Taithí Scoile

The primary aim of the School Experience Programme or Taithí Scoile is to offer the beginning student teacher an alternative opportunity to become acquainted with the demands of teaching and learning in the Primary School Classroom. Conventional teaching practice blocks alone don’t offer sufficient time for students to observe and absorb the complex skills required for effective classroom management and curriculum delivery for responding to individual learning needs.

It has become evident over the last few years that this programme is one of the most valuable experiences of the first and second year B.Ed. programmes. Students have become more confident in undertaking their teaching practice assignments as a result of increased time spent in the classroom. This increased sense of confidence was reflected in the improved grades achieved in both preparation and classroom performance by our students within those year groups than heretofore.

First year students have two serial experiences over the course of the academic year. The college time‐table for First Years is arranged in a manner that allows students to spend Fridays in school and they also complete a block week, generally in the same class, prior to Teaching Practice.

While there is no obligation on the school to accept the student for the Spring Teaching, where it can be accommodated, it enables the student teacher to engage in a much more productive first assessed teaching practice placement.

Second year students spend a block week during the second term in the classroom. This is generally, though not always, spent in the classroom where they will complete their home‐based Spring Teaching Practice.

Students are asked to focus on children’s learning, classroom management techniques, discipline, various approaches to curriculum, teaching and learning strategies, the individual needs of children among others during this serial observation period. Students will not be supervised during these observation days. First year students should be placed with teachers in classes between infants and second class and second year students with teachers in classes between third and sixth as the college programme focuses on these age‐ranges.

Re: EOLAS SA BHREIS DON MHÚINTEOIR RANGA

These guidelines are requests and provide a structure within which the student teacher can best maximise his/her experience. Students will be asked to respect that not all teachers will be in a position to respond positively to all of the points listed below.

Students are requested to take an active role in assisting the host teacher through out the school day.
Students are expected to assist the class teacher in the practical preparations of classroom work e.g. photocopying, preparing art materials, distributing activity materials, managing the class environment etc.
Please involve the student teacher in as much group work as is desirable. Students can assist in helping individuals, pairs or groups to reinforce the work taught in oral, reading and writing activities/Mathematics/ Gaeilge, story telling and in any other related curriculum area.
Students will be required to respond to a number of structured tasks on children’s learning in the classroom. These can be viewed in a booklet that will be given to each student.
To ease the student to present in front of the class before Spring Teaching Practice, students will be asked to teach a small number of prepared lessons towards the end of the observation period. The lessons will be agreed between host teacher and student.