School Placement

Background

The Teaching Council published a policy document on the Teacher Education Continuum in July 2011. It also published Guidelines and Criteria for Providers of Initial Teacher Education, in which it has outlined the mandatory requirements for future programmes of Initial Teacher Education. These documents can be accessed below.

From 2012 the B.Ed for primary teaching will be a four year degree, which has long been a demand of the INTO. The post-graduate course will become a two year course commencing in 2014.

One of the significant changes arising from the extended programme of Initial Teacher Education is in the area of school placement or teaching practice. Teachers have a long positive track record of supporting student teachers on teaching practice.

The Teaching Council has called for ‘new and innovative school placement models’. As part of the revised B.Ed four-year B.Ed degree, students will spend 30 weeks on school placement over the four years, while students on the post-graduate programme will spend 24 weeks on school placement. The Teaching Council envisages that the school placement experience will also encompass non-teaching activities, engaging with parents and observing a wide range of teaching approaches. This move from the more limited concept of teaching practice to a broader School Placement experience will have implications for all schools. It is also an opportunity for teachers to influence and shape new school placement models, based on the experience of hosting student teachers to date.

St Patrick’s College initiated a pilot project with a number of primary schools in relation to developing a broader concept of school placement and involving class teachers in more constructive roles vis-a-vis student teachers. A copy of the evaluation report of this project is available here  

Scoil Bhríde Cailíní, Blanchardstown was one of the schools that took part in the pilot project. Deirdre Kirwan, principal of Scoil Bhríde Cailíní, wrote an article which was included in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of InTouch. 

Consultation

To date the INTO has held 5 consultation meetings in Cork, Dublin and Limerick. The final consultation meeting is due to take place in Tuam on Thursday 29th March. Further details can be found on the on the link below.

Alternatively you can submit your feedback via the link below.