20 December 2022

It’s no secret that teachers endure a heavy workload.

From everyday after-hours lesson-planning and marking to parents’ evenings and departmental meetings, it can be hard to find the hours in the day.

It is equally true that Masters-level qualifications are increasingly sought after in education professions. Whether as a route into leadership roles or simply of refreshing classroom practice, Masters-level qualifications can be an attractive proposition for educators at all levels.

How can these be reconciled? Is it possible to take on the research, writing and classroom attendance commitments of study while delivering for pupils on a daily basis?

Dr Angela de Britos is a Teaching Fellow at Strathclyde and Programme Leader for the MEd Education Studies (part-time).

Dr de Britos is well aware of the challenges Masters study can present for those in full-time work. She was working in primary education when she decided to undertake the first credits which would eventually lead to her own Masters.

Making the move into academia

What drew her to Masters study? “Some of it was my own interests, some of it was ‘how can I be a better teacher’ and ‘how can I meet the needs of my pupils better?' 

“I enjoyed getting back into study and challenging myself academically and also being able to think about what I was learning and how I could implement that in the classroom.”

Having secured a post in educational leadership while studying Masters credits, Angela began having doubts about whether this was the path she wanted to follow.

At the same time, her specialisms in bilingual education and history of teaching English as an additional language came to the attention of her supervisors at University. She was asked to undertake some guest lectures to share her knowledge of the subject.

This turned into a job one day a week as part of Plymouth University’s literacy and English team and when a full-time job came up during Angela’s dissertation year, she made the move over to academia. This was followed by a PhD investigating the experiences of bilingual children and young people and their families in Scotland.

“All of this I’ve done part-time while working full-time and raising young kids. So I really do have that empathy [with our students] and know what it’s like to balance work and study.”

Why would a teacher consider doing a Masters in Education Studies?

Dr de Britos says it’s about being responsive to the latest pedagogy, giving working teachers an opportunity to refresh their thinking and practice in line with the latest breakthroughs in research.

Theory and academic research on pedagogy can often evolve at pace after the conclusion of a practitioner’s initial teacher education. A Masters can serve as a useful method for teachers to formalise their knowledge of these developments and create strategies to implement them in their teaching.

One example Dr de Britos gives is the rapid expansion in the field of inclusive education in recent years. Inclusive Education is the most popular pathway on the MEd Education Studies, encompassing an enormous range of topics all aimed at helping meet the educational needs of all children and young people, irrespective of their background or circumstances.

“Inclusive education ten or fifteen years ago, in a teaching context, was typically about special needs, additional support needs, dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism," says Dr de Britos. "Now it’s much more all-encompassing, touching on every aspect of inclusive practice and equity – that could be poverty-related, gender or linked to parental absence.

“The team delivering modules on the pathway are very, very pro-active in bringing in the latest in research and pedagogy, constantly updating what they do to meet the needs of our students and the pupils they teach.

"It’s always evolving as inclusion is evolving.”

Juggling full-time teaching with study

What would Dr de Britos say to an applicant who is interested in the MEd but concerned about the workload?

“It’s very flexible. Students can take up to five years to complete their studies and, even within that, we do have exceptional circumstances. If someone is off on maternity leave, for instance, then we would be able to offer further leeway on that. We’re very aware of student circumstances. The vast majority are mature students so they often do have caring commitments, whether that’s elderly relatives, a younger family or possibly both.

“And as tutors, most of us have come through that route as well. We’re very supportive and understanding and we know what it’s like.”

With the majority of tutors also often having classroom experience, this flexibility extends to an understanding of the ebb and flow of teaching workload throughout the year.

“If a student comes to us and says ‘I’ve got parents evenings all next week’ or ‘I’m writing reports’, we can be flexible. Equally there will be other periods where they’ll have less on and they can wrap it up a bit – it’s not linear.”

Flexibility and community

The flexibility in teaching options extends also to delivery. Adapted to a blended model by necessity during the pandemic, the majority of modules within the Masters remain a mix of face-to-face and online.

“Why should it be that only those that are within half an hour’s travel of the city can participate in this type of professional learning? If you’re a teacher in the Borders or Dumfries or Orkney or Shetland, you and your pupils should have the same opportunity to implement this learning.”

“So it was a silver lining in the sense that we could expand the course. It meant we were no longer restricted to the central belt.

One of the chief benefits of the process of teaching the Masters, says Dr De Britos, is the community it brings together from different educational institutions in disparate parts of the country. Aimed at a broad spectrum of education professionals, it typically involves everything from nursery teachers to further education lecturers, with classroom teachers of every stripe in between.

“As well as being a community of students, we’re also a community of practice. It brings together practitioners at all levels and stages from different parts of the country to share ideas and best practice and learn from each other."

Learn more about the part-time MEd Education Studies