1. Professional Master of Education (PME) Programmes

2. Two Year PME Professional Master of Education
Professional Master of Education (Business)
Professional Master of Education (Languages)
Professional Master of Education (Mathematics)
Professional Master of Education (Music)
Professional Master of Education (Physical Education)
Professional Master of Education (Technological Ed)

3. An Overview
The same education modules are undertaken by all PME students regardless of what subject(s) they hope to teach
These are delivered by the School of Education and cover: teacher identity; preparation for teaching and learning; curriculum studies; understanding schools; teacher as professional; diversity; and preparing for School Placement
These components are built upon teaching approaches that are experiential and constructivist. They are structured around a vision that supports the student teacher to
“become a professional teacher of young people in Irish schools”.
Should I include this?
They are structured around a vision that supports the student teacher to “become a professional teacher of young people in Irish schools”. Each module and educational activity contributes to reaching this vision, as outlined below.
Becoming: The process of becoming a teacher is a complex and life-long process. It involves both personal and professional developmental processes. The module Becoming a Teacher: Identity and Agency, initiates this journey of discovery. It supports students to reflect upon the development of their identity as a teacher. Equally in Understanding Learning, students are supported to reflect upon the act of learning and what constitutes learning and to explore and share their own educational philosophies. Later in module Curriculum Policy and Reform, students are supported to explore their role as agents of change within Irish post-primary schools. They are encouraged to explore how curriculum change is implemented and the role that teachers play in supporting such change. Their School Placement 1 and 2 modules provide opportunity to further reflect upon the process of ‘becoming’ a professional teacher through the interplay between theory and practice. Student teachers in these modules are given an opportunity to engage in the actual professional experience of teaching and becoming part of a school community. They make sense of this experience through drawing from the research and literature discussed in the education modules and using peer evaluation, self-evaluation and evaluation with the university tutors, the students and, possibly, the co-operating teachers at the school setting.
A Professional: The ethical and professional identity and responsibilities of the teacher are central to the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers (Teaching Council, 2012). Building upon the introduction to professional identity from the module, Becoming a Teacher: Identity and Agency, the module on Understanding Schools looks at the school and society and the importance of establishing strong professional and collaborative relationships in the teaching profession. Teacher as professional is also reflected strongly in the module Education History, Policy and Contemporary Issues, which considers how the teacher responds to the changing nature of education in Ireland and changes in legislation that impact on the school. Moreover the capstone module, Teacher as professional practitioner, reinforces aspects such as models of teacher professionalism, the moral and ethical role of the teacher, professional standards in relation to teaching and practice, and the continuum of teacher development across Initial Teacher Education. The Code of Professional Conduct (2007) notes that a core value of the teaching profession is a “commitment to democracy, social justice, equality and inclusion. [Teachers] encourage active citizenship and support students in thinking critically about significant social issues, in valuing and accommodating diversity and in responding appropriately”. Developing in student teachers this capacity to play an active and constructive role in their democracy and the wider world is an important element of the programmes and Development Education is integrated as a cross cutting theme throughout.
Teacher: The programmes promote the teacher as classroom practitioner, member of school community, researcher, reflective practitioner and inquirer. The research modules – Research Methods 1, Research Methods 2 and Reporting Educational Researcher) provide knowledge, skills and techniques necessary for student teachers to engage in active and constructive research on their practice. The module on Research and Portfolio supports them to produce an in-depth reflexive portfolio that provides evidence of progress relating to the learning outcomes and their understanding of how the evidence relates to effective teaching practice. The programme presents the teacher as a facilitator of learning. As such the student teacher will be expected to generate positive learning environments using appropriate pedagogical processes. This aligns with Darling Hammond’s (2006) views that the highest quality teacher education programmes have a clear vision of what constitutes good teaching. Modules such as Planning for School Placement and Understanding Teaching and Learning support the student teachers to develop skills of planning for teaching and learning, building upon research evidence into the effective supporting of learning (National Research Council, 2000; Alton Lee, 2003; Hattie, 2009). The focus on effective teaching is also implicit within the assessment frameworks used on School Placement (see section 1.2.5G). In addition subject pedagogy modules provide opportunity for students to consider their subject in a variety of educational settings, and to explore alternative approaches to teaching their subjects. For example,
In the Masters in Education (Music) the modules, Practical Skills of Music 1, 2 and 3, explore teaching methods that integrate performing, composing and listening – these are central to music teaching at junior and senior level, and they enable students to apply these skills across a broad range of music disciplines, at cross curricular level and in the wider community.
In the Masters in Education (Languages) the module, Language Pedagogy 1 introduces students to key areas of current language pedagogy, and supports them in adapting generic educational principles to the post-primary language classroom.
In the Masters in Education (Mathematics) the modules Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching and Statistics Knowledge for Teaching, provide students with opportunities to revisit school mathematics in a conceptual way and to explore ways of introducing, explaining and contextualising key mathematical concepts within the classroom.
In the Masters in Education (Physical Education), student teachers are asked to develop a teaching metaphor to articulate their beliefs about teaching and learning. A series of learning experiences that employ constructivist strategies are developed to challenge these teaching metaphors, encourage student teachers to acknowledge, explore and modify their beliefs through community discussion and examination of whether their teaching behaviours are consistent with and reflect the beliefs they have portrayed in their metaphor. The belief is that examining teaching metaphors is one way to help student teachers to recognise their pre-existing beliefs about teaching and learning, and assist them to reflect on and examine these beliefs and how they impact both their teaching and the learning of their students (Tannehill & MacPhail, 2012).
Of Young People: The teacher is concerned with young people – their holistic development and the ways in which they learn. The module on Understanding Learning looks at the personal, social and emotional development of young people and adolescents. It looks at learning styles and motivations for learning in young people. Furthermore the module, Education History, Policy and Contemporary, provides an overview of the diverse nature of young people in schools as well as contemporary issues that influence and impact young people.
Irish Schools: The school context is important in supporting students’ learning (Gleeson et al., 2002). Schools are also important sites of collegial and collaborative practice. The development of student teachers’ capacity to work collaboratively and the development of their understanding of the social dynamics of the school are important elements of their learning. This is addressed in the module, Understanding Schools in which students are supported to look at schools as learning communities and as institutions from a sociological perspective and from the perspective of critical pedagogy in teaching. Furthermore the module Education History, Policy and Contemporary Issues in Education broadens students’ perspectives on education and the education system as well as the challenges and opportunities that face schools today. The module on Curriculum Policy and Reform encourages students to explore in greater detail the organisational structure of Irish schools by examining school culture and the dominant forms of teacher relationships (which links directly with the forms of collaboration and collegial support offered to teachers).

4. Semester Outline School Placement 1 (18) School Placement 2 (18)
Semester 1: Credits: 12 week semester
Identity and Agency (6)
Understanding Learning (6)
Planning for School Placement (6)
Subject Pedagogy (6)
Subject Discipline (6)
Semester 2: 30 Credits: 4 week semester + SP
Understanding Teaching and Learning (3)
Subject Pedagogy 2 (3)
Research Methods (6)
School Placement 1 (18)
Semester 3: 30 Credits: 3 week semester + SP
Understanding Schools (3)
Subject Pedagogy 3 (3)
Research Methods 2 (6)
School Placement 2 (18)
Semester 4: 30 Credits: 12 week semester
Curriculum Policy and Reform (6)
History, Policy and Contemporary Issues (6)
Teacher as Professional Practitioner (3)
Research and Practice Portfolio (3)
Reporting Educational Research (6)

5. Important new elements
Level 9 Professional Master Degree Qualification:
Extended time on School Placement
Professional Portfolio
Research element (10,000 research dissertation)

6. Three main areas addressed in research:
Developing students' critical research literacy
Developing students' research capacity
Integrating theory, research and practice
- generating greater capacity for effective teaching
- greater autonomy in planning and managing teaching

7. Professional Portfolio: What is it ?
An instrument to:
document professional master students’ work
support the process of reflection on his or her practice
identify areas in which he/she may need support or guidance
facilitate consciousness of theories and assumptions that guide practice
provide a basis for collaborative dialogue about teaching

8. Based On Teaching Council Learning Outcomes Categories Knowledge Skill
Competence
Supported by the values, attitudes, and professional dispositions central to effective teaching

9. Professional Master of Education Programmes, UL
Completing the Teaching Council
Subject Declaration Form

10. Protocol
It details a tripartite process with shared responsibilities for:
The PME Applicant
The PME Provider
The Teaching Council

11. Protocol
It confirms that the Teaching Council will make the final decision on eligibility for registration and on the curricular subjects to be recorded on the Register of Teachers, i.e. the teaching subjects on your licence
Secondly, the Teaching Council will inform the student teacher and the PME Provider of these outcomes

12. Protocol
PME Applicant is responsible for familiarising himself/herself with the Teaching Council‘s registration requirements
PME Provider is responsible for ensuring that persons admitted to the PME (and who intend to apply for registration with the Teaching Council), hold at a minimum an Honours Bachelor Degree at NFQ Level 8 (or equivalent) and meet the Teaching Council’s minimum ECTS credit subject requirements

13. Subject Declaration Form
Holds/will hold, by the date of commencement of the PME programme, a Honours Bachelor Degree NFQ Level 8 (or equivalent) carrying at least 180 ECTS Credits
Has/will have, by the date of commencement of the PME programme, studied the requisite number of ECTS credits in the subject(s) he/she wishes to have recorded on the Register of Teachers e.g. 60/80/90 ECTS credits

14. Subject Declaration Form
Has/will have completed at least 10 ECTS credits at third year degree level or higher in the subject(s) he/she wishes to have recorded on the Register of Teachers
Has/will have met all the specific detailed requirements of the Teaching Council in terms of mandatory areas of study as set out in the Teaching Council subject requirements at ject%20Criteria%20from%20January% pdf

15. Any questions? PME Business: Gerard Slattery ger.slattery@ul.ie
PME Mathematics: Patrick Johnson
PME Music: Jean Downey
PME Technology: Diarmaid Lane
PME Languages: Mary Masterson
PME P.E. Melissa Parker