Full Time: 10 months
Start date: September 2020
Develop teaching skills, acquire curriculum knowledge in the field of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Computer Science (CS), and benefit from our excellent placement opportunities with our PGCE Secondary Education with Computer Science.
Our tutors are a diverse and incredibly experienced community of academics. You will be taught by those with national and international reputations as experts in the field of ICT, digital literacy and CS in education. Together, you will examine a range of pedagogical approaches to ICT and CS teaching.
Current initiatives and policies in the field of ICT and CS will inform your learning, including involvement with Computing At School (CAS)/British Computer Society (BCS) initiatives.
You will learn through a series of practical seminars, workshops and micro-teaching activities, as well as independent and group research in a purpose-built ICT suite with an extensive range of resources. Interactive and discussion-based teaching techniques will encourage you to engage, reflect and challenge. Sessions may include:
- participating in workshop-style sessions with your peers
- attending presentations by subject experts
- working on tasks in groups
- having individual tutorials
- visits to schools or other education settings
- visits to theatres, museums, galleries or sites of educational interest
- writing assignments on aspects of subject teaching and professional studies
These learning activities will help you to develop a toolkit of knowledge and skills, ensuring you are well prepared to tackle challenges and opportunities throughout your training and your career.
Alongside your University tutors, you will be taught and guided by a team of committed and experienced University-trained school mentors.
Placements
Placements enable you to develop the skills and knowledge valued and desired by employers. You will build your confidence in the classroom, and gain practical teaching experience. Placements also provide you with the opportunity to connect with potential employers and build your professional network.
At secondary level, we have strong relationships with around 80 schools in the local and surrounding area. It is a testament to the strength of these partnerships, and the regard with which our graduates are held, that most schools in Berkshire employ at least one graduate of the Institute of Education.
On a Secondary PGCE course, you are required to carry out three placements in two different age groups — ensuring you receive a broad range of experiences. Two placements must be undertaken in a school setting, but the third can be taken in a different setting, allowing you to sample teaching in an alternative environment.
We offer our students an unusually flexible and broad range of settings and educational environments. You will have the opportunity to gain experience in special needs schools, pupil referral units, independent schools, museums and charities.
You will have plenty of opportunities throughout your course to apply your developing skills in real settings. In schools, you will be involved in:
- observation of other teachers
- planning and teaching parts of lessons/small groups
- planning and teaching lessons and sequences of lessons
- reflecting on and evaluating your teaching
- receiving feedback on your teaching
- gaining experience of the range of responsibilities of classroom teacher
Facilities
The Institute of Education is based on our historic London Road campus, which has undergone a £30m refurbishment of the classical Oxford-cloistered quadrangle to create a dedicated, world-class education centre.
We have created custom-built spaces for the teaching of specialist subjects, including:
- modern laboratories
- musical studios, including an electronic drum kit room and a recording studio
- well-equipped art studios and facilities for the practise of work in drawing, painting, sculpture and mixed media
- studios for wet photography and printmaking, including silk screen
The Learning Hub
We have an incredible collection of teaching and research resources housed in the Learning Hub. A treasure trove for teachers and researchers, the Learning Hub contains an extensive selection of teaching aids for loan or reference, from big books to puppets. A printing and binding facility, and technical equipment library are also available for your use.
Research
The quality of our research was recognised in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2014), the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions, which placed the Institute of Education in the top quartile of Education departments in the UK.
Over 80% of our research publications were rated as world leading or internationally excellent. The impact of our research on educational policy and practice in first and second language education was judged to be world leading.
Entry requirements
What will you study?
How much will it cost?
New UK/EU students: £9,250 per year
New international students: £16,045 per year
Please note
The fees listed are for full-time study, unless otherwise stated, and relate to courses starting in the 2019/20 academic year. Fee information will be confirmed in offer letters sent out to successful applicants. You can find further information on fees and funding, including for part-time study, through our dedicated fees and funding page.
Additional costs
These course fees cover the cost of your tuition. Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.
Financial support for your studies
You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK and other EU countries may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.
What career can you have?
The majority of our graduates go into schools and inspire children to develop into happy, confident and well-informed individuals. Other alumni take their educational skills to the worlds of business, culture, art, healthcare, human resources, adult learning and further varied fields.
The support and training we give our students enables them to develop into resilient and creative teachers with the ability to adapt. The transferable skills and strengths they develop are also recognised outside of education, and are therefore desirable in many different areas of employment.
The placement opportunities and careers support we give our students ensures they are attractive to employers. This is qualified by the consistently high employment rates our students enjoy in local and regional schools.