English - PGCE

GTTR code - Q3X1

English 1116

English is a core area of the secondary curriculum, which provides students with the means to communicate effectively in a complex twenty-first century. In addition, it encourages the potential for creative and personal responses to a range of fictional and real-life situations.

English is a dynamic and continually expanding area that provides students with opportunities to analyse and reflect upon the way media texts impact upon society, alongside the study of a diverse range of print-based texts, including drama and poetry.

The PGCE course will train you to be part of an exciting, rewarding and challenging profession that is responsible for developing key personal and social communication skills for tomorrow's citizen. You will study and learn about issues in English education ranging from the theoretical to the practical and teaching, both at the University and in school, will feature discussion, collaborative work, individual work and experiential learning.

All trainees embarking on this programme will be registered on the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education pathway. During February trainees will have the opportunity to remain on the Professional Graduate pathway (taking all modules at HE level 3) or choose to follow the Postgraduate Certificate in Education pathway (taking two modules at Masters level). Further guidance will be available at interview and at the start of the course.

Why complete a PGCE in English?

In this one-year course, your main concern will be with the development of your professional competence as a teacher of English. You will need to focus not only on the teaching of English itself, but also on developing an understanding of educational issues pertaining to teaching and learning, classroom interaction, the school curriculum and the school and society. As well as becoming a competent classroom practitioner, you will need to be able to make informed decisions and recognise the need for further development.

In addition to this, you will be expected to teach the three disciplines within English up to GCSE level and update your subject knowledge. This is a process that will start in the PGCE year, but will continue throughout your teaching career. You will be expected to enhance your subject knowledge through background reading, research, working in peer subject development groups, teaching and working on examination papers.