Education - Irish Medium - Post Primary - PGCE
Irish Medium/and Irish Language Enhancement Course for Post-Primary PGCE students at Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University.
Programme Outline
In response to the demand for subject-specific teachers in the growing Irish-Medium Post-Primary sector, St Mary's University College, Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University (Ulster) have formed a partnership to offer a one year Irish-Medium Enhancement course to students interested in becoming teachers in Irish-Medium Post-Primary education.
Additional places have been added to the PGCE intake quotas for Queen's University, Belfast and Ulster University specifically for those applicants who wish to teach in the Irish-Medium Post-Primary sector. On completion of the course, these students will be awarded a Certificate in Bilingual Education (St Mary's University College) in addition to their PGCE qualification (Ulster/Queen's).
Programme Structure
Students will follow the PGCE course designed by either Queen's or Ulster depending on their subject specialism.
Queen's prepares students to teach in the following subject areas: English, Mathematics, ICT/Computing, Science, Modern Languages, Religious Education and Social Science/Citizenship.
Ulster prepares students to teach in the following areas: Art & Design, English with Drama and Media Studies, Geography, History, Home Economics, Music, Physical Education, and Technology & Design.
Further information on specific subjects offered and on PGCE course structures is available on Queen's (www.qub.ac.uk) and Ulster (www.ulster.ac.uk) websites.
Bilingual Immersion Education
Irish-Medium students will also complete additional elements in the area of bilingual/immersion education. These will include completing spring and summer Gaeltacht programmes (15 days in total), an induction week in August and an additional week in the following June. This bilingual focus is provided by St Mary's University College, which has a long tradition in preparing teachers to teach in the Irish-Medium sector.
Entry requirements
Competence in Irish is required. Usually, this means an A Level or the equivalent qualification in the language.
Application dates
Applying for the Irish-Medium/Irish Language Enhancement Course for Post-Primary PGCE students at QUB and UU.
Applicants will apply to undertake their PGCE studies with either Queen's or Ulster (depending on their subject specialism) and should express an interest in Irish-Medium Education if they wish to be considered for this option. Competence in Irish is required. Usually, this means a GCE A Level or the equivalent qualification in Irish.
Contact
Anyone requiring additional information should contact Dr Seán Mac Corraidh (Irish-Medium/Irish Language Enhancement Course Co-ordinator) by telephone on 028 90268281 or by e-mail s.maccorraidh@smucb.ac.uk