21st Century Teaching and Learning (P. Grad. Cert.)

Program Overview

The 21st Century Teaching and Learning program is a one-year, part-time course designed to equip in-service teachers with the skills and knowledge to foster an innovative learning culture in schools. The program emphasizes STEM education, inclusive practices, and leadership in educational change. It is suitable for teachers of all subjects, including primary school teachers of senior primary students, and is open to educators in various settings.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The 21st Century Teaching and Learning (P. Grad. Cert.) is a one-year, part-time course that aims to equip in-service teachers with the knowledge, skills, and competence to support the development of an innovative learning culture within schools. This culture is characterized by being team-based, technology-mediated, project-focused, and cross-curricular. The course modules enhance the expertise of participant teachers in new models of teaching and learning, with particular emphasis on Science Technology Engineering Maths/Computer Science (STEM). They also address complex challenges related to developing an inclusive educational environment and preparing all school students for higher academic aspiration and progression, through a focus on whole school culture, leadership, and change.

Outline:

The course consists of six modules, each running on a full Saturday (except for Digital Media, which comprises a full Saturday and one Friday evening). The modules are:

• Introductory Modules:
• Digital Media Literacy
• Problem Solving in the 21st Century
• Contextual Mathematics
• STEM Pedagogy
• Programming/Coding Modules:
• Introduction to Programming through Animation
• Intermediate Programming through Game Design
• Exploring Computer Systems
• Leading Culture Change in School Modules:
• Leadership and Change Management In Education
• Inclusive Education: issues related to equality, diversity and (Dis)advantage in Educational Settings

Careers:

The course equips in-service teachers with the knowledge, skills, and competence to support the development of an innovative learning culture within schools, that is team-based, technology-mediated, project-focused, and cross-curricular.

Other:

• The course is suitable for teachers of any subject, not just STEM.
• Every year, several primary school teachers take part, but the course is only suitable for teachers of senior primary students (5th and 6th class).
• The course is also open to teachers in further education, third-level institutes, and informal educators such as CoderDojo staff.
• Due to the practical nature of most of the modules and assignments, applicants should be class teachers or at least have sufficient access to groups of students for the purposes of lesson planning and implementation.