Presentation

Innovation and improvement of teaching practices have become an essential element for increasing the quality and efficacy of educational facilities.

The subject Innovation and improvement of teaching practices presents the transformation of educational reality by redefining the role of teachers.

We have focused particularly on those factors related to the teacher figure as an agent of innovation, exploring further those methodologies whose application in the classroom may enable the teacher to improve their practices and, above all and more importantly: the learning process for the students. Thus, we have focused on a practical manner, directly oriented towards the teaching-learning process, so it could also be useful for currently active teachers.

Despite the direct link usually made between teaching innovation or improvement and the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the classroom, ICT is not part of the explicit content of this work for two reasons. The main reason is that students have different subjects throughout their studies that deal in more depth the didactic application of ICT to teaching and its educational possibilities. And, secondly, because this way it is easier to distinguish teaching innovation from technological innovation, the lines of which are often too blurred in other works that address this matter.

Competences

Basic competences

• BC2. Students know how to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner, and possess the skills that they usually demonstrate through the development and defence of arguments, as well as the resolution of problems within their area of study.

General competences

• GC9. Know about Early Ears education organisation and the diversity of actions that comprises their operation. Assume that teaching has to be developed and adapted to scientific, pedagogical and social changes throughout life.
• GC11. Reflect on classroom practices to innovate and improve teaching. Acquire habits and skills for autonomous and cooperative learning and promote it among students.
• GC12. Understand the role, possibilities and limits of education in today's society and the fundamental competences that affect Early Years education and their professionals. Know models of quality improvement with application to educational centres.

Specific competences

• SC23. Understand that systematic observation is a basic instrument for reflecting on practice and reality, as well as contributing to innovation and improvement in Early Years education.
• SC24. Have a good command of observation and recording techniques.
• SC26. Know how to analyse the data obtained, critically understand the reality and prepare a report of conclusions.

Program

Module I. Innovation and improvements in teaching practices

Unit 1. Innovation and improvements in teaching practices
Introduction

Unit 2. Innovation and improvement projects for teaching practices
Introduction

Module II. Schools as a unit of improvement

Unit 3. Management and leadership in schools
Objectives
Introduction

Module III. Teachers as agents of innovation

Unit 4. The training of the teaching professionals
How to study this unit?
Introduction

Unit 5. Creativity in education: principle of improvement and innovation in teaching
Introduction

Unit 6. Towards more autonomous and cooperative learning (I): learning to know
Introduction

Unit 7. Towards more autonomous and cooperative learning (II): social and emotional learning
Introduction

Unit 8. Towards more autonomous and cooperative learning (III): learning by doing
Introduction

Unit 9. The assessment of learning
Introduction

Methodology

The different tasks and activities programmed during the semester have been developed with the goal of adapting the learning process to the different capabilities, necessities and interests of the students.

The activities included in the subject are:

• Work. These are activities of different types: reflection, case analysis, practice, etc.
• Participation in events. Events are scheduled every week of the semester: virtual face-to-face sessions, discussion forums, tests.
• Reading commentary. This is a very specific type of activity that consists in the analysis of texts of articles by expert authors in different units of the subject.

In the weekly program you can find the specific tasks you need to complete in this subject.

These activities are combined with the following aspects:

• Personal Study
• Tutoring. The tutoring class can be implemented through different tools and means. During the course of the subject, the teacher-tutor plans the individual tutoring on specific days for the resolution of academic-oriented doubts through “Consultation sessions”. Supplementing these sessions, students have also available the “Ask your teacher” forum through which they can formulate questions and check the corresponding answers on general aspects of the subject.  Due to the very nature of the media used, there are no fixed schedules for the students.
• Mandatory on-site final exam.

Bibliography

Basic bibliography

The necessary texts for the study of this subject had been elaborated by UNIR and are available in a digital format for consultation, download and print in the virtual classroom.

Pérez, C. (2018). Innovation and improvements in teaching practices: Manual for early childhood and primary teachers. Logroño: UNIR EDITORIAL. ISBN: 978-84-16602-75-9. Disponible en el aula virtual.

Evaluation and assessment

The evaluation system is based on the following numerical chart:

The grade is made up of two components:

On-site final exam (60%). At the end of the semester, you need to assist a mandatory on-site final exam. You need to pass the final exam so the grade obtained from the assignments (continuous assessment) is summed up to the final grade of the subject. 

Continuous assessment (40%): this type of assessment will be measured through the different assignments you need to complete during the course:

• Active participation and involvement in forums, online classes.
• Tasks. The completion of the different activities the students need to send through our virtual classroom such as research, critical thinking, practice cases.
• Self-evaluation tests. At the end of each unit, students will find a short quiz which will help the students to check the knowledge acquired during the course.

Remember that you can check the points (value) of each assignment in the weekly program.

Take into account that the sum of the grades of the assignments included in the continuous assessment is 6 points. You can do as many as you want to until a maximum grade of 4 points (which is the maximum grade you will be obtaining in the continuous assessment)In the weekly program, you can find the grade of each assignment. .

Tips

Studying online means you can organize your study as you wish, as long as you meet the due dates of the different assignments (activities, tasks and tests). In order to help you, we propose the following steps:

1. From our online platform you will have access to each of the subjects you are enrolled. Apart from this, the virtual classroom of Lo que necesitas saber antes de empezar (All you need to know before starting). In this section, you have available all the documents on how to use the different tools included in the virtual classroom, how a subject is organized and you will also have the possibility to organize your study plan with the tutor.
2. Do not forget to check the weekly program. You will see which part of the content of the course you have to work on every week.
3. After knowing your work for the week, go to Temas in your virtual classroom. There, you will have access to the study material (theory and practice) from the unit you need to study throughout the week.
4. Start by reading the Key ideas of each unit, there you will find the specific study material and it will help you understand the most important points of the unit. Afterwards, check out the sections Specially Recommended and More Information where you will find more resources in order to deepen on the topic of the unit. .
5. Devote some time to the practical cases and tasks in the subject (assignments and test). Remember that in your weekly program you find all the information related to the schedule for each assignment and the maximum grade you can obtain in each of them.
6. We strongly recommend you to participate in the Events of the course (online classes, forums….). To know the precise schedule of the events, you need to check the communications tools in the virtual platform. Your teacher and tutor will inform you on the updates of the course.

Remember that in Lo que necesitas saber antes de empezar (All you need to know before starting) you can check how the different tools of the virtual classroom work: email, forum, online classes, sending the tasks, etc.