Latest Module Specifications
Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Description This module develops the Digital Skills of student teachers through the embedded use of digital technologies to support teaching, learning and assessment for all learners. As computational thinking and coding are to be embedded into the Revised Primary Curriculum, this module provides explicit opportunities for student teachers to explore new and emerging technologies for the primary classroom context. This module focuses on developing confidence and competence relating to key concepts, practices, perspectives and policy understanding through the design, writing, debugging and iterative development of simple programs and game environments/scenarios. Active engagement with the extant research literature and a range of new and emerging digital technologies in developing projects (e.g. Scratch, Micro:Bits, educational robotics) enable students to critically assess, design and create cross curricular computational thinking and coding activities to support teaching and learning at primary school level. Based on a broad and inclusive understanding of Classroom Assessment as the process of gathering, recording, interpreting, using and communicating information about pupils to aid valid and fair decision-making, this element of ED4056 builds on the foundational work of ED1017. Specifically, both courses explore complementary aspects of the Assessment for Learning (AfL) through Assessment of Learning (AoL) continuum to ensure that students are adequately prepared to engage collegiately and professionally, initially on Professional Placement (PP) and, later as graduates, with all key stakeholders in education including the children they teach. In light of the increasingly complex dynamics of the classroom, Classroom Assessment deliberately aims to support students’ development of the adaptive expertise needed to align assessment, learning and teaching in their planning and practice successfully by (a) exposing them to evidence- and research- informed inclusive pedagogies linked with their foundational studies and (b) critical reviewing emerging opportunities and challenges in the field as identified in national and international research literature and experienced on PP. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Learning Outcomes 1. Describe and explain the concepts, practices and perspectives of a) computational thinking and b) coding 2. Demonstrate computational thinking and coding skills through the design, writing, debugging and interactive development of simple programs and game environments/scenarios 3. Critically assess, design and create cross curricular computational thinking opportunities and activities to support teaching, learning and assessment at primary school level 4. Explain the key concepts, terminology, principles and practices relating to a) teacher-made, b) standardised and c) norm-referenced standardised assessments and tests and the advantages and disadvantages of each 5. Focusing on norm-referenced standardised tests used in primary schools in Ireland, demonstrate knowledge and adaptive expertise in (a) the appropriate selection, administration, scoring, interpretation and reporting of norm-referenced information and, (b) use of these data to inform subsequent planning and teaching in a fair and ethical manner 6. Critically review current debates relating to standardised tests (e.g. teaching to the test, grade inflation, narrowing of the curriculum etc. ) with specific reference to evolving national policy and practice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Digital Learning Digital Learning a) Introduction to and exploration of concepts and characteristics relating to computational thinking and coding b) Design and creation of a range of projects using new and emerging technologies including: the programming language Scratch (https://scratch.mit.edu/), BBC Micro:Bits (https://makecode.microbit.org/) and educational robotics equipment c) Critical evaluation and design of learning activities to support children’s integrated learning across a range of curricular areas d) Explication and justification of the design of the learning activities with reference to research findings and key policy documents. Classroom Assessment a) Review of key concepts in classroom assessment; alignment of assessment, learning and teaching, continuum of assessment (AfL - AoL), adaptive expertise, self-regulation, meta-cognition etc. b) Assessing pupil performance; criterion-referenced, standardised and non-standardised approaches c) Norm-referenced standardised tests (construction through reporting of scores) d) National assessment policy and assessment debates | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other Resources
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||