Master of Studies (MSt) in Advanced Subject Teaching

Would you like to develop your subject knowledge and enhance your professional and academic standing? Are you looking to develop or change your career within the field of education? Or perhaps you have ambitions to pursue a research project at postgraduate level?

The MSt in Advanced Subject Teaching has been designed specifically for English and History teachers. Drawing on world-leading research at the University of Cambridge, it is unique in focusing on subject expertise as well as teaching methods.

Bursaries available for state school teachers in 2015

This year we are offering a number of bursaries of £1,750 per annum to applicants who wish to carry out research aimed at improving teaching and learning in their school or college. Preference will be given to those who are teachers in UK state-funded schools or colleges and who do not have financial support.

The fees for 2015 will be £6,530 per annum for Home/EU students and £12,200 per annum for overseas students. This includes both tuition and college membership fees.

What our students say

The programme was launched in 2012 and has already begun to make an impact on the profession. In the words of one student:

“It’s the kind of degree that allows full-time teachers to study at the highest level while maintaining a full-time job. It’s a course that enhances your pedagogic practice as well as your subject knowledge. I’ve found that everything I’m studying, I’m applying in the classroom.”

About MSt study

Our MSts are taught part-time over two years through a blend of short, intensive study blocks in Cambridge and online support – making them accessible to teachers across the UK and beyond.

Teaching sessions take place at Madingley Hall, a beautiful 16th-century manor house. Successful applicants will become members of a Cambridge college and will join the wider graduate community, with full access to the facilities of the University.

“Studying at Madingley is great. It’s a wonderful environment, the facilities are fantastic and the accommodation is probably the best I’ve had since I’ve been in Cambridge.” (2013 student)

How to apply

Applications are now invited for 2015 entry. The deadline for submissions is 7 April 2015.

Find out more and apply online, at: www.ice.cam.ac.uk/cambridge-msts

Also available: MSt in Creative Writing

Alternatively, if you’re a keen writer, you may wish to consider Cambridge’s MSt in Creative Writing. This part-time programme will help you develop high-level skills in the writing of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction.

You will be guided in the production of creative work in a wide range of genres and styles, and also in critical reflection on your own work and that of other writers, before specialising in one chosen genre. The course tutors and guest speakers are all established literary professionals.

Contact us

Please do not hesitate to contact me at pg-awards@ice.cam.ac.uk if you have any questions or if you would prefer not to receive emails from us in future.

Best wishes

Sue Brignell
Academic Programme Manager
Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge
Madingley Hall, Madingley, Cambridge, CB23 8AQ

Tel: +44 (0)1223 760862
Email: pg-awards@ice.cam.ac.uk

The new Special Educational Needs Code of Practice with detailed guidance on the support students should receive in educational and training settings up to the age of 25, will have significant impact on the sector. Given the pressures that this will bring to already busy staff it would be useful to let them have a resource which gives concise information on a range of syndromes and conditions faced by learners with additional needs and which will help them in their work.

Where can you locate information on 67 Syndromes and Conditions in a photocopiable format which can be shared with colleagues? The answer is in a quick reference set of resources which appear in 3 volumes entitled Behaviour Solutions – A Guide to Syndromes and Conditions.

Each volume gives a guide to a wide range of conditions (there are 67 in all) and looks at definitions, symptoms and characteristics, causes, treatments, strategies to use in the classroom and a list of useful references including websites.

Volume 1, (A Revised Guide to Syndromes and Conditions), focuses on 20 conditions including Autism, Asperger Syndrome, ADHD, Conduct and Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome, OCD and Dyslexia. It contains latest research findings, 3 new conditions as well as updated information on conditions relating to the recently published DSM5.

Volume 2 (A Guide to More Syndromes and Conditions) moves on to 25 conditions and issues not covered in the first volume including Anxiety Disorder, Eating Disorders, Mental Health, Self-Harm and Cerebral Palsy.

Volume 3, (A Guide to Further Syndromes and Conditions) moves on to 22 conditions and issues not covered in the first two volumes including Selective Mutism, Joint Hypermobility, Bipolar Disorder and Apraxia.

One particular benefit is that the books come in a photocopiable format so that if you wish to circulate details of a condition to several colleagues, or indeed to provide information to concerned parents, this is easily achieved.

Further details of the volumes and their contents are to be found on www.behaviourmatters.com/syndromesoffer.

Cost of the 3 volumes is £60 (a saving of £15 on normal price) plus £6 postage and packaging.

To order please visit www.behaviourmatters.com/syndromesoffer or contact us at:

Behaviour Solutions Limited
15 St. Marys Close
Abbotskerswell
Newton Abbot
Devon
TQ12 5QF

Phone / Fax 01626 366161
Email: dave@behaviourmatters.com

They used to say the same sort of thing about Elvis Presley but we don’t hear so much about him now.

But what we can say is that, although you won’t find William Shakespeare among the pubs and chip shops in Blackpool, there’s now a new series of some of his most popular plays available whether you live in Blackpool, Margate, Skegness or all stations inbetween.

So how can this new series help your GCSE literature students?

The new series (unsurprisingly known as “The Student’s Shakespeare”) is ideal for use in schools and colleges and particularly for GCSE exams. Apart from the attractive cover and clear print, one of the helpful features of this series is that the notes and comments are always opposite the text which makes them easy for students to refer to and encourages them to develop their understanding of each play.

“The Student’s Shakespeare” is the normal paperback size (124 x 193 mm) with a useful introduction which includes a summary of each act, notes on the history and culture of the time, the characters, plus the themes and language used – all features designed to help readers make the most of the play they are studying.

The six titles currently available are: Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, The Merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar, and Twelfth Night.

What we find remarkable about this series (quite apart from the helpful notes and introduction) is the cost – only £1.99 for each title from the company listed below. This compares very favourably with the recommended price of £5.99. The publishers are to be commended for making such a high quality product available at an attractive price.

“The Student’s Shakespeare” series can be obtained from Signpost Educational Ltd, PO Box 999, London E14 6SH

Email: signpost@talk21.com
Tel: 020 7515 1797
Fax: 020 7515 4420
More details can be found on the website: www.signposteducational.co.uk

There are two different ways of raising grades at GCSE and A level which work well together.
But not every school uses both.

The most obvious way to raise the grades of students taking exams is what we all strive to do: raise the quality of teaching and learning.

So dominant is this approach that the notion of there being an alternative is often not considered. After all, what else is there to do?

The answer, which perfectly complements the first approach, is managing stress and increasing motivation. This is essential because the level of stress that students experience seriously affects their ability to learn and their motivation to succeed.

However, the problem is that managing stress and fostering self-motivation is not something most of us are trained to do and we may feel that the time and resources to try are limited.

Helping students learn to overcome stress, teaching them to motivate themselves, encouraging them to plan for the future and develop confidence to try new things are essential skills. They help to build mental resilience and enhance overall mental well-being.

To develop these skills, students must explore them. Finding time in the school day to focus on these areas can be challenging and you may not have the resources or ideas to hand to achieve the desired result. But could you find ten minutes to introduce an activity that was already prepared?

Our solution comes in the form of eight worksheets in a ready-made booklet – ‘Greatest Strength Workbook for Students’. It comes with a free teacher’s guide and is available as an instant download. The teacher’s guide and a sample can be downloaded for free to get you started. The full license is currently only £29.99.

When you start to see the benefits of this kind of personal development, setting aside a small amount of time to complete a specifically designed task becomes easy.

The full details are available at: http://newset-training.com/students.html

If you have any questions then please email: clare@newset-training.com or call 07811 356 283

I look forward to hearing from you.

Clare Martin