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The MU International Office is the first point of contact for international students applying for full-degree, Erasmus, Study Abroad, and Summer School programmes, and supports MU students who wish to study abroad.
The Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education is a partner institution of the DICE Project, a national strategic education initiative funded by Irish Aid in the Department of Foreign Affairs. The DICE Project promotes and supports the integration of development education and intercultural education in Initial Teacher Education at primary level in Ireland. This is done through the provision of continuous professional development for staff, the design relevant resources and supports for the primary classroom and the delivery of a range of mandatory and elective modules for students in the department.
A commitment to social and global justice is central to the ethos of the Froebel Department. We are conscious of the fact that children in primary schools around the country are learning in a new global reality, and teachers need to be supported to develop competence and confidence in exploring global issues in the classroom. DICE work does not just take place in lectures, we strive to make it a part of the lived experience of students in the department through a variety of extracurricular activities and initiatives.
In partnership with VSI, every year Froebel staff and students deliver voluntary mid-term and summer activity camps for the children of asylum seekers in the Mosney Direct Provision Centre. We also work closely with Traveller activists from the Kildare Traveller Action Partnership on initiatives such as a Homework Club, a Culture Day and guest lectures and workshops. The DICE modules have discrete placement opportunities with some of our partner schools, where Froebel students work collaboratively with primary pupils to explore a range of development and human rights issues. Within Maynooth University, we regularly link with colleagues from Trócaire, the Green Campus Committee and the Social Justice Committee. The DICE Lecturer also organises an annual resource fair with partner NGO’s, arranges Global Teacher Award certification opportunities for final year students and supports student dissertation research in related areas.
All students in the Froebel Department participate in mandatory DICE modules, as well as integrated learning in SPHE, SESE, Placement Learning, Visual Art, Challenges in Pupil Care and Visual Art. In addition, final year B.Ed and PMEd students can avail of an elective module in education for sustainable development (ESD), which explores climate change, climate justice and climate action.
Last year, students from the B.Ed course reflected on their experience of DICE teaching and learning over their four years in the Froebel Department. Many thanks to Shane, Aoife, David and Fiona for sharing their narratives and to Finn Richards for creating this great video.
