Course summary

Eager to learn new and innovative approaches to geography education? Want to explore how pupils learn in geography and engage pupils in your passion? Keen to pass on your subject expertise – and continue to grow that knowledge throughout your career? Then this PGCE Secondary Geography is for you. With the world opening up like never before, there’s no better time to train as a teacher of geography. You’ll receive the highest standard of professional training and be immersed in the very latest teaching methods. Our programme will equip you with all the academic, professional and vocational skills you need to succeed. You’ll also have the opportunity to develop your RE and history subject knowledge so you can teach key stage 3 humanities. Hands-on placement experience You’ll develop your reflective and analytical skills, as well as boosting your own subject knowledge. To prepare for teaching geography at key stage 3 and 4, you’ll also get lots of hands-on experience in the classroom. During your placement, you’ll work alongside your geography tutor and school-based mentor. They’ll help you apply your university learning to your own teaching and be there for you whenever you need support. Successful completion of the programme leads to recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). What you'll study At the start of your course you’ll carry out an audit of your subject knowledge. This way you can identify your areas of strength and those you need to develop. You’ll study the geography curriculum and essential educational theory. We’ll cover innovative teaching and assessment methods and strategies to encourage the development of practical skills. Learning about the latest ICT tools and software used in schools is a key part of the course too. Discover how to organise and manage field trips and fieldwork and everything there is to know about effective lesson planning. You’ll learn about academic skills, including building your subject knowledge, as well as exploring professional roles and responsibilities. Intensive Training and Practice You will also undertake Intensive Training and Practice (ITAP) as a specific and focused element of our teacher training curriculum. This is designed to consolidate your knowledge of effective teaching, and enable you to rehearse and obtain feedback from experts on your practice. Our ITAPs are designed to utilise the latest research and technology as well as draw on the outstanding mentors, tutors, and teacher expertise from across our partnership. Over the course of your training, you will have the opportunity to participate in several days of Intensive Practice focusing on aspects of pivotal practice such as; behaviour management, scaffolding, professional behaviours and questioning. During periods of ITAP, your timetable may differ and you may be required to attend campus and/or a placement on days outside of the usual pattern. Lead Mentors The Edge Hill lead mentors and mentor leadership team play an important part in your teacher training as experts in their field. They have a deep knowledge of the trainee curriculum and support trainees and mentors to make progress providing guidance and support on aspects of the curriculum and assessment.