Student Testimonials - M Ed in Literacy Education

Ross O' Connor - M Ed in Literacy Education

I decided to apply for the M Ed in Literacy Education as I have always been interested in language learning. Before becoming a teacher, I completed an undergraduate degree in languages and was always fascinated by language acquisition.  When I researched the course, I liked that there were many different aspects to literacy education, and it felt like a good fit for me. I am passionate about the area of Teaching English as an Additional Language and there seemed to be good scope to explore this in greater details.

The course was filled with practical advice and suggestions to apply in the classroom. I really enjoyed getting lectures from Speech and Language therapists and specialists in all areas of literacy as I found that there was so much opportunity to ask questions that I had around teaching language in general. It has been helpful to me as a researcher. Every assignment had a purpose and they allowed us to focus on our interests and strengths. They weren't all essays either which was good to keep us going. The most important thing was that each one prepared us for the task on completing the research project in the second year. This was my third time completing a thesis, but it was the first time I felt comfortable and confident in my abilities. That was all down to the skills I learned during the first year of the course.

Completing a M Ed whilst working full-time was a goal in itself.  There were times when it was tricky but the support you get on the course gets you through it all. I was given every opportunity possible to show my best work and the feedback helped me improve each time. 

Currently I am happily teaching senior infants in a very diverse school with a large proportion of emergent bilingual students, and I get to apply my learning from the M Ed each day. It is also my first time in infants, so I am seeing a whole other side to language acquisition which is brilliant. In terms of academia, I focused on the area of Initial Teacher Education and TEAL education. This is an area I really have enjoyed learning about, and I hope to continue to look into it, in the future. My research project was awarded the John Coolahan Research Support Framwork by the teaching council and I look forward to sharing it with others as part of this. 

This course was fantastic and really, I didn't know what to expect. The lecturers and course director are so helpful and will support you through each aspect as you move along. It is also lovely to be a part of a group who have similar interests as you build a little community amongst yourselves. There is scope to bring your own interests and experiences with you into the course and to make what you want of it. I really couldn't recommend it enough.

I had always considered returning to education to undertake a master's. As part of my undergraduate course for primary teaching I specialised in the area of Language and Literacy and with the introduction of the M Ed in Literacy Education at MIC in September 2018, I felt that this was the right course for me. This course has given me with the opportunity to grow as a teacher, providing me with a more in-depth understanding of Literacy acquisition and development, the role of a Literacy leader, and critical approaches to teaching children’s literature. It enabled me to undertake a piece of research in an area of Literacy that I am interested in and with no previous experience in completing a research study, the research methods modules, workshops, and support of my supervisor guided me throughout the process. I gained research skills; analytical skills; critical and evaluative skills over the duration of the course.

The lecturers and guest lecturers had a wide range of literacy backgrounds, covering various aspects of literacy development in the 21st century, giving each student the opportunity to find what they were interested in, and pursue this area for their own research study. Throughout the programme of study, the lecturers were very approachable and supportive, showing great interest in our studies, wanting us to do well. The diversity of the student cohort provided a variety of insights into a number of fields including adult literacy, speech and language therapy, and the work of librarians. Their insights and experiences added significantly to the richness of the course. The small nature of the cohort enabled an abundance of opportunities for interaction between lecturers and students, creating authentic opportunities for knowledge development in Literacy. This also meant that lecturers knew us individually by name; and allowed us to get to know all students in the cohort. The blended method of learning meant that some weekends were on campus with face to face lectures and other evenings were facilitated online. This flexibility was a major factor for me as it meant that I did not have to travel to Limerick too often. 

This course has equipped me with the tools necessary to enhance my own teaching of Literacy and further developed my understanding of contemporary approaches to literacy development in the 21st century classroom. I hope to continue to share what I have learned from the modules and my research study with my colleagues, and alongside them reflect on and improve literacy practices within our school. The M Ed in Literacy Education journey has been one of the greatest experiences for me, both professionally and personally.

Sarah O'Callaghan - M Ed in Literacy Education

I decided I wanted to do a Masters in the spring of 2021 and started researching courses from various colleges around Ireland. Having looked at the modules and how the courses were set up, it was clear to me that the M Ed in Literacy at MIC was well-structured and the modules looked both interesting and relevant to my practice as a teacher. This proved to be true, as I found myself using many of the lessons and techniques we had come across in the course. In addition, I developed good research skills, having never done a dissertation previously. I also found I was more confident in my teaching day-to-day, as the course had equipped me with the knowledge and ability to conduct research into areas of teaching I was unsure of. Rather than relying on ‘tips and tricks’ from teacher influencers, I feel confident that the strategies, approaches and resources I am using are grounded in research and best practice. It also opened my eyes to the idea that there are trends in education and that these trends can change over time – what was deemed best practice five years ago may not be anymore – and that we have a duty as educators to keep abreast of the latest research and what this means for our teaching.

The best parts of the course were undoubtedly the face-to-face lecturers. The course co-ordinator, Josie, has a knack for developing engaging and purposeful lectures that provide us with the tools we need to seek and find new knowledge and developing the craft of academic writing. There were also a host of excellent guest lectures, providing a good foundation of knowledge across all areas of literacy. There was a nice balance between this foundation in year 1 and the dissertation in year 2, which allowed us to focus in on the area we were most interested in.

Going forward, I plan to continue to develop my practice as a teacher, research areas I wish to know more about and to engage with new research and methods of teaching. I did this course because I wanted to become a better teacher and I feel I am far more knowledgeable and confident as a teacher having completed it. If you have an interest in literacy education and developing your practice, this is certainly the course for you!

Louise Finneran - M Ed in Literacy Education

I always enjoyed the literacy modules as part of the my B.Ed. degree and when the opportunity came to take on the specialism in literacy, I quickly learned that this was an area of interest to me. Literacy is at the heart of everything we do in school and so I always found myself questioning things in the classroom and sometimes not knowing where to go for answers, particularly when there were children with literacy difficulties. I felt as though I had barely scratched the surface in terms of literacy education and I wanted to learn more, which is how I found myself applying for the MED in Literacy.

It was a big step to apply for the MEd but now as I am about to graduate from the course, I can safely say it was a brilliant decision. It is a demanding course, but there are great supports available along the way. The structure of year 1, where there is one module and one assignment at a time is excellent. It allows you to really get into the reading around that assignment area. It also helped me to be able to focus on one assignment at a time given that I was trying to juggle teaching and life alongside the masters! After completing this masters, I feel more confident in my ability to teach literacy and to keep up with evolving practice.

Very often, we were sent off to research the literature available on certain topics or areas of literacy as part of the assignments, therefore there was flexibility to choose particular things that were of interest to us or that were applicable to our teaching contexts. I really enjoyed this as it meant the literature I was reading was more beneficial to me. The skills needed to find and evaluate reading material are ones that will definitely stick with me and I know I will use them constantly both as a teacher and perhaps in other ways in future! I certainly feel more capable of questioning and evaluating methodologies and resources that are out there, which will allow me to make more informed decisions as a teacher. I look forward to putting all I have learned to good use in my classroom for now and who knows what the future will bring as a MEd in Literacy Education graduate!

Ciara Dowling - M Ed in Literacy Education

I had always considered returning to education to undertake a master's. As part of my undergraduate course for primary teaching I specialised in the area of Language and Literacy and with the introduction of the M Ed in Literacy Education at MIC in September 2018, I felt that this was the right course for me. This course has given me with the opportunity to grow as a teacher, providing me with a more in-depth understanding of Literacy acquisition and development, the role of a Literacy leader, and critical approaches to teaching children’s literature. It enabled me to undertake a piece of research in an area of Literacy that I am interested in and with no previous experience in completing a research study, the research methods modules, workshops, and support of my supervisor guided me throughout the process. I gained research skills; analytical skills; critical and evaluative skills over the duration of the course.

The lecturers and guest lecturers had a wide range of literacy backgrounds, covering various aspects of literacy development in the 21st century, giving each student the opportunity to find what they were interested in, and pursue this area for their own research study. Throughout the programme of study, the lecturers were very approachable and supportive, showing great interest in our studies, wanting us to do well. The diversity of the student cohort provided a variety of insights into a number of fields including adult literacy, speech and language therapy, and the work of librarians. Their insights and experiences added significantly to the richness of the course. The small nature of the cohort enabled an abundance of opportunities for interaction between lecturers and students, creating authentic opportunities for knowledge development in Literacy. This also meant that lecturers knew us individually by name; and allowed us to get to know all students in the cohort. The blended method of learning meant that some weekends were on campus with face to face lectures and other evenings were facilitated online. This flexibility was a major factor for me as it meant that I did not have to travel to Limerick too often. 

This course has equipped me with the tools necessary to enhance my own teaching of Literacy and further developed my understanding of contemporary approaches to literacy development in the 21st century classroom. I hope to continue to share what I have learned from the modules and my research study with my colleagues, and alongside them reflect on and improve literacy practices within our school. The M Ed in Literacy Education journey has been one of the greatest experiences for me, both professionally and personally.