ED3TS4: Development of transferable skills through a school placement 4

Module code: ED3TS4

Module provider: Institute of Education

Credits: 20

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Mr Mark Aitchison, email: mark.aitchison@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded: IN TAKING THIS MODULE YOU CANNOT TAKE ED2TS2 OR TAKE ED3SEP (Compulsory)

Placement information: Micro placement

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 15 September 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module enables undergraduate students to develop key transferable skills needed for employment, and also provides outreach experience. Following specialist training on key aspects of working in schools, placements in secondary schools in the 91µ¼º½ area will provide work experience in a professional setting.

The students will build on the knowledge and transferable skills acquired in order to plan and deliver, with colleagues, a teaching session that shares knowledge of their degree specialism with small groups of school students. Students will reflect on, and share, their experiences with their colleagues. Assessment will be by coursework.

Students will be selected by application.

Please be aware that prior to the placement in November or March you will need to have applied for and hold a current enhanced DBS.

The module also aims to develop:

• To develop key transferable skills including teamwork, communication and organisational skills, creativity and resourcefulness in order to enhance employability.
• To develop reflection, drawing on both personal experience and educational literature.
• To familiarise students with a professional work environment and provide opportunities for students to consider whether teaching might be a suitable career.
• To develop the skills needed to review a wide range of selected literature on an educational topic and identify pertinent themes.
• To investigate an aspect of teaching and learning in depth.
• IT skills through use of online resources and presentation technologies
• An understanding of some of the challenges and rewards of teaching as a profession in order to inform later career decisions
• A wide range of other presentational, organisational and interpersonal skills readily transferable to other areas of employment besides teaching
• The skills necessary to locate relevant literature on a specific topic.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Conducted themselves in a professional manner 
2. Reflected on their teaching and learning experiences, drawing on their observations and knowledge of appropriate literature to inform their reflections.
3.  Reflected on the development of their transferable skills.
4.  Summarised their reflections through poster and oral presentations.
5. Writing a reflective report on an aspect of teaching and learning, drawing on relevant literature to inform their findings.

Module content

Taught seminar sessions are designed to prepare students for the school placement and assessable outcomes take place in November or March. Placements, which are unpaid, will be organised by the module convenor, last for one school week and take place in November. Attendance will be validated by school supervisor’s signature. Whilst in school on placement, students will draw on their knowledge of the appropriate literature to inform a reflective log. Students will also identify an aspect of teaching and learning that particularly interests them, investigate this, and write a report on their findings, this will form part of their reflection at the end. This learning from their observations in school and literature, and supported by seminar sessions, students will plan and deliver a teaching session for small groups of school pupils, using knowledge from their degree.

The teaching sessions for small groups of school pupils will be based on overarching themes with a global context such as climate education and sustainability. These sessions will provide opportunities for increased awareness of the range of courses available at the 91µ¼º½.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Pre-placement seminars will introduce the module and its assessment; the organisation and supervision of placements; working in a school environment; key issues and literature in education; and routes into teaching. Placements will be arranged, usually for pairs of students, in participating schools and will cover a total of three to four working days scheduled in November. Discussions with supervisors will provide opportunities for reflection on transferable skills and also aspects of teaching and learning. Students will need to allow sufficient time for independent study during their placement period to keep their daily journal up to date. Five seminars will be scheduled for the autumn term the beginning of the semester to support students with preparation and delivery of their teaching activity, and their presentation to peers and tutors.

Study hours

At least 16 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students present an oral presentation about the design of their learning activity for feedback. Semester 1 – Teaching week 11.

Reassessment

Additional costs