Let's Talk Education Research Peter Tiernan

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Conall O Breacháin about his PhD research which explores teachers’ agency in the context of engagement with Ireland’s new Primary Language Curriculum.

You can find out more about Dr O Breacháin here: https://www.dcu.ie/languageliteracyandearlychildhoodeducation/people/dr-conall-o-breachain

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Natalie O’Neil about her recent publication “From recipe to enquiry – a curriculum tool for science teachers to align policy with practice in practical lessons”. Natalie talks about the challenges of translating policy into practice with regard to enquiry-based teaching and learning. Through her work, Dr O’Neil explores a design-based research approach to improving the enquiry-based teaching and learning capabilities of teachers. Here paper was published in Irish Educational Studies in October 2023.

You can find Dr O’Neil’s article here: ⁠https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03323315.2023.2261001⁠

You can find out more about Dr O’Neil here: ⁠https://www.dcu.ie/policyandpractice/people/natalie-oneill⁠

You can also follow her on Twitter here: ⁠https://twitter.com/natalie4oneill

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Just Rami, Director of the FETRC Research Centre. Dr Rami discusses the foundation of FETRC, highlights projects and initiatives that are currently underway, and talks about the future of the centre.

You can find out more about FETRC here: ⁠https://www.dcu.ie/fetrc⁠

You can follow FETRC on Twitter here: ⁠https://twitter.com/FETRC_DCU⁠

You can find out more about Dr Rami here: ⁠https://www.dcu.ie/policyandpractice/people/justin-rami⁠

You can also follow him on Twitter here: ⁠https://twitter.com/rami_justin

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Malgosia Machowska-kosciak and Dr Maria Barry about their research into integrating migrant voices into teacher education in Ireland. The project, which is funded by The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, uses digital stories to tell authentic stories of young people's experiences of identity, belonging, representation, racism, and discrimination while growing up in Ireland. During the podcast, Dr Machowska-kosciak and Dr Barry discuss many issues which impact belonging such as teacher representation and the representation of minority groups in the curriculum. Their research highlights the need for openness regarding identity and encourages teachers not to ignore the topic with their students. The digital stories emerging from this project can be used as a stimulus for conversation on teacher education programmes to tackle the themes of identity and belonging.

You can find out more about Malgosia and Maria at their staff profiles here:

https://www.dcu.ie/chrce/people/malgosia-machowska-kosciak

https://www.dcu.ie/stemeducationinnovationglobalstudies/people/maria-barry

For more information on their work, you can visit the intercultural education website here:

https://sites.google.com/dcu.ie/intercultural-education/home

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Audrey Doyle about her recent publication titled “Disturbing the teacher’s role as assessor: the case of calculated grades 2020–2021 in Ireland.”

Audrey begins by providing listeners with an overview of the assessment context during Covid-19, detailing the dramatic shift from state examinations to teachers as assessors. In this study, Audrey speaks with teachers about their experiences of assessment during this time and draws out the challenges and opportunities faced by teachers, as well as teachers' perceptions of their future role in the assessment of their learners.

You can access the open-access paper here ⁠https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03323315.2023.2236597⁠

You can find out more about Audrey at her staff profile here: ⁠https://www.dcu.ie/policyandpractice/people/audrey-doyle⁠

You can also connect with Audrey on Twitter here: ⁠https://twitter.com/Audrey_MDoyle

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Sinéad McCauley Lambe about Move Write. Move write is a whole-body sensorimotor approach to handwriting. Sinéad provides a detailed overview of the research that led to the development of the Move Write programme. Sinéad worked with teachers and students from 10 schools in the Dublin area to develop the programme. Evidence suggests that the Move Write programme has a positive impact on students’ writing ability and motivation to engage in the writing process. The Move Write programme is published by ABC School Supplies and will be launching in a limited number of schools from September 2023.

You can find out more about Sinéad and her work on her blog here: ⁠https://sineadmccauleylambe.com/2023/03/12/move-write/⁠

On her staff profile page here: ⁠https://www.dcu.ie/inclusiveandspecialeducation/people/sinead-mccauley-lambe⁠

You can connect with Sinéad on Twitter here: ⁠https://twitter.com/sinlambe⁠

For more information about the Move Write kit, visit the ABC School Supplies website here: ⁠https://www.abcschoolsupplies.ie/product/move-write-complete-kit