Education - PME - Second Level Teaching

Students who meet Teaching Council requirements, may decide to
specialise in one or two disciplines as listed above. Please note that a minimum number of students are required before a discipline will run.

Programme Aims
The aims of the programme are to ensure that successful graduates: • To foster a vision of professional practice among prospective teachers who view the development and human flourishing of all pupils within the context of a changing world.

• To develop knowledge of learners and their development in social context, teaching, subject pedagogy (business, languages, mathematics, music, physical education, science and technological education) and curriculum goals (including national priorities).

• To foster social justice- and sustainability-oriented critical engagement by prospective teachers in the context of classrooms, school, wider society and the globe/planet.

• To cultivate an openness to engaging critically, including from a research-informed stance, with reforms in teaching, learning and assessment in schools, i.e. reform readiness.

• To develop prospective teachers to have the requisite knowledge, skills, and dispositions as adaptive experts to proactively engage as learners within their immediate and wider professional contexts.

• To enable prospective teachers' development an agentic vision of self as teacher informed by reflexivity, engagement with professional literature in educational studies, their subject disciplines and experiences on school placement.

• To prepare prospective teachers who are curious and open to professional learning and development across the continuum of teacher education from ITE to induction and onward to learning across the professional life-cycle.

• To foster the professional values of trust, care, respect, integrity, and social justice both as a basis for, and as valued aspirations worthy of further cultivation within the teaching profession.

• To develop critical understanding of the enduring, contesters and changing nature of the aims of education so programme graduates are well prepared to engage with the professional role of teacher in school and system contexts.

Professional Master of Education: Business
This two year Level 9 qualification sets about generating a wide spectrum of capabilities for the modern business teacher. In addition to generating leadership of learning in any combination of the three core subject areas (Business, Accounting or Economics), competence and expertise is cultivated in Entrepreneurship Education/ Enterprise Education; Business input into Transition Year and LCVP/LCA learning areas; Project work in business topics, in line with curricular developments, coupled with capacity to promote learning using appropriate ICT pedagogical supports.

Professional Master of Education: Languages
The Languages stream of the PME programme is a two-year, full-time Level 9 programme that aims to be creative, innovative and consistent with good practice internationally. The programme is a required qualification for individuals wishing to work as post primary school teachers of languages in Ireland. It aims to develop competence and appropriate expertise, both disciplinary and pedagogical in the chosen subjects. Applicants shall normally be required to hold a minimum of an honours 2.2 Level 8 degree.

Professional Master of Education: Mathematics
This is a two-year full-time initial teacher education programme designed to train mathematics teachers for Irish post-primary schools. It facilitates an interactive and imaginative approach to teaching mathematics at post-primary level in order to enhance school students' mathematics learning and performance while deepening and enriching the prospective teachers' knowledge and understanding of mathematics. Applicants shall normally be required to hold a minimum of an honours 2.2 Level 8 degree.

Professional Master of Education: Music
The Music stream of the Professional Master of Education is taught at Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and is specially designed to meet the needs of graduates who wish to become teachers of music. This course will prepare you to teach music in innovative and creative ways and will introduce you to research in music education. PME Music students demonstrate the ability to adapt specialist knowledge to the music classroom and to plan appropriate courses in music education with a specific focus on effective teaching of composition, performance, improvisation and listening to music.

Professional Master of Education: Physical Education
The Physical Education pathway of the Professional Master of Education is a full-time two-year initial teacher education to prepare graduates for a professional teaching qualification in physical education. This course will prepare teachers skilled in designing instructionally aligned, evidence based physical education programs. PME Physical Education students will gain cutting edge knowledge regarding the content and implementation of Junior Cycle, Senior Cycle, and Leaving Certificate Physical Education.

Professional Master of Education: Science
The Science stream of the Professional Master of Education is a two-year full time programme designed to meet the needs of graduates who wish to become post-primary teachers of junior cycle science and one of: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Agricultural science to Leaving Certificate. Building on the Level 8 background of the graduate student, this programme promotes inquiry based learning as well as enhancing students understanding of contemporary issues relating to science and nature of science.

Professional Master of Education: Technological Education
The technology stream of the Professional Master of Education is a two-year full-time programme designed to meet the needs of graduates who wish to become post-primary teachers of technology subjects including; Engineering, Technology, Construction Studies, and Design & Communication Graphics. Building on the Level 8 background of the graduate student, this programme promotes an interactive and creative approach to becoming a teacher of technology subjects.

Programme Content
Year 1
Autumn Semester
• Becoming a teacher: Identity and Agency
• Planning for School placement
• Understanding The Diversity of Learning and Development: Psychological Perspectives
• Pedagogy*

Spring Semester
• School Placement 1
• Diversity of Learning: Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Inclusive Teaching

Year 2
Autumn Semester
• School Placement 2
• Teacher as Researcher 1

Spring Semester
• Curriculum and Professional Agency
• Teacher as researcher 2
• History and Policy of Education in Context
• Sociological Perspectives on Diversity and Social Justice in Schools and Society

Applicants must possess a relevant primary degree at 2.2 honours level or higher (Level 8 - National Qualifications Authority of Ireland or equivalent) or be about to graduate with such a degree. In line with Teaching Council and HEA protocol, when applying for a place on the Professional Master of Education programme, the PME Applicant is required to make a formal declaration, using a Subject Declaration Form, that he/she:
• Holds/will hold, by the date of commencement of the PME programme, a level 8 honours degree.

• Has studied the relevant number of ECTS credits in the relevant
subject area(s) as part of their degree (see the link in point (4) below).

• Has studied higher level degree content related to the subject area(s) in year 3 or 4 of their degree.

• Has covered, as part of their degree, the mandatory topics/subjects as set out in the Teaching Council subject requirements which can be found at: https://www.teachingcouncil.ie/en/pme/applying-in-2021-for-a-place-on-a-professional-master-of-education-pme-.html

The Subject Declaration Form for each of the subjects you wish to teach must be fully completed and attached with your application to this programme.

Candidates may be required to attend an interview as part of the selection process.

English Language Requirements
Applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of either prior successful completion of a degree qualification taught through the medium of English or meet one of the criteria (no longer than two years prior to application) as outlined on https://www.ul.ie/graduateschool/ english-language-requirements. Results in examinations other than those listed on this site may also be accepted as meeting our English language requirements. Contact the International Education Division for advice.

School Placement
Placements are organised by the School Placement Office (www.ul.ie/ schoolplacement). While every effort is made to place student teachers in their preferred geographical location no guarantee can be made that this will happen.

Garda Vetting
Successful completion of the Garda Vetting process is required. The University oversees the Garda Vetting Process.

You are required to submit a Police Clearance Certificate if you have lived abroad for more than 6 months since over 16 years of age. Please review the process here: https://ulsites.ul.ie/executive/student-vetting

How to apply:
1. Choose your programme.
2. Check closing date for the programme.
3. Apply online at www.ul.ie
4. Have your supporting documentation ready to upload.
5. Pay the application fee (€35 online / €40 bank draft or cheque).
6. Submit your application.

Applicants must include:
• Qualification transcripts and certificates

• English language qualification if English is not your first language

• Certified English translation of your qualification(s)/certificate(s) where the originals are in a language other than English.

• A copy of your birth certificate.

• Subject Declaration Form

• Form indicating which discipline(s) you are applying for

2 Years Full-Time

Start Date: 09/Sep/2019

Please have the following documents ready to upload with your application: (please note your application will not be processed without these required documents)

Please ensure you complete pages 1-9 on the Subject Declaration Form.

•Fully and accurately completed 'Subject Declaration Form(s)' (available here) in those subjects you believe you will be qualified in.
•Form indicating which discipline(s) you are applying for -click here
•Qualification transcripts and awards/certificates
•English language qualification if English is not your first language
•Certified English translations of your transcripts/certificates where the originals are in a language other than English
•A copy of your birth certificate (long document)/passport