The PME course is designed to prepare high quality teachers for today's second level schools. Students undertake a study of the principles of teaching and learning, develop practical teaching skills, and engage in a supervised teaching placement in at least two second-level schools. Students normally take disciplinary courses in the teaching of two curricular subjects.
The course commences in late August and lectures and school placement end in May.
School Placement
Prospective students are responsible for arranging their own school placements (within a 160KM radius of Maynooth University). PME students (year 1) along with their weekly placements will also undertake a three week block placement in January.
Teaching, Learning, Assessment and Curriculum /The Teacher as a Critically Reflective Practitioner
The central focus of these modules is on enabling the student to develop a repertoire of pedagogical skills and to adopt a professional, self-analytical and reflective approach to classroom practice. This is aimed at deepening the student's understanding of the processes of teaching and learning, of assessment, of education, of pupils and their psycho-social development, of schools within their social context and of the structure and development of the system within which they work. Among the research sources that inform these modules are pedagogical and curriculum studies, the history and structure of education, educational psychology, sociology of education and the philosophy of education.
Teaching/Learning Seminars in Subject Methods
These consist of seminars/lectures/workshops devoted to the methodology teaching and learning of school subjects.
Course Duration: 2 years Full-time
Comment
Maynooth University Department of Education is at the forefront of postgraduate teacher education, leadership, and guidance and counselling in Ireland. We are concerned with the study of education and provide an energetic, dynamic, interdisciplinary research culture. We are engaged in a broad range of educational research. We work to develop and critique the provision of education, and we provide a series of courses aimed at education professionals.