B.Ed (Primary) Year 4 Module Listings

Overview

This course provides an opportunity for students to engage with the major philosophical approaches to education from ancient Greece to the present day. Students will be exposed to a range of ideas, policies and practices in such areas as: the authority to educate; the nature and aims of education; equitable provision of education and the responsibilities therein; educational ethics. Through interrogation of these approaches, the students will be enabled to interrogate their own personal philosophical positions regarding educational practice.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• Evaluate the influence of classical ideas on education
• Recognise a philosophical question and provide a balanced and purposeful inquiry
• Deconstruct concepts of knowledge and ways of learning
• Demonstrate an ability to engage with dialogue on philosophically sensitive ideas such as justice, equality and non-discrimination
• Clarify concepts and policies in education in a coherent manner
• Develop an ethical approach to practice informed by an understanding of ethics and the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers
• Establish a personal philosophical position which will inform future practice

Method of Assessment

Oral Exam

Overview

Children’s literature criticism is a growing, dynamic and interdisciplinary field at an intersection between literary criticism, children’s studies and education. This course aims to develop in students a broad knowledge and appreciation of children’s literature, an understanding of its historical, sociological and ideological dimensions and an ability to apply this to their appraisal of selected texts from a range of genres. Students will be introduced to aspects of children’s literature theory, with an emphasis on reader response theory, and they will also be encouraged to draw on their knowledge of child psychology, sociology, philosophy, history of education and intercultural education in their study of children’s books.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• Combine close analysis of specific children’s books from a range of genres with an awareness of their wider social, historical and cultural contexts
• Discuss the general evolution of children’s literature in the context of evolving constructs of childhood     
• Critically evaluate the literary merit and educational  value of children’s books
• Interrogate the ideology of children’s books
• Apply children’s literature theory  and other relevant disciplines to their critique of children’s books
• Write fluently and accurately using the conventions of literary criticism and academic writing

Method of Assessment

Research Essay (3,000 words)

Overview

Research and enquiry-based learning has been identified as a critical component of a concurrent initial teacher education course. This module is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the research methodologies most commonly employed by beginning researchers in the field of education, in order to prepare students for the completion of a research dissertation. Central to this module will be the application of these research paradigms to the final year mandatory research project which all students will undertake. Students will be introduced to other key elements required for the successful preparation of the dissertation including ethics in research, reviewing literature and academic writing.  

Learning Outcomes

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

• Formulate research objectives and questions
• Write up an acceptable research proposal suitable for a dissertation topic at undergraduate level
• Discuss the concepts underpinning approaches to research
• Identify and select appropriate methodologies for their research projects
• Defend and justify these choices in the light of current debates and discourses
• Compare and contrast the efficacy of their choices against other research approaches
• Understand and critically evaluate the research literature within their chosen research area
• Construct and present valid arguments in the light of the data analysed.
• Understand how research can be linked to developing evidence based interventions in class

Method of Assessment

10,000-12,000 word dissertation

Overview

Learning to teach through the practice of teaching is a critical component of teacher education programmes (Furlong and Maynard, 1995). Field experiences in teacher education programs are excellent opportunities for preservice teachers to learn to teach in complex and authentic learning situations.  Sawyer (2006) posits that knowledge is now considered as ‘situated, practised and collaboratively generated.’  Indeed it is because of this that learning to teach through the practice of teaching while on school placement is a critical component of teacher education programmes (Furlong and Maynard, 1995). Reflection is regarded as a key activity during this teacher development process (Postholm, 2008). Russell (2005) further argues that ‘teacher educators should create discursive context/communities to situate student teachers for reflective practices.’  By contextualising such a methodology within the primary school and classroom, students will be facilitated in engaging in a purposeful process of critical inquiry into Primary Education in Ireland

In Year 4, students will have increased responsibilities for planning and teaching to include a significant period when they will have total responsibility for the teaching and learning within the classroom. Students reflect on their practice during the placement and discuss this with their tutor during feedback sessions. Students will be required to set learning goals for themselves based on their reflections and learning from their Year 3 practice. Students will be required to reflect on varying aspects of teaching and learning and to both contribute these reflections to their professional portfolio and discuss them with their tutor.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• Identify areas for their own professional growth
• Engage in appropriate long and short term planning which recognises and facilitates whole-class, group and individual learning styles 
• Identify and employ appropriate teaching and management strategies to facilitate active, differentiated learning within an inclusive and stimulating learning environment
• Communicate effectively with pupils, parents, colleagues, the school principal, school management, co-professionals and the wider community by using appropriate skills, styles and systems to suit the given situation and setting
• Review the effectiveness of his/her practice through continuous reflection on that practice
• Employ suitable formative and summative assessment strategies with particular emphasis on literacy
• Actively participate in a professional learning community which engages in group planning and practice
• Articulate and uphold the core values and professional commitments which are set out in the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers

Method of Assessment

School Placement

Overview

This module will tap into emerging research on mathematical knowledge for teaching in order to prepare students for doing the work of teaching. Mathematical knowledge for teaching includes several domains of subject matter knowledge (common content knowledge, specialised content knowledge and horizon content knowledge) and of pedagogical content knowledge (knowledge of content and students, knowledge of content and teaching and knowledge of content and curriculum). The module will be focused on developing the students’ mathematical knowledge in each of the domains listed above. A key feature of the module will be making explicit the connections between the knowledge being developed and their relevance to the practice of teaching. Therefore, students will be constantly aware of the relationship between developing their knowledge and enhancing the mathematical quality of the instruction they offer. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• Self-assess personal mathematical knowledge for teaching, and identify particular domains of strength and challenge
• Analyse the cognitive demand of mathematical tasks to ascertain their suitability for use with primary school pupils
• Solve mathematical problems that teachers solve in the course of a year of mathematics teaching
• Analyse children’s solutions – both correct and incorrect – to a range of mathematics problems in order to provide supportive feedback to the children
• Become aware of the key considerations that influence pupil mathematical performance, at a national and more localised level.
• Explain key primary school mathematical concepts in a way that children from diverse backgrounds and capacities can understand them
• Assess the impact of progressive movements in mathematical education such as Japanese lesson study and error analysis
• Enhance the ability to “unpack”, and target, the mathematical sub-concepts that underpin many of the common mathematical procedures undertaken by children in classrooms, including multiplication, division and fractions
• Consider the value of thought-provoking higher-order questions to build critical mathematical dialogue amongst teachers, and students, in a selection of the following areas; Data, Shape, Area, Early Algebra, Fractions, Decimals and Integers.

Method of Assessment

Continuous Assessment (20%) and Written Exam (80%)