The PDP1 should be created in 2 parts: Part A and Part B
The three components of Part A together with the 3 overview pages in Part B should not exceed 4,500 words.
PDP1 Part A
The required components for Part A are the same for all pathways. Part A should include three pieces of reflective writing:
1. A philosophical statement of 750 – 1,000 words;
2. A critical appraisal of an article from a professional or academic journal( not newspaper) of 500 – 1,000 words; A piece of reflective, analytical writing of 750 – 1,000 words which draws on relevant literature sources / policy documents. Exemplars of all three pieces of writing are available on the MTeach VLE. Some specific guidance on writing the philosophical statement is given below.
The philosophical statement
The philosophical statement( 750 – 1,000 words in length) should aim to answer the questions below. Addressing the issues in the questions should help to focus your thinking at an appropriate level.
You might want to consider some of the following questions when writing the statement:
• What are the key characteristics of a teacher or leader of your subject or phase?
• What is the relevance / strength / potential of your specialism?( Why is it important?)
• What has influenced your thinking on this?
• Can you identify key experiences in your development, i. e. ' critical incidents '? What aspect of your training to become a teacher or leader or your professional development have you found to be the most challenging?
• In what aspect are you most confident or competent?
• What in particular do you have to contribute to the profession, beyond your subject knowledge and pedagogical knowledge and skills?
• What are your personal and professional values— and how do they relate to your sense of vocation as a teacher or leader?
• How do you see your wider role as an educator?
Critical appraisal of an article or chapter from a professional or academic journal or book( not a newspaper) whose subject matter is of interest to you
You may use an appropriate text from those you have read for the GEMS Leadership programme or you may find the pre-reading articles on the PDP1 VLE relevant,, or publications from the Teaching and Learning Research Programme: www. tlrp. org( go to the Publications section and select either commentaries or journals).
The text should be included in the portfolio as an appendix. Provide full bibliographic details of the text in the title.
At the beginning of the appraisal, give the role and institution of the author and the type and readership of the journal / book. The critical appraisal should include a rationale for your choice, a brief summary of the main points as you see them and a discussion of
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