Primary Teaching

Primary school teaching is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, with many chosing to return to education and study for a higher diploma in education. There are four main providers of the Higher Diploma in Primary Teaching for graduates in Ireland:

St. Patrick’s College, 
Mary Immaculate College, 
Froebel College of Education and
Marino Institute of Education.

For the first time in 2003 a graduate diploma in primary teaching was also made available online, in the form of a distance learning course in Hibernia College. (Higher Diploma in Arts and Primary Education.) To date, over 1,000 students have graduated from the course. This has hugely improved accessability for many people wishing to become qualified primary school teachers as people can now study from home.

All teacher training students, including those taking the distance learning course in Hibernia College, must complete a three-week Irish emersion course in the Gaeltacht at the end of their first year training.

Annually, there are 280 places available for graduate students, spread across the four colleges. Applicants apply directly to the college and places are allocated according to availability.
Applicants must comply to certain entry requirements. These include an approved primary degree as well as one of the following:

1. For Leaving Cert taken after 1969, at least a grade C or higher in honours Irish, a grade D or more in either higher or ordinary level Maths, and a grade D or above in higher level English or
2. Honours in Irish and passes in English and Maths if the Leaving Cert was taken before 1969 or
3. For Northern Ireland, a grade C at A level Irish, a grade C at GCSE level in both English and English literature and a grade D at GSCE level in additional level mathematics or grade A at GCSE level maths.
Applicants are also required to sit an interview and an Irish oral test.

Individual courses are outlined below:

St Patrick’s College
Perhaps one of the best known teacher training colleges in the country, St Patrick’s in Drumcondra, Dublin, offers an 18 month full time Graduate Diploma in Education. Students spend 15 weeks doing practical teaching practice and a further 30 weeks in lectures.

Classes cover the theoretical sides of teaching such as history, psychology, philosophy and sociology combined with the study of teaching methods and the curriculum. This wide range of classes provides the student with a depth of knowledge throughout the course. The prospectus highlights this varied approach: 'a  range of imaginative and engaging teaching methods are used including  field-work, role-play and laboratory work. Assessment is also varied. For example, students conduct projects with young children, produce art portfolios, compose music and create resource folders for use in their teaching.’

Curriculum subjects like art, drama, music, science, physical education are all covered, as well as a digital learning course that aims to allow students to understand the use of technology in learning and teaches them to use the technology itself.

Three periods of teaching practice are required during the first and last semesters of the diploma. Students select their own school in the Dublin area, including gaelscoileanna.

Marino Institute of Education
The diploma in Marino lasts 18 months, beginning in January and running until the following June. Most classes take place in Coláiste Mhuire Marino but some of the modules are run in Trinity College. This means that students are registered in Trinity as well as Marino Institute of Education, and they attend TCD one day a week during the final year.

The course is split in to three main areas of study: Theory, Competence and Methodology & Teaching. Theory classes take place in Trinity College and cover a variety of theoretical aspects of education.

Cometence and methodology courses focus on covering the content of the 1999 Primary School Curriculum, as well as other classes which deal with teaching methods.

The final focus of the training is teaching practice and observation during which the students get experience in primary school classrooms.

Froebel College, Sion Hill
Like those studying at Marino, Froebel students of the Higher Diploma in Education (Primary Teaching) are also registered students of Trinity College. This means that they have full access to the Library and other facilities at TCD and attend some classes with students from other colleges associated with Trinity. However, the bulk of the course takes place in Froebel College itself.

The course involves teaching practice at all primary school levels as well as 18 months continuous assessment spread out over three semesters. According to the prospectus, the course emphasizes the centrality of the child in the teaching and learning process: ‘Curriculum studies and classroom management proficiency are developed in the context of the principles of holistic child-centered education.’

Mary Immaculate College
Based in Limerick, this is the only teacher-training course outside of Dublin. The higher diploma is made up of 14 taught modules combined with four periods of teaching practice over 3 semesters, roughly 18 months.

All the basic curriculum subjects are covered such as English, Irish, Math, Music, Drama, Art, and Physical Education; as well as a number of modules focused on providing a comprehensive theoretical background for the student. These modules include History of Education, Developmental Psychology and Sociology of Education. Along with these lecture-based modules, teaching practice is considered as an integral part of the course. Students are prepared before each stint in the classroom, to facilitate their successful move into a school environment.

Further information on applications and entry requirements is available from the Department of Education and Science, www.education.ie.