Dr Brian Murphy PME Course Co-ordinator Post-primary teacher education in UCC: The School of Education Professional Master of Education (PME) Course Dr Brian Murphy PME Course Co-ordinator

You might be Somebody who… Has a passion for your subject specialism(s) Feels the desire to share and explore this passion and enthusiasm with adolescents/young people Enjoys interacting daily with a variety of young people Keen to foster learning and help to engender key values in young people of all abilities Relishes the possibility of making a real difference in young people’s lives If so we’d love you to consider our UCC School of Education PME programme…

The UCC School of Education PME… Replaces ‘the Dip’, HDip, HDE, PGDE, PDE… (1 year courses) Is a two year full-time course (120 credits) began August 2014 At Masters level (Level 9); Professional Maters

The UCC School of Education PME course A postgraduate professional teacher education course designed to qualify graduates as post-primary teachers Fully recognised and accredited by the Teaching Council of Ireland for the purpose of registration as a post-primary teacher in Ireland Offered by a the UCC School of Education, nationally renowned centre of excellence in teacher education New, ground-breaking, innovative, exciting… continuing the our 114 year tradition in preparing teachers…

Comments from the External Examiner about the UCC PME “As indicated, the Professional Master of Education is a high quality programme in initial teacher education…this is down to the dedication, hard work and professionalism of the staff…”

Entry Requirements You must have (or expect to have by the starting date of the course) a primary degree that the Teaching Council of Ireland recognises as qualifying you to teach at least one subject in a post-primary school If you are in any doubt about what whether your degree is recognised for teaching purposes or what subjects it allows you to be eventually registered to teach, you should check directly with the Teaching Council at http://www.teachingcouncil.ie Applications for the PME must be made through the Postgraduate Applications Centre (PAC) http://www.pac.ie/

Application Requirement for all teacher education courses (SDFs) PME applicants must complete subject self-declaration form(s) as part of the application process on PAC Without fully completed subject self-declaration form(s), your application cannot be processed Subject Declaration Form allows you to match your degree (and other qualifications if applicable) against the Teaching Council’s specific curricular teaching subject requirements Completed declaration form will be forwarded to the Teaching Council, who will advise if you meet the requirements for registration set out in the Teaching Council registration regulations Based on this declaration form and your transcripts of undergraduate examination results, the Teaching Council will confirm if, following successful completion of the PME, you will be eligible to register as a teacher and which curricular subject(s) will be recorded on the Register of Teachers. Any material errors or misleading declarations made on this form may result in the withdrawal of an offer of a place

Important Dates for 2018 entry (www.pac.ie) Type of application Fee Application Closing Date Documentation Closing Date Standard Applications €80 1st December 2017 8th December 2017 Late Applications €120 16th February 2018 24th February 2018

Entry Processes Late application date does not effect your chances of being offered a place in any way. No difference between early and late applications. Competitive entry where points are awarded for degree results and additional postgraduate qualifications and relevant professional experience Successful candidates are offered places conditionally but taking up that place and commencing the course is dependent on securing a required teaching placement in one of the School of Education’s co-operating post-primary schools All candidates are vetted through the Garda Vetting system

Important features of the UCC course 2 year-long continuous school placements in two different schools (one school in Year 1 and a contrasting school in Year 2) so no block release In school in the mornings or on certain days combined with afternoon/days on campus for lectures and tutorials on teaching, learning and educational research, which develop student teachers’ requisite professional knowledge and understandings Student teachers are supported in their development by experienced cooperating teachers in our cooperating schools and visited and tutored by specialist School of Education staff

PME1: 60 credits School Placement activity 30 credits, consisting of school and classroom experience (20 credits) and a research and professional experiences portfolio (10 credits) 2 subject methodologies (2x5credits) make up 10 credits Foundation Studies 20 credits – (including Philosophy, History, Psychology and Sociology of Education; Inclusive Education and Curriculum and Assessment)

UCC PME supports pedagogy courses in the following school subjects Irish English Mathematics French German Spanish History Geography Science Business Studies Music Religious Education CSPE Cross curricular (for those students who don’t have a 2nd teaching subject)

PME2: 60 credits School Placement-related activity 20 credits, consisting of school and classroom experience (30 credits) and a collaborative seminar looking at contemporary issues in Irish schools (5 credits) and a module on Literacy and Numeracy development in the post-primary classroom (5 credits) Foundational Themes in Education is 5 credits Specialist subject pedagogy makes up 5 credits Professional Research Paper in Education is 10 credits

School Placement Two separate mentored and supervised school placements (one in PME1 and one in PME2) in one of our cooperating post-primary schools (normally within a specified radius of UCC) Required to choose a school from the list Students are required to spend a minimum number of class periods and hours teaching a class or classes in one or more approved subjects in PME1 and PME2 Additional required hours of observation, co-teaching planning, preparation, reflection, research tasks…

PME Assessment School placement in PME1 and PME2 is assessed over a series of visits to the placement school by allocated placement tutors Assessment for PME lectures is generally by continuous assessment or project work related to the various modules Strong emphasis on the integration and application of theory and practice throughout all assignments

Our supports for PME students Specialist Placement tutor for every student Small group tutorials Specialised Placement Coordinator for PME1 & PME2 PME subject methodology groups PME Staff-student committee Specialised programme administrator

Do be aware of… Your dual role and responsibilities and the demands of being a student-teacher and a student on a professional studies course The VERY full-time nature of the course and its demands The travel that may be involved The associated costs (fees, accommodation, travel…) But remembering how rewarding it can be…

Other key PME data Ample opportunities for PME graduates for employment in Irish schools (shortage) and graduates are also well equipped to begin a teaching career abroad Number of places 120+ Fees for 2017-2018 published as PME 1: €6,000 PME2: €4,800 (Total: €10,800) Enquiries may be directed in the first instance to Ms. Myrhen Creedon, Executive Assistant, School of Education, UCC. Tel. 021 490 2465. Email: myrhen.creedon@ucc.ie