MATHEMATICS

COMBINED REPORT OUTCOMES:
Term of Reference 2:
The best methods of supporting the current cohort of STEM Teachers within the system (with
a particular focus on Continuing Professional Development)
Proposed Actions:
n Develop a coherent policy framework for CPD in STEM education, recognising that this may
be part of a broader CPD framework for teachers. The DES, together with partners such as the
NCCA, Teaching Council, HEIs, SFI, subject associations and the private sector, should address
this as a matter of urgency.
n Support STEM teachers (primary and post-primary) financially and through appropriate
career opportunities to embrace CPD and lifelong learning in their STEM disciplines (and
related pedagogy) as a means of advancing their professional development.
n Develop a common currency for assessing and accumulating CPD elements in STEM
education for accreditation purposes. Such currency units (such as credits or points) should
be used in defining professional recognition from the Teaching Council.
n Develop CPD programmes for primary teachers to expand their knowledge in STEM subjects
in order to build capacity in schools for the role of ‘STEM Champions’.
n Working with the Teaching Council, all stakeholders should ensure that a comprehensive
suite of STEM CPD programmes is available to post-primary teachers as part of their
professional learning requirements under the forthcoming Teaching Council Framework for
Continuous Professional Learning.
n Develop STEM up-skilling programmes in physics, chemistry and biology for science teachers
(post-primary) so that they can upgrade their registration status to a level of being qualified
to teach in these subjects. Such programmes could build on the successful DES blended
education model developed for the out-of-field teachers of mathematics (at UL).
n Maintain a strong CPD programme in mathematics, because mathematics is fundamental for
all STEM education.
STEM EDUCATION IN THE IRISH SCHOOL SYSTEM
n Link formal and informal STEM education providers under a national initiative, such as SFI
Discover, to create opportunities for non-traditional CPD for STEM teachers (e.g. museums,
zoos, science galleries).
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