The Design and Content of an Online Continuous Professional Development Course in Special Education for Teachers in Irish Immersion Primary and Post-Primary Schools

Abstract

This article discusses the design and content of an online continuous professional development (CPD) course in special education provision for students in Irish immersion (IM) primary and post-primary schools. The course was developed using the data from a mixed methods study on the needs of teachers in this area. This article describes the ABC course design method used. It presents the five modules of the course: (1) bilingualism and second language acquisition, (2) assessment, (3) inclusive pedagogies, (4) universal design for learning, and (5) ICT for the inclusion of all students. It also includes data from a course evaluation form completed by participating teachers (N = 25) in relation of the areas of the course that were effective, areas that they would like to learn more about, and recommendations on how the course could be improved. It is anticipated that this article will be of interest to immersion teacher educators internationally.