PGDE (Languages) in UL vs PGDE Trinity

Printer

hi all

Up until recently I had my heart set on applying to UL to do their PGDE (Languages) as I thought this would be of most interest to me given that I love teaching languages and currently work as a Head of Languages in Further Education Institute (I am recognised with teaching council as Further Education Language Teacher already)

I assumed that the one in UL would focus directly on methodologies in Language teaching, pedagogy etc for languages, second language acquisition etc. but now I am wondering would the PGDE in Trinity (French) be more or less the same?

If I did the one in Trinity could I still have two foreign languages as my subjects or would it need to be one language and something else?

Also, for getting full time jobs in secondary schools is it better to have 2 languages (say French and Spanish) as your subjects or one language and one other subject like Business or whatever?

has anyone done the PGDE (Languages) in UL and what did you think?
or anyone done the PGDE in Trinity for languages?

rainbowtrout

Whatever degree you hold determines what you are qualified to teach not the PGDE so I'd say start there and have a look and see if your degree is on the Teaching Council list. Both of the courses you have mentioned will qualify you to teach.

Printer

Hi

I have done that already and I am qualified to teach both French and Spanish. I just want to know which course would be better from a language teacher perspective.

rainbowtrout

It's probably going to be hard for people to compare as they won't have done both, it shouldn't matter as it's the same qualification at the end of the day.

Printer

True. I suppose I am just trying to see which would be better from a learning perspective for language teachers. Would one have more focus on language teaching than the other etc.

freire

Printer wrote: »

Would one have more focus on language teaching than the other etc.

The nature of the PGDE is learning to teach your subjects. I did mine in UCD and it's ALL about teaching and learning strategies and methodologies. There are general lectures attended by all, and then specialist learning in smaller groups, depending on your subject.

I'm not sure what you think it might be about?

rainbowtrout

Printer wrote: »

True. I suppose I am just trying to see which would be better from a learning perspective for language teachers. Would one have more focus on language teaching than the other etc.

Regardless of which college you are in you will have some class in subject pedagogy which is about the teaching of your subject, languages in your case. You will have this whether you are in UL or Trinity or anywhere else. The rest will be made up of Curriculum Studies, History of Education, Educational Psychology, Classroom Management and a few other things that I can't remember the official titles of as it's been a long time since I did them. You will be in with all the other dip students for those subjects as they are common to all.

Printer

Has anyone done the PGDE with Languages in UL.

seachto7

Printer wrote: »

Has anyone done the PGDE with Languages in UL.

thinking of applying to this. Rumour has it, it may be headed into a 2 year course from 2014 on.....