Teacher - Secondary School - Modern Studies
Teach young people about political and social issues affecting Scotland, the UK and the world.
About the job
What it's like
You would encourage young people to learn about how society works, think about values, conflicts, democracy, citizenship and understand how laws are made.
You would teach young people from 11 to 18 years old. You could work in public or private schools. You might also work in a college or learning centre.
As Modern Studies teacher you’d inspire and motivate them to understand more about values, conflicts of ideas and how they can influence events by exercising democracy and citizenship.
You’d teach students of different ages and abilities and prepare young people to take the National Qualifications and Highers in this subject.
There is national guidance for Curriculum for Excellence Social Studies and National Qualifications which you would use when planning your teaching.
You would:
prepare lessons and teaching materials
assess students’ progress and mark their work
set homework
manage classroom behaviour
discuss students' progress with parents and carers
organise study trips, social activities and sports events
You’d encourage the students to take pride in their achievements inside and outside school. You’d support them to build good relationships with other students and teachers and play a positive part in the life of the school and the local community.
You’d help them get the knowledge, skills and attributes they’ll need for a successful and positive life when they leave school.
Sometimes you will need to deal with challenging behaviour. It may be difficult to get some teenagers to study so you’d need to be imaginative and enthusiastic to keep them interested.
You’d need to attend meetings and training courses. You’d work closely with colleagues to plan the school’s timetables. It’s also important to work alongside other educational professionals like educational psychologists and social workers.
Hours
Teaching takes place for 39 weeks a year, usually from 9am to 3.30pm or 4pm. You'll probably spend a few more hours working outside of these times, planning lessons, marking pupils' work and taking part in activities such as outings, parent evenings and training.
Environment
Secondary school teachers often have a base classroom. However, from time to time they may have to carry books and equipment from room to room. This is subject to the space available in each school.
Travel
You could do supply teaching where you work in different schools for short periods to cover the absences of permanent teachers.
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- curriculum development
- working with children
- business studies
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- continuous improvement process
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- motivating others
- mentoring
- coaching
- ethical
- social conscience
- respecting
- empathising
- written communication
- verbal communication
- supporting
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Getting in
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Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
English
History
Modern Studies
Politics
You'll need a relevant social studies degree (SCQF Level 9/10). You'll also need to complete a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Modern Studies (SCQF Level 11).
To enter a PGDE, you'll need a degree with at least 80 credit points in two of the following subjects:
Economics
Geography
History and economic history
International Relations
Law
Politics
Sociology
Social policy
At least 40 credit points must be from politics, sociology or social policy.
To enter a degree (SCQF level 9/10) usually requires National 5 qualifications and a minimum of three Highers or a relevant HNC/HND.
Qualifications and experience that demonstrate the ability to work with children or young people will be useful. Communication skills and experience in politics or community activity can also be helpful.
You will be expected to support literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing as well as your own subject.
To be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland.
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