About this course
- Entry year: 2012/13
- Course code: R9X1
- Applications: GTTR
- Level: Postgraduate
- Department: Education
- Campus: Frenchay
- Duration: One year full-time
- Delivery: Full-time
- Study Abroad: No
- Programme leader: Alison Taylor
Introduction
The Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education is a one academic year (36 week) course that trains graduates to be secondary school teachers of Modern Languages.
If you need to boost your subject knowledge before starting the course you can do a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course. You can only apply to do this after receiving an offer of a place on the PGCE.
The PGCE programme has been designed to train teachers for the full secondary age phase (11-18). Trainees are assessed against the standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in two key stages, normally KS3 and KS4. In the first half of the autumn term, some trainees may seek to change this to Key Stage 4 and post-16, this will be subject to discussion with the programme leader.
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.
Our Secondary PGCE programme has recently been graded Outstanding by Ofsted (2011).
Find out more about what PGCE Secondary Education at UWE has to offer in terms of teaching quality, staff expertise and your student experience.
Structure
Content
The course is part of the Department 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 Modern Languages programme at UWE will give you the skills you need to be a successful languages teacher of the future. Trainees become involved in an exciting mixture of teaching and learning styles, ranging from presentations and micro-teaching to pair and small group work. You will also be able to find out about the learning process and try things out in the group, such as presenting a new language to a class or experimenting with a game you have just made. There will be regular opportunities for French specialists, Germanists and Hispanists to work together.
The following are some of the things we look at in subject sessions:
- Communicative language teaching
- Planning in line with the National Curriculum and KS3 strategy
- In-depth work on Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing
- Evaluation of course materials
- Assessment at KS3, KS4 and post-16
- GCSE, 'A' level and post-16 alternatives
- Management of the Modern Languages classroom
- The teaching and learning of grammar
- Hands-on ICT training
- Creative writing in Modern Languages, including poems and songs
During the 24 weeks spent in two different partner schools, you will be encouraged to develop your full potential and to play a full part in the life of the school in which you are placed. There will be a strong framework of support and within this you will have opportunities to try out your ideas and develop your teaching skills.
If you share our enthusiasm for languages then our PGCE course is the one for you.
Hear what our students think about their time at UWE.
Teaching and learning
Personal support
We recognise that embarking on a new course of study can sometimes be quite a challenging undertaking. Students have three main sources of support and information from the University during the course: firstly there is the Group Tutor in their subject area, secondly each student is allocated a Personal Tutor and thirdly any student can get support on a range of issues from the Department Student Adviser.
Find out more about our academic staff, their teaching expertise and research interests.
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).
Special Features
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.
There is an opportunity to spend time in a primary school and some students may also visit other institutions, such as special schools or colleges of further education.
Fieldwork
During the course there are several opportunities to look outwards:
- Paired trainees traditionally teach and run activities in different foreign languages in a local primary school for the European Day of Languages in September and there are also opportunities to meet the PGCE primary trainees with a French or Spanish specialism.
- Following a creative writing session in January, trainees are invited to work with pupils in school and enter either the local 'Speak Up' Poetry & Song Competition or its national counterpart, 'Free Spirit'. In 2003 two groups of yr 9 boys from one of our partnership schools actually won the German section of the national competition and performed their song in London.
- Several trainees have helped with a local Gifted and Talented students' course, based around a murder mystery in Paris.
- With its free associate membership for PGCE trainees, the Association for Language Learning (ALL) continues to provide a valuable series of regional training events.
Careers/further study
The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) programmes now includes 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.
For information about the national curriculum and subjects taught in secondary schools, visit Directgov online.
Hear from past UWE students about how studying here has enhanced their career propsects and opened up new opportunities.
Entry
Entry requirements
Modern Languages trainees should be:
- Graduates (normally 2:2 minimum) in French with German or Spanish to A2 level, or
- Graduates (normally 2:2 minimum) in Spanish or German with fluent, accurate French to A2 level or above, or
- Graduate native speakers (normally 2:2 minimum) of French, German or Spanish with a second language (for German and Spanish native speakers the second language should be French; for French native speakers the second language should be German or Spanish)
If you have only one language, there is the possibility of doing a three month Extension Course in either French or German between May and August before starting the PGCE course.
Please note: A very small number of places are available each year for graduates with French only or French and Italian.
Applicants normally have:
- GCSE grade C or above (or equivalent) in mathematics and English language. (University tests in mathematics and English language may be available for some applicants)
- To have spent a minimum of 1-2 weeks in a classroom observing modern languages being taught in a comprehensive school within the past 2 years
Additional requirements
Applicants must pass an initial selection process and short-listed candidates will be interviewed at the Department of Education. Entry is subject to satisfactory interview to assess professional suitability and subject to successful medical and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance. If you would like information regarding issues that could disqualify you from teaching training, please contact us on +44 (0)117 32 83333.
TDA Standards and requirements
Following the review of Standards and Requirements for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) by the Secretary of State in 2007, the Department of Education has designed its full-time courses to be compliant with the latest standards and requirements. For information on the latest standards please visit the TDA website.
General Teaching Council Registration
Please also note that since 1 September 2008 anyone commencing a course of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in England leading to the award of Qualified Teacher Status is required to be provisionally registered with the General Teaching Council for England (GTCE). You will need to complete a suitability declaration to enable the Council to identify any reason which may prevent registration. At the point of the offer of a place on an ITT course at UWE, you will be sent a GTCE Suitability Declaration form which will need to be completed and returned to the University. Providing that this declaration meets the requirements you will be recommended to be registered with the GTCE. The Government has announced a proposal to abolish the GTCE but until Parliamentary legislation is enacted registration is still required.
For further information on Provisional Registration and the suitability assessment please visit the GTCE website.
Fees
Full details of fees for this course can be found on our postgraduate fees pages.
For funding options, please see our funding and scholarships information.
How to apply
Please apply online at: www.gttr.ac.uk.
For further information
Page last updated 14 December 2011