibilities to develop their own cultural and linguistic capitals to eventually create meaningful learning spaces for children in primary classrooms. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to initiate students into their formation as trainee primary school educators. It seeks to help them acquire the awareness and understanding required to develop, articulate and critically reflect on their own values and beliefs as they explore the issues pertaining to their training and formation as prospective educators. The study unit will engage students in dialogic conversations on existing and emerging discourses of professionalism in the primary school sector whilst exploring links between possible personal and professional identities. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - define the multiple roles undertaken by primary school educators and the required qualities to fulfil those roles; - appreciate that the vocational aspect of being a primary school educators entails an introspective exercise into own values and beliefs about the primary aim of education; - distinguish between reflective writing that is superficial and descriptive and that which is deep and constructive; - be critically aware of the need to gradually develop professional competencies and professional integrity as they are initiated into their formation as trainee educators. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - analyse what it means to be an educator and the images portrayed by society, as presented in the literature and through the sharing of experiences of experienced primary school educators; - discuss, share and question beliefs and values about own professional role; - develop own professional identity as a prospective educators working in primary schools; - engage in collaborative reflection during a one day seminar experience; - keep a reflective journal which will be shared on an online forum and provide constructive feedback on your colleagues' entries. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Cooper, H. & Elton-Chalcraft, S. (eds.) (2022). Professional studies in primary education. Sage Publications. - Pollard, A., Higgins, S., Daly, C., McRory, A., Hayward, L., Wyse, D., Craig, A., Seleznyov, S., Harmey, S. (2023). Reflective teaching in primary school. (6th ed.) Bloomsbury Academic. Supplementary Readings: - Bakx, A., Koopman,M., de Kruijf, J. & den Brok, P. (2015) Primary school pupils’ views of characteristics of good primary school teachers: an exploratory, open approach for investigating pupils’ perceptions, Teachers and Teaching, 21 (5), 543-564. - Carden, C. (ed.) (2022). Primary Teaching. Learning Matters. - Farrugia, R.C. (2021). Learning, potential and identity construction in Maltese early years settings. In R. Willis, M. de Souza, J. Mata-McMahon, M. Abu Bakar, & C. Roux (Eds.), The Bloomsbury handbook of culture and identity from early childhood to early adulthood : perceptions and implications (pp. 105-119). Bloomsbury Academic. - Gellel, A. (2010). 'Teachers as Key Players in Values Education: Implications for Teacher Formation'. In Lovat. T et al. (eds.) International Research Handbook on Values Education and Student Wellbeing. London: Springer. - Milton, J. (2021). Identity and language as experienced by student teachers in Maltese primary schools. In R. Willis, M. de Souza, J. Mata-McMahon, M. Abu Bakar, & C. Roux (Eds.), The Bloomsbury handbook of culture and identity from early childhood to early adulthood : perceptions and implications (pp. 175-186). Bloomsbury Academic. - Pollard, A., Higgins, S., Daly, C., McRory, A., Hayward, L., Wyse, D., Craig, A., Seleznyov, S., Harmey, S. (2023). Reflective teaching in primary school. (6th ed.) Bloomsbury Academic. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Online Learning and Seminar | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Rosienne Camilleri (Co-ord.) Daniela Demicoli |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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