Welcome to tonight's #edchatie discussion. As usual, before we begin the discussion, please introduce yourself. Don't forget to include the hashtag #edchatie in all your tweets for the next hour
Let's get started with tonight's #edchatie by saying what we mean by "Should the Teaching Council adjust their requirements for people wanting to teach in order to accommodate for subjects that are hard to recruit for?"
Encounter a number of overseas trained teachers in short supply subjects facing significant difficulties getting registered with Teaching Council. Would like to see some accommodation here.
Hell yes, but without getting rid of due process. I am 25 credits short to add Irish. I did it up to the end of my BA as a minor beside my two degree subjects and got a distinction in the C1 level of An Teastas Eorpach sa Ghaeilge. No reason I shouldn't be teaching it.
#edchatie The Department of Education would do well to give universities funding to set up Teaching Diplomas in subjects where there are shortages of teachers, just like they did with Spanish, German and Italian in the early 1990s.
#edchatie My own favourite encounter with the T*ch*ng C*nc*l was the time that I had to get an old lecturer of mine to write a letter to say I had good enough German to teach at second level. I have a first class honours degree and have spent more than a year of my life there.
#edchatie always see Home Economics mentioned in line with this topic but people forget there are little actual jobs out there but plenty of subbing work. I've seen Home ec jobs advertised for as little as 4 hours! Not sustainable long-term.
#edchatie interviewed a UK trained teacher today. Bachelor degree from France. Getting registered with TC hugely problematic due to cost of translating documents.
#edchatie unacceptable that such a key subject is become niche or even not offered. I blame the perceived difficulty level of subjects - ie biology is the 'handy' one
There also seems to be an assumption that only an honours degree will do. That might be relevant for research, but the difference between LCH and a three year degree is sufficient to ensure that a pass degree candidate could teach LCH #edchatie
Tonight on #edchatie we're talking "Should the Teaching Council adjust their requirements for people wanting to teach in order to accommodate for subjects that are hard to recruit for?"
Join in
I wonder if there could be a temporary reduction - say for a number of years registration with provisions added that the shortcomings would be made up within a given time frame?
Apologies, just dropping into #edchatie tonight.
Tonight on #edchatie we're talking "Should the Teaching Council adjust their requirements for people wanting to teach in order to accommodate for subjects that are hard to recruit for?"
Join in
We're halfway through tonight's #edchatie hour of discussion and it's all about "Should the Teaching Council adjust their requirements for people wanting to teach in order to accommodate for subjects that are hard to recruit for?"
#edchatie unacceptable that such a key subject is becoming niche or even not offered. I blame the perceived difficulty level of subjects - ie biology is the 'handy' one https://t.co/iipiCJpeQU
Two basic issues: 1) is it better to be taught by an under qualified teacher than by no teacher?
2) Is subject expertise the same as teaching expertise in a subject? #edchatie
#edchatie obvious solution is for government to fund part time dip programmes to add subjects like they did in maths. Win win. Teacher gets another teachable subject and government fills gaps.
I asked at the IOP stand why so few students/teachers were interested/did physics and was told: because its boring by an older gentleman from the north. Not best impressed. #edchatie
Not enough student taking it as LC subject, so less physics teaching hours. Means less JC science teachers are physics specialists. So students less likely to opt for it at LC , & less going to study it at Uni and to become physics teachers... a vicious cycle..#edchatie
I am primary trained with my first degree in BESS. As I was in special school taught to JC in range of subjects English, History, French & Maths. Numbers in school don't warrant specialist pp teachers. In some cases better to have an unqualified teacher than none. #edchatie
#edchatie #1) yes because no teacher at all = completely idle students. But certainly not to be encouraged 2) No. Knowledge of the examination system/coursework requirements etc are often lacking. I've corrected enough coursework that lack basic requirements to know that
I asked at the IOP stand why so few students/teachers were interested/did physics and was told: because its boring by an older gentleman from the north. Not best impressed. #edchatie
Can @TeachingCouncil be the answer to this "vicious cycle" as it seems it is a larger problem than the initial topic of "Should the Teaching Council adjust their requirements for people wanting to teach in order to accommodate for subjects that are hard to recruit for?" #edchatie
Not sure. But it would, arguably, be a way of doing it without feeling as though the standards are permanently reduced. #edchatie
Maybe there are reasons it wouldn't work, but I do think some level flexibility is always needed to account for the variety in life!
#edchatie All I can say in my favour was upfront with parents and students about my qualifications or lack thereof. Invited to former student's 18th birthday as according to parents I transformed his attitude to education? #edchatie
Hi #edchatie - dropping into conversation! I'm post primary. Started process to get recognized for ICT/Computer Science with Teaching Council last July 17. Been back and forth between the colleges and the Council ever since .Still hasn't been resolved.
#edchatie How many schools offer physics to L.C, and what is the Girls schools Boys schools balance? Are we building the STEM imbalance into our system from the get go?
I agree needs multiple approaches. Encouraging students to take it for LC. Funded diploma to allow chemistry and biology teachers to upskill. The @TeachingCouncil can help by adjusting to allow engineers or similar to get registration #edchatie
In reply to
@fboss, @TeachingCouncil, @TeachingCouncil
I would say the answer is no. Possibly though allow schools to hire teachers who may not specialise in the subject area if a) suitable candidate cannot be found b) alternative candidate has experience/related subject that enables them to teach it #EdchatIE
We're halfway through tonight's #edchatie hour of discussion and it's all about "Should the Teaching Council adjust their requirements for people wanting to teach in order to accommodate for subjects that are hard to recruit for?"
#edchatie friend with masters in engineering did HDip, had dreadful problems with TC getting registered for Maths and Physics. Kept on changing goalposts about shortfall in qualifications.
In reply to
@GrainneWalshe, @fboss, @TeachingCouncil
I have taught physics at Central Connecticut state university, and with the University of New Haven, both in the US. Would not be able to teach it here. I don't fit into the TC script. #edchatie
In reply to
@GrainneWalshe, @fboss, @TeachingCouncil
#edchatie yes there has to be some connection/evidence that teacher will be able to deliver. Teacher also has to feel comfortable & confident in their ability to do so.
I was told when in worked in a UK school that once you had teaching qual you could teach anything a level below. If you had degree you could teach A Level if you had a level and anything you had A level in you could teach GCSE. Was some time back though. #EdChatIE
This is exactly the type of issue I'd highlight. The TC has humans in the system to be flexible and recognise these anomalies, should not be just a box checking exercise. #edchatie
In reply to
@dhubhda, @GrainneWalshe, @fboss, @TeachingCouncil
We're into the famous final five minutes of tonight's #edchatie on Should the Teaching Council adjust their requirements for people wanting to teach in order to accommodate for subjects that are hard to recruit for?"
Any last thoughts/ideas/solutions?
James, CS postgrad in Maynooth, jumping in very late!
The requirements hinging on the PME (which is costly and time consuming) annoys me, I've lots of teaching exp in lots of different settings that counts for nothing (it seems!) #edchatie
In reply to
@CuffeL, @GrainneWalshe, @fboss, @TeachingCouncil
It’d be great if there was a path for people with experience (especially in STEAM) to get into the classroom. I’d love to break in & contribute, but it’s been tough getting a foot in the door (I just do the odd classroom visit & run my own classes off-site. #edchatie
#edchatie Agree but on the ground what do you do when a job has been advertised multiple times with no takers? Friend's 22hr home ec position went unfilled earlier this yr in spite of being advertised 3 times. Think they put in a business teacher in the end.
I am aware of this. Schools are making compromises every day as they have to match the teachers they have rather than need with the students' subject choices. #edchatie
