Master of Education

MEd in Leadership and Education is for teachers at all levels who seek, or are currently in, leadership roles. 

This programme offers participants the opportunity to undertake a general study of the theory and practice of educational leadership. Its aim is to enable participants to understand and critique theories and practices of educational leadership in light of both current research and professional experience. The integration of theory and practice is fundamental to the course.

Module 1: Unpacking Leadership
The question is deceptively simple: What is a leader? Is that the person who runs things? Some may answer “no, that is the boss”. Is the boss a leader? The minimum definition of a leader is someone with followers. 

School leadership is a comparatively recent topic for discussion, debate and research in education. 

Various leadership theories exist from the ‘Great Man Theory’ of the sociologist Max Weber to the behavioural theories of Skinner which suggests that leaders are what leaders do.

A variety of definitions of leadership exist and many researchers talk about leadership but fail to define it, taking for granted that leadership means the same to everyone. 

The purpose of this first module is to begin to understand leadership and to explore how in the domain of education that it is frequently allied to and interlocks with school management and school administration.

Module 2: Leading in Climate of Accountability: Effective/Good Schools – How we create and sustain them?
As part of recent reform efforts, in the context of PSDT, WSE, School Self Evaluation and School Improvement Plans, increasing demands for internal and external accountability are evident within primary and post-primary education in Ireland. While such demand has not, as yet, reached the same tempo as in other jurisdictions it is important and timely to scrutinise these developments critically and to examine their implications for school leadership, as well as staff relations and continuing professional learning and the level of the school. The impact of accountability measures on the quality of teaching and learning will be assessed, and the potential impact on professional trust and professional relations, as well as with parents and the school community, will be held up to critical scrutiny.

Module 3: Leadership in Action
This module introduces the concept of change management and its place within educational leadership. This is linked to the challenges facing schools today and ways in which the educational landscape has changed over the last fifty years. This module looks at the different ways in which leaders can bring change about in their institutions and how this links to the different kinds of contexts that you can find in modern schools. This module explores concepts of middle leaders, leading professional learning communities, mentoring, coaching and sustainable leadership.

The MEd special option provides three complementary perspectives on teaching and learning that enable practitioners to gain a deeper understanding of their everyday work in schools. 

First, the sociological lens prompts teachers to consider the issues presented to them in their classroom that may be within or outside their locus of control. 

Psychology provides the second avenue to teaching and learning, and addresses how teachers may apply psychological theories to implement transformational strategies in their classrooms and schools. Finally, the module on teacher identity requires teachers to consider how their personal experiences, relationships and societal influences shape who they are and consequently, how they teach.

Module 1: Sociological aspects of Teaching & Learning: Education, Equality and Social Justice 
This module will critically examine sociological aspects of teaching, learning and achievement with particular reference to education, equality and social justice. The module draws on both theoretical and empirical work to explain and highlight the unequal experiences and achievement of individuals and groups in the educational context. There will be a particular emphasis on inequality in the following contexts: Parental involvement in schooling; Social class and theories of capital; Constructs of intelligence and implications for learners; Gender and education; Race, ethnicity and interculturalism. 

Module 2: Psychological aspects of Teaching & Learning
How job satisfaction fits with other concerns about teaching, including staying in teaching and children’s learning will be addressed in this module. Links between self-esteem, self-efficacy and job satisfaction will be explored together with various factors that determine self-esteem. This module will also examine psychological perspectives on pupil behaviour (including motivation to learn and theories on learning) and their relevance for understanding and managing behaviour in the classroom. Participants will be enabled to develop a structured approach to preventing and tackling emotional and behavioural problems and engaging pupils in their learning activities by drawing on one or more of the psychological perspectives.

Module 3: Teacher Identity and Popular Culture
This module will examine historical and ongoing influences on identity formation particularly as they relate to the identities of teachers and educators in Ireland. The intersection of teacher identity with teachers’ positioning in terms of teaching and learning will also be examined from critical, historical, comparative, virtual and other perspectives. Participants will be enabled to articulate theoretical perspectives on identity formation and re-formation. An integral aspect of this module will be the development of a framework for analysis of aspects of teacher identity through its representation in various policy documents, literature, research reports and various print and digital fora. 

This option will enable you to develop your understanding, knowledge and skills in global citizenship education, in formal and informal educational settings. The course is targeted at teachers, school leaders and other education practitioners who wish to respond to global and justice issues with creative and culturally relevant practices. It empowers teachers and learners to engage reflectively and critically with issues such as: climate change, human rights and democracy, migration and sustainability. In your second year, you will undertake research relating to global citizenship education. 
Special Option Coordinator: Rowan Oberman

Module 1: GCE foundations and frameworks (Maria Barry)
This module will explore theories and concepts that underpin Global Citizenship Education at national and international levels, tracing the lineages and core pillars of this multidisciplinary field. It will support participants to consider national and international related policies and frameworks and to apply those to their own educational contexts. Drawing on research and practice in the related fields of development education, citizenship education and anti-racism education, the module will consider the cognitive, social-emotional and behavioural dimensions of GCE and underpinning and crosscutting themes and pedagogy. Students will engage in reflective, dialogic and critical approaches, ensuring participants have opportunities to explore their own perspectives and experiences of global justice issues related to GCE, in addition to critically examining the role of education, schools and teachers in bringing important, yet complex, local and global justice-based issues to classrooms.

Module 2: Children's rights and human rights: A framework for education (Ben Mallon)
This module offers the opportunity to develop your understanding of how international human rights frameworks influence the lives of children and young people and frame local and global approaches to education. Through an engagement with contemporary issues and the latest research in the field, the module will explore multiple perspectives on human rights and children’s rights. It considers how international human rights frameworks, such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, have implications for developing classroom practice, managing educational organisations such as schools, and for organising education systems as a whole. Using active and participatory methodologies, this module investigates the synergies between children’s rights education and social constructivism. It explores concepts such as child-led learning and enquiry-based learning as approaches offering authentic contexts for children’s decision-making. The module provides a critical exploration of the different models of child participation such as student councils and green school committees. The module models rights-based practice which can inform the planning, practice and promotion of children’s rights in education settings.

Module 3: Climate change education (Rowan Oberman)
Climate change presents an urgent and existential crisis intersecting with other ecological, societal and political global issues. Education is recognised as fundamental in realising strategies for adaptation and mitigation and transitioning to a sustainable society. Recent curricular and community initiatives see the increasing development of climate change education programmes and scholarship. This module explores methods of engaging learners, at different levels and in different contexts with the complexity, challenges and dilemmas raised by climate change. Climate change raises difficult and discomforting questions: questions which can implicate our lifestyles, project devastation, churn feelings of injustice and highlight uncertainty about the future. Students will explore approaches to climate change education which facilitate meaningful and empowering engagement with these questions and which build resilience. Climate change education is approached holistically and is understood as encompassing understanding, skills, values and action components. The module will be taught through participative, cooperative, creative and reflective activities which model the climate change education approaches being proposed. The module will explore the policy context and current examples of climate change education practice, in informal and formal settings, nationally and internationally and discuss key considerations relating to the development of climate change education programmes.