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Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title Teaching & Learning in English Education
Module Code EDS1065 (ITS: ES562)
Faculty Human Development School DCU Institute of Education
NFQ level 9 Credit Rating 5
Description

This module will introduce student teachers to English as an area of learning in post-primary education in Ireland. Participating in this module will develop knowledge and understanding of how classroom practice meets curricular framework requirements for Junior and Senior Cycle English. The module aims to develop student teachers' subject specific pedagogical content knowledge and their personal and professional identities as educators. Student teachers will be supported in becoming responsive and reflective practitioners and confident curriculum makers, through individual and collaborative engagement. The module will explore how practice is underpinned by theory in the context of professional learning. Student teachers will examine the role of inclusive practice and care in the creation of equitable learning experiences for all students. Engaging in this module will advance student teachers' communicative, digital and interpersonal skills and enable them to establish effective and creative learning environments.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critically engage with the Junior and Senior Cycle curricular guidelines for English, with particular reference to curricular reform.
2. Reflect on their emerging professional identity as subject experts and autonomous practitioners and on their capacity to foster professional relationships with students, parents, colleagues and members of the wider school community and teaching profession.
3. Critically evaluate and reflect on the theoretical underpinnings of a range of methods and resources to support and encourage students to take ownership of their learning through individual and collaborative engagement.
4. Devise and develop differentiated and inclusive teaching, learning and assessment strategies that enable all students to progress in accordance with their potential.
5. Appreciate how inclusive, equitable and responsive practices and content positively impact student wellbeing, social justice and sustainable development.
6. Design learning experiences that support the development of a creative mindset.
7. Explore the role of digital technologies in supporting teaching, learning and assessment for all students.
8. Demonstrate a capacity to promote literacy and numeracy in relation to subject discipline.


WorkloadFull time hours per semester
TypeHoursDescription
Workshop24Workshops where students engage with core module content, participate in and reflect on modelled teaching episodes.
Online activity10Synchronous and asynchronous lectures discussing and engaging with core module learning
Group work15Collaborative lesson design and subject based collegial activities
Independent Study50Individual lesson design, resource preparation, reflection and evaluation of teaching, reading.
Assignment Completion26Designing subject specific learning experiences, including the alignment of theory and practice.
Total Workload: 125
Section Breakdown
CRN10507Part of TermSemester 1 & 2
Coursework0%Examination Weight0%
Grade Scale40PASSPass Both ElementsY
Resit CategoryRC1Best MarkN
Module Co-ordinatorIrene WhiteModule TeacherMajella Mcsharry
Assessment Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
PortfolioThe design of teaching, learning and assessment experiences with research informed rationale and self-critical learning opportunities based on individual and collaborative reflection.100%Week 27
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
RC1: A resit is available for both* components of the module.
RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module.
RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element.

* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Introduction to Subject Specific Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Introduction to subject specific inclusive pedagogical practices through modelled workshops and demonstrations. Explore, develop and reflect on teaching, learning and assessment practices in workshops and online lectures.

Core Values of Teaching and Professional Practice
Development of core values of teaching including care, collegiality, collaboration, relationship building and student-centred learning through engagement in professional learning communities.

The Teacher/Facilitator as Curriculum Maker and Reflective Practitioner
Synthesise key curricular and pedagogical concepts through Junior and Senior Cycle lesson design, implementation and reflection to construct a professional vision of quality teaching, learning and assessment.

Theory and Practice
Engagement with relevant learning artefacts (e.g. curricular resources, digital and sensory stimuli, academic literature, policy documents etc.) to understand the relationship between theory and practice.

Methodologies for Teaching English
Universal task design including teacher exposition, concept development, multiple entry points and flexible options for engagement, representation, action and expression;

Classroom talk including whole class, small group and carousel discussions, walking debates and jigsaw groups;

Drama based methods including still image, soundscapes, conscience alley, role play, sculpting and teacher-in-role;

Reading and writing including text analysis, modelling, targeted writing, reflective journals, newspapers and print media;

Digital technologies including visual images, video, animations, Google Earth, and social media;

Participative learning methods including group work, pair work, and game-based learning activities.

Indicative Reading List

Books:
  • Blake, Julie: 2006, The Full English: An A-Z handbook of English teaching activities, National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE),
  • Clarke, Stephen, Dickinson, Paul and Westbrook, Jo (eds): 2009, The Complete Guide to Becoming an English Teacher, Sage,
  • Curtis, Chris: 2019, How To Teach: English: Novels, non-fiction and their artful navigation, Independent Thinking Press,
  • Davison, Jon and Daly, Caroline (eds): 2019, Learning to Teach English in the Secondary School: A Companion to School Experience, Routledge,
  • Fleming, Mike and Stevens, David: 2015, English Teaching in the Secondary School: Linking theory and practice, Routledge,
  • Ginnis, Paul: 2002, The Teacher's Toolkit: Raise Classroom Achievement with Strategies for Every Learner, Crown House,
  • Marshall, Bethan and William, Dylan: 2006, English Inside the Black Box, GL Assessment,
  • Cooze, Angella and Myatt, Mary: 2014, 100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers: Outstanding English Lessons, Bloomsbury,
  • Morrison McGill, Ross: 2013, 100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers: Outstanding Lessons, Bloomsbury,
  • Quigley, Alex: 2022, Closing the Writing Gap, Routledge,
  • Quigley, Alex: 2020, Closing the Reading Gap, Routledge,
  • Quigley, Alex: 2018, Closing the Vocabulary Gap, Routledge,
  • Webb, Jennifer: 2020, Teach Like A Writer: Expert tips on teaching students to write in different forms, John Catt Educational Limited,
  • Wright, Trevor: 2012, How to be a Brilliant English Teacher, Routledge,


Articles:
  • Department of Education and Skills: 2011, Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life, 0
  • 2006: Looking at English: teaching and learning English in post-primary schools, 52456, 1
  • A changing assessment landscape in Ireland: the place of oral language: English in Education, 50:3, 52459, 1, NCCA
  • 52460: 1, NCCA, 2018, Review of the early enactment of Junior Cycle English 2018,
Other Resources

  • Journal: Changing English, Taylor & Francis, https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/ccen20
  • Journal: English in Education, National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE), https://www.nate.org.uk/publications/english-in-education/
  • Magazine: Teaching English, National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE), https://www.nate.org.uk/publications/teaching-english/
  • Website: Abbey Theatre, https://www.abbeytheatre.ie/
  • Website: BookTrust, https://www.booktrust.org.uk/home
  • Website: Children's Books Ireland, https://childrensbooksireland.ie/
  • Website: Curriculum Online, Junior Cycle English Specification and Assessment Guidelines, https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-cycle/Junior-Cycle-Subjects/English/
  • Website: Curriculum Online, Leaving Certificate English Syllabus and Teacher Guidelines, https://curriculumonline.ie/Senior-cycle /Senior-Cycle-Subjects/English/
  • Website: Irish Film Institute (IFI), https://ifi.ie/
  • Website: Irish National Organisation for Teachers of English (INOTE), http://www.inote.ie/
  • Website: Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT), Classroom Strategies, https://jct.ie/jcis/classroom_strategies
  • Website: Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT), English, https://jct.ie/english/english
  • Website: Poetry Ireland, https://www.poetryireland.ie/
  • Website: Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), Senior Cycle English, https://www.pdst.ie/post-primary/sc/english/subject-resources
  • Website: Royal Shakespeare Company, https://www.rsc.org.uk/shakespeare-learning-zone

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