GMIT EXAMINATIONS – 2019/2020 
 
CONTINUOUS ASSIGNMENT 1: THE FIVE DOMAINS 
 
 
 
 
Programme: MA IN T&L 
 
Stage: Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching & Learning (L9) 
Module: Professional Development Framework Portfolio (PDFP) 
ECTS: 5 Credits 

 
 
Internal Examiners: Kate Dunne & Dr. Pauline Logue  
 
External Examiner:  Dr. Fiona O’ Riordan 

 
 
Candidate’s Names (student ID):
 
Eamon Hoult (G004980)
Dr. Paula Conroy (G00387294)
 
 
 
 
  
Declaration:  This work is the original work of the above-listed candidates.  

  
  
Submission Date: 
Table of Contents

The Five Domains 3

Introduction 3
Overview 4
A Personal Overview 8
Conclusion 12
References 13

Table of Figures
FIGURE 1 ‘THE SELF’: THIS ILLUSTRATION DEPICTS THE VALUES OF THE SELF
IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING SCHOLARSHIP CAPACITY 4
FIGURE 3: PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS ARE KEY DRIVERS IN
TEACHING AND LEARNING 5
FIGURE 2 SIMPSONS PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAIN (SIMPSON, 1966) 6
FIGURE 4: DEVELOPING OUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL
CAPACITY BY ATTENDING PDF PORTFOLIO MODULE 7
FIGURE 5: COMBI OVEN USED BY EAMONN IN HIS WORK 7
FIGURE 6: BOTH EAMON AND PAULA USING PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
AND DIALOGUE IN TEACHING AND LEARNING 9
FIGURE 7: OUR PAIR BRAINSTORMING ON PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND
SKILLS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING 10

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 The Five Domains

Introduction
 
Ireland’s first framework to support the professional development of those who teach across
the sector was published by the National Forum in 2016. It is underpinned by a set of core
values and provides a structured outline of professional development activities for teaching
and learning within the sector. The National Forum and Professional Development
Framework is a template framework and incorporates five overarching domains which
provides guidance for the professional development (PD) of individuals and gives direction to
other stakeholders for planning, developing and engaging in professional development
activities. The framework is flexible, inclusive and can be interpreted and adapted for:
academic staff across disciplines; educational/learning technologists; educational/academic
developers; research staff; library staff; support staff and students who teach others. It is
designed to reflect local priorities within individual operations, but can also be used groups or
teams in group-based PD. 

The Five Domains provide guidance for staff to review their own current knowledge, skills
and competencies, regardless of how, where or when these dimensions of professional
learning have been developed.   

For the purpose of this assignment the domains will be discussed firstly as an overview then
we will reflect on the domains and how they can be applied to our and our students’ daily
lives in GMIT. The five domains include the following: The self, Professional Identity,
Values and Development in Teaching and Learning, Professional Communication and
Dialogue in Teaching and Learning, Professional Communication and Dialogue in Teaching
and Learning, Professional Knowledge and Skills in Teaching and Learning and Personal and
Professional Digital Capacity in Teaching and Learning.

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Overview

1. The Self: emphasising personal values, brought to teaching, such as confidence and
life experience associated with teaching. While clarifying the importance of the
personal values that underpin any human interaction. Here also individual can explore
their positive/negative emotions alongside personal characteristics that impact on
teaching recognising personal wellbeing and the significant impact this has on
individual teaching and learning roles. Each of these roles can be seen in Figure 1.
 

             
Figure 1 ‘The Self’: This illustration depicts the values of the self in the teaching and learning scholarship capacity

 
 
2. Professional Identity, Values and Development in Teaching and Learning:
Highlights the importance of the development and self-evaluation of
professional/disciplinary identity associated roles, responsibilities and action plans.
Staff are encouraged and supported to develop critical reflection skills and evaluate
their while considering their professional and/or disciplinary identity in its own
context. Compared with the traditional teaching mode, teaching based on protocol-
guided learning not only reflects the student as the center, but also significantly
improves the academic performance of students, with an effect value of 0.29 (Zhou &
Li, 2020).

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 3. Professional Communication and Dialogue in Teaching and Learning: The heart of
this domain focuses on excellent, clear and coherent communication skills both
physical and non-physical required for the changing learning environment. It
recognises the importance of teaching and learning in a community to enhance student
learning, emphasising the social aspect while recognising the communities of practice
role from local to international and inclusion across disciplines.   

4. Professional Knowledge and Skills in Teaching and Learning: Knowledge and

approaches are important here (disciplinary pedagogies), including experiences and
approaches. Supporting an active student role and partnership in the teaching and
learning process, it incorporates staff’s capacity to design and implement innovative
and creative teaching and learning approaches at different levels of curriculum. The
importance of assessment and feedback is also emphasised here.  Simpson’s
Psychomotor Domain Psychomotor in learning is present in physical skill with
demonstrations of equipment or tools in the classroom, workshop, and laboratory.

Figure 3 demonstrates Simpson’s

psychomotor domain. There are
seven genres within this domain.
Perception is the aptitude to use
sensory cues to control skills or
motor activity.

Figure 2: Professional Knowledge and skills are key drivers in

Teaching and Learning

The range is from sensory stimulation, cue selection, until translation. A set level is
readiness to act, which includes mental, physical, and emotional aspects. This outlook
is predetermined for different circumstances or outlooks. Guided response is the early
stage in multifaceted skill learning and includes imitation and trial and error. The
performance will be achieved with practice. Mechanism is an intermediate skill, in
which a learned response has become characteristic and the movements can be
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performed with some poise and proficiency. A complex overt response indicates that
skilful performance involves complex movement patterns. This level includes
performing without hesitation and automatic performance. The next level is
adaptation, in which skills are well developed and individuals can modify movement
patterns to meet special
Origination. The final level is
origination, which involves
creating new movements to fit
situations or problems. This
level highlights learning
outcome based on highly
developed skills. This theory
encompasses having relevant
professional knowledge and
skills in teaching and learning
to develop practical classes.

Figure 3 Simpsons psychomotor domain (Simpson, 1966)

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 5. Personal and Professional Digital Capacity in Teaching and Learning:  
The importance of having capacity and
application of digital skills and
knowledge in professional practice. 
Development of personal and
professional competence and confidence
with the ability to identify opportunities
for technology to support and enhance
student learning; underpinned by the
Figure 2: Developing our personal and professional digital capacity
by attending PDF Portfolio Module National Digital Skills Framework for
Education.   
For this task we have been made a group pairing of two. As it transpired, we do not have
much teaching experience between us. Paula joined GMIT as lecturer last September (2019)
after working in PepsiCo Cork prior to her appointment to the School of Science. Paula’s
experience in the industry has been beneficial and enabled her
to bring a practical approach to her teaching which is something
the students can gain benefit from in her teaching. Paula has
been teaching on the BSc. Public Health and Nutrition, BSc.
Sports and Exercise Science and the MSc. Applied Sports and
Exercise in her first full academic year.  

Figure 3: Digital Combi oven used by Eamonn in his work

Eamonn has been in the catering industry for over 35 years and joined GMIT in 2006 as
Culinary Arts Technician. He was made Assistant Lecturer in Culinary Arts in September
2015 and has gone on to teach on a wide range of Programmes since his appointment. |He is
currently teaching on level six and seven programmes where the main emphasis is on
practical Culinary Skills, some previous level eight teaching experience brought in to use his
MSc. in Culinary Innovation and Food Product Development.     
 

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8
 
A Personal Overview 
 
Domain 1: Personal Development: The “Self “in Teaching and Learning 
As a pair, we have very little teaching experience to date. Paula completing her first year and
Eamonn is completing his fourth. We both agree that we have acquired new skills, accepted
new challenges never more than now in these very uncertain times. We think two things
really stand out from the two viewpoints of this Domain. In terms of personal development
there is a constant learning of new skills adaption to new situations, “personal variables such
as beliefs, motives, self-regulation and skills are well documented as contributors to learning
outcomes” Kadosh & Staunton, (2019). Zhang, et al. (2018) also states that along with
cognitive components the non-cognitive ones are meaningful and need to be taken into
consideration. For example, I.T. and online teaching, underpinning our interactions; but the
impact of life/career experiences for example Eamonn’s thirty plus years of industry
experience which when contributed to the new acquired skills can be blended to enhance the
teaching and learning experience. 
 
Domain 2: Professional Identity, Values and Development in Teaching and Learning 
We both agree that professional identity, values and development in teaching and learning
focuses on the consideration of professional and/or disciplinary identity and that; that identity
can change at different stages of one's career. Mead (1934), states that self can arise only in a
social setting where there is social communication; in communicating we learn to assume the
roles of others and monitor our actions accordingly. In Paula’s case establishing a strong
profile supported by receiving accreditation in her field, continuous professional development
and keeping up to date with recent scientific publications is essential in maintaining
professional identity as a Lecturer. In Eammon’s case his initial profession as a professional
chef spurred him on to improve in that field of work and only later as he critically reflected
on his career aims did he change and while still continuously developing as a chef branched
into the professional identity change as a Lecturer/ Teacher which on refection he was doing
in my everyday job anyway. This is highlighted in
Niker et al. (2018) state that our concept of self can be defined as an organised representation
of our theories, attitudes and beliefs about ourselves. Practical teaching method is an effective
classroom learning strategy. Trainers need teaching and practical skills to ensure quality
delivery of accurate information to students. Ethically, trainers should be accurate. Their

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teaching strategies should help students accurately apply all theories, teaching techniques,
and program elements in workshops

Domain 3: Professional Communication and Dialogue in Teaching and Learning 

This Domain for us highlights the importance of having good communication skills; the key
elements of listening, speaking, writing and visual and the commitment to excellence in all
communicational forms. Highlighting professional learning it also recognises the role of
communities of practice and networks play in supporting this from local to international
levels as well as within and across disciplines. The relevance of a word needing to be
clarified in a different way in order to make it clear, so that it is answering a previous
question for students (Plag, 2018).  With this action for example the structure of the sequence
of turns in order to make the function clear. Angelelli & Baer (2016) deem these actions
coordination and the ability to produce them are part of a Lecturers technical competence. 

Figure 4: Both Eamon and Paula using professional communication and dialogue in teaching and learning

 
Domain Four: Professional Knowledge and Skills in Teaching and Learning 
This domain emphasises the importance of both knowledge and approaches to teaching while
also drawing on one’s experiences and approaches of their own discipline. Designing,
implementing, and maintaining workplace assessment, including tools for multisource
feedback and audit and feedback, is pivotal for ensuring lifelong learning, enhancing the
quality of performance, and identifying underperformance (Danilovich, Delva, Grimshaw,
Hendry, Kitto, Meuser & Presseau, 2018). For Paula through the self-evaluation method of

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critical reflection changes can be made if required to improve delivery from her experiences
in the class room, she also feels that it also allows her to bring industry knowledge to the
college setting; this also goes for Eamonn he has also found that continuing the process of
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which involves courses or educational events
and work-based learning very useful. Most professional codes of conduct refer to an
obligation to engage in CPD (Kellough, (2018). 

Figure 5: Our Pair brainstorming on Professional Knowledge and Skills in Teaching and Learning

 
Domain 5: Personal and Professional Digital Capacity in Teaching and Learning 
Today, more than ever, the role of educational technology in teaching is of great importance
because of the use of information and communication technologies. This domain highlights
the importance of personal and professional digital capacity and how digital skills and
knowledge can be applied to professional practice. For Paula not only is she delivering all
class elements online she is also dealing with situations such as communication from staff
and students online. With the help of various applications for distance education, the internet,
teachers, and students themselves, they see the advantage of educational technology (Lazar,
2015). On a personal level Eamonn found the initial thrust of online learning very daunting.
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Bearing in mind that his discipline is very practical orientated it was a difficult challenge
considering the short lead time to get up and running. His personal confidence was not very
high at the beginning of the COVID -19 outbreak, Paula on the other hand seemed to excel
and sees it as a major feature of her teaching moving forward. Eamonn would concede that
certain elements can and should be a feature online and the pair agree that there are many
resources now online along with supports for students and staff alike.

The temptation to compare online learning to face-to-face instruction in these circumstances

will be great. In fact, an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education has already called for a
"grand experiment" doing exactly that. But as more diverse pedagogical practices come into
play, HR/staff contract issues will arise and these must be dealt with – they cannot be
ignored; this is a particular issue for IoTs where the academic staff contract is highly
prescriptive (e.g., on inputs, class contact) (Devine, 2015). The advance due to the global
pandemic has enabled us both to adapt all our course content and it be placed online.
However, as we both teach on such practical courses, we see this as a temporary measure and
certainly not something to be established full time.  

Online courses created in this way should not be mistaken for long-term solutions but
accepted as a temporary solution to an immediate problem. Especially concerning is the
degree to which the accessibility of learning materials might not be addressed during ERT.
This is but one reason that universal design for learning (UDL) should be part of all
discussions around teaching and learning. UDL principles focus on the design of learning
environments that are flexible, inclusive, and student-centred to ensure that all students can
access and learn from the course materials, activities, and assignments (Hollingshead, et al.
2019)
 
 

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Conclusion  

To conclude, it is evident that the five domains had a profound effect and resonance with
both pair members. By using the themes in a self – evaluation context we were able to reflect
and adapt our teaching and learning styles both in GMIT and outside of it. Personal
Development: The “Self “in Teaching and Learning allowed us to examine our own
continuous development in ways such as mapping our future journey. By engaging with and
developing a Teaching Philosophy we were able to develop our professional identity, values
and development in teaching and learning.

Professional communication and dialogue in teaching and learning skills were exercised
during pair/triad weekly calls, brainstorming and peer feedback in this module.

The digital portfolio alerted us to our own professional knowledge and skills in teaching and
learning. By carrying out this task we were able to identify the practical experience we both
have obtained before joining GMIT and acknowledging the fact that it is invaluable
particularly in our subject areas. We both feel that the major domain that resonated with both
of us was personal and professional digital capacity in teaching and learning. This was
evident in 2020 particularly in a time where we both extended our digital capacity to
completely delivering our modules online, communicating with students and colleagues
online and indeed participating in this module online. We have had to adapt our original
contract to ‘meeting up for coffee once a week’ to Teams calls, teams chat, WhatsApp calls
and a whole digitalized approach to working towards our own continuous professional
development.

It is our intention that these 5 domains will be the pillars in continually improving and
enhancing our teaching and our students learning. In this way they will continue to be of
assistance and relevance to the ever-changing topics and degrees we teach on. We hope that
the 5 domains will steer us in our teaching capabilities for years to come.
 
 

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References 

Ahmad, A., Kamin, Y. and Nasir, A.M., 2018, July. Applying Psychomotor Domain for
Competency Based Teaching in Vocational Education. In Journal of Physics: Conference
Series (Vol. 1049, No. 1, p. 012049). IOP Publishing. Angelelli, C.V. and Baer, B.J. eds.,
2016. Researching translation and interpreting. 

Danilovich, N., Delva, D., Meuser, J., Presseau, J., Grimshaw, J. and Hendry, P., 2018.
Uncharted territory: Knowledge translation of competency-based continuing professional
development in family medicine. Canadian Family Physician, 64(4), p.250.

Devine, J., 2015. Strategic and leadership perspectives on digital capacity in Irish higher
education. The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning in Higher
Education.

Lazar, S., 2015. The importance of educational technology in teaching. International Journal

of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education, 3(1).

Kellough, J. M. (2018). Promoting Teacher Engagement with Assessment for Learning

through a Flipped CPD-based Community of Practice (Doctoral dissertation, Trinity College
Dublin).

Mead, G.H., 1934. Mind, self and society (Vol. 111). University of Chicago Press.: Chicago.

Niker, F., Reiner, P. B., & Felsen, G. (2018). Updating ourselves: Synthesizing philosophical
and neurobiological perspectives on incorporating new information into our
worldview. Neuroethics, 11(3), 273-282.

Hollingshead, A., & Carr-Chellman, D. (2019). Engaging Learners in Online Environments

Utilizing Universal Design for Learning Principles. eLearn, 2019(2), 3.

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Zhou, L. and Li, C., 2020. Can Student Self-Directed Learning Improve Their Academic
Performance? Experimental Evidence from the Instruction of Protocol-Guided Learning in
China’s Elementary and Middle Schools. Experimental Evidence from the Instruction of
Protocol-Guided Learning in China’s Elementary and Middle Schools.

Kadosh, K. C., & Staunton, G. (2019). A systematic review of the psychological factors that
influence neurofeedback learning outcomes. Neuroimage, 185, 545-555.
 
  Zhang, X., Hu, B. Y., Ren, L., & Fan, X. (2018). Sources of individual differences in young
Chinese children's reading and mathematics skill: A longitudinal study. Journal of school
psychology, 71, 122-137.

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Images 
Digital Combi Oven   
https://servallcatering.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Used-Rational-10-Grid-Combi-
Oven-5-e1526034776615.jpg   
Accessed on 25/05/20 
 
https://prezibase.com/shop/interactive-media-prezi-template/ 
https://www.bing.com/images/search?
view=detailV2&ccid=6inxWdvI&id=98B015E6A9A58B83631D191884BC057DB558AFD
A&thid=OIP.6inxWdvIMxJS8rZ7YqCM3AHaEK&mediaurl=https%3a%2f
%2fprezibase.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2016%2f03%2finteractive-multimedia-
technology-digital-media-presentation-prezi-
template.jpg&exph=720&expw=1280&q=digital+capacity+graphics&simid=6080178524227
53713&selectedIndex=18&ajaxhist=0     
Accessed on 25/05/20 

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