PME Year 1 Module Listings

Overview

There are two components to this course:

Professional Studies

The taught component of the course examines the role of the primary teacher, provides an overview of the Primary School Curriculum (1999) and explores the core concepts governing preparation, effective teaching, classroom management, evaluation and assessment in the classroom.

School Placement

This section of the course allows student teachers to become familiar with the reality of the Irish classroom. It provides opportunities for students to observe, teach, reflect and evaluate. It facilitates the students experiencing the theory-practice link in a classroom situation.

This programme will focus on learning about teaching in the senior classes in the first semester followed by early-years learning in the second. Students will engage in two assessed teaching blocks – one in the first semester (senior classes) and one in the second semester (junior classes). Students will be expected to engage in a variety of assessment of and for learning techniques and use this information in order to enhance pupil learning.

School Placement is assessed under two areas

I. Preparation for Teaching and

II. Teaching and Learning.

Both areas must be passed independently in order for the student to be successful on the programme.

The component Preparation for Teaching will be assessed under two key areas – Long Term Planning and Short Term Planning. This will be assessed out of 100%. The component Teaching and Learning will be assessed under the key areas of Communication, Quality of Teaching, Children’s learning experience, Classroom Management and Organisation and Assessment of and Progression in learning. This will be assessed out of 100%.

Overview

This module brings together subject matter knowledge for primary mathematics and mathematics methodologies. The module provides opportunities for postgraduate students to engage with mathematics and to strengthen self-belief in their own mathematical ability and develop positive dispositions towards mathematics as well as supporting students to develop effective learning activities and identify appropriate mathematical content for primary mathematics. Through the subject matter knowledge element learners will engage in unpacking familiar concepts, procedures and principles to develop competency in the practices required for teaching mathematics, such as explaining and following explanations, reasoning and problem solving. The methods element will facilitate exploration of the content of the Primary School Mathematics Curriculum, theories related to mathematics education and constructivist mathematics pedagogy, the lesson planning process, differentiation and assessment. Topics covered are selected from the Number, Algebra, Measures, Shape and Space and Data Strands of the curriculum. On successful completion of this module, students should be able to explain mathematical ideas and the mathematical concepts underpinning algorithms, solve a range of mathematics problems, represent abstract mathematical ideas in multiple ways, use notation and terminology precisely, design effective learning activities in primary mathematics, apply a variety of appropriate methodologies to primary mathematics curriculum content and plan, teach and evaluate mathematics lessons both individually and collaboratively.

Overview

This module enables students to study the arts in both a discrete and integrated manner in year one. Students critically reflect on their own personal biographies, perceptions and experience of the arts and build on these knowledge, skills and understandings through practical participation, collaborative workshops, lectures, situated learning and fieldwork. The aim is to develop their receptive and expressive abilities and skills; to exercise creative and imaginative thinking; and develop inventiveness and creative risk-taking. Content explores rationale for arts inclusion in the primary schools as well as detailed examination of curriculum components of the visual arts, music and drama curricula which includes examining lesson planning, assessment and key teaching methodologies in relation to arts education. Summative presentations & portfolio work and formative feedback on class & studio work, are integral to the practical approaches taken on this module.

Overview

This course is divided into two learning areas: (1) Physical Education (PE) and (2) Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE). It is based on a broad philosophy of health that encompasses all aspects of a child’s well-being, with a particular focus on physical, social, mental, and emotional health. It is concerned with developing students’ knowledge and understanding, skills, values and attitudes that are central to quality PE and SPHE programmes for pupils.

On successful completion of this module, the student will be able to:

• Identify and analyse the rationale, nature and value of PE and SPHE in the primary school.
• Describe the structure and content of the curriculum in PE and SPHE and identify opportunities for meaningful cross-curricular links.
• Demonstrate the ability to plan, assess, implement and evaluate lessons and own practice through critical reflection in PE and SPHE.
• Demonstrate a range of teaching methodologies that promote active and differentiated learning within the organisation and management of PE and SPHE in the primary school.
• Examine a range of appropriate resources and equipment available for the teaching of PE and SPHE.
• Exercise appropriate judgement in the use of health and safety strategies in PE and SPHE lessons, taking cognisance of Child Protection and other relevant legislation and guidelines.
• Evidence a systematic understanding of research methodologies and how they might be applied in the area of PE and SPHE.

PE and SPHE lectures and workshops require active participation. In PE, students engage in practical activities and demonstrations which mirror activities prescribed for children in the curriculum. In SPHE, active learning strategies also feature ideas such as the set-up of ‘circle time’ as an appropriate teaching context.

Students attend 36 hours of lectures in total (18 in both learning areas). Method of assessment in both subjects is a written assignment or equivalent based on the learning outcomes for PE and SPHE. Pass mark for each assignment is 40%.

Overview

In this module, psychological theory is used as a lens for exploring best practice in Early Childhood Education. The intention behind merging the two subject areas is to help students to integrate their learning, both in terms of connections across subjects, and in relation to implications for practice. In so doing they understand that all good practice is underpinned by theory and research.

Overview

Religious Education seeks to enable Teacher Education students to address the many spiritual and religious opportunities and challenges facing primary school pupils and to contribute to their holistic development by enabling them to develop ethically and morally, spiritually and religiously. The RE module aims to familiarise students with the appropriate pedagogies and methodologies for the teaching of R.E. at primary school level, to explore empathically the richness of the World’s Religions and Belief Systems, and to provide students with the kinds of self-knowledge, subject knowledge, skills and experiences required to make a positive contribution to the ethical, moral and spiritual development of primary school pupils.

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to research, evaluate and select from a wide variety of pedagogies and methodologies to facilitate the design of R.E. lessons appropriate to specific classroom contexts, demonstrate a professional commitment to developing an empathic understanding and appreciation of diverse religions and belief systems, identify, research and critically reflect upon suitable strategies for meaningful inclusive practice in R.E. with sensitivity to the culture and ethos of a variety of school models, critically analyse and self-evaluate the student’s own ontological and epistemological journey in R.E., and evidence a systematic understanding of the skills, qualities and attributes required by the R.E. teacher in order to contribute to the holistic development of primary school pupils.

Overview

Social Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE) seeks to examine and understand communities from the local to the global, their diverse heritages, their complex systems and how people and environments affect each other in the present and in the past. This area of study will explore scientific, geographical and historical concepts and procedures relevant to the SESE curriculum and to the students own personal and professional development in the different curricular areas.

The course will focus on practical experiences that will provide the necessary skills and pedagogical understandings that primary teachers will need in order to teach the three SESE subjects of history, geography and science successfully in various classroom settings, urban, rural and multicultural.

There will be a particular emphasis on practical investigations incorporating fieldwork in different settings for all three subject areas.

Areas of study include curriculum content, methodologies and approaches, integration and planning, assessment, resource planning and use of technology in teaching history, geography and science. The study of the Primary School Curriculum (1999) and the associated Teacher Guidelines will be a primary focus of the course.

The course will afford students the opportunity to critically examine their own attitudes and beliefs in relation to the three subject areas together with effective strategies that will enhance pupils’ learning in social, environmental and scientific education.

Overview

This module centres on representing; decomposing, rehearsing and approximating high leverage practices, to enable student teachers develop skills which will help them on school placement and in their future teaching career. They will work on approximating work on some of the following:

• Introducing and consolidating content through storytelling
• Making content explicit through explanation, modelling, representations, and examples.
• Setting up and managing small group tasks
• Leading a whole class discussion.
• Conducting a meeting about a student with a parent/guardian.
• Conducting a meeting about teaching with parents/guardians.
• Combining a selection of practices in order to teach a coherent lesson or segment of instruction.

It is intended that the students will get an opportunity to engage in some of these practices in local schools during semester 1.

Overview

English Methods and Competency

As language is central to learning, the importance of literacy in English cannot be overstated. Children in primary school need to develop literacy skills in the three language strands of oral language, reading and writing. Pre-service teachers need guidance and instruction in understanding how these skills are developed and in learning methodologies for teaching literacy. It is also important that the teacher’s own competence in understanding the structure of language is developed so that the teacher will be best positioned to teach literacy in the primary school.

Across module content, students will explore teaching methods, strategies and resources for teaching English across the three strands of the Primary Language Curriculum (2019) within the context of teaching literacy in the middle to senior classes of primary school. Content has been organised with an aim of encouraging a positive, creative and imaginative attitude to teaching English. Students will be enabled to:

• • Develop an understanding that children take individual and multiple pathways in their literacy learning.
  • Gain an understanding of lexical, syntactic and pragmatic language development in the middle to senior classes of primary school.
  • Gain an insight into the strong reciprocal relationship between oral language, reading and writing.
  • Develop their skills in short-term planning and preparation for the teaching of English.
  • Develop their knowledge of the structure of language (phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics).

This module is assessed through a written examination (1.5 hours).

Gaeilge agus Múineadh na Gaeilge

Is teanga bheo í an Ghaeilge sa bhunscoil agus is ábhar í freisin. Dá bhrí sin, tá sé tábhachtach go bhforbraítear cumas an mhúinteora sa Ghaeilge ar bhonn leanúnach ionas go mbeidh an múinteoir in ann feidhmiú trí mheán na Gaeilge go neamhfhoirmiúil i bpobal na scoile agus go mbeidh sé/sí in ann cumarsáid éifeachtach a dhéanamh agus Gaeilge á teagasc aige/aici do na meánranganna agus do na ranganna sinsearacha. Is cuid dár n-oidhreacht í an Ghaeilge agus is í an chuid is suntasaí dár gcultúr Gaelach. Is teanga náisiúnta na hÉireann an Ghaeilge, tá stádas bunreachtúil aici agus go ginearálta tá sé éigeantach go bhfoghlaimíonn gach páiste bunscoile an Ghaeilge.

Aidhmeanna

• • • Chun taitneamh a bhaint as an Modúl, chun dearcadh dearfach a chothú i dtaca leis an teanga, chun mian a chothú sa mhac léinn an Ghaeilge a úsáid mar theanga i bpobal foghlama dátheangach
    • Chun an mac léinn a spreagadh mar fhoghlaimeoir teanga freagracht phríomha a ghlacadh as a chuid/cuid foghlama féin, as a chumas/cumas féin a aithint ag leibhéal iontrála (B1, Comhchreat Tagartha na hEorpa um Theangacha), as na torthaí foghlama a aithint atá le baint amach, as dul chun cinn a thaifeadadh go rialta agus as méid áirithe foghlama neamhspleáiche a bhaint amach.
    • Chun tuiscint a fhorbairt ar theagasc na Gaeilge mar theanga chumarsáide bheo i meánranganna agus i ranganna sinsearacha, de réir mar atá molta i gCuraclam na Gaeilge agus i gCuraclam Teanga na Bunscoile
    • Chun tuiscint a thabhairt don mhac léinn ar Chur Chuige na Cumarsáide mar aon le deiseanna straitéisí, modheolaíochtaí agus acmhainní a fheiceáil, triail a bhaint astu, staidéar a dhéanamh orthu agus machnamh a dhéanamh ina leith atá oiriúnach do na meánranganna agus do na ranganna sinsearacha

Measúnú: Scrúdú 1.5 uair a chloig

Overview

As language is central to learning, the importance of literacy cannot be overstated. Children in primary school need to develop literacy skills in the three language strands of oral language, reading and writing. Pre-service teachers need guidance and instruction in understanding how these skills are developed and in learning methodologies for teaching in these areas. Across module content, students will explore teaching methods, strategies and resources for teaching English across the three strands of the Primary Language Curriculum (2019) within the context of teaching literacy in the junior classes of primary school.

Content has been organised with an aim of encouraging a playful, positive, creative and imaginative attitude to teaching English. Students will be enabled to:

• Explore the stages of literacy development as pertinent to children in the junior classes of primary school.
• Gain an understanding of lexical, syntactic and pragmatic language development in the early years.
• Develop their skills in short- and long-term planning and preparation for the teaching of English.
• Explore the strong reciprocal relationship between oral language, reading and writing.
• Develop their own knowledge of the structure of language (phonology and orthography).
• Gain knowledge on what literacy learners require in order to learn the code of written language (phonological awareness, the alphabetic principle and of phoneme–grapheme relationships, knowledge of how words work, and automatic recognition and spelling of familiar words).
• Develop an awareness of the differences between the structure of speech and the structure of writing.
• Develop a knowledge of how phonologic, orthographic, syntactic and semantic knowledge lead to automatic and fluent reading.

Gaeilge agus Múineadh na Gaeilge

Is teanga bheo í an Ghaeilge sa bhunscoil agus is ábhar í freisin. Dá bhrí sin, tá sé tábhachtach go bhforbraítear cumas an mhúinteora sa Ghaeilge ar bhonn leanúnach ionas go mbeidh an múinteoir in ann feidhmiú trí mheán na Gaeilge go neamhfhoirmiúil i bpobal na scoile agus go mbeidh sé/sí in ann cumarsáid éifeachtach a dhéanamh agus Gaeilge á teagasc aige/aici do na meánranganna agus do na ranganna sinsearacha. Is cuid dár n-oidhreacht í an Ghaeilge agus is í an chuid is suntasaí dár gcultúr Gaelach. Is teanga náisiúnta na hÉireann an Ghaeilge, tá stádas bunreachtúil aici agus go ginearálta tá sé éigeantach go bhfoghlaimíonn gach páiste bunscoile an Ghaeilge.

Aidhmeanna

• Chun taitneamh a bhaint as an Modúl, chun dearcadh dearfach a chothú i dtaca leis an teanga, chun mian a chothú sa mhac léinn an Ghaeilge a úsáid mar theanga i bpobal foghlama dátheangach
• Chun an mac léinn a spreagadh mar fhoghlaimeoir teanga freagracht phríomha a ghlacadh as a chuid/cuid foghlama féin, as a chumas/cumas féin a aithint ag leibhéal iontrála (B1, Comhchreat Tagartha na hEorpa um Theangacha), as na torthaí foghlama a aithint atá le baint amach, as dul chun cinn a thaifeadadh go rialta agus as méid áirithe foghlama neamhspleáiche a bhaint amach.
• Chun tuiscint a fhorbairt ar theagasc na Gaeilge mar theanga chumarsáide bheo i meánranganna agus i ranganna sinsearacha, de réir mar atá molta i gCuraclam na Gaeilge agus i gCuraclam Teanga na Bunscoile
• Chun tuiscint a thabhairt don mhac léinn ar Chur Chuige na Cumarsáide mar aon le deiseanna straitéisí, modheolaíochtaí agus acmhainní a fheiceáil, triail a bhaint astu, staidéar a dhéanamh orthu agus machnamh a dhéanamh ina leith atá oiriúnach do na meánranganna agus do na ranganna sinsearacha

Measúnú: Scrúdú 1 uair agus 20 nóiméad. Scrúdú cainte 10 nóiméad.

Overview

This module focuses on building students’ critical and reflective skills in relation to research design in education. Focusing on the practicalities of research design, this module acts as the precursor to the dissertation in year 2 of the programme. In this module, students will be supported through the process of writing and presenting an initial research design in the form of a research proposal. Good research proposals persuade the reader that a proposed piece of research is both feasible and worthwhile. A research proposal is an important part of the research process because the success of any project depends on forward planning and organisation.

It aims:

• To provide students with a critical grounding in the key debates around research-based evidence both within and outside of education.
• To introduce students to a range of research methodologies and research methods.
• To assist students to critique the ethical implications of undertaking education research.
• To equip students with the necessary skills, knowledge and criticality to design a research project and to prepare an accompanying research proposal.
• To prepare students to design and undertake educational research in practice.
• To introduce students to research terminology and philosophies in order to articulate their critical stance on a topic.