Professional Master of Education: Key Issues for Schools
1. When can schools expect to hear from student teachers and how is this issue of sourcing a placement to be managed.
Students will hear from the Post-Graduate Application Centre (PAC) in April, whether or not they have been offered a place on the PME. PAC then contact UCD with a list of prospective students. The School of Education office will then contact all PME students with a list of suggested schools. PME students will then begin the process of contacting schools. Schools will, as in the past, interview students for a placement.
Only students who have passed the first year of the programme are permitted to go on to Year Two.
2. When are PME students in schools and how many hours teaching will they be required to undertake?
PME students are in schools Monday morning, Tuesday all day, Wednesday morning and Friday morning. (See timetable on PME brochure).
They will be required to undertake a minimum of four and a half hours teaching per week up to a maximum of eight hours in Year One and Year Two, as well as their block placement in Year Two (see further information on Block at point 7below).
3. How is this to be split across both of their teaching subjects?
This should be, where possible, equally split across both of their subjects.
4. Are PME students expected to teach classes on their own? At what point in the year should this occur?
PME students are expected to engage in observation during the first two weeks of their time in schools, making detailed notes on these observations. Ideally, this observation period should include not only classes which they will soon begin teaching, but a broader experience of a range of classes. They will be provided with an observation schedule to aid them with this process, which will be overseen by the School Placement Lecturer. After two weeks, it is expected that they will team teach with their respective co-operating teacher. After four weeks, it is expected that they will teach on their own (with the continued professional support of their co-operating teacher).
5. How is the school placement aspect of the PME assessed and what role if any does the School have in this?
Students on placement will be assessed by two UCD personnel, a main supervisor and a tutor. The co-operating teacher and Principal will be asked to comment on how the student teacher is doing over the course of the placement, but will not play a role in the evaluation. The placement component of the programme will be managed by a School Placement Lecturer.
6. How many visits should a student teacher have over the course of the programme?
Students will have a minimum of four visits annually in each year. However in cases where students are in difficulty or a school feels that a student needs additional support, additional visits will be organised.
7. How will the block placement be structured?
The block is to take place in the second year of the placement, in the period beginning January – end March. During this time, students will be in school all day every day. The School Placement Lecturer, along with the student will have responsibility for managing and planning the block placement (in consultation with the school). A school block placement template will be issued to each student outlining the required activities in addition to teaching with which they are expected to engage. The main purpose of the block is to provide students with a full immersion into the life of the school. Students will be expected to undertake the fieldwork for their professional dissertation during this time. Hence they will be asked to focus on either an aspect of their subject(s) pedagogy and/or a particular aspect of school life. During this time, it is expected that students take on further teaching duties, including exposure to senior classes, co-teaching opportunities etc
8. What is the procedure if a student teacher is not working out in a particular school?
If a school is unhappy, for whatever reason, with a student teacher’s performance, they should communicate this to the School Placement Lecturer who will immediately follow up with a visit to the school, and if appropriate an observation of the student teacher’s classes. A Supplementary Teaching Support Programme for Student Teachers will form a central part of the PME, whereby any student perceived to be in difficulty, either by school personnel or by the UCD-based supervisor, will be referred to this programme for an additional two hours a week in core areas such as classroom management, communication skills, planning and managing learning etc. In the event of the student’s placement continuing to be unsatisfactory from the school’s or University’s perspective, the University reserves the right to suspend a student from teaching practice where (i) teaching falls below an acceptable standard (ii) the student teacher’s behaviour in the school is such as to cause concern for the safety of pupils or colleagues or (iii) at the request of the school.