School pupils put student teachers at Queen Margaret University through their paces
Pupils from Stoneyhill Primary School, Musselburgh, put students from Queen Margaret University’s (QMU) Education Studies programmes through their paces this week at a special event on campus.
Students from QMU’s BA (Hons) Education Studies and BA (Hons) Education Studies (Primary) programmes were tasked with creating digital artefacts on the subject of climate change for primary school-aged children. In groups, the students used a range of digital mediums to create their resources which included PowerPoint, Storify and Animoji.
In each seminar class, the students voted for their favourite digital artefact to put forward to the final, and on Wednesday 13 November, the P5 and P7 pupils from Stoneyhill Primary School viewed each submission and voted for the one they thought was best.
The winning group - who created their resource on a smartphone using Animoji – were rewarded with signed copies of a book from professional storyteller and writer Tim Porteus, who also attended the event at QMU and led the students and pupils on a captivating journey through his telling of a centuries-old story about a wise old grandmother, her granddaughter and their encounter with a Kelpie.
The BA (Hons) Education Studies and BA (Hons) Education Studies (Primary) programmes at QMU are designed to meet the challenges - as well as recognise the rewards - of teaching children and young people in the 21st century.
Students are actively engaged in contemporary issues in psychology and sociology, helping them develop a sound knowledge base of children’s developmental pathways and the range of factors that affect them, studying, for example, the impact of poverty and deprivation in early years. Students are also learning about global health and learning inequality, the impact of adversities such as homelessness, neglect and migration, and the importance of creativity and the natural environment for our wellbeing.
Find out more about teacher education at QMU.