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The Road to Professionalism

Explore the road to professionalism for a headteacher and how to focus effectively on the core business of teaching and learning.

346 enrolled on this course

  • Duration

    2 weeks
  • Weekly study

    8 hours

Study best practice teaching and learning research to inform your leadership

In this course, you will have the chance to return to the question: how do educational leaders make a difference in their schools?

As research indicates that learning-centred leadership significantly affects pupil outcomes, there will be the opportunity to set this model into context by exploring teachers’ views, examining different educational leadership models over time and in various contexts, and the impact of distractors which prevent leaders from concentrating on teaching and learning.

You will also have the chance to explore best practice research into teaching and learning techniques.

What topics will you cover?

  • Week 1: The Road to Professionalism
  • How do headteachers make a difference? – Lessons from research
  • Towards a new leadership mode
  • How educational leadership has changed over time
  • Different approaches to raising school effectiveness
  • Week 2: Best Practice Research
  • Focus on teaching and learning technique
  • A model for effective teaching
  • Research into cognitive acceleration
  • Inside the black box
  • CASE – Thinking science
  • Visible learning
  • Limitations of classroom research
  • Teaching and learning toolkit
  • Peer tutoring
  • The hidden lives of learners
  • Good and less good practice

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Evaluate research on context, distractions and difficulties which prevent headteachers from focusing productively on learning-centred leadership.
  • Distinguish between the value of some common approaches to educational leadership.
  • Assess the productivity of different approaches to turning round a failing school.
  • Evaluate the benefits or otherwise of two common models of school leadership.
  • Determine whether good teaching is a product of personality, knowledge of pedagogic approaches and content or professional expertise.
  • Assess the merits of different theories of teaching and learning.
  • Critically evaluate different models and toolkits which promote effective teaching.
  • Apply theoretical and practical models of teaching and learning in two case studies of good and less good practice.

Who is the course for?

This course is for students of the MA Educational Leadership.

Who developed the course?

Coventry University logo

Coventry University

Coventry secured 5 QS Stars for Teaching and Online Learning in the QS World University Ranking 2020 and has received No. 1 in the world for Massive Open Online Courses in MoocLab’s World University Ranking 2021.

  • Established

    1992
  • Location

    Coventry

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control

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