Would you like to volunteer or find work in your local primary school? Are you thinking about becoming a teaching assistant, or becoming a teacher in the future? In this free course, Primary education: listening and observing, you will have the chance to look inside primary schools, and watch and listen to children and teaching staff. You’ll also find out what head teachers look for in people who want to work or volunteer in a primary school.

This course is for anyone who wants to upgrade their knowledge of the primary school sector and ethical practices in education settings. The course is especially appropriate for primary school support staff (full or part time, paid or volunteer) and graduates preparing for teacher training.

The course presents a set of practice-focused readings and observational videos. You will learn about small-scale research in the primary school and observe children’s play and classroom learning, and listen to interviews with school staff and children. You will also explore cyber-bullying and the primary school curriculum.

After studying this course, you will be able to:

• show knowledge of how to plan and carry out sensitive observation and information gathering appropriate to educational settings
• use appropriate small-scale research methods to understand and support children's learning
• understand ethical practices in educational settings
• use online and digital technologies for personal and professional learning.