Course overview

Further Education Teacher Training is offered at the University of Portsmouth as a one-year, full-time or two-year part-time professional teacher training course that leads to either a Professional Graduate or a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PCE). The latter enables you to achieve 60 credits at Master level, which can be accepted towards a full Master’s award in Teaching and Learning.

The part-time route is validated by the University of Portsmouth Collaborative Programme Partnership and offered at two further education colleges: Chichester College and Eastleigh College. You will need to apply online to the university, stating which college you wish to study at.

The professional standards for teachers, tutors and trainers in this sector, covering the Domains A–F, are underpinned by professional values, knowledge and understanding and practice. These six domains of the professional standards have been incorporated into our unit aims, learning outcomes and assessment criteria:

A Professional values and practice
B Learning and teaching
C Specialist learning and teaching
D Planning for learning
E Assessment for learning
F Access and progression

Also included within these courses are the Minimum Core Curriculum of language, literacy, numeracy and ICT.

The course encourages the development of the ‘professional teacher’, with particular emphasis on reflective learning combined with skills-based practical teaching. There is a balance between work-based practical skills and related theory over four units of study, with a continuous assessment approach. The taught units are all interrelated and enable you to link learning theories and educational research to professional practice. You are encouraged to develop subject-specific knowledge by working closely with your university teachers and college subject mentors at your designated teaching placement.

Find out more

For further information and an application form please contact the Course Admissions Secretary (details above).

Course content

Teaching and learning theories, together with current educational research, provide the basis for the course. Our course team will help you progress through the units which have been carefully structured to ensure sequential progression.

The course aims to:

• promote an excellent learning experience for all students including educational and personal success and independence in an inclusive accessible, relevant, supportive environment
• provide a practice-based programme that creates effective opportunities for you to reflect on your professional practice and enhance your teaching competence
• apply learning theories to practice when planning, implementing and evaluating teaching and learning programmes in the post-compulsory education sector
• generate personal and professional self-confidence from which to create a sound base for further professional and career development
• enable the development of professional practice to a recognised national standard
• encourage the professional sharing of subject-specific experiences and knowledge relating to teaching and learning between student teachers and tutors

Units

On the full-time pathway there are four units of study during the year each with varying approaches to assessment.

On the part-time pathway there are two units of study per year and each unit is assessed through coursework and portfolio. The observation of your teaching competence is carried out by college tutors and subject-specialised mentors.

Unit 1.1 Planning, Assessing and Evaluating Teaching and Learning Programmes: this unit encourages you to understand how to organise and plan your teaching and learning sessions and use different assessment methods, as well as start developing your own personal and professional skills.

Unit 1.2 Theories and Principles for Planning and Enabling Learning in a Specialist Subject Area: in this unit you will examine a range of teaching and learning theories, learn how to plan and develop inclusive learning into your lessons and understand how to use a range of communication and classroom management skills.

Unit 2.1 Professional Practice: this unit encourages you to review the development of your personal and professional skills, develop a career management file and research into a specific area of your teaching.

Unit 2.2 Curriculum Design in a Specialist Subject Area: in this unit you will learn about the range of contexts in which education and training are offered, analyse theories and models of curriculum design and understand how to promote equality within practice.

Teaching and assessment

The PGCE enrolment is in the last week of September and the course lasts for a minimum of 32 weeks, beginning the first week in October and finishing at the end of June.

Teaching approaches include a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops, guided preparatory reading and active group participation.

Full-time route

The course encourages the development of teaching skills specifically for this education sector and incorporates both work-based learning experience and supervised teaching practice.

Teaching placements are offered in further education and sixth form colleges, starting in the first week of November and finishing the last week in May. All teaching placements are arranged with colleges who are part of the Portsmouth Partnership Programme by the School Placement Manager. This experience offers opportunities to develop professional teaching skills involving planning, assessing and evaluating teaching sessions across a range of programmes and also includes observed teaching practice.

Tutorial support is provided at the University by academic and personal tutors, and includes group and individual tutorials. In the teaching experience placement a professional mentor provides general educational support whilst a subject mentor provides specific guidance relating to teaching and learning skills.

Part-time route

Workshops and self-directed learning link to and encourage the development of the minimum core curriculum of language, literacy, numeracy and ICT in supporting your own skill base. Subject-specialist tutorials involve both group and individual support and develop subject-specific knowledge and skills as well as linking the Qualifications Curriculum Authorities (QCA) framework of personal learning and thinking skills to action planning processes. The emphasis throughout is on inclusive teaching and learning combined with reflective practice within a teacher’s own specialist area of work.

Career prospects

Successful completion of the PGCE in Post-compulsory Education will enable you to gain Qualified Teacher Status and will provide for a career in post-compulsory teaching.

Facilities and features

Our resources

Portsmouth has a reputation for providing a supportive and friendly atmosphere in which its students can quickly settle and enjoy their studies. You will have access to a full range of support services for personal issues and academic study. Personal tutors will assist with directing you to accessing support you may find helpful, while you will also have access to appropriate University resources, including our main library and computing facilities, which are open seven days a week.

The School of Education and Continuing Studies staff are all experts in a range of appropriate subject specialisms. Their enthusiasm and motivation means you will be encouraged to gain the most out of your time with us.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements for PGCE Post Compulsory Education are shown above, for more detailed information please contact:

Department: School of Education and Continuing Studies (SECS)
Tel: +44 (0)23 9284 5204
Email: secs.enquiries@port.ac.uk