Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) / DET Specialist Pedagogy: Teaching English, Maths and Disability/SEND Syllabus

Specialist Pedagogy: Teaching English, Maths and Disability/SEND syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Specialist Pedagogy: Teaching English, Maths and Disability/SEND in Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) / DET, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Embedding and Teaching English and Literacy

   3 topics

   • Understanding learners' English and literacy needs
     • Speaking, listening, reading and writing skills
     • Supporting ESOL learners within mainstream provision
   • Strategies for developing English skills
     • Contextualised and embedded approaches
     • Functional Skills English and GCSE resit support
   • Assessing English within vocational learning
     • Diagnostic assessment of literacy
     • Tracking and evidencing English progress
2. 2

   Embedding and Teaching Maths and Numeracy

   3 topics

   • Understanding mathematical learning and barriers
     • Maths anxiety and learner confidence
     • Common misconceptions and conceptual understanding
   • Strategies for developing maths skills
     • Contextualising numeracy in vocational settings
     • Functional Skills maths and GCSE resit support
   • Assessing maths and numeracy
     • Diagnostic numeracy assessment
     • Evidencing applied mathematical reasoning
3. 3

   Teaching Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (SEND)

   3 topics

   • Understanding SEND in the post-16 sector
     • Categories of need and the SEND Code of Practice
     • Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
   • Inclusive and adaptive teaching strategies
     • Universal Design for Learning principles
     • Assistive technology and accessible resources
   • Supporting transition, independence and progression
     • Preparing for adulthood and supported internships
     • Working with support staff and external agencies

Specialist Pedagogy: Teaching English, Maths and Disability/SEND flashcards for Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) / DET

20 of 51 cards from the Specialist Pedagogy: Teaching English, Maths and Disability/SEND deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In the UK FE context, what is the difference between 'English' and 'literacy' as commonly used in teaching?

   'English' is the curriculum subject/qualification (reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar); 'literacy' is the broader functional ability to read, write and communicate effectively in everyday and vocational contexts.

2. Define 'functional skills' in the post-16 English and maths context.

   Functional Skills are nationally recognised qualifications (Entry Level 1-3 and Levels 1-2) that develop the practical English, maths and ICT skills needed to operate confidently in life, study and work.

3. What does the 'condition of funding' require of 16-19 learners in English and maths?

   Learners who did not achieve a GCSE grade 4 (or equivalent) in English and/or maths must continue to study these subjects, working towards GCSE or an approved Functional Skills qualification, as a condition of the provider's funding.

4. List the four interrelated language skills that an assessment of a learner's English needs should consider.

   Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing (sometimes grouped as receptive skills - listening/reading - and productive skills - speaking/writing).

5. What is an initial assessment versus a diagnostic assessment of English/literacy needs?

   Initial assessment identifies a learner's overall starting level/working level; diagnostic assessment then drills down to identify specific strengths and gaps (e.g. spelling, punctuation, comprehension) to inform an individual learning plan.

6. Define 'phonological awareness' and why it matters for adult literacy learners.

   Phonological awareness is the ability to hear, identify and manipulate the sounds (phonemes) in spoken words; it underpins decoding and spelling, so weak awareness is a common barrier for struggling readers and writers.

7. What does the acronym SMOG relate to in literacy, and what does it estimate?

   SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) is a readability formula; it estimates the years of education needed to understand a text, helping teachers judge whether materials match learners' reading levels.

8. Name three strategies for developing learners' reading comprehension skills.

   Activating prior knowledge/prediction; teaching skimming and scanning; modelling questioning and summarising (e.g. reciprocal reading); plus vocabulary pre-teaching and text annotation.

9. What is 'embedding' English (or maths) in vocational teaching?

   Embedding is the contextualised teaching of English/maths within the vocational subject so the skills are developed through authentic vocational tasks rather than as separate stand-alone lessons.

10. Contrast 'embedded', 'contextualised' and 'discrete' delivery of English/maths.

    Discrete: taught as a separate, stand-alone lesson. Contextualised: taught separately but using examples from the vocational area. Embedded: fully integrated into vocational tasks so both skills are developed simultaneously.

11. Name a structured writing scaffold widely used to develop learners' extended writing.

    Writing frames or the PEE/PEEL structure (Point, Evidence, Explain, Link) which scaffold paragraph and argument construction.

12. What is the purpose of formative assessment of English within vocational learning?

    To monitor ongoing progress and give feedback that helps learners improve their English skills during vocational tasks (assessment for learning), rather than only measuring a final outcome.

13. Give two ways a vocational teacher can assess English skills authentically within a practical task.

    Assess written work orders, reports or risk assessments learners produce; observe and assess spoken communication during role-play, customer interaction or team briefings.

14. Define 'numeracy' as distinct from 'mathematics'.

    Mathematics is the academic discipline of number, space, structure and relationships; numeracy is the functional confidence and competence to use mathematics to solve everyday and workplace problems.

15. What is 'maths anxiety' and how can it act as a barrier to learning?

    Maths anxiety is a feeling of tension, fear or dread triggered by mathematical tasks; it reduces working-memory capacity and avoidance behaviour, impairing performance and engagement independent of actual ability.

16. Name three common barriers to mathematical learning in the post-16 sector.

    Maths anxiety/low confidence from past failure; gaps in foundational knowledge (e.g. place value, fractions); dyscalculia; and perceiving maths as irrelevant to their vocational goals.

17. Define dyscalculia.

    Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers and number relationships (number sense), affecting arithmetic, estimation and recall of facts, despite adequate teaching and effort.

18. What is the CPA approach to teaching maths, and what do the letters stand for?

    Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract: learners first use physical objects (concrete), then move to pictures/diagrams (pictorial), then to symbols and notation (abstract), building secure conceptual understanding.

19. State the formula for the area of a circle and its circumference, using radius $r$.

    Area $A = \pi r^{2}$ and circumference $C = 2\pi r$ (equivalently $C = \pi d$ where $d$ is the diameter).

20. How do you convert a fraction to a percentage? Illustrate with $\frac{3}{8}$.

    Multiply the fraction by 100: $\frac{3}{8} \times 100 = 37.5\%$. (Divide numerator by denominator then multiply by 100.)

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