Third Year Student Teachers

Welcome to Year 3 & the final phase of your Primary Education journey!

The information on this page is for student teachers moving into the third year of their studies from September 2024

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Ann Jones – Year 3 Lead

An Introduction from Ann Jones, Year 3 Lead

Hello everyone, my name is Ann Jones and I am year lead for Year 3!

I am here to support and guide you through your final year in addition to your own academic tutor and lecturers too.

Third year is an exciting final year where you deepen your knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning as well as subject knowledge. You will complete a number of exciting modules in addition to your final placement which will run after Christmas. .

You will have a choice from a range of Professional Elective modules as well as the chance to design, plan and carry out your research project, building on your second year research module.

I love to hear and celebrate all the wonderful things that the third years get up to as well as listening to any concerns and troubles you have too. I meet with a group of third year student reps throughout the year to gather feedback and student views.

Traditionally the third year student reps have been responsible for organising an end of year ‘bash’ which is always great fun and something to look forward to all year!

So, the third year is an important one, where you will complete your journey towards being a BA (Hons) Primary Education graduate and a qualified primary school teacher.

Key Staff

Programme Lead: Dr Louise Whitfield (l.whitfield@yorksj.ac.uk)

Year 3 Lead: Ann Jones  (a.jones@yorksj.ac.uk)

Academic Tutors:

Ann Jones (a.jones@yorksj.ac.uk)

Richard Crabtree (r.crabtree@yorksj.ac.uk)

Richard Skidmore (r.skidmore@yorksj.ac.uk)

Jo Wheldon (j.wheldon@yorksj.ac.uk)

Module Information

In Year 3 you will study five modules (including school experience).  One of these is your professional elective.  Details of these modules including title, code and Module Director are given below.  You will also find details of suggested pre-reading/ tasks to complete before starting these modules.  Please note, if a pre-task is not listed next to a module, the Module Director has not specified any pre-tasks.  Any queries, please contact the Module Director. 

Module Code, Title & Module Director Module Summary Pre-tasks to complete before starting the module

QTS6001M – Professional Studies 3: The Emerging Professional

Dr Caroline Elbra-Ramsay

 Your final Professional Studies module will focus on pupil progress and assessment. As your responsibility and accountability as a teacher grows, this is something you will need to take increasing ownership of. There is also a focus on professionalism and employability. As you approach the end of your studies, it is important that you are confident in formulating and articulating your own personal philosophy of education. You will develop as an autonomous professional able to make judgements informed by theory and practice.
  • Reflect on your training so far and identify three things that you think are part of your philosophy of teaching.  These can be anything that matter to you as a teacher;  
  • Identify any particular experiences (placement, module, reading) that have informed your thinking;  
  • Read the following chapter – Cottrell, Stella ‘Critical analytical thinking’ 

QTS6002M – Contemporary Educational Issues

Richard Skidmore

 On this module you will engage in critical, reflective and informed debate and a range of issues which affect our education system today. As you graduate into a rapidly changing world, it is important to be able to interpret and respond to trends and issues arising in the world of education. This includes ongoing debates within wider political, social, psychological and international contexts. You will use these debates to contextualise your own values, beliefs and professional approach to teaching. Keep up to date with an education-based news articles/ stories. Possibly the easiest way to follow this would be using  https://www.tes.com/news  

QTS6003P – School Experience 3

Jo Wheldon

 This is the culmination of your professional studies. You will undertake an extended placement of around 11 weeks, where you will build up to teaching 80% of the timetable. Make the most of your final placement as an opportunity to refine your professional skills and take on wider responsibilities. You will become, to all intents and purposes, the class teacher and will demonstrate that you are ready to take on your own class as an ECT.

QTS6004M – The Research Informed Professional 2

Manjinder Jagdev

 Use what you learnt in your second year Research Informed Professional module to plan, design, carry out and present an education research project. This usually takes the form of a dissertation. It is up to you to decide the specific focus and title of your project. This will need to be agreed with your tutor, who will be there to support you in carrying out your own independent research. Learning to analyse and respond to research which critically informs your teaching will be an asset throughout your career.
  • Revisit the final and brief QTS5006M lecture that was  just after SE2.  
  • Start to think about possible areas of interest, relevance, concern, etc. that could potentially develop into your final year research project.  
  • Use the form on QTS5006M Moodle that was shared in the lecture.  
  • The focus at the early stage is ideas. If you have several, viable ideas then you are more likely to arrive at one about which you are happy and that also has strong potential as a research project.   
  • In the early stages of QTS6004M, we will help you to refine these ideas and then narrow down the choice until you have the strongest, most interesting, and of course, ethical proposal that you can make.  
Professional Electives

QTS6005M – Early Years Education

Emily Smeaton

Early Years Education is distinctive in its focus and approaches from the later years of school life. As such it is underpinned by theoretical perspectives, frameworks and curricula that are also distinctive. The module aims to provide student teachers with opportunities to identify and articulate the principles of early years education; critically analyse and consider the implications of current research and legislation relating to early years education and the needs of young children; know about and understand the rationale and theoretical underpinnings of a number of well established early years approaches; be aware of global perspectives in early years education.

Familiarise yourself with key EYFS documentation:

Link to the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework document

Link to the Birth to 5 Matters document 

Link to the Development Matters document

QTS6006M – Philosophy & Thinking for Children

Dr Richard Day

 Teaching Philosophy for Children encourages questioning, reasoning, and clear articulation of thoughts. Engaging with philosophical concepts can enhance empathy and respect for diverse perspectives. This module hopes to support academic growth, prepares children for life’s complexities, and promotes more thoughtful citizenship, cultivating inquisitive, open-minded, and reflective individuals.

QTS6007M – Creativity in Education

Dr Ruth Unsworth

In the Creativity module we explore different ways of thinking about creativity in relation to education. Sessions blend theory with practical experiences of creative thinking and creative processes, readying you for teaching creatively and teaching for creativity with your own class.

QTS6009M – Learning Outside the Classroom

Lucy Sors