An exciting development in the work of Turn to Teaching in this academic year has been the new collaboration with staff and students of Dunboyne College of Further Education.
Adopting an action research approach, this partnership is focused on supporting the teaching aspirations of a group of students who are studying on the Pre-University Teaching course at Dunboyne College of Further Education.
As part of this pilot initiative, the student group attend classes in Maynooth University’s School of Education every Tuesday. When in Maynooth University, the students participate in various teaching related workshops and activities that are focused on developing and supporting their teaching aspirations. These workshops are facilitated by a cross institutional team comprised of teaching staff from Dunboyne College of Further Education, Turn to Teaching, Maynooth Access Programnme, and MU's Department of Adult and Community Education.
It is also envisaged that this partnership will help inform the development of future further education pathways into higher education and initial teacher education. This cross sectoral partnership approach is also aligned with, and responsive to, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and their new policy focus on the development of a unified third-level education system.