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MA Teaching Studies - Top tips to get prepared in Advance. 

1. Have a look at the following Key Text: How to do your Research Project, A Guide for students by Gary Thomas 
2. Share with your Senior Leadership team in school that you are beginning your Masters research in September. (They may have some ideas or suggestions for areas of research) It is important that they are aware of this and the fact that you will likely need to carry out data collection within school.
3. Start to think about your area of interest and brainstorm some ideas. Think about what interests you and what will be useful to you moving forwards in your career. 
4. Start to do some general reading around your ideas – this will help you to get a better understanding of the field and may help you to refine your idea.
5. Get organised and think about how you will plan to allocate time to your research.

The below outlines key module information on the PGDip Teaching Studies programme, including Curriculum Development and Research, Mentoring and Teamwork, and Learning, Teaching and Research. These modules focus on equipping students with skills in curriculum design, research methods, teamwork, mentoring, and classroom strategies. Emphasis is placed on reflective practice, ethical research, and the ability to critically analyse and apply educational theory, ultimately preparing students for independent research and effective teaching.

• Learning, Teaching and Research - Throughout this module you will be encouraged to reflect on your own practice, looking at different teaching strategies and classroom culture. This module will also introduce you to research and the benefits of carrying out your own research. It will focus on the purpose and content of a literature review. By the end of this module you will be able to reflect on what makes a successful review of literature and be confident in creating your own review.
• Curriculum Development and Research - This module gives you the opportunity to explore and research curriculum development. You will be encouraged to reflect on what makes an effective curriculum and explore the different considerations needed when developing a curriculum, looking at various curriculum models. This module will also prepare you to carry out your own research in the future as it will support you to look at different research methods and how to design an effective study, looking at different types of data collection methods and ethical considerations needed when carrying out different types of research.
• Mentoring and Teamwork - This module gives you an insight into effective mentoring and enables you to reflect on your own practice and how well you work within a team. During the module you will have the opportunity to work as a team with the other students on the course to plan and present a research design project. This module will also support you in looking at how to analyse data so that you feel confident moving forwards when you come to carry out your own research during the dissertation module.

The MA Character Education is taught by academics from The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues in the School of Education. The Centre is a leading informant on policy and practice in this area, working in partnership with organisations interested in cultivating a broad range of character virtues that are essential for individuals and societies to flourish. Find out more here.

About the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues:

The Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues is a unique and leading centre for the examination of how character and virtues impact upon individuals and society. The Centre was founded in 2012 by Professor James Arthur. Based at the University of Birmingham, it has a dedicated team of academics from a range of disciplines, including: philosophy, psychology, education, theology, and sociology.

With its focus on excellence, the Centre has a robust, rigorous research and evidence-based approach that is objective and non-political. It offers world class research on the importance of developing good character and virtues and the benefits they bring to individuals and society. In undertaking its own innovative research, the Centre also seeks to partner with leading academics from other universities around the world and to develop strong strategic partnerships.

A key conviction underlying the existence of the Centre is that the virtues that make up good character can be ‘caught’, ‘taught’ and ‘sought’, but that these have been largely neglected in schools and in the professions. It is also a key conviction that the more people exhibit good character and virtues, the healthier our society. As such, the Centre undertakes development projects seeking to promote the practical applications of its research evidence.

The Jubilee Centre Framework for Character Education in Schools:

The award-winning Jubilee Centre Framework for Character Education in Schools has been used by governments, schools, funders, universities and many professional bodies to inform their practice and activities. The Framework and other character education resources and research can be found on the Jubilee Centre website.

Pre-Course Learning:

Module 1 of the MA Character Education programme is called Theories of Character, Virtue and Flourishing. This module examines the key theories of character, virtue and human flourishing. Within the module, you will consider various theories from the fields of psychology, philosophy and education and how these theories impact professional practice. 

If you want to get ahead with reading for the module, you might like to read the following:  · The Jubilee Centre Framework for Character Education in Schools – Essential Reading. This document is free to download. It sets out the Jubilee Centre's position on character education, what it is, and why it is important. The Framework calls for all schools to make explicit how they go about developing pupils' character.

· Understanding Character Education: Approaches, Applications and Issues (Watts, Fullard and Peterson, 2021) – Recommended Reading. The book can be accessed for free as an eBook once you commence your studies. The book has been written by members of the MA Character Education team. It explores the key ideas, practices and concepts underpinning character education in schools. The book is foundational reading for the MA and will be relevant throughout the MA programme.

· Aristotelian Character Education (Kristjánsson, 2015) – Essential Reading. The book is a core text for Module 1 and can be accessed for free as an eBook once you commence your studies. · Reconsidering the ‘ten myths’ about character education – Recommended Reading. This journal article is free to download. This article revisits the common myths about character education introduced in Kristjánsson’s 2013 article: ‘Ten myths about character, virtue and virtue education – plus three well-founded misgivings’.

Online Induction for the MA Character Education

A series of online induction activities will be available to you as part of the Online Welcome Week for 1st year MA Character Education students. This will run between 22nd and 26th September 2025.

You do not need to be online at set times during the welcome week. However, on Wednesday 24th September 2025 at 16:00-17:30 (UK time) there will be a live welcome session for 1st year students. Please do join us if you are able to. This session will be held via Zoom and a registration link will be sent out nearer the time. The session will be recorded for those unable to attend.