Teaching Practice:Intro to Sociology QUARK 26/03/2009 19:53 Page Vii

Teaching Practice:Intro to Sociology QUARK 26/03/2009 19:53 Page vii Foreword When does a teacher cease being a student-teacher? In the context of a changing world, it is increasingly clear that teachers must continuously respond, adapt and refine to remain relevant and authoritative in the classroom environment. For those teachers in Ireland now reaching the end of their careers, the extent and challenge of this changing world is probably most apparent in the area of technology. Regardless of economic upheavals of boom or bust, the proliferation and democratisation of computer technology, mobile telephony and the World Wide Web are all irreversible. These are all phenomena of the past three decades. They have emerged in the course of the working lives of this generation of teachers. Those teachers who for whatever reason have failed to keep abreast of these developments or to explore their potential application in the classroom are now far adrift of the world in which schoolchildren live. This teaching generation has also been confronted with many other challenges which, while perhaps less tangible or visible as those of technology, are not any the less significant. These include changing cultural patterns; changing social structures in areas such as family and community; a changing understanding of the nature of learning and changing expectations of schooling itself. All of these impact in different and complex ways on the life and role of the teacher. No teacher can take refuge in denial. And so, to the extent that a Guide typically navigates a route from a starting position to a predefined and identified destination, this one is rather different. It is so because teacher development is a process of ongoing renewal and becoming rather than one of departure and arrival. This Guide, therefore, provides the student-teacher with the essential underpinning tools and strategies which can enable such a process to unfold. It does this by being relentlessly true to the reality of the Irish classroom today and to the actuality of the challenges and stresses by which teachers are daily confronted. It shows that it is by acknowledging and recognising one’s anxieties and vulnerabilities that the student-teacher is laying down the foundation for self-awareness and reflexivity. Teacher development, however, is more than a process of reactive, reflective contemplation. As our understanding of the process of learning Teaching Practice:Intro to Sociology QUARK 26/03/2009 19:53 Page viii viii A Guide to Teaching Practice in Ireland grows, teachers themselves are leading a dialogue, inside the profession and outside it, on the nature of the role and its associated competences. Of particular significance here is the move away from teaching as a process of ‘imparting knowledge’ towards teaching as a process of enabling discovery and exploration. This changing emphasis has major implications for the art and craft of teaching. It impacts on the nature of the relationship between the teacher and the students; on the relationships between the students themselves; on issues such as class planning, classroom management and discipline; and on the wider school climate. It is also manifest in the manner in which children with special education needs are included in, and impact upon, the pedagogical culture of the school. Teaching and schooling of course are never entirely self-contained. They operate within wider overarching policy frameworks which carry increasing demands of scrutiny and accountability. While such demands are of a multiple nature, the approach to assessment as implemented through the state examination system is probably the most important and pervasive factor. The pressing demands of the two terminal state examinations in Irish second level schools, the Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate, are a constant backdrop to the discussion on teacher effectiveness, teacher development and pedagogical innovation. The task of navigating the tension between the demands of a summative assessment process on the one hand and those of a formative approach on the other is an ever present one in Irish second level classrooms. This Guide makes a significant contribution to our thinking as to how to manage this contested space. It makes clear also, however, that the ultimate challenge for every teacher is to define and create his or her own unique individual persona as a teacher in that special interplay between the teacher, the students and the subject matter. Professor Tom Collins Professor of Education and Dean of Teaching and Learning NUI Maynooth Teaching Practice:Intro to Sociology QUARK 26/03/2009 19:53 Page ix Introduction We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. T. S. ELIOT, The Four Quartets If you’re beginning to teach in the second level system in Ireland, or are a recently qualified teacher, this is the book for you; a comprehensive, accessible and practice-based text that you can consult when you have questions about teaching. These might relate to developing your classroom practice, understanding the system that you are working in or deepening your awareness of the needs of your pupils. Whatever these questions are, you’ll find answers, direction and signposts to further information between the covers of this guide to teaching practice. Education in Ireland has changed radically since the early to mid-1990s and, while general teaching methods are shared by teachers throughout the world, the specific changes now occurring in Irish schools mean that you, our aspiring teachers, require a text tailored to meet your specific needs. It is our hope that it will prove an invaluable guide and source of encouragement. Teaching is a demanding profession, yet we can think of no more fulfilling career. The early years are both challenging and rewarding, leading to the emergence of the teacher you want to become and finally to embracing teaching and learning as a way of living, which involves working within a dedicated learning community with its own culture, history and professional vernacular. The art of teaching is not black and white but rather comprises the shades of grey between. As we learn to teach, we come to understand what we do and why we do it, we learn to think on our feet in the classroom in response to the emerging learning that is the heart of the endeavour, to decide what is pedagogically suitable in a given moment by drawing on deep skills and comprehensive knowledge, to initiate others into the human story, the conversation of humankind. This wider understanding is always at the peril of being lost in discussions concerning measurability, testing, ‘relevance’ and so forth, but be assured that the personal, human interaction of teaching, the joy of seeing young people engage with a worthwhile body of knowledge, remains at the heart of teaching. With this in mind, we offer this text as advice and Teaching Practice:Intro to Sociology QUARK 26/03/2009 19:53 Page x x A Guide to Teaching Practice in Ireland guidance. It is informed by the belief that, ultimately, teaching is about helping children to learn, and in facilitating that process, we enter into a profoundly rewarding and worthwhile personal engagement both with our pupils and with our discipline. We wrote this book based on the insight and expertise gained from a combined experience of twenty years of post-primary teaching, our involvement in scholarship concerning initial teacher education and the needs of newly qualified teachers in Ireland, and the knowledge and expertise we bring to bear in our work as Course Leader/Director of Initial Teacher Education programmes at two Irish universities. The book is divided into three sections. Section One describes the develop - ment, culture and present state of the Irish education system. It details how the system assumed its present shape and how the various types of institutions (e.g. vocational, comprehensive, etc.) came into being, and provides a detailed overview of the most recent developments in practice and policy. The second part of Section One offers advice on what you, the prospective student-teacher, should consider before embarking upon initial teacher education. Section Two deals with the practice of teaching and learning and provides comprehensive and detailed guidance regarding, for example, preparation for teaching, designing lesson plans, the key features of good classroom teaching and evaluation of one’s own teaching and of pupil learning. This section also provides practical, realistic and practice-based advice on dealing with pupil behaviour and classroom management. The challenges and rewards of working with children with special education needs are also addressed. Section Three deals with your development as a teacher, through engagement in critical reflection about teaching and learning, learning from your teaching practice placement and its supervision, and providing you with advice on all aspects of these processes. Supervision sometimes causes unnecessary concern to student-teachers and this section provides advice on engaging with it in a constructive, sensible manner, leading to better teaching and enhanced learning. Finally, this section provides an overview of what the newly qualified teacher needs to consider in his/her first year of professional teaching. Along with practical suggestions regarding time management, evaluation (homework, etc.), working with parents and overcoming initial

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