Institutional Management and Leadership for professional development MA (Ed)

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This programme is suitable for both international and home students. This Masters degree is designed to provide students with the knowledge and understanding to manage and lead change in both national and international contexts. The programme places high emphasis upon equipping students with the skills to engage in institutional and professional development and respond to best practice from national and international perspectives.

Educational environments are undergoing continuous changes which can potentially impact upon teachers and those who manage and lead educational institutions. This degree brings together the best in professional knowledge and practice, cutting edge research and evaluation evidence, and a focus on professional skills to support schools and teachers/educational practitioners in meeting these challenges.

The degree will enable participants to develop and improve their knowledge, understanding and practice as educational managers and leaders by critically analysing and synthesising national, international research and policy and communicate outcomes in clear and convincing ways so as to enhance institutional performance.

We are committed to incorporating up-to-date research and evaluation evidence, the promotion of action and classroom-based research in the pursuit of institutional improvement through the dissemination of good practice into a range of institutions.

What will I gain from doing this Master's degree?

The School of Education has a strong reputation for its tutorial system. As a student you will be assigned a personal tutor who will normally see you at points during your period of academic study. This tutor will advise you on general academic and pastoral matters and act as a link with the tutors who specifically teach on the degree. The personal tutor will also advise you about other support available to you within the University.

You will receive sound training in educational research methods. Your academic studies and specifically, your thesis will be supervised by experienced and research-active members of academic staff within the School of Education.

For your classes, you will study in small groups of international students and UK students. This instructional arrangement will enable many opportunities to share knowledge and experience in addition to your learning through lectures, presentations and seminars.

Enrichment opportunities will be available for you, which you should participate in. These will include a seminar series with other full-time IML students, opportunities for you to shadow members of academic staff within the School, a language support programme, and opportunities for you to engage with the School’s research centres.

There are opportunities for you to tailor the IML programme to meet your individual needs. This is possible in the following ways;

• Choosing options (or a project) that meet your needs.
• Choosing assignments and reading within ALL the units to focus on your particular needs.
• Choosing a dissertation topic that meets your needs and particular interests.

Our graduates fill [or return to] both domestic and international positions in teaching, research, and national/international education development.

Our completion and graduate employment rates are very high (about 100% annually) for both home and international students.

In addition to many home students, students have joined the IML from all around the world. Previous students on the MA IML programme at the University of Southampton have come from China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, USA, Greece, Somalia, Brunei, South Korea, Taiwan, Cyprus, Japan, Kazakhstan, Palestine, Cameroon, Nigeria and other parts of the world.

Chris Downey

Dr Jenny Byrne
Doreen Challen
Dr Marcus Grace
Mr Keith Jones
Professor Mary Ratcliffe
Dr Gary Kinchin
Professor Anthony Kelly
Dr Julie-Ann Edwards

This Master's degree is designed to meet the leadership and development needs of schools and teachers in a variety of educational environments. The degree has been designed to:

• Address the current development challenges of schools, colleges and universities with a specific focus on issues of inspection, learning and teaching, performance management, inclusion, development planning and resource development.
• Meet your own personal professional development and career needs.
• Draw on best practice, from OFSTED and other school/college inspection evidence to drive school improvement and effectiveness.
• Promote evidence-based practice and classroom-based research.

You can study full time over one year or part-time over two. Taught sessions operate on one or two evenings per week, 4:45-8.15 p.m. Full-time students attend two classes per week [normally Wednesday and Thursday]. Teaching for part-time students takes place on one night per week [either Wednesday or Thursday].

You study six course units, 4 compulsory and the choice of two units in which you can specialise depending on your interests and what units are available during the year. This will then be followed by a 16,000 word dissertation.

Your four compulsory units will include:

This unit includes sessions on theories of leadership from the commercial sector, leadership of education nationally and in schools and colleges, and the theory and practice of managing change.

This unit focuses on teaching and learning strategies, understanding how young people learn, and the measurement and use of learning outcomes.

This unit provides you with the skills and knowledge to undertake small scale research and enquiry in your own school or college.

This unit focuses on the use of data for planning, benchmarking and performance management.

Optional Units

The other two units are your own choice of options. You can use these to specialise in an area of education that is of interest or importance to you or your school. If your key responsibilities are for curriculum, you might choose two units in Physical Education, Mathematics or Science Education (or Geography, English, ICT, Music, MFL, Citizenship). If your key responsibilities lie elsewhere, you might choose two units in Management (e.g. Managing Finance and External Relations). However, if we don't offer units in your areas of interest you can undertake a supervised study in a field of your choice.

Your choice of specialist units will be selected from a list of units available during the particular year of study. For example, the following units are usually available, although not necessarily within the same year of study:

Curriculum Issues in Mathematics Education

This unit examines a range of practical pedagogical issues concerning the teaching and learning of mathematics through a consideration of the research evidence available. Topics cover the range of the mathematics curriculum and can include issues in number learning, the teaching of algebraic ideas, issues in teaching and learning geometry, and data handling and representation.

Research Issues in Mathematics Education

This unit critically examines the findings of research in mathematics education. Topics can include learners’ mathematical misconceptions, dyscalculia, learner attitudes to mathematics, learning mathematics in groups, specific content areas such as geometrical reasoning, an international dimension to mathematics education, and the use of ICT. Where appropriate, the unit can involve working alongside an experienced researcher on a current research project.

Mentoring and Mathematics Teaching

This unit addresses the nature of professional development within mathematics teaching. Among the issues covered are the nature of mentoring, learning to teach mathematics, effective observation and feedback, monitoring and appraisal, professional relationships, and reflective practice which enhances development.

Emotional Literacy in Schools

Understanding the world of emotions is at the heart of successful management of educational institutions. The unit explores latest development and research in the area of emotional literacy of organisations.

Science and Technology Education

The unit provides a platform for understanding the latest developments in the science and technology areas and places a focus on the challenges of managing science and technology learning and teaching spaces in educational institutions.

Developing and Using ICT in the Curriculum

The unit captures some of the latest developments and research in the use of ICT in teaching and learning. It offers training in the use of the latest gadgets used education and focuses on the management of learning technologies in educational institutions.

Management, Motivation and Change

The unit examines the leadership and management roles in navigating change in educational institutions. It places motivation at the heart of the change process and uses current research and evidence to develop students into skilled agents of change in their institutions.

Mentoring and Staff Development

An essential part of being a professional is participation in the professional learning of others, and mentoring and coaching have been demonstrated to have high value for both mentor and mentee, as well as the institution as a ‘learning organisation’. This unit enables participants to relate mentoring and coaching to current professional and theoretical perspectives and to develop relevant skills and knowledge. As it draws heavily on participants’ own experience, it is suitable for teachers and other professionals with some workplace experience.

Work, Training and Lifelong Learning

Learning and work are key aspects of the learning organisation. The unit explores theories of work training and life long learning and focuses on the management aspects related to delivering the idea of the learning organisation.

Alternative Approaches to Environmental Education

The environment has become a topical issue and challenge of 21st century learning organisations. The unit explores recent approaches to the teaching, learning and management of educational environments.

Generally, elective units are taught as supervised projects. Depending on the number of students taking these elective units in any particular year, such work may be enhanced by taught sessions. You can also opt for a more flexible route where you undertake a supervised study in a field of your choice.

How will I adjust?

The School will help you to orientate to life and study at the University of Southampton. To adjust to the demands of the course, we ask you to attend an induction day early in the programme to meet academic and support staff, meet other students on the IML course, to consider key skills, ICT needs, library and resources issues and time planning.

The course is strong on 'real needs'; we will encourage you to consider ways of integrate what you are learning to your place of work [past, present or future]. This degree focuses on the issues you are dealing with in your professional context , and many activities will enable you to work through key issues, plans and practices and to share ideas with fellow 'students' and tutors.

For each unit on the course you will be required to write a 4000 word assignment. This will focus on a current issue within the unit's theme that relates to your own professional practice. In addition, you will write the 16,000 word dissertation.

To support progression to the dissertation, there is a series of compulsory Dissertation Studies sessions that provides students with the opportunity to approach their research project and dissertations in a structured way. The sessions are designed to develop independent study skills and develop a suitable plan for their independent inquiry.

The dissertation is an individual research project on a topic of your choice. You will be encouraged to choose a focus that meets an identified need either in your own or your school's development. As preparation for the dissertation you will take an additional unit entitled 'Dissertation Studies', to prepare you for the task.

A non-assessed enrichment programme will be arranged for international students, including attendance at secondary PGCE professional themes lectures and SoE research seminars.

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