Comments about Postgraduate Certificate in Education PGCE Secondary Business Education - At the institution - Bristol City - Bristol
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Objectives
The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programmes now include 40 credits of assessment at Master's Level (Level M). For candidates who opt not to attempt the requisite credit at Level M, a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education will be available as an alternative award. The Secondary PGCE is a one academic year (36 week) course that trains graduates to be secondary school teachers of Business Education. The PGCE programme has been designed to train teachers for the full secondary age phase (11-18). Business Education trainees are assessed against the standards in Key Stage 4 and post-16. The course is active and practical allowing trainees to develop professional competence through work undertaken in schools and in the University. Trainees work with young people, develop their expertise in their specialist subject area, share and discuss educational issues and study relevant educational research. The course is just the beginning of what we hope will be a process of continual professional development throughout a challenging and rewarding career. The PGCE Secondary Programme has been awarded a Grade 1 (outstanding) for Management and Quality Assurance from OfSTED (Office for Standards in Education) and all of the nine subjects have received good or very good OfSTED grades. PGCE in Business Education is one of the School of Education's most long established and successful courses. Many hundreds of our students have entered the teaching profession through this route and recruitment into teaching jobs remains buoyant. Applicants are required to have a degree in Business or related field. In addition, experience in business is highly valued, in recognition of the increasing focus on work-related learning and enterprise in schools and in the range of business subjects offered at examination level. Given the breadth of the subject, students are supported in the further development of their subject knowledge throughout the course. Our intake is currently 30 students per year and an early application is advised as the level of interest is generally high.
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Entry requirements
Applicants normally have: -a real and clear enjoyment of business education -a good degree 2:2 or above, with at least 50% in a related subject, such as economics or finance and accounting -English and mathematics GCSE grade C or equivalent (University equivalency tests in English Language, mathematics and science may be available for some applicants) -to have spent between one to seven days in a classroom observing business education being taught in a comprehensive school -a willingness to work very hard, show good organisational skills and be reflective -an ability to work individually or as part of a team and constantly push yourself; -evidence of your commitment to working with young people Please note, students who do not meet the minimum academic entry requirements but have significant life and/or work experience will be considered on an individual basis.
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Academic title
Postgraduate Certificate in Education PGCE Secondary Business Education
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Course description
Content
The course is part of the School of Education's programme for Initial Teacher Training. Units studied are:
-Enabling Learning
-Meeting Curriculum Challenges
-Becoming a Teacher
-These units are studied in both the school and the University-based parts of the course, the work on each site being complementary.
The Business Education course has been designed to enable students to develop an understanding of what it is like to be a pupil in a Business Studies classroom and to consider how pupils learn most effectively. The students experience a range of teaching and learning styles first hand, including role play, interactive ICT opportunities, and small group work and are encouraged to think creatively and enjoy the challenge of making business relevant and interesting to the pupils in their classrooms. A strong emphasis is placed upon the practicalities of classroom performance, including lesson planning, the production of high quality teaching resources, assessment for learning and the skills for monitoring personal effectiveness. Finally, students are given a strong sense of the place of Business Education in the curriculum, both historically and in the 'way forward' as we respond to new developments in the 14-19 curriculum and new initiatives for the 21st century.
Placements
24 weeks are spent on placement: a total of eight weeks in one placement during the autumn term and 16 weeks in a second placement during the spring and summer.
As well as teaching, the programme includes contact time with a Senior Professional Tutor and a Subject Mentor, directed study time and personal study time.
Although most of the placements are in schools, there are some openings in Further Education which are available to students who wish to pursue employment possibilities in this area.
All mentors receive regular training and there is a genuinely two-way interchange of information and ideas between the staff at UWE and colleagues in schools and colleges. There is always the opportunity to disseminate good practice more widely in order to keep all concerned at the forefront of the development of the subject area.
Study facilities
Business Education in the School of Education is in one of the country's best maintained centres. All taught sessions are in fully equipped Information Technology rooms, giving students constant access to the full range of electronic business resources. In addition there is a Business Education base room where a range of text books and other resources are available for student use. These resources are in addition to those available in the Education Resource Base in the main Bolland Library.
Assessment
In order to pass the course, trainees are required to pass each unit. They are assessed on a number of written assignments and also on classroom practice against the standards specified by the Secretary of State for the award of QTS. Before the end of the course it is recommended that trainees take the computer-based QTS skills tests in Numeracy, Literacy and ICT which are set by the Training and Development Agency (TDA)
