BEd (Hons) Secondary

This is a four-year honours degree programme leading to full recognition to teach by the Department of Education and registration with the GTCNI. Each year contains the following two elements:

• Professional Studies (compulsory)
• Subject Study (chosen by the student from the following)

• Business Studies
• Mathematics
• Religious Studies
• Technology & Design
• In years 1 and 2, students also study a subsidiary subject which they choose themselves. The Subsidiary Subjects are:



Main Subject	Subsidiary
Mathematics	Science
Technology & Design	ICT
Business Studies	English or History or ICT or Geography or Science
Religious Studies	English or History or ICT or Geography or Science

Professional Studies comprises two main aspects.

1. Issues in Learning and Teaching in the Secondary Curriculum

   This is a broad area of study which draws on a number of disciplines and addresses a range of professional issues. Through lectures, seminars and tutorials students cover a wide range of topics such as: child and adolescent development and psychology; the curriculum in schools; child protection and children and young peoples’ rights; the social aspects of schooling; principles of effective teaching and learning; the principles of classroom management; issues pertaining to multiculturalism and inclusion; and the education of children who experience special educational needs. This element of the course also addresses issues relating to the Revised Curriculum and the Entitlement Framework. Areas of study include for example; Learning for Life and Work; Local and Global citizenship; Education for Employability; Education for Sustainability; and Literacy and Numeracy across the curriculum.

2. School Experience

   The practical element of teaching is central to the Initial Teacher Education programmes. The BEd Degree is competence-based in line with the revised competence framework of the GTCNI. Each year as students gain experience and confidence they are asked to demonstrate increasing levels of proficiency in the classroom. Over the course of the programme students will have opportunities to teach children of varying ages and abilities in a range of different contexts. There are also opportunities for students to choose options through which they may gain experience of teaching, for example in the special sector. Students must pass School Experience each year to proceed into the next year of the course.

3. Professional Studies Modules (Secondary)

   Professional Studies constitutes the equivalent of 10 modules across the four years of the Degree of Bachelor of Education for those students who are following the Secondary Pathway. The students study the following Professional Studies Modules:

Professional Studies Co-ordinator: Frank Quinn