MD 201: Bachelor of Education, Religion and English (second level teaching)

The Bachelor of Religious Education with English is a four-year degree programme comprising three areas: Religious Studies, Education (theory and practice) and English. It is a teacher education programme which provides all of the academic and professional formation required to become a second-level teacher of Religious Education and English up to and including Honours Leaving Certificate level. Upon completion of the four years of study graduates are recognised teachers and can apply immediately for employment in second-level schools.

The teacher education programme in Mater Dei Institute is "concurrent" – meaning that the academic and professional formation of the teacher is integrated into all four years of the programme. This is in contrast with the "consecutive model" where students first complete an undergraduate degree and must then apply for entry to the Higher Diploma in Education in order to qualify as a second-level teacher.

The Bachelor of Religious Education degree is both an academic and a professional qualification. It is a formation in becoming a teacher of Religious Education and English. This means that while in the Institute, students will be growing in appreciation of teaching as a noble, demanding and highly responsible profession.

Duration

4 years

Programme Content

MD201 Programme Content

1. Religious Studies

Religious Studies is a major area of study in MDI. Its component subjects include: Systematic and Moral Theology, Scripture, Religious Education and Philosophy

These subjects are intended to contribute to the academic and intellectual formation of students, to foster personal faith and a capacity to respond to the challenges of contemporary society from a Christian perspective, with an awareness of other faith traditions and a commitment to global and social justice.

In addition, a variety of opportunities for faith development are also offered including liturgy & prayer, retreat weekends, reflection days and social justice groups. While not part of the assessed content of the course, these are essential elements in the formation of a religious educator.

2. Education (Theory & Practice)

Lectures, tutorials and workshops in Education aim to give students a comprehensive understanding of teaching and learning and prepare them as teachers of RE and a Humanities subject in post-primary schools. Each year, students develop their teaching skills under the guidance of experienced tutors who are practicing teachers. Students undertake periods of teaching placement in both primary and post-primary schools.

The following programme elements structure the student-teachers' professional development:

Instruction in teaching skills and methodologies
Guided practice of teaching in controlled environments
Assistance in the preparation of teaching plans, resources and materials
School-based teaching practice
Tutoring, supervision, profiling and feedback

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) forms an integral aspect of MDI's approach to preparation for the teaching profession. As well as underpinning the students' own professional development using the Institutes state of the art ICT infrastructure, student-teachers are also introduced to a range of resources and approaches so as to enable them to teach in the information and digital age.

Ethos and Teaching Placements
During teaching placements students are required to respect both the ethos of the host placement school and the constitutional and legal rights of parents concerning the Religious Education provided to their children.

Garda Vetting
All students are required to undertake teaching practice placements as part of the B. Rel. Ed. programme, and will be subject to a Garda vetting procedure prior to registration.

3. English

The English programme aspires to excite students about the practically inexhaustible subject of literature and the imaginative possibilities that it awakens in the reader. As well as encountering a diversity of unfamiliar and challenging material, students will also look again at familiar works in radically new ways. They will become particularly aware of literature as a vibrant medium that is as much a phenomenon of popular culture as an academic discipline; so while novels, plays and poems are everywhere on this programme, there is also The Simpsons to consider, along with movies, TV and other relevant forms of artistic expression. Through their study of literature after 1500 from the great literary traditions of Ireland, Great Britain and North America, and with due reference to national and international contexts, from Ancient Greece to Asia in the present day, students will learn to explore and enjoy the diversity of interpretative approaches available to them, thus enabling them to become curious and well-informed readers of literature, confident in their critical independence.

Career Opportunities

The majority of graduates obtain teaching positions in Ireland and abroad. Other opportunities exist in a variety of careers such as broadcasting, journalism and parish ministry. Many graduates have also pursued taught postgraduate programmes and research at MDI and other leading colleges.

Entry Requirements

All applicants under 23, except mature applicants, must meet the matriculation requirements of MDI as follows: Leaving Certificate or equivalent with a minimum of two recognised subjects at higher level grade HC3 and four at ordinary or higher level grade D3. These six subjects must include:

English
Irish or a language

Interview

Mature applicants only

Points for Entry in 2009

410

Application

Through the CAO (Central Applications Office): http://www.cao.ie. Course code: MD201

Contact for Brochure and Course Leaflet

Admissions Office, Mater Dei Institute of Education, Clonliffe Road, Dublin 3.
Tel: (01) 808 6518 (Admissions) - (01) 808 6500 (College)
Fax: (01) 837 0776
e-mail: