Questions on PGDE subjects

Dionysus

Here's a question one of you might know the answer to.

I have only 1st year Irish. I'm due to start the PGDE this September. My full degree subjects are History and CSPE. Because I have been advised by several principals to return and complete the Irish to degree level, I am seriously considering this route.

However, in the PGDE (in UCD) I am expected to choose 2 subjects for the methodology section. Here are my two questions:

* If I choose CSPE in my PGDE, will I be qualified to teach Irish when I have finished my degree, or will I have to return and do an Irish methodology part of another PGDE?

* Is it possible to choose Irish instead of CSPE as one of my 2 PGDE subjects this September, despite having only 1st year Irish at the moment?

Thanks again.

Sir Humphrey

Your qualification to teach a subject is determined by your primary degree and nothing else. Taking a subject as part of the PGDE does not qualify you to teach it as per the teahcing council regulations so you would not have to do Irish in your PGDE in order to teach it.

Taking that into consideration I cannot see the benefit in taking Irish in the PGDE. I would suggest that you would really find the PGDE hard going if you took Irish and had just first year Irish done (unless you are a native speaker). To be honest first year Irish is just so far off the pace it's almost worthless after a few years away from the language, unless you have been making huge strides in the subject informally since you studied it.

I don't know the precise answer to your question as to whether you can take a subject you have not studied to degree level in the PGDE but it would be tough sitting into lectures totally in Irish if you are quite rusty, and as I have already said, questionable how useful this process would be if you are technically not entitled to teach it anyway. I would also be surprised if UCD did not question the taking of a language you do not have to degree level - and will not be qualified to teach - as a methodology subject. But I could be wrong on that.

But bear in mind that while people will tell you that informally principals will let you teach a subject to junior classes that you have studied in first year only, this is less likely to be the case with a language (as it requires a higher level of expertise) - unless you have other evidence of exceptional ability at it (again native speaker) - and will have little influence on your employability as a teacher. Such subjects can be a useful trick for extra hours when in a school but are not so useful in opening the door initially, where desirability is towards those who can teach all classes.

I'll ask the obvious question - why not consider studying the Irish before you do the PGDE if you feel it is of fundamental importance?

scut

You can take Irish as a pgde subject BUT when you register with the teaching council you won't be registering Irish. you should probably do cspe and your other subject as part of the pgde so you'll have 2 definate subjects. When you're sending out cvs make sure you stick Iirsh down as your first year subject and you may be asked to teach it up to Junior cert.