This module follows School Placement and affords students the opportunity to critically reflect on their experiences to identify and question assumptions they hold about the nature of teaching, learning and schooling in cooperative groups that model collegial learning and cultivate research capacity. Students will reflect on the collective meaning and purpose of education. Students will also synthesise the meaning of teacher professionalism and will deepen their analysis of their emergent identities as members of the teaching profession. This context is explored in a conceptual framework of teacher professionalism that emphasises teacher agency, critical decision-making and life-long learning.

Underpinned by concepts of teacher agency, critical decision-making and life-long learning this module will examine how teachers conceptualize their professional identity, drawing on disciplinary and interdisciplinary professional learning. It will explore models of teacher professionalism and will critically analyse the role of the teacher in promoting and advocating for their profession. Key concepts and content areas include professionalism and professionalization; models of teacher professionalism; teaching as a profession; teacher identity and values; landscape of teacher professionalism in Ireland; Teaching Council Codes and policies; preparing for schools as sites of work (teachers' personal social and emotional competence); dimensions of the teachers' professional practice (duty of care, the moral/ethical role of the teacher - including ethical knowledge regarding the use of digital technology, teacher as civic and change agent; ethical dimensions of teaching); teacher professional development across the continuum (initial, induction and continuous professional development); professional collaboration at local, regional and national levels.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: • Critically examine the professional meaning and role of the teacher in a changing society. • Examine the impact of national and international policy developments on the professional role of the teacher in Ireland today. • Critically analyse the whole school context and its impact on the professional role of the teacher. • Examine the roles of stakeholders and the importance of engagement and cooperation with them. • Explore their professional development drawing on relevant learning experiences across their Initial Teacher Education experience (for example school placement and/or immersion experiences). • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the unique role of the teacher as professional in providing for the holistic development of students, and the complex and intricate nature of teaching, as explicated in the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers. • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the continuum of teacher education and the life-long learning journey of the teacher, as outlined in the Teaching Council's policy documents. • Through the use of portfolio, reflect on experiences of teacher education in order to develop an understanding of continuous professional career development with particular emphasis on identifying area(s) for further learning in the Droichead induction phase of the continuum.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: - Actively participate in professional learning communities which engage in group reflection, learning and practice. - Appreciate the complexity of the varying contexts within which teacher professionalism is developed and sustained. - Consider the role of teachers as civic and cultural agents.

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The module is delivered in one lecture and one two-hour workshop per week format. Working in cooperative base groups students are encouraged to critically reflect on their role as future teachers and to articulate their understanding of their emerging professionalism. Student learning experiences are framed using a case-based approach to learning and exploration of professional dilemmas (for example social and emotional learning and child welfare). Drawing upon their debrief from School Placement and discussions with their peers, cooperative base groups are required to select a topic/issue that they would like to investigate further, that came to light during School Placement and that is of relevance and concern to their professional development as a teacher. During the module students actively discuss and reflect upon themes and issues that are central to teacher professionalism and student welfare as well as identifying and critically exploring assumptions unearthed during placement experiences. The module promotes student responsibility as professionals who will contribute to the welfare of students and will advocate for their profession upon graduation. Each dimension of the module is supported by a combination of classic, seminal and contemporary national and international empirical research, with a particular focus teacher professionalism.