Module: SPHE/RSE Teacher Identity

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	SPHE/RSE Teacher Identity
Module Code	EDU1113 (ITS: HD530)
Faculty	DCU Institute of Education	School	Human Development
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	10

Description

This module’s rationale is to provide participants with space and structures within which to explore their personal and personally-professional development. Self-awareness, confidence, comfort, criticality and self-efficacy are known foundations of being effective SPHE/RSE teachers (UNESCO, 2021/WHO, 2017) and of inclusive teaching (GEMR, 2020/EADSNE, 2012). Participants will consider their own identity-formation and ongoing evolution/wellbeing while building their competence as agentic, assured professionals equipped to navigate inclusive implementation of SPHE/RSE. Reflection in/on attitudes, values, feelings and experiences in the construction and enactment of SPHE/RSE are an important part of the journey to being knowledgeably robust, agile practitioners/leaders who can acknowledge and embrace change/uncertainty as predictable eventualities/opportunities. Attuning to their own personal and teacher voices/views is integral to preparation for listening to and hearing the diverse young people with whom participants work to co-construct valuable education for living healthy, fulfilling lives. Aims of Module are to: ● Develop awareness of and personally-professional reflection on participants’ own attitudes, values, feelings, biases and experiences considering intersections/separations of these with one’s professional role as SPHE/RSE teacher; ● Enable critical-reflection on the role of societal values and norms (e.g. gender/ability/ sexuality/race/ethnicity/social-class/religious-belief/language norms/expectations) in SPHE/RSE; ● Build knowledge and skills in the four core values of inclusive-teaching to enhance confidence for being diversity-aware/responsive; ● Develop confidence for integrating theory, research and practice knowledge in context; ● Build change-readiness to sustain participants’ wellbeing throughout curriculum comprehensiveness and developments; ● Foster culture of dialogue/relationship among teachers as they develop competence for sustaining ongoing connections/communities of learning/teaching in SPHE/RSE.

Learning Outcomes

1. Explicate awareness of their own attitudes, beliefs, values, feelings, biases and experiences and the relevance of these in context as teachers of SPHE/RSE.
2. Deliberate their roles as agents in collaborative practice/leadership for SPHE/RSE in schools.
3. Appreciate the centrality of their relationships: with selves, with each other; with young people, with whole-school community; with parents/carers and with other education partners in enacting SPHE/RSE curriculum and hidden curriculum.
4. Use personal and critical reflexivity to apply integrated knowledge of theory, research and practice findings to engage comfortably in SPHE/RSE with young people and with other education partners in SPHE/RSE.
5. Explain the salience of student voice and harvest their experiences of co-constructing learning in SPHE/RSE for implications arising from the complexities of these lived realities.
6. Illustrate the meaning of inclusive-teaching drawing on examples of their experiences in navigating inclusivity (and the uncertainty this requires) within current curriculum specifications and guidance for teaching SPHE/RSE.
7. Demonstrate capacity for integrating/separating their personal positionalities in their professional roles as SPHE/RSE teachers.
8. Articulate their analysis of the impact that societal values and norms can have on educators, on young people, on parents/carers and on other partners in terms of expectations and implications for SPHE/RSE. .
9. Locate themselves within current SPHE/RSE developments and implications for them within historic and policy contexts in Ireland and elsewhere.
10. Synopsise and articulate their identity as SPHE/RSE teacher, at a point in time, incorporating theoretical, policy, research and experiential journey events to date

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Seminars	40	Class Engagement Participation in Lectures/Seminars In Person and/or online
Group work	30	Professional Learning Community Engagement Engagement with PLC outside formal contact hours
Directed learning	80	Engagement with assigned stimuli (8) and reflective expression thereof
Independent Study	100	Individual Study, Identity Formation Explication and Representation Engagement with Recommended and Personally Selected Sources and Preparation of Final Assignment
Total Workload: 250

Section Breakdown
CRN	20373	Part of Term	Semester 2
Coursework	100%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	N
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Audrey Halpin	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Reflective journal	Individual Reflections following engagement with stimuli provided (written or spoken extended text with identical assessment criteria) 3000 word equivalence	50%	n/a
Assignment	Identity as Inclusive SPHE/RSE Teacher: Tracing own identity journey in context of field knowledge (theory, policy, research, experience/practice). Choice of Formats will be given with identical assessment criteria for all forms e.g. presentation (live or recorded)/ (visual) representation of journey/ film/ Essay/ Podcast/ other(to be agreed with module co-ordinator) 3000 word equivalence	50%	n/a

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

Indicative Content/Syllabus:
Indicative Content/Syllabus: Teacher Identity (construction, deconstruction, experiential articulation, tracing, theoretical constructs and research (national and international) findings) Role of SPHE/RSE teacher (personal experiences, national guidelines, national context, international context, research findings (national and international), positionality) Context of SPHE/RSE teacher role (history, experience, influences, policy/political/social/educational factors) Teaching Relationships (Relational Contexts for this Work; Relationship concepts to be taught; Relationship awareness, building and navigating; various relationships/partnerships in role; communicating; Inclusivity (Meaning; interrogating Diversity, Inclusion and Equality discourses; assumptions; preconceptions; common misconceptions; All means All; case studies; relationality; pedagogies; frameworks; Core Competences) Inclusivity in SPHE/RSE teaching context (curriculum; teachers; students; partners in education; meaning) SPHE/RSE Teacher Identity (construction, deconstruction, development/evolution, use of international stories, tracing current status before, during and at close of module (assessment point in time within lifelong trajectory)

Indicative Teaching and Learning Activities:
The overall orientation of the module is to model/mirror methodological and pedagogical approaches that are conducive to/facilitative of personal development for SPHE/RSE in schools. We will begin by acknowledging participants’ existing knowledge of/experience of these. The how of what we do and co-construction of approaches that work best for the participants in each cohort is intentionally flexible, within the full range of participative and experiential approaches. Participants have the opportunity to experience universal design in sessions and on assessment (especially the choice aspect) Dialogue, i.e. expression through talking/other means and listening, will be a feature within all component approaches; Whole-Class and Group (as Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) at two levels) organisation will be used throughout the contact hours. It is recommended that participants engage with their PLC for some of their independent study time to capture the cumulative /expansive learning possibilities; Professional Problem-Based-Learning approach where participants’ questions/ideas will form the connection point for theoretical, research and practice knowledge application. Indicative Approaches: ● engagement with scenarios, case-studies and relevant current affairs; ● considering tricky questions, potential concerns/objections and possibilities for working collaboratively with all partners (PLC/role play choices) ● Normativity analysis exercises ● Power of listening (triad work) ● Strengths based approaches ● Engagement with Research (Living and Written/Documented) ● Seminar, lecture, use of artistic representation of content and supplementary reading.

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Mockler, N.: 2022, Constructing Teacher Identities: How the Print Media Define and Represent Teachers and Their Work., Bloomsbury Publishing.,
Ollis, D., Coll, L., Harrison, L., & Johnson, B.: 2022, Pedagogies of possibility for negotiating sexuality education with young people., Emerald Group Publishing.,
Lyle E. (Ed.): 2020, Identity Landscapes: Contemplating Place and the Construction of Self., Brill,
Alsup, J.: 2019, Millennial teacher identity discourses: Balancing self and other., Routledge,
Schutz, P. A., Hong, J., & Francis, D. C. (Eds.).: 2018, Research on teacher identity: Mapping challenges and innovations.., Springer,
Lyle, E. (Ed.).: 2017, At the intersection of selves and subject: Exploring the curricular landscape of identity., Springer,
Rasmussen, M. L.: 2015, Progressive sexuality education: The conceits of secularism., Routledge,
Allen, L., Rasmussen, M. L., & Quinlivan, K.: 2014, The politics of pleasure in sexuality education., Routledge,
Ball, A. F., & Tyson, C. A. (Eds.).: 2011, Studying diversity in teacher education., Rowman & Littlefield,
Quinlivan, K., Boyask, R., & Kaur, B.: 2009, Educational Enactments in a Globalised World: Intercultural Conversations., Brill,
Alsup, J.: 2006, Teacher identity discourses: Negotiating personal and professional spaces., Routledge,

Articles:

0: Sweet, P. L., & Glenn, M. C. (2022). Sex education and the right to complex personhood in relationships. Sex Education, 1-8., 506432, 2
Pieterse, C., & Simmonds, S. (2022). Teaching to Transgress: Widening Inclusion through Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Teacher Education. Journal of Educational Studies, 21(1), 69-88.: 506433, 2,
506434: 2, 0, Maitland, H. (2022). When the facts are not enough: the limitations of fact-checking sex education controversies. Sex Education, 1-10.,
2: 0, Lodge, A., Duffy, M., & Feeney, M. (2022). ‘I think it depends on who you have, I was lucky I had a teacher who felt comfortable telling all this stuff’. Teacher comfortability: key to high-quality se,
0: Roien, L. A., Graugaard, C., & Simovska, V. (2022). From Deviance to Diversity: Discourses and Problematisations in Fifty Years of Sexuality Education in Denmark. Sex Education, 22(1), 68-83., 506437, 2
Gilbert, J. (2021). Getting dirty and coming clean: Sex education and the problem of expertise. Curriculum Inquiry, 51(4), 455-472.: 506438, 2,
506439: 2, 0, Bialystok, L., Wright, J., Berzins, T., Guy, C., & Osborne, E. (2020). The appropriation of sex education by conservative populism. Curriculum Inquiry, 50(4), 330-351.,
1: 0, Gilbert, J., & Gray, E. (2020). LGBTIQ+ teachers: Stories from the field. Teaching Education, 31(1), 1-5.,
0: Davies, A. W., & Kenneally, N. (2020). Cripping the controversies: Ontario rights-based debates in sexuality education. Sex Education, 20(4), 366-382., 506442, 2
Beauchamp, C. (2019). An exploration of evolving approaches to teacher identity revealed in literature on teaching from 2010 to 2018. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.: 506443, 2,
506444: 2, 0, Williams, E. A., & Jensen, R. E. (2016). Conflicted identification in the sex education classroom: balancing professional values with organizational mandates. Qualitative health research, 26(11), 1574,
2: 0, Bialystok, L. (2015). Should teachers be authentic?. Ethics and Education, 10(3), 313-326.,
0: Oliver, V., van der Meulen, E., Larkin, J., & Flicker, S. (2013). If you teach them, they will come: Providers’ reactions to incorporating pleasure into youth sexual education. Canadian Journal of Pub, 506447, 2
Mockler, N. (2011). Beyond ‘what works’: Understanding teacher identity as a practical and political tool. Teachers and teaching, 17(5), 517-528.: 506448, 2,
506449: 2, 0, Beauchamp, C., and Thomas, L. (2009). Understanding teacher identity: An overview of issues in the literature and implications for teacher education. Camb. J. Educ. 39, 175–189.,
2: 0, Gilbert, J. (2006). “Let us say yes to what turns up”: Education as Hospitality. Journal of the Canadian association for curriculum studies.,
0: Kehily, M. J. (2002). Sexing the subject: teachers, pedagogies and sex education. Sex Education: sexuality, society and learning, 2(3), 215-231.,

Other Resources

1: Website, EADSNE, 2012, TBC,
405069: 1, Website, EASNIE, 2022, Profile for Inclusive Teacher Professional Learning Including all education professionals in teacher professional learning for inclusion (TPL4I),
https://www.european-agency.org/sites/default/files/Profile_for_Inclusive_Teacher_ProfessionalLe: 405070, 1, Website, OECD (2022) Teacher Professional Identity: How to Develop and Support it in Times of Change. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/b19f5af7-en.pdf?expires=1666707364&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=4F8724B8C19D045B2914495
405071: 1, Teaching Council, Teaching Council (2020) Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education (Identity threads),
405072: 1, EU, European Commission (2017). Preparing Teachers for Diversity,
405073: 1, UN, UNESCO (2021) The Journey Towards Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Global Status Report. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379607,
405074: 1, UN, UNESCO (2021) Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379707.locale=en,
405075: 1, UN, UNESCO (2020). Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and Education. https://gem-report-2020.unesco.org/,
405076: 1, WHO, WHO (2017) Training Matters: A Framework for Core Competencies of Sexuality Educators (Cologne: BZgA). https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/337593/BZgA-training-framework.pdf,
405077: 1, Journal, Teacher Education Quarterly Special Edition Teacher Identity 2008 Issue 35(3). https://web-p-ebscohost-com.dcu.idm.oclc.org/ehost/results?vid=1&sid=a3799edb-4ad8-4f57-9bc2-36fda74ba115%40redis&bquery=JN+%22Teacher+Educat,
405078: 1, Journal, Sex Education Journal 2020 (Issue 4) Cripping Sex Education Features,