February 2015 NUI Galway Masters Programme Awarded Apple Distinguished Programme

First award from Apple to any Higher Education programme in Europe

NUI Galway’s Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachas programme has been awarded the Apple Distinguished Programme for 2014/2015. The Apple Distinguished Programme (APD) recognises educational programmes for innovation, leadership, and educational excellence.

The Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachas (MGO) is a two year, full-time programme offered through the medium of Irish, by the School of Education at NUI Galway. The MGO is unique in that it is the only initial teacher education programme that prepares future teachers to teach in second-level Irish medium schools. The programme equips student teachers with the professional knowledge, theoretical and conceptual tools necessary for developing creative, flexible and reflective approaches to teaching. A particular emphasis is placed on teaching through the medium of Irish and on the development of strategies for teaching and learning both content and language (CLIL).

Dr Mary Fleming, Head of the School of Education at NUI Galway, said: “This award is a significant and important accolade for the Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachas programme as it gives recognition to the innovative teamwork, collegiality and deep engagement with pre-service teacher learning for future practice within Irish medium schools and classrooms. We in the School of Education are very proud of our colleagues and wholeheartedly congratulate Dr Brendan Mac Mahon, Seán Ó Grádaigh and Sinéad Ní Ghuidhir on this fantastic achievement.”

This is the first Apple Distinguished Programme award to any Higher Education programme in Europe, and only the third Education programme worldwide. This award builds on the success of the recent First International Conference in Mobile Technology in Initial Teacher Education (MiTE) 2015. This two-day Conference, hosted by the School of Education last month, brought together field leaders in the area of mobile technology in education, in both research and practice.

Director of the MGO programme, Dr Brendan Mac Mahon said: “It is a great honour that the groundbreaking work of the student teachers and programme team has attracted international recognition. Incorporating mobile technology within our programme created spaces for teaching and learning that we had not envisaged and which are now having an impact on teaching, learning and assessment in secondary schools.”

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