Beginning teachers possess deep rooted preconceptions about the nature of effective teaching and learning. The focus of this study centers on the didacticism characterizing the pedagogical beliefs and practices of nine beginning elementary teachers in Ireland during the course of their initial year of practice, post-graduation. Didacticism privileges teacher-centered instructional styles and rote learning. A three-cycle, individual interview design is the data collection method employed. Horizontal or cross-case analysis is used to identify common patterns that recur across the nine cases. To illustrate the didacticism characterizing beginners’ pedagogical beliefs and practices, selected, representative interview data are presented and discussed. Framed within existing teacher education-related literature, implications arising from the presented data and the scholarly significance of the study are outlined.