Out in the Field with the PGDE Professional Specialisation

As part of the new PGDE course at Strathclyde, primary and secondary students have twenty hours to spend on their own professional development.

The Professional Specialisation module allows students to gain credits while participating in activities that allow specialisation in their own chosen area of education.

On 16 October, 40 PGDE students from across sectors and subjects travelled to the west coast island of Cumbrae to spend the weekend with the Field Studies Council.

Outdoor learning was the focus of the weekend and students had the opportunity to explore the island's history, geology and natural environment.

The students found the experience to be incredibly rewarding and came back inspired to take what they have learned into their classrooms.

Here's what they had to say:

The weekend was amazingly great! The activities organised by the Centre were meaningful and the weather was beautiful. I am glad that I decided to participate, as it opened my mind to ideas for interdisciplinary learning, collaborative and cooperative learning. I thought that the focus would only be on geography and sciences, but they, in fact, also included literature, art, technology, history, PE and maths.

An amazing and very inspiring weekend!

I feel like I gained so many ideas for use in the classroom.