Common strands explored throughout the programme and within the context of this module include commitments to inclusivity in all its forms; safeguarding and wellbeing of children; promoting a positive classroom environment conducive to engagement and respecting diversity; and building curricula and sequences of lessons designed to ensure the progression of all.  Alongside this and in common with other modules, ATs will be supported to prioritise their own wellbeing, achieve a sustainable work-life balance while managing their initiation into professional communities of practice.

Associate Teachers (ATs) will develop an understanding of the nature and aims of the National Curriculum and/or Early Years Foundation Phase depending on the age-phase in which they are training to teach.  They will consider these documents in relation to breadth, balance and ambition and how pupils and children can be supported to make links between subjects, disciplines and associated areas of learning to ensure that the curriculum is greater than the sum of its parts.  ATs will cover important elements of the legislative and statutory framework relevant to teaching, education and the professional responsibilities (e.g. safeguarding, the SEND Code of Practice, the promotion of Fundamental British Values, the Equality Act etc.).  ATs will also cover important aspects of inclusion, the definitions and categories of different pupil needs, including the 4 categories (social, emotional and mental health, sensory and/or physical, communication and interaction, cognition and learning).  Through guided observation, ATs will develop knowledge of how to generate motivation, autonomy, mutual respect and positive relationships with staff and pupils of all kinds and how important a consistent whole-school/institution-wide approach to managing children and pupils' behaviour is to this.  ATs will be expected to demonstrate principles of professionalism and professional behaviours of teachers along with the importance of reading policies, following them and taking appropriate advice and initiative.  ATs will observe and develop their knowledge of the teaching of citizenship and PSHE where relevant and their relationship to the notion of a healthy and socially responsible school/institutional community as well as the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and children.  ATs will be supported to manage their workload to ensure there is a productive work/life balance and that proportionate amounts of time are set out for planning, teaching and assessment activities - and recognise the importance of their contribution to the wider life of the school/institution.  Through the guided observation of experts, ATs will develop how to communicate with lay stakeholders, parents, and carers and others in promoting professional cooperation and the engagement of pupils.

Associate Teachers (ATs) will be supported to manage their own progress in developing and extending their knowledge and understanding of inclusion in all its forms, the promotion of a positive classroom environment which maximises learning and respects safeguarding and the dignity and diversity of all pupils.  They will also be supported to consistently and confidently plan sequences of lessons which enable the progression of all pupils and engage with colleagues in mutual enquiries to develop the curriculum.  ATs will develop their understanding of the nature and aims of the National Curriculum and/or Early Years Foundation Phase depending on the age-phase in which they are training to teach.  They will consider the practical implications of these documents in relation to breadth, balance and ambition and how pupils and children can be supported to make links between subjects, disciplines and associated areas of learning to ensure that the curriculum is greater than the sum of its parts.  ATs will further develop their understanding of statutory frameworks and legislation in relation to safeguarding, Special Educational Needs, Fundamental British Values etc.  ATs will develop their understanding of the different types of assessment that can be used with classes to ensure planning is responsive to pupils' and children's needs.  ATs will extend their knowledge of planning and particularly their understanding of how all pupils learn (in general and within specific subjects) and the range of concepts and theories which underpin it.  Also they will extend their knowledge of curricular planning and how coherent sequences of learning can promote learning for all pupils.  ATs will extend their knowledge of how to generate motivation, autonomy, mutual respect and positive relationships with staff and pupils of all kinds and how important a consistent whole-school/institution-wide approach to managing children and pupils' behaviour is to this.  ATs will demonstrate consistently and confidently the principles of professionalism and professional behaviours of teachers along with the importance of reading policies, following them and taking appropriate advice and initiative.  ATs will extend their understanding of citizenship and PSHE where relevant and support a sustainable, healthy and socially responsible school/ institutional community as well as the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and children.  ATs will manage their workload to sustain a productive work/life balance and that proportionate amounts of time are set out for planning, teaching and assessment activities while contributing to the wider life of the school/institution.  ATs will develop their confidence in communicating with lay stakeholders, parents, and carers and others in promoting professional cooperation and the engagement of pupils.

ATs will involve themselves in a variety of activities aimed to develop their professional perspectives on teaching and introduce them to broader horizons in the practice of education.  These projects involve work with young people and for example could entail learning outside the classroom; understanding of diversity in the classroom; developing pupil engagement among those in vulnerable groups; involvement in research and curriculum development initiatives; work with other adults or in non-formal/ alternative settings involved in the education of children.  ATs will reflect on the value of these activities in promoting and enhancing learning beyond formal curriculum prescription, and in the development of their own understanding.

Module aims:

This module constitutes the method by which tutors and students in ITE programmes can establish, track and support Associate Teachers' development of fundamental knowledge for teaching in English, Maths, and, for Primary and Early Years ITE, Science.  There are no taught sessions as such though Associate Teachers will be required to take a number of audit tests in the aforementioned subject areas across their ITE registration period.  Associate Teachers' performance in these audit tests will signpost them to undertake independent study to improve proficiency.

Common strands embedded within the programme as a whole and explored within the context of this module include commitments to inclusivity in all its forms; safeguarding, and well-being of children; promoting a positive classroom environment conducive to engagement and respecting diversity; and building curricula and sequences of lessons designed to ensure the progression of all.  Alongside this and in common with other modules, ATs will be supported to prioritise their own well-being, achieve a sustainable work-life balance while managing their initiation into professional communities of practice.

Beyond these underpinning strands, this module will introduce ATs to study habits, conventions, writing and communication at Level 7 and initiate ATs to the principles of professional enquiry as part of their learning journey.  It will serve as an initiation to developing the critical perspectives necessary for interactions between theory, research and practice within the specialist subject. In order to develop close and incisive observations of practice in school, ATs will be introduced to notions of reflectivity and reflexivity, and develop perceptive insights into what they notice from concepts derived from theory and research.  ATs will develop an understanding of how all children learn the specialist subject and relate this to key concepts in teaching and learning (e.g. scaffolding; dialogue; questioning; meaning-making; working memory; long-term memory; cognitive load; engagement; identity transformation) and concepts relating to curriculum design (e.g. sequencing; interleaving; knowledge-rich; coherence; cumulativity; cultural capital; connectivity).  ATs will also begin to use research and theory systematically in order to make judgements about how to present new material in learnable ways to pupils (e.g. using exemplars, analogy, multiple representations, explanations, dialogue and discussion, scaffolds, and demonstrations) and begin to develop responsiveness to what they notice pupils need from their assessments and reflections.  ATs will reflect critically on the rationale behind the curriculum choices that have been made and initiate where appropriate professional dialogues with colleagues and peers about planning.  ATs will be encouraged to develop criticality relating to uninformed and/or culturally reproduced practices (e.g. fixed groupings, 'learning styles' approaches; unpurposeful or burdensome assessment; exclusive differentiation) and they will exercise professional discretion in choosing how and when to demonstrate this.  ATs will learn how to maximise the engagement, motivation, participation and attainment of all pupils through carefully planned and adapted lessons.  ATs will also begin to understand key barriers to learning, and likely misconceptions within the subject and how inclusivity in all its forms can underpin lesson and curriculum design.  This will require a critical engagement with key policy documents, legislation, research, codes of practice and collaboration with other colleagues, parents, carers and classroom assistants.

This module straddles two contrasting placements and as such provides an arena for exploring contrasts between curriculum and pedagogy within the specialist subject and between institutions.  Throughout the content articulated beneath, ATs will develop their commitment to inclusivity in all its forms, safeguarding and well-being of children. and establish a positive learning environment that respects diversity, and the dignity of all children.  ATs will also develop their contributions to a rich and empowering curriculum by planning sequences of lessons that ensure the progression of all and develop strategies for supporting their own well-being and a sustainable work-life balance within an increasing workload.  ATs will participate in a supportive culture of enquiry that will act to build resilience to criticism and as an initiation to the principles and ethics of self-improvement in a Professional Learning Community into the NQT years. The module develops understanding of pedagogical and curriculum concepts (e.g. scaffolding; dialogue; questioning; meaning-making; working memory; long-term memory; cognitive load; engagement; banding and grouping; identity transformation; sequencing; interleaving; knowledge-rich; coherence; cumulativity; cultural capital; connectivity) and relates them critically to the specialist subject, to enacted practice in placement schools, research and the principles of inclusion. The ATs' will also develop their understanding of how to plan sequences of lessons, including purposeful homework activities so that they fit into broader curriculum frameworks and objectives. ATs will explore philosophical, socio-political and historical influences on the curriculum and develop their understanding of how curriculum intention is mediated by their teaching and by how pupils respond to their teaching. ATs will develop their understanding of the ways in which their subject can usefully contribute to pupils’ literacy, including their reading, writing, and oracy. It will also extend opportunities for ATs to develop their understanding of assessment principles and how ATs can respond to the diverse challenges pupils experience. ATs will be invited to explore their own uses of assessment, dialogue and questioning and how they use it to develop as well as check pupils' understanding.  In this way, ATs will begin to see that dialogue and assessment is a critical window into the pupil voice and a crucial opportunity for teachers to understand pupils' perspectives. ATs will be invited to explore critically the purposes behind assessment and the meanings behind notions of the curriculum itself as the progression model.  ATs will examine inclusive approaches to teaching and planning within the specialist subject and critically identify where there may be unintended consequences to planned activities.  ATs will also reflect critically on the correlation between a well sequenced series of lessons and its impact on the development of positive relationships with pupils, a classroom environment conducive to learning and to pupils' well-being, autonomy, and agency.