Our ITE curriculum & research
Curriculum Intent
At a Secondary level our EHU ambitious curriculum exceeds the full entitlement described in the ITT Core Content Framework as a baseline and is designed around the three faculty pillars of:
1. Personal and professional attitudes, values and beliefs.
2. Subject and curriculum knowledge.
3. The craft of teaching and pedagogy.
These faculty pillars are informed by our philosophy of education, created, and enhanced further when our partnership and our students are engaged in an ethos of debate, research and educational curiosity based on reflection and professional enquiry.
This ambitious ITE curriculum includes our values of social justice, inclusion, learning outside the classroom and sustainability as key features to support our local and national communities.
Our EHU ambitious FET curriculum is similarly designed around the three faculty pillars but built with a consideration of the ETF Professional Standards (2022) and informed by the CCF evidence base.
You can read more about our ITE vision by clicking here.
Curriculum rationales and key readings for mentors
Each one of our ITT curriculua is underpinned by and draws from pertinent research in that subject area. You can read more about all the research which underpins our curriculum design by downloading the relevant ITT course curriculum by clicking here and scrolling down to the Secondary or FET section.
We have also compiled a list of suggested key reading for mentors for subjects we offer at both Secondary and FET level. We have also provided additional some key readings specifically for FET mentors to assist with mentoring in the FET phase.
Computer Science and IT
Developing a Computer Science-specific Learning Taxonomy. Available from: https://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/pubs/2007/2798/content.pdf.
CSE, 2018. Computer Science Education: Perspectives on Teaching and Learning. London: Bloomsbury Academic. https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=MUmlEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Computer+Science+Education:+Perspectives+on+Teaching+and+Learning.+London:+Bloomsbury+Academic&ots=SpEp0nP1zO&sig=0an1BjkJbk-8KHkZBWp7JNjRMJU
Ofsted (2021) research review series: computing https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-computing
SENTANCE, S., WAITE, J. and KALLIA, M., 2019. Teaching computer programming with PRIMM: a sociocultural perspective. Computer Science Education. 29 (2-3), pp. 136-176. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08993408.2019.1608781
The Royal Society, 2012. Shutdown or Restart? The way forward for computing in UK schools. . Available from: https://royalsociety.org/-/media/education/computing-in-schools/2012-01-12-computing-in-schools.pdf.
The White Paper: Practical programming in computing education https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/7463560/Practical_Work_in_Computing_Apr_22.pdf
English
Cremin, T(2019). Reading communities: Why, what and how? https://www.nate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/4-Reading-Communities-Teresa-Cremin.pdf
Sherrington, T (2020), The hidden lives of learners: Re-reading Nuthall’s Hidden Lives of Learners. Insights from a classic. https://teacherhead.com/2020/02/15/re-reading-nuthalls-hidden-lives-of-learners-insights-from-a-classic/
Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (2021)., Improving Literacy in Secondary Schools: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/literacy-ks3-ks4
Ofsted (2021) research review series: English https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-research-review-series-english
Further Education and Training (FET)
Education and Training Foundation (ETF) (2022) Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers https://www.et-foundation.co.uk/professional-standards/teachers/
Geography
Geographical Association (2022) Geography mentoring. https://www.geography.org.uk/Geography-mentoring
Healy G., Hammond, L., Puttick, S. & Walshe, N. (2022) Mentoring Geography Teachers in the Secondary School: A Practical guide. Routledge.
Jones, M & Lambert D. (2017) Debates in Geography education. Routledge.
Ofsted (2021) research review series: geography https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-geography
History
Chapman, A (ed.) (2021) Knowing History in Schools: Powerful knowledge and the powers of knowledge, London: UCL Press.
https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/130698
Counsell, K. Burn and A. Chapman, (eds.) (2015) Masterclass in History Education: transforming teaching and learning, London: Bloomsbury.
Davies, I. (ed.) (2017) Debates in History Teaching, Oxford: Routledge
Harris, R., Burn, K. & Woolley, M. (2014) The Guided Reader to Teaching and Learning History, Abingdon: Routledge.
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/edgehill/reader.action?docID=1480726
Ofsted (2021) research review series: history https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-history
Reading for practical ideas
Natalie Kesterton’s (2019). ‘Plugging the gaps: using narratives and big pictures’ in Teaching History, 176.
Reading to understand how to structure history lessons
Riley's (2000) article ‘Into the Key Stage 3 history garden: choosing and planting your enquiry questions’, Teaching History, 99.
Reading to develop trainees' understanding about how children learn in history lessons
S Wineburg, ‘Unnatural and essential: the nature of historical thinking’, in ‘Teaching History’, Issue 129, September 2007, pages 6 to 11 and Husbands, C. (1996) What is History Teaching? Buckingham: Open University Press, ch 6, pp. 73-87.
Mathematics
Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), ND. Improving mathematics in key stages two and three: guidance report KS2_KS3_Maths_Guidance_2017.pdf (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)
Ofsted (2021) research review series: mathematics https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-mathematics
Physical Education
Capel, S, Cliffe, J, & Lawrence, J (eds) 2020, Learning to Teach Physical Education in the Secondary School : A Companion to School Experience, Taylor & Francis Group, Milton. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [17 January 2023].
This underpins the importance of the (PE) mentor through signposting / articulation to the trainee’s approach and regular tasks that can be undertaken with the trainee / Mentor.
Consistently directs the trainees to good practice and opportunities to develop communication / dialogue with Mentors.
In contrast Mentors can use this approach to reassure and reiterate good practice themselves through a reflective approach.
Deng, A. and Chen, A., 2022. Cognitive Load and Energy Balance Knowledge in High-School Physical Education. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 1(aop), pp.1-10. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/17408989.2020.1849595?needAccess=true&role=button
Meaningful learning occurs when pupils are enabled to make sense of their learning and organise it coherently within what they already know.
It is therefore important that the curriculum sequence maximises the likelihood that all pupils will be able to connect the steps they have taken to know and do more in PE.
Deng (paper above) underpin the importance for pupils to acquire secure knowledge before moving on to more complex knowledge through approaches as retrieval, refining and building on key fundamental movement skills (FMS) before introducing additional complexity that compliments out spiral approaches to the trainee’s own curriculum for ITE
Vickerman, P., 2007. Teaching physical education to children with special educational needs. Routledge.
This paper is linked to the inclusive section of the research paper for the review looking at the opportunity to ensure that PE is consistently accessible for all and that all pupils can make progress.
Evokes the debate to challenge why some pupils with SEND share experiences of being unable to join in with certain activities, not having the equipment to participate fully.
This can provide positive and empowering conversations linked to the CCF and the adaptive approaches to ensure inclusivity through sport and activity accessibility.
Religious Education
Ofsted (2021) research review series: religious education https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-religious-education/research-review-series-religious-education
Sheehan, H. (2023) Mentoring Religious Education Teachers in the Secondary School: A Practical Guide https://www.routledge.com/Mentoring-Religious-Education-Teachers-in-the-Secondary-School-A-Practical/Sheehan/p/book/9781032042442
Pett, S. (2022) Religion and Worldviews in the Classroom: developing a Worldviews Approach Stephen Pett A Draft Resource for curriculum developers https://www.religiouseducationcouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/REC-Worldviews-Project-single-pages-Revised-cover-v1.2.pdf
Science
HOLMAN, J. and YEOMANS, E. 2018. Improving Secondary Science Guidance Report. Education Endowment Foundation.
INGLIS, M., 2018. Mentoring New Science Teachers. In: BANNER, I. and HILLIER, J., eds. ASE Guide to Secondary Science Education. 4th ed. Hatfield: Association for Science Education. pp. 276-291
Ofsted (2021) research review series: science https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-science
Ofsted research review series
'The curriculum - what pupils learn - is the very core of education' (Ofsted, 2021)
Since 2021 Ofsted has been compiling evidence to inform a series of published reviews with the aim of supporting and informing those leading the thinking on subject education in schools. By setting out the most helpful ways of securing progression in each subject, the research reviews provided by Ofsted can provide a set of guiding principles for subject leaders including those involved in the training and development of novice teachers. In addition to the Core Content Framework, these reviews underpin our curriculum design for each course and a link to the relevant review can be found below. We are also in the process of creating short videos, delivered by our subject specific tutors, to assist mentors and trainees in implementing the key findings from each review. We hope these resources will help mentors to deliver our curriculum.
The Core Content Framework for Secondary ITE
All Secondary ITE curricula at Edge Hill exceeds the full entitlement described in the ITT Core Content Framework as a baseline. This padlet provides an overview to help you support trainees during their placement.
The ETF Professional Standards (2022) for FET ITE
Trainees on our PGDE in Post-14 Education course are training to teach in the Further Education and Training (FET) sector so they do not work towards the Teachers' Standards required for QTS recommendation. At the end of their training they are assessed against the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) Professional Standards which enables them to be eligible to work towards QTLS once employed.