Part A: Key ideas about teaching and learning (1000 -1500 words)

Explain the key theoretical influences on learning that will build and inform your teaching practice. To fulfil this requirement, write a synthesized analysis of how the different types of learning, different theories, ideas and concepts run through your three key teaching and learning approaches. You might like to consider teaching strategies and activities, locations, resources, and relationships. Depth of knowledge, integration and application of the different theories need to be demonstrated. Examples of teaching and learning approaches might be:

Students working in small groups;

Undertaking activities outside;

Blended learning using online as well as classroom resources

Learning through story-telling;

Project- or task-based learning;

Inquiry-based learning

While you may conceive of quite different approaches, develop approaches that are relevant to your notions of teaching. Discuss how concepts used by different theories or theorists are important for these teaching and learning approaches, and give examples of how the concepts and theories may be suggestive of particular teaching practices. For example, Vygotsky (SCLT), Bandura (Social Cognition), Piaget (the role of play in individual cognitive constructivism) and motivation theories are important to understand learning in small group work, and which teaching practices can be applied in a small group work learning approach.

NB. Rather than selecting a single theoretical perspective, aim to provide a creative synthesis of theories into each of your three broad areas of teaching and learning approaches. How do the concepts and theories you encountered during the course influence your understanding of teaching practices in your three key teaching and learning approaches? Illustrate each of your three key teaching and learning approaches with at least one example of practice from a classroom setting – something you have observed or have taught yourself.

Part B: Theories into practice (up to 1,000 words)

For this part of the task you need to focus on your view of yourself as a ‘teacher’ – the qualities you value, the beliefs you hold and the approach to teaching and learning you now plan to take as a future teacher. Refer to your teaching approaches in Part A when considering and responding to the following broad questions:

I. To what extent, and how, has your understanding of education research, learning and teaching changed during this course? Refer in particular to "everyday understandings" of concepts that you might have had, but that have now emerged as "professional understandings". Which readings changed your understanding?

II. How has your understanding of learners and teachers evolved from Week 1 through to Week 13? How has your view of the ‘ideal’ teacher and the ‘ideal’ student changed? What does the concept of ‘an ideal teacher’ or ‘an ideal student’ suggest to you now?

III. How have these changes influenced your view of your future self as a researcher, learner and teacher? How has your understanding of knowledge (or knowledges) changed? What role do you see for yourself in your teaching approaches explored in Part A?