School Placement 4

This module facilitates students to successfully plan, teach, assess and evaluate a series of lessons at Junior and Leaving Certificate cycles. It enables student teachers to compile a fully comprehensive and professional teaching and learning e Portfolio, showcasing best sample outputs from SP1-4. The module promotes reflective practice, research, and professionalism in the practice of teaching. A large suite of professional teaching resources are developed with attention to differentiated learning and universal design for learning (UDL). Students become competent in the use of the language of reform and their subject/discipline literacy. On SP4 students engage weekly in ten hours of classroom teaching to senior level and 2 hours of school support work and/or practitioner research is also recommended. Practice-based research is supported by online supervision sessions and critical reflections. Digital literacy and practice is also enhanced. The module promotes the effective use of a variety of educational technologies, as well as blended/online pedagogical strategies and tools. The module also incorporates a ten-week peer mentoring and leadership training programme, called NEST (Nurturing Excellence in Students Teachers) where participants peer mentor year three students. Students are required to evidence fitness to practice, according to ATU policy, Garda vetting and e-TUSLA training prior to commencement of SP4.

1. Successfully plan, teach and evaluate a series of lessons at Junior and Leaving Certificate cycles and assist peer to do likewise.

2. Demonstrate competence in a broad range of generic teaching skills, particularly core skills (planning, implementation, evaluation and reflection), methodologies (design-led, problem-based, and co-operative learning) and mentoring skills (peer mentoring).

3. Undertake the various roles of the teacher and integrate successfully and professionally into the entire school community

4. Competently observe and describe the key interactions in the classroom in the contexts of reflective practice and/or action research.

5. Demonstrate high levels of skill in the advanced use of ICT tools and educational technologies

6. Develop a professional teaching and learning e Portfolio which showcases design-led, innovative and creative teaching and assessment strategies and resources.

7. Apply numeracy, literacy, graphicacy and oracy strategies to classroom teaching.

8. Incorporate inclusive differentiation and universal design for learning strategies in teaching and learning (mixed ability, culture, gender, and special educational needs).