Professional Enquiry: Education MEd/Postgraduate Diploma/Postgraduate Certificate

www.ioe.stir.ac.uk

The MEd Professional Enquiry in Education is a Chartered Teacher programme accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). It is managed by The Partnership for Professional Enquiry, which is a consortium of four local authorities: Falkirk, North Ayrshire, Stirling and West Lothian, along with The Stirling Institute of Education.

Programme Objectives

The Partnership for Professional Enquiry consortium is committed to delivering continuing professional development to support and enhance the continuous improvement of educational provision for pupils in Scotland. Distinctively, the programme consists of six modules of 30 Scottish Credit Qualifications Framework (SCQF) points which form a cohesive and progressive route to Chartered Teacher status.

The MEd in Professional Enquiry in Education is a work-based programme, which imparts a sound understanding of the central themes of education, broadens your own practice through analysis, reflection and debate, supports your professional growth as an experienced practitioner and enables you to contribute effectively to the improvement of educational practice in your own professional setting and the wider professional community.

Entrance Requirements

For entrance onto this programme you are required to:

• Hold a Certificate of Eligibility from the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).
• Have access to a suitable setting in order to undertake professional enquiries in your workplace. You must also be able to meet attendance requirements.

English Language Requirements

If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence of your proficiency such as a minimum IELTS score of 6.5 (minimum 6 in each skill) or TOEFL 577/213/79 (Paper/Computer/Internet).

Funding

For information on possible sources of funding, visit: www.stir.ac.uk/postgrad/finance

Modes of Study

The MEd Professional Enquiry in Education is offered on a part-time basis only. The period of study is normally three years.

Programme Start Date

February and September

Programme Director

Morag Redford

The Stirling Institute of Education

Structure and Content

For the award of the Postgraduate Certificate you must complete the following modules:

• Exploring Professionalism in Practice: This module serves as the foundation for the rest of the programme. You will undertake self-evaluation against the revised Chartered Teacher Standard utilising your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) portfolio. Ideas about how we understand and value learners, teaching and teaching strategies will be explored whilst critically engaging with current policy and a wider educational literature.
• Enquiring into Ideas: This module will support your continued exploration of educational literature within the broad pedagogic framework of education for all.

For the award of the Postgraduate Diploma you must complete:

• Exploring Professionalism, Enquiring into Ideas plus Understanding Professional Enquiry: This module is the preparation for the first work-based element of the programme. You carry out a literature search to support the proposal for a classroom enquiry which will seek to change and extend your practice in order to achieve enhanced outcomes for all pupils.
• Enquiring into Classroom Practice: This module involves you carrying out the classroom enquiry and evaluating the impact of the changes in your practice on the learning experiences of the pupils.

For the award of the MEd degree you must, in addition to modules required for the Postgraduate Diploma, complete:

• Negotiating for Collaborative Professional Enquiry: You will undertake the planning stages of a collaborative enquiry with your colleagues, while exploring the relevant research and literature ensuring that your enquiry is evidence informed.
• Conducting Collaborative Professional Enquiry: You will carry out the planned collaborative enquiry developed. This project will enable you to demonstrate all the professional actions of the Chartered Teacher Standard, within the context of contributing to your professional communities.

Delivery and Assessment

The programme is delivered through a mixed mode of seminars, self-study materials and work-based action learning. Progress is assessed in a number of ways through self-evaluation, reports, classroom and collaborative professional enquiries.

Timetable

Contact the Institute for information on your timetable and reading lists.

Career Opportunities

The programme provides continuing professional education, focusing on professional enquiry, which allows you to demonstrate that you meet the Revised Chartered Teacher Standard. The programme leads to both the award of a Master’s degree and Chartered Teacher status conferred by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS).

Research Opportunities

PhdD/MPhil by Research
The programme will develop specific and generic skills to allow you to develop a career in a broad range of public sector, private and voluntary organisations, including Higher Education.
Doctor of Education (EdD)
The EdD is aimed at professionals working in educational training and public sector settings who wish to pursue high-level research in some aspect of their professional practice.

The EdD has a more professional and vocational orientation than the PhD and is designed for staff in education and health authorities, schools, colleges, universities and related areas, who wish to develop their understanding of what research can offer practitioners and policy-makers in their decision making, the policy implications of research, and how to conduct research in their own professional domain.

Research is organised into three clusters, led by professors, and draws together staff from across the Institute.

The three clusters are:

• Contexts of Learning (Professor Biesta)
• Inclusion and Social Capital (Professors Allan and Field)
• Communication, Learning and Interaction (Professors Plowman and Edwards)

For information on our current research projects and activity, visit: www.ioe.stir.ac.uk/research

Research Proposal

Research proposals should be around 2,000 words and include the following: executive summary, importance of the proposed research, prior relevant research and literature review, research questions and methodology, any limitations or particular requirements for the research.

• PhD/MPhil by Research: Guidelines fFor guidelines on writing a proposal, visit: www.ioe.stir.ac.uk/research/students.php
• EdD: A 2,000-word statement is required, indicating previous professional experience and general focus of the research.

RAE Rating

The UK-wide Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) confirmed the quality of the work being done by our researchers. 85% of the University of Stirling’s research has been judged to be internationally excellent and internationally recognised, with the top 10% of that judged to be world class.

View the full outcomes of Stirling’s RAE performance

Use the online enquiry service to find out more or to request a prospectus.

If you are ready to apply you can fill out an online application form now.