Curriculum & Modules

This module examines the philosophical traditions that underpin educational thought, from classical idealism and realism through progressivism, critical pedagogy, and postmodernism. Students engage with the ideas of Dewey, Freire, and non-Western thinkers, developing a personal educational philosophy grounded in ethical reflection and intellectual rigour.

• Classical philosophies: idealism, realism, and pragmatism
• Progressivism and Dewey's democratic education
• Critical pedagogy and Freire's liberatory approach
• Existentialism, humanism, and postmodernism in education
• Indigenous and non-Western philosophies of education

Education does not exist in a vacuum. This module applies sociological perspectives, including functionalism, conflict theory, and interactionism, to understand how social class, race, ethnicity, and gender shape educational experiences and outcomes. Students examine the hidden curriculum, social mobility, globalisation, and the role of schools as complex social organisations.

• Functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives
• Social class, inequality, and educational outcomes
• Race, ethnicity, and gender in education
• The hidden curriculum and social mobility
• Globalisation and community engagement

Learn to design coherent, purposeful curricula using established models and frameworks. This module covers planning from standards to objectives, aligning outcomes with activities and assessments, and adapting programmes for diverse learners. Students examine subject-centred, learner-centred, and problem-centred approaches, as well as the hidden and null curricula.

• Curriculum definitions, models, and frameworks
• Aligning outcomes, activities, and assessments
• Subject-centred, learner-centred, and problem-centred design
• Adapting curricula for diverse learners and stakeholders
• Hidden and null curricula: what schools teach implicitly

A comprehensive survey of instructional strategies from direct instruction through inquiry-based, cooperative, and project-based learning. Students learn when and how to select and combine methods for different contexts, exploring differentiated instruction, flipped classrooms, culturally responsive teaching, and Socratic dialogue.

• Direct instruction and inquiry-based learning
• Cooperative, collaborative, and problem-based learning
• Flipped classroom and blended learning models
• Culturally responsive teaching and differentiation
• Scaffolding, modelling, and questioning techniques

Effective teaching begins with a well-managed classroom. This module covers proactive strategies for creating positive, inclusive learning environments, establishing routines and expectations, managing transitions, and building relationships. Students explore restorative practices, supporting challenging behaviours, and developing reflective approaches to their own management practice.

• Principles of effective management and proactive strategies
• Building positive, inclusive classroom climates
• Restorative practices and managing transitions
• Physical learning environments and relationship building
• Supporting challenging behaviours through reflective practice

Assessment is the primary mechanism through which teachers understand what students know and can do. This module covers formative and summative assessment strategies, authentic and performance-based assessment, rubric design, validity and reliability, and using data to drive instructional decisions. Students also examine ethical considerations and bias in assessment.

• Formative assessment strategies and summative design
• Authentic and performance-based assessment
• Validity, reliability, and rubric development
• Self-assessment, peer assessment, and data-driven decisions
• Ethical considerations and bias in assessment

This module develops the habits and skills of the reflective practitioner. Students engage with observation, feedback, and professional dialogue while developing a personal teaching philosophy, lesson planning expertise, and collaborative working skills. The module also covers safeguarding, child protection, wellbeing, and the construction of a professional portfolio.

• The reflective practitioner and professional dialogue
• Developing a personal teaching philosophy
• Lesson planning, delivery, and evaluation
• Safeguarding, child protection, and wellbeing
• Building a professional teaching portfolio

Where is education heading? This forward-looking module examines emerging trends including personalised and competency-based learning, neuroscience in education, AI in future classrooms, and education for sustainability. Students explore micro-credentials, reimagined school models, and lifelong learning, culminating in the design of their capstone project proposal.

• Personalised and competency-based learning
• Neuroscience in education and future of assessment
• AI in future classrooms and reimagining schools
• Education for sustainability and entrepreneurship
• Lifelong learning, future of work, and capstone design

This module explores the practical dimensions of Christian living, from the call to discipleship and the disciplines of prayer and scripture through to servanthood, community, and witness. Students examine what it means to grow as a disciple of Christ and how faith shapes vocation, relationships, and everyday life in the modern world.

• The call to discipleship and communion with God
• The role of scripture and prayer in spiritual growth
• Christian worship, servanthood, and ministry
• Community, fellowship, and evangelism
• Perseverance and spiritual maturity

A systematic exploration of core Christian doctrine, from the nature of God and the Trinity through Christology, pneumatology, and soteriology to ecclesiology. Students engage with the great creeds and confessions of the Church, developing a grounded understanding of orthodox Christian theology and its relevance to educational vocation.

• The doctrine of God and the Trinity
• Christology and the person of Christ
• The Holy Spirit and the doctrine of humanity
• Sin, grace, and salvation (soteriology)
• The Church (ecclesiology) and orthodox doctrine

Trace the story of the Christian faith from Pentecost to the present day. This module covers the early Church Fathers, the formation of the canon, the age of persecution, the great councils, the East-West Schism, the Protestant Reformation, evangelical awakenings, and the emergence of the global church in the modern era.

• Birth of the Church and the early Church Fathers
• Persecution, martyrdom, and Constantine's councils
• The Great Schism between East and West
• The Protestant Reformation and its legacy
• Evangelicalism, Great Awakenings, and the global church

The culminating Christian Studies module applies faith to the pressing ethical questions of our time. Students examine bioethics, social justice, environmental stewardship, and the relationship between religion and the state through the lens of Christian ethics and moral philosophy, developing a framework for living faithfully in contemporary society.

• Foundations of Christian ethics and moral philosophy
• Bioethics and the Christian worldview
• Social justice and biblical compassion
• Marriage, family, sexuality, and environmental stewardship
• Religion and the state: living faithfully today