About this course: Through this course you will start to critically examine your own ideas about education, teaching and learning. The critique will be developed through engagement with theories and ideas developed through educational research. You will be encouraged to use these ideas to challenge or support your own ideas about education. Each week we will focus on one key question, using video lectures, key readings and challenges to explore some commonplace notions about education. With the guidance of the course team, you will be asked to use these ideas to critically reflect on your own understandings and experience. By the end of the course, you will have developed a personal response to the main question: what is your preferred future for education?
Created by: University of London, UCL Institute of Education
Taught by: Dr Clare Brooks
UCL Institute of Education, University of London
| Commitment | 6-8 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
How do we learn?
This week we focus on the important question of "how do we learn?". One of our aims this week is to demonstrate the learning approach of this course as well as to get you to think about how you have learnt in the past, and to question some of your own assumptions about learning.
7 videos, 7 readings
- Reading: Syllabus
- Reading: Grading
- Reading: Glossary of Terms
- Reading: How do we learn? (about week 1)
- Video: Lecture 1 How do we learn?
- Video: Lecture 2 How do we learn? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 3 How do we learn? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 4 How do we learn? optional extra
- Video: Lecture 5 How do we learn? optional cont'd
- Video: Lecture 6 How do we learn? optional cont'd
- Reading: This week's readings (and lectures)
- Reading: Let's discuss...
- Reading: Reflections
Graded: Journal entry for Week 1
WEEK 2
What is intelligence and does it matter?
In this second week of the course we focus on the tricky issue of intelligence. In the resources this week, we explore what we mean by intelligence and how it can affect learning and educational success.
4 videos, 4 readings
- Reading: What is intelligence and does it matter? (about week 2)
- Video: Lecture 2 What is intelligence cont'd
- Video: Lecture 3 What is intelligence cont'd
- Video: Lecture 4 What is intelligence cont'd
- Reading: This week's readings
- Reading: Let's discuss...
- Reading: Reflections
Graded: Journal Entry for Week 2
WEEK 3
What makes a good teacher?
In the third week of this course, we turn our attention from learning to teaching. In the resources this week we explore our images of "good" teachers and consider where these images come from.
6 videos, 4 readings
- Reading: What makes a good teacher? (about week 3)
- Video: Lecture 2 What makes a good teacher? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 3 What makes a good teacher? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 4 What makes a good teacher? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 5 What makes a good teacher? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 6 What makes a good teacher? cont'd
- Reading: This week's readings
- Reading: Let's discuss...
- Reading: Reflections
Graded: Journal entry for Week 3
WEEK 4
Can schools make a difference?
In this fourth week, we turn our attention from individual classrooms and the relationship between learning and teaching, and focus on schools as organisations
3 videos, 4 readings
- Reading: Can schools make a difference? (about week 4)
- Video: Lecture 2 What makes a good school? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 3 What makes a good school? cont'd
- Reading: This week's readings
- Reading: Let's discuss...
- Reading: Reflections
Graded: Journal entry for Week 4
WEEK 5
Why do governments fund education?
In this penultimate week of the course we expand our discussion still further and consider the role education plays in our societies.
6 videos, 4 readings
- Reading: Why do governments fund education? (about week 5)
- Video: Lecture 2 What are governments' priorities for education? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 3 What are governments' priorities for education? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 4 What are governments' priorities for education? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 5 What are governments' priorities for education? cont'd
- Video: Lecture 6 What are governments' priorities for education? cont'd
- Reading: This week's readings
- Reading: Let's discuss...
- Reading: Reflections
Graded: Journal entry for Week 5
WEEK 6
What future for education?
In this final week of the course, we return to the question that started it all off: what future for education? The content is a little different this week, but the structure should be familiar to you.
1 video, 4 readings
- Reading: What future for education? (about week 6)
- Reading: This week's TED talks
- Reading: Let's discuss...
- Reading: Reflections ... create your own TED talk
Graded: Create your own "Ted Talk"
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Creators
University of London
The University of London is a federal University which includes 18 world leading Colleges. Our distance learning programmes were founded in 1858 and have enriched the lives of thousands of students, delivering high quality University of London degrees wherever our students are across the globe. Our alumni include 7 Nobel Prize winners. Today, we are a global leader in distance and flexible study, offering degree programmes to over 50,000 students in over 180 countries. To find out more about studying for one of our degrees where you are, visit www.london.ac.uk
UCL Institute of Education
The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is the world's leading centre for education and social science research, teaching, and engagement. Founded in 1902, the Institute currently has more than 8,000 students and 800 staff. In December 2014 it became a single-faculty school of UCL, called the UCL Institute of Education (IOE).
Ranked number one for education worldwide in the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 QS World University Rankings, the IOE was awarded the 2015 Queen’s Anniversary Prize. In 2014, the Institute secured ‘outstanding’ grades from Ofsted on every criterion for its initial teacher training, across primary, secondary and further education programmes
Ratings and Reviews
good
Excellent and broadening perspectives.
Fantastic insight into education! Congratulations on creatins such a great course!
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Great course! Opened my mind to different perspectives.