The module introduces students to their first experience of School Placement in a post-primary school setting and serves to connect the sites of practice that bridge the gap between theory and practice. This is enhanced through a pedagogical cycle of learning that includes planning, action, reflection and dialogue with university tutors, Treoraí and other school personnel. The student will explore their role as facilitators of learning through the preparation of a safe and inclusive learning environment. Students will build on knowledge and understanding, gained in their Planning for Learning module, of the value of effective planning and preparation, how this supports the development of instructionally aligned lessons and the value of facilitating high quality teaching, learning and assessment experiences. In order to become effective members of a professional school community, students will be encouraged to explore their professional identity and agency and come to understand the value and importance of collaborative professional relationships. Through this collaborative experience, students will be supported to critically reflect on their practice. A suite of online tutorials provides support to ensure students have the opportunity to experiment with digital technologies and engage in sustained professional collaboration. Through critical reflection and professional dialogue students will be facilitated in identifying strengths and areas for development in preparation for their next placement experience.

This module will provide students with the opportunity to develop and reflect on the planning and preparation process and support them in the development of the 'Planning for Learning' portfolio entry. This will be supported by tutors and Treoraí through sustained professional dialogue. The concept of students as reflective practitioners is central to this module. By engaging with tutors and Treoraí, students will critically reflect on key learning to teach concepts as well as broader socio-cultural issues, to include Global Citizenship Education, that impact teaching and learning. To support students as reflective practitioners they will be expected to complete a portfolio entry involving a self-appraisal of progress in learning to teach during placement 1. Links between the sites of practice are embedded in the module and the provision of online tutorials ensures that students are afforded an opportunity to build meaningful links between theory and practice. To reduce the isolation students may experience on placement the tutorials create a community of practice in which students can engage with key learning to teach concepts. They also provide opportunities for co-inquiry and collaborative critical reflection on the successes and challenges of placement experiences. To understand the school as an organisation students will participate in a variety of non-teaching and extra-curricular activities. This will include opportunities for systematic observation in the school, for collaborative work with school staff and for structured participation in school life.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Research, design and implement units of learning and lesson plans appropriate to the learners and the school context. Create learning outcomes and related activities that plan for the diversity of needs of all learners and that encourage enhanced participation. Develop a variety of creative resources, to include digital technologies, to enhance the learner's experience of teaching and learning. Engage in a cycle of planning to include the observation of experienced teachers, plan and design, delivery and evaluation. Identify effective classroom management skills and evaluate appropriate pedagogical strategies for classroom management Demonstrate an understanding of the application of literacy and numeracy specific to subject contexts. Outline the Teaching Council Code of Professional Conduct and its relevance to professional practice. Reflect on and evaluate, in cooperation with university tutors and Treoraí, the strengths and areas for improvement of their own practice.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Engage in professional conversations with peers, Treoraí and university tutors to enhance their knowledge of classroom dialogue, teaching and learning. Display a developing awareness of pupils' social, cognitive and developmental needs in their planning and in their reflective writing. Gain an appreciation of the range of activities within schools, both curriculum-based and extra- curricular and contribute to the wider school community. Display an awareness of their own professional development by engaging in reflective practice and setting out areas for further development.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: NA

This module includes an 8-week placement in a post primary school. Students are supported both pre-placement with on-campus lectures and tutorials and post placement with on-campus review and evaluation. The students will also engage with a suite of online tutorials during the placement period through a flipped classroom approach. These tutorials provide support for off campus students, fosters reflective practice in a collaborative environment and focuses on themes central to 'learning to teach'. On placement, students will be expected to collaborate with tutors and Treoraí to deliver well-planned and innovatively resourced classes to mainly junior cycle level. The module facilitates the development of the student's capacity for self-reflection, in dialogue with Treoraí, peers and tutors, and affords the student valuable opportunities to develop a range of knowledge, skills, competences and professional dispositions which are critical to his/her professional identity as a teacher (School Placement Guidelines, Teaching Council, 2013). As part of the placement experience, the student undertakes and observes a wide range of teaching and non-teaching activities, thereby developing an appreciation of the complexity of teaching and the school community and the variety of roles undertaken by teachers. Students are mentored and assessed by two school placement tutors over the course of the placement. Professional dialogue and the development of a mentoring relationship is initiated in pre-placement meetings where tutors assess student's preparedness for placement by providing feedback on planning and preparation documentation. A student will normally receive two tutor visits during the eight-week placement. The assigned tutors will observe and evaluate a range of classes and provide an appraisal containing both specific and general guidance and identify areas for further development. Reflections on their experiences in their placement schools play an important role in analysing and documenting their experiences and these are shared with tutors on a weekly basis. The placement concludes with post placement meeting between students and tutors whereby the student has an opportunity to engage in reflective dialogue with their tutors and strengths and areas for further development are identified in preparation for the student's second placement experience. The school placement experience is scaffolded with national and international research and informed by relevant policy documentation including the Teaching Council's Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers and School Placement Guidelines.