Laura Watson – Biology/Science Teacher

Postgraduate certificate – Professional enquiry

Over the last year I have undertaken a postgraduate certificate carrying out a professional enquiry at the University of Stirling. The first module in this course looked at professionalism in practice and involved researching and critiquing different aspects of current educational policy. The second module involved enquiring into ideas within current educational policy such as interdisciplinary learning, active learning, outdoor learning and technology enhanced learning. Both modules required us to undertake self study tasks, reading educational literature and carrying out tasks to critique this. These self study tasks informed the tasks that were carried out on the taught days, which took place once a month. During these taught days the tasks that were carried out provided us with an opportunity to carry out discussions with other members of the cohort.

From undertaking this professional enquiry I feel that I have greatly enhanced my professional practice and have a more thorough understanding of different areas of educational policy which I have been able to share with colleagues across the school.

This CPD opportunity has allowed me to secure a development post in the school, implement the Skills for Work: Laboratory Science, which has proved very popular with the pupils who have chosen this as a subject, and develop links with the cluster primary schools to enhance transition between primary and secondary science.