Course summary

Are you passionate about helping young people build a better future? This course will prepare you as a teacher to inspire students to care about their own wellbeing and that of ­others. This is about more than reinventing how young ­people learn to cook. Through practical classroom experience and research-driven academic learning you will learn how to help young people become ­citizens of a planet in which food security is under threat, resources are finite and health challenges persist. The curriculum aims to develop knowledgeable consumers with an awareness of global citizenship and its responsibilities. The world needs people who are able to make sound judgements, appreciating the impact that developments in technology, materials and resources have on their choices and wellbeing. You will be encouraged to interrogate prevailing assumptions, practices and policy. You will explore interconnected topics including food poverty, body image, eating disorders and social media, and debate issues such as the impact of food bank use on people and their communities and how we can understand the obesity-poverty paradox. The course will collaborate with local organisations and charities so you can gain hands-on experience and real-world knowledge. School counsellors, school nurses and other health ­specialists will run workshops on topics including cyber bullying, child exploitation, neglect, welfare and rights. You will be studying at a university that has an unrivalled history of teaching this subject – the institution that is now QMU was established in 1875 as the Edinburgh School of Cookery. Its original purpose was to address two key problems facing society at that time – improving educational opportunities for women and the need to bring about an improvement in diets, particularly for working-class families from poorer backgrounds. We were progressive and inclusive then and we are proud to still be so today. At QMU we also offer courses in health sciences, ­gastronomy and nutrition, and on this interdisciplinary PGDE course you will learn additional skills from our experts in these fields. Scottish students will be guaranteed a job for one year in a Scottish school following graduation as part of the GTCS Teacher Induction Scheme. After graduating, candidates register with the GTCS for provisional registration and on successful completion of a probationary teaching year will be awarded full registration.