Graduate Diploma in Mentoring and Leadership in Schools (International)

Programme Overview

The purpose of this programme is to provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for school leaders. These leaders have already proven their commitment to the effective management of educational settings. The programme aims to enhance school leaders' abilities to mentor newly-qualified teachers who will shadow them in their schools.

Professional Skills

The programme is designed for school coordinators and principals who want to further develop themselves and their professional practice, while also advancing as professional colleagues within their own settings. The programme is of interest to participants who have taught, managed, or supervised for some time and wish to develop their skills as school-based mentors for supporting teacher induction in English Language Teaching and/or the professional learning of colleagues in this field more generally. It is intended for existing teachers who aspire to develop their mentoring skills through:

• Enquiry, reflection, and experimentation with their own practices
• Studying ways to support other teachers' professional learning, through effective coaching and feedback strategies, grounded in adult learning theory
• Asking questions and recognizing and valuing previous experiences
• Role-playing and developing the mentoring conversation
• A team approach involving regular and varied discourse in class

The programme supports the development of reflective professionals who can lead and manage all school functions effectively, with confidence, vision, and courage. The programme is designed to appeal to those who wish to:

• Extend their skills and knowledge for school-based collaborative professional learning more generally
• Support other teachers' professional learning through mentoring, coaching, and leadership
• Deepen their understanding of, and enhance the processes of curriculum implementation, development planning, and leadership for learning

Graduates also have the option to complete further study to PhD level; refer to the MA / PhD in Education by Research for additional information, including entry requirements.

Key Features

The development of:

• Reflective professionals who can lead and manage with confidence, vision, and courage
• Professionals who lead, value, and promote research-based learning
• Reflective professionals who demonstrate a critical understanding of collaborative professional learning
• Professionals with an understanding of policy-making, policy implementation, and policy impact nationally and internationally
• Professionals with the knowledge, attitudes, values, and skills to support professional development through mentoring
• Professionals with a critical understanding of coaching psychology and applied techniques
• Professionals who understand key concepts in the leadership and management of curriculum change
• Professionals who appreciate the importance of leading improvement in learning and teaching through teacher agency and self-evaluation

Programme Content

Typically, the programme will run over two 12-week semesters in autumn and spring.

Programme Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge – Breadth and Kind
  Demonstrate a systematic knowledge of mentoring and leadership at the forefront of current theory and practice and apply appropriate theoretical insights in supporting teacher learning.
• Know-how and Skills – Range and Selectivity
  Use a broad range of approaches to support the learning needs of other teachers, including lesson observation, constructive feedback, and curriculum planning. Discuss critically their own practice as teachers and as professional colleagues/mentors using insights gained from reflection, from shared analysis with their peers, and from the literature.
• Competence – Context and Role
  Integrate learning from their study of teacher development, teachers' professional learning, curriculum, and school leadership to support professional learning in schools. Show a critical understanding of current trends in leadership and teacher learning.
• Competence – Learning to Learn
  Value and demonstrate a commitment to their professional development and that of other teachers, especially newly qualified teachers, and to shared professional responsibility.
• Competence – Insight
  Explain the characteristics of effective professional development provision. Use evidence-based practice to evaluate their own professional growth, their work as mentors and leaders as well as the professional development provision for teachers more generally.

Examples of Modules Offered

• Professional Support and Teacher Development
• National and International Issues in Education and the Implications for School Leadership and Mentoring
• Principles and Practices of Undertaking Educational Research in the Field of Leadership and Mentoring
• Teacher Learning and Mentoring
• Leading and Curriculum Change
• Leading Learning and Teaching through School Self-Evaluation
• Leadership and Management Portfolio Development
• Coaching Psychology as Applied to Educational Contexts

Programme content may vary year to year.

Entry Requirements

• A 2.2 honours primary degree.
• Relevant prior experience in teaching or related fields considered on a case-by-case basis.

Fees

Information on Postgraduate Fees is available through internal resources, outlining the financial obligations tied to the programme.

NFQ Levels

• Postgraduate Certificates are Level 9 Minor Awards, Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters are Level 9 Major Awards, and PhDs are Level 10 Major Awards on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), awarded by the University of Limerick.

Mary Immaculate College (MIC), known in Irish as Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál, is a university-level College of Education and the Liberal Arts in Limerick, Ireland, academically linked with the University of Limerick. Founded in 1898 by Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer and the Sisters of Mercy for the professional education of Catholic primary school teachers, MIC is the oldest third-level institution in Limerick City.

The foundation stone was laid on 8 December 1898 on an 11-acre site jointly purchased by the Bishop and the Sisters of Mercy, with construction led by Dublin architect George Byrne and Limerick contractors Molloy. The College opened its doors to its first students on 21 September 1901, and was officially opened on 16 May 1902. From its original 75 young women enrolled in 1901, MIC has grown into a multi-campus institution with a student population of over 5,000.

Mission

Mary Immaculate College is a third-level Catholic College of Education and the Liberal Arts. The College community promotes excellence in teaching, learning and research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and seeks to foster the intellectual, spiritual, personal and professional development of students within a supportive and challenging environment that guarantees the intellectual freedom of staff and students. In particular, the College seeks to foster in its students a spirit of justice and compassion in the service of others, together with an openness to the religious tradition and values of each individual.

The College promotes a sense of identity enriched by an awareness of its Catholic tradition, the cultures, languages and traditions of Ireland, and its special commitment to the Irish language. Mary Immaculate College respects cultural diversity and strives to promote equity in society, providing an environment where all have the freedom and opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Founding vision

MIC continues to embrace the founding vision of Catherine McAuley, who established the Sisters of Mercy as champions for the most marginalised in society, with the conviction that education was essential to that mission. This emphasis on social justice and educational inclusion remains central to the College's institutional identity as it has grown and diversified over more than 125 years.

Academic structure

MIC offers programmes across two faculties, Education and Arts, spanning Level 4 to Level 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Undergraduate programmes are offered in:

• Primary and Post-Primary Teaching (Bachelor of Education, Teaching Council-accredited)
• Liberal Arts, with a choice of 14 subjects across a flexible, wide-ranging programme
• Early Childhood Care and Education
• Psychology, including a Bachelor of Science in Psychology incorporating workplace experience
• Drama and English
• English Language and Literature

The MIC Thurles campus additionally offers post-primary teacher education programmes in Home Economics, Gaeilge, Mathematics, Business Studies, Theology and Religious Studies, and Accounting. Postgraduate study is available across both faculties at Diploma, Master's and PhD level, alongside professional development and lifelong learning programmes.

Campuses

MIC is a multi-campus institution with centrally located, state-of-the-art facilities in both Limerick City and Thurles, Co. Tipperary:

• MIC Limerick: the College's original and main campus on South Circular Road, home to the historic 1899 building that remains central to College life today, alongside a state-of-the-art Sports Complex completed in 2008 at a cost of €16 million, and the 510-seat Lime Tree Theatre, officially opened in October 2012
• MIC Thurles: incorporated into MIC in 2016, originally established as a second-level school in 1837 and later a major seminary, today offering seven undergraduate programmes delivered by staff from both the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts, with on-campus accommodation and the O'Dwyer Library housing approximately 15,000 print resources

Both campuses are characterised by an informal, relaxed atmosphere and a close rapport between students and staff, with the amenities of city and town life on the doorstep.

Affiliation with the University of Limerick

MIC has been academically linked with the University of Limerick since a formal partnership was established in 1990, with UL becoming MIC's accrediting body. Degrees were conferred by the National University of Ireland until 1994, and by UL from 1995 onward. In 1999, MIC became the first Irish College of Education to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree programme. The first PhD was awarded by MIC in 2003. MIC is also a member of the Shannon Consortium, a collaborative framework alongside the University of Limerick and Technological University of the Shannon.

Student life and facilities

• Wired FM (Wired 99.9FM): Limerick's only licensed student community radio station, run in partnership with the Technological University of the Shannon
• Lime Tree Theatre: a 510-seat venue on the Limerick campus hosting theatre, music, comedy, traditional arts, school performances and conferences
• MIC Munster GAA Centre of Excellence and extensive College Sport opportunities, supported by the dedicated Sports Complex
• CRAFT Maker Space, supporting hands-on creativity and enterprise
• Mary Immaculate Students' Union (MISU), marking 25 years of representing the student body
• Clubs and Societies, Arts and Culture programming, and a strong Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Interculturalism (EDII) commitment
• Recognition as an Age Friendly Campus
• Careers Service, Study Abroad opportunities, and an Off-Campus Programme

Leadership and governance

The College's first six Presidents were members of the Sisters of Mercy, beginning with Sr Paul Quinlan in 1898, followed by Sr Veronica Cullinan, Sr Celsus Barry, Sr Loreto Ní Chonchúir, Sr Cabrini Moloney and Sr Angela Bugler. Professor Peadar Cremin, appointed in 1999, was the seventh President and the first lay person to hold the position. He was succeeded by Professor Michael A. Hayes in 2011 and Professor Eugene Wall in 2018, the ninth President in the College's history. Mary Immaculate College is currently led by Professor Dermot Nestor, President of the College, with the Bishop of Limerick serving as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees.