Education with Special Educational Needs and Disability MA

Core modules

Intervention for Special Educational Needs and Disability

This module explores main areas of special educational need and disability, and personalised intervention that is inclusive of stakeholders, underpinned by the principle of equality of opportunity. You’ll consider the tension between identification of need and the philosophy of inclusion, and implications of Quality First Teaching within new frameworks and for sustaining children/young adults in the 0-25 years age range in their communities. Areas of need explored will include communication and interaction, cognition and learning, emotional, social and mental health, and sensory and physical needs. Implications will be considered for children/young adults with some specific conditions, for example autism, dyslexia, and ADHD, with critical consideration of implications for the child and family, and approaches to intervention.

Professional Enquiry for Education (September starts only)

This module offers you the opportunity to develop specialist knowledge and expertise in an area of personal and professional interest, relating to education. The notion of enquiry used in this module is broad and is intended to reflect the contributions which you bring to advanced study from both academic and professional contexts. You may pursue individual or small group enquiries, or a larger group of students may work with a specialist tutor to investigate an agreed subject area. The use of enquiry is based on approaches to learning that reflect a belief that our thoughts about the world and our ways of knowing are developed through our shared perceptions of it. Central to this is the use of critical thinking which underpins reflexive learning. Professional development is argued to be of particular value when it occurs through collaborative enquiry and dialogue. This module gives you the opportunity to engage in professional enquiry, which may be predominantly work based or exclusively literature based (in circumstances where you do not have access to a work setting or placement). The aim is to develop a deep understanding of factors which shape ways of thinking, working and learning in educational environments.

Specialist Studies in Learning and Teaching (January starts only)

This module is designed to enable you to explore a subject that is relevant to your role as a teacher in compulsory or post compulsory education. You'll be required to focus on one of the specialist areas provided by the course team and to work with other students to successfully achieve the learning outcomes. You will chose from a range of subject specialisms which will include but not necessarily be limited to: Developing Assessment for Learning in the classroom context Enhancing learning and teaching using learning technologies Supporting students with Special Educational Needs Outdoor Learning Critical Education and Social Justice Students will be expected to work collaboratively with their peers to meet the learning outcomes and will be expected to demonstrate a high level of theoretical and applied knowledge and skills. The module is informed by a sociocultural view of learning which emphasises the dynamic process of knowledge construction in which staff and students collaborate and share new knowledge. The module also requires you to maintain the important connections between theory and practice, in that practice is understood as dynamic and emergent. The module will provide you with the tools to develop a critical understanding of the perspective which can be applied to analyse and evaluate your own and others' practice in any kind of educational institution or situation, including the workplace. In addition the module will help you to take forward your understanding of learning, and help you begin to consider what that might mean for your approach to pedagogy. To help with this, the module introduces you to ideas and tools to use to interrogate your own and others' practice in order to further develop your view of learning and begin to relate it to practice and pedagogy. The learning experience will be through guided study where tutors will support the students to explore and analyse conflicting evidence, approaches and theoretical viewpoints in the chosen area. They will also explore and analyse the nature of conflicting evidence, and ways in which that evidence is communicated to the workforce and society.

Into ARU

Entering third level education is exciting; but it can also be a daunting experience. At ARU, we want all students to make the most of the opportunities Higher Education provides, so they reach their potential, become lifelong learners, and find fulfilling careers. However, we appreciate that the shift from secondary education, or a return to formal education is, in itself, quite a journey. This module is designed to ease that transition. You'll be enrolled on it as soon as you receive an offer from ARU so you can begin to learn about university life before your course starts. Through Into ARU, you will explore a virtual land modelled around ARU values: Courage, Innovation, Community, Integrity, Responsibility, and Ambition. This innovative module is designed as a game, where you collect knowledge and complete various mini tasks. You will proceed at your own pace, though we expect all students to have completed their ‘Into ARU’ exploration by week 6. Students who, for whatever reason, are unable to complete by that date, will be signposted to existing services so that we can be confident that they are supported.

Developing Educational Research

You’ll be supported to develop a high-quality research proposal to implement for your postgraduate major project. A workbook approach will guide you through the various elements that need to be considered during the process of planning and preparation for a small-scale educational research study. There will be opportunities to discuss your ideas with your tutor and peers and to present your developing research proposal for feedback. You’ll also learn by giving constructive feedback to your peers. By the end of the module you’ll be prepared to submit an application for ethical review, to the appropriate research ethics panel, and to embark upon research for the postgraduate major project.

Postgraduate Major Project

The Major Project is central to achieving your MA. You’ll show how you’re able to combine learning from previous modules. This learning will give you the basis for planning, conducting and writing up a research or work-based project. This module is also the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to raise significant and meaningful questions in relation to your chosen topic, alongside a critical understanding of research methods and their relationship to knowledge. You’ll be well placed to develop solutions to ethical dilemmas likely to arise in your research or professional practice and to expand existing knowledge, contributing to the development of best practice.

Optional modules
You must also successfully complete one of the following optional modules (subject to availability).

Exploring Educational Research

Designed to familiarise you with the various research approaches that you may read about, critique and use during your Master’s course and beyond. It’ll provide a forum for exploring, discussing and evaluating different types of educational research. You’ll have the opportunity to: look at a range of research methodologies; to find, read and review research studies; and to discuss the relevance of research for practice in education across different sectors (from birth to life-long learning). You’ll be encouraged to learn about research methodologies and methods through critical reflection on published work.

Montessori Method: Child, Adult and Environment

Gain further insight in the Montessori method which is a widely recognised pedagogical approach around the world. The approach is inspired by ‘integral humanism’, which considers children as unique individuals fully able to act with freedom, dignity, and intelligence. It considers Montessori from a historical perspective, her contributions to early childhood and offers the opportunity of exploration of Montessori through contemporary perspectives. Mindful of the importance of the child as an agent of change, you’ll consider the role of the adult and the environment in supporting children in reaching their full potential. Montessori considered leadership at different social levels, literature is considered through the lens of leadership and reflecting on these ideas, encouraging you to develop a personal philosophy of professionalism, that blends individual strengths and interests with the needs of colleagues, parents/families, and the children in their care. Together, these strands will support you, as a Montessori practitioner, to develop a firm but broad foundation for reflective and reflexive practice in Montessori education.

Leading Education

This module is designed to deepen your understanding of educational leadership both nationally and internationally. Students will engage in theory and wider research with relation to leadership and management, including change management, performance evaluation and improvement planning. You’ll be expected to use key indicators and knowledge and understanding of benchmarking performance in order to identify an area of practice that would benefit from improvement. However, this practice does not necessarily need to be within your own organisation and can be linked to education in a broader sense. By the end of the module, you’ll have a rooted understanding of key principles within educational leadership, leadership for social justice and the importance of context within leadership.

Early Childhood: Principles, Practice and Professionalism

This module encourages you to view your experiences of early childhood education and care through different lenses in order to extend the insights they may bring to the workplace. It considers childhood from a range of historical and contemporary perspectives, including ideas and principles from pioneer early educators and from more recent theories and approaches. Different curricula and pedagogies are explored to support better understandings of the foundations and development of present-day practices, mindful of the importance of the role of educators and of indoor and outdoor play experiences. The dynamics of leadership are studied, in light of these ideas, encouraging you to develop a personal philosophy of professionalism that blends individual strengths and interests with the needs of co leagues, parents/families, and the children in their care. Together, these three strands will support the practitioner, or intending practitioner, to develop a firm but broad foundation for reflective and reflexive practice in early childhood education.

Key Issues and Themes in Education

This module examines current key issues and themes in education. It explores principles of teaching and learning, the derivation and design of the curriculum and the role of schools and other education settings within the wider community. You’ll engage with national strategies, frameworks and international dimensions and explore the processes and complexities of teaching and learning. The module will cover the following broad themes and will prepare you for the negotiated study module and the postgraduate major project. Learning and teaching, leadership, mentoring and coaching, learning and knowledge technology, social justice and equality in education.

Education Technology: Design, Policy and Practice

The use of digital technology has become fundamental to education provision and practice. In this module you’ll be introduced to important topics within the field and addresses some key and often little considered issues about the ever-expanding use of digital technologies in education. You'll explore the use of digital technologies in diverse educational settings and consider crucial inquiries regarding education and technology. The module questions whether digital technology can transform the process and purpose of education. You’ll investigate whether there is adequate evidence to support the purported benefits of digital technology in education, with the latest technological developments, such as AI, analysed from an educational context. With digital technology being more ubiquitous than ever, you’ll also explore its sociological, historical, and even pedagogical influences in education theory and practice. You'll also look at whether there is a need for new theories to help explain the effects of it all.

Modules are subject to change and availability.