1. Working at M Level on an ITE course Capel, Leask and Younie (2016)
Make use of educational research and theory to improve your practice
Develop your own theories about teaching and learning, reflecting on and evaluating established practice
Develop and assess innovative practice in your own classroom
Respond creatively and critically to local and national educational initiatives

2. Assignment: Equality and achievement in education Focus: Teachers’ Standard 1 and Teachers’ Standard 5 How do we respond to pupils’ needs and overcome potential barriers to learning so that all pupils make progress and achieve? Choose one of the following areas as the focus of your critical analysis of provision and practice in your school: Word limit: 4500 (+ or – 10% tolerance)

4. Your assignment must contain…
Observation
The practice of others and your practice
Professional literature
Books
Journals
Leading thinkers researching the pedagogy of your focus?
Improved pedagogic knowledge
Transformative capacity
Research informed practice
(Application / evaluative comment)
Critical reflection
Practice
Theory
Criticality / Analysis
Critical reflection on what you have read and what you have seen

5. The DPP Assignment (Pages 15-17, DPP Module Guide)
Your school context – think about the pupils that you teach
The DPP Assignment (Pages 15-17, DPP Module Guide)
Recommended reading from DPP Module Guide pp20-28
Library Search
Reading
Books
Journal
Professional literature
Reflection on your own practice within your school setting
Observation of practice within your school setting

6. UH Postgraduate Grading Criteria
Four grading areas:
Understanding of knowledge
The interrelated nature of theory and practice
Development of a thoughtful argument
Structure
Your assignment will be graded against all four criteria

7. UH Postgraduate Grading Criteria -
Understanding of knowledge (your reading and critical understanding) The interrelated nature of theory and practice (your reading relating to your practice or observed practice) Development of a thoughtful argument (your voice - your thoughts and your reflection and rationale) Structure (how you present your work – setting out your stall)

8. Show us what you have learned, through demonstrating you have:
researched an issue
thought deeply about it
come to your own, informed, understanding
Use a range of appropriate sources
Evaluate what you are reading
What are my opinions and assumptions?
What do I think of what I have read? Do I agree/disagree?
What resonates with me/challenges me? Why?
How does this relate to my experience or observation of practice
Create an argument/ view /angle
Challenge assumptions
Justify my argument based on my research and my deep thinking.
Translate this into classroom practice

9. Your school context…..
Show us what you have learned, through demonstrating you have:
researched an issue
thought deeply about it
come to your own understanding
structured an appropriate response:
appropriate academic register of written language
presented your arguments in a clear, logical and accessible way
used accurate language with correct grammar and punctuation
used Harvard referencing correctly

10. Stylistic Conventions - what do we mean?
Use of 1st person - ‘I’ or ‘we’ is acceptable and encouraged
Avoid the use of 2nd person ‘you’
Be aware of the appropriate register of language – no colloquial language
Do not use ‘contractions’ (don’t, etc)
Paragraph correctly – a single sentence does not make a paragraph