PGDE Secondary ( Home Economics )
Are you are a health sciences , food or science-related graduate looking for an inspiring , challenging and socially empowering career ? This one-year course will give you an internationally recognised qualification to become a secondary school home economics teacher .
Are you passionate about food and textiles , sustainability , social justice and health and wellbeing ? If so , there has never been a more important time to join our Home Economics ( Secondary ) course at QMU . As a graduate of our unique course , you will have gained the practical skills and research driven knowledge you need to help young people face the challenges of 21st century citizenship .
As well as offering you the opportunity to learn how to teach practical food , nutrition , and textiles skills , you will engage creatively with the role of outdoor learning in the HE curriculum , gaining experience of cooking outdoors in our special campus outdoor learning space . Digital literacies and learning to learn and teach through new digital medium , are also key aspects in our course .
We offer master ’ s level credits , which will engage you in a critical understanding of contemporary ‘ real world ’ issues from food production and consumption , through to sustainable textiles issue such as the impact of fast fashion . Furthermore , with a rising demand for food banks , the impact of food poverty on society has never been more prevalent and thus you will consider critically children ’ s rights and how to plan for inclusive practice to enable all young people to have the positive learning experiences they deserve . You will also learn about the role you can play as a home economics teacher to drive forward the discipline within its contemporary social , cultural , and political contexts .
Professional enquiry is an important aspect of the teacher ’ s role . On our programme we will teach you how to conduct research in your classroom to enable you to make evidence-based decisions in support of pupils ’ learning . Structure You must complete the full PGDE . Teaching , learning and assessment
This is a blended programme in which you will attend practical and interactive workshops on campus and complete online independent , collaborative and reflective learning tasks . Half of the year ( 18 weeks ) will be spent in schools on teaching placements .
The PGDE shares the pedagogic approach of the other courses in the Division of Psychology , Sociology and Education , foregrounding :
• critical thinking
• student collaboration
• independent learning
• involvement with global real-world issues
• interprofessional , interdisciplinary learning
• practical experience , experiential learning and critical reflection
• practical upskilling in food and textiles
• peer / group work
• enquiry-based learning
• debate and contention Assessments are designed to :
• optimise accessibility for students with a range of strengths and abilities
• provide variety of opportunity to be challenged and to excel
• engage students in the importance of being literate and communicative in a range of formats and media
• model and demonstrate assessment procedures for student teachers so that they can incorporate into their own teaching practice , for example : the importance of assessment ; transparency of approaches to assessment , value of providing a range of assessment formats , and ways and means of providing feedback and feed-forward .
Teaching hours and attendance
This is a full-time , demanding course , lasting 36 weeks in total , split into 18 weeks on campus and 18 weeks on placement .
Industry links , accreditation and professional registration
The course is accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland ( GTCS ). As a graduate you will be eligible to register with the GTCS . See the following Careers section .
Modules
Reflective and Critical Practice ( Placement Modules ) ( 40 credits )/ Home Economics in the 21st Century ( 40 credits )/ Education : Theory , Practice and Research 1 ( 20 credits )/ Education : Theory , Practice and Research 2 ( 20 credits )
The modules listed are correct at time of publication ( November 2021 ) but are subject to change . In the event that modules change , QMU will seek to use reasonable endeavours to ensure that there is no detrimental impact on students .
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