As educators, I wonder do we think much about the research that is done about education. I spoke with Paula Korsnakova and Eliane Segers from the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) to talk about educational research, with a focus on reading from digital devices.

The following links may be useful if you'd like to learn more:

• https://www.iea.nl/publications/teacher-resources/teaching-reading-comprehension-digital-world : Link to the new volume of Research for Educators on digital reading
• https://www.iea.nl/publications/iea-teachers-snippet/digital-reading-comp : Link to the new Teacher Snippet connected to the new book
• And if you think these would be handy for listeners too:
• https://www.iea.nl/publications/iea-teacher-snippets : General Teacher Snippets page
• https://www.iea.nl/publications/iea-teachers-snippets/iea-research-educators-more-book-series : General Research for Educators book series page
• 
  

With the new MFL curriculum coming up, I thought I'd speak to someone who knows a thing or two about teaching languages. Róisín Brady from LanguageNut joined me to explain how she thinks the curriculum is going to work out.

Find more: http://languagenut.com/

In this episode, I explore the issue of underfunding in Irish primary schools, using the example of Sacred Heart Junior National School in Killinarden, Dublin, which announced it would operate remotely due to financial constraints. I delve into the history and structure of funding for primary schools, highlighting how the Department of Education's capitation grants have not kept pace with rising costs, such as electricity, gas, and wages. As usual I critique the patronage system and propose that the Department of Education should be directly responsible for the financial management of schools to address these ongoing challenges.

All shownotes and data available on: https://simonmlewis.medium.com/a-school-may-have-to-close-due-to-lack-of-funding-how-has-it-come-to-this-9392b568977b

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• 00:43 Case Study: Sacred Heart Junior National School
• 03:01 Funding Challenges in Irish Primary Schools
• 03:48 Detailed Analysis of School Funding
• 06:31 Impact of Rising Costs on Schools
• 09:29 Historical Context and Comparisons
• 27:51 Proposed Solutions and Conclusion

 On this week's show, I'll be talking about solar panels and schools, but maybe not from the angle you might be expecting. As many of you might know, the government decided that every school in the country would be given a set of solar panels. And the main talk from those in the profession has been why The decision was made that no matter what size your school is, you'll be getting the same number of solar panels.

So very tiny schools will be getting the same number of solar panels as a very big school, which of course doesn't make any sense. However, I don't think I'd be able to make an entire podcast out. of that. And instead, I want to look at the solar panel issue from a different perspective. And that is who's going to own them.

🗒️ Show notes are available on my Medium Blog: https://simonmlewis.medium.com/who-will-own-the-solar-panels-in-primary-schools-and-why-does-nobody-care-c12cf9ae1c20

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Rob Barnett is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Modern Classrooms Project, a really interesting project which, at its core, tries to use technology for better human interaction and relationships in the classroom. Rob is a hugely impressive educator as you will hear in this episode but you can also watch him at this TEDx talk.

Rob has also written a book, Meet Every Learners' Needs and has developed a very interesting tool called Insta-Lesson. I'd recommend you look at both!

Despite my detective work, it looks like I was completely wrong about who the next Minister for Education was going to be and it's Helen McEntee who is our education minister.

Join me as I write a letter telling Helen McEntee what I would love to see happening in the education system as she takes over from a depressing almost-decade of neglect.

In this podcast episode, I interview Muireann Sadlier, the Director of Cyber Smarties Ireland, discussing the importance of keeping children safe online while teaching them to use the internet positively. Sadlier shares her extensive background in education, focusing on wellbeing and behaviour, and introduces Cyber Smarties, an app designed for primary schools that supports children's social skills and online safety.

We explore alarming statistics on children's online experiences, the challenges of managing screen time, and the need for proactive strategies to teach children responsible online behavior. Cyber Smarties offers a monitored environment for children to interact safely and learn positive social interactions. The discussion also touches on broader themes of technology's role in education and parenting, and the potential benefits of using apps like Cyber Smarties as part of a comprehensive approach to digital literacy and well-being.

You can find our more about Cyber Smarties Ireland here: https://cybersmarties.ie/

In this episode I reflect on the challenges faced by the primary education system in 2024 and offer ten reasons for possible optimism in 2025. Topics include improvements in special education, the potential of artificial intelligence in classrooms, the evolving role of patronage in schools, the impact of new educational technology, and the hope for a competent new Minister for Education. I also discuss the significance of the new primary maths curriculum, the extension of the primary language curriculum to include foreign languages, and the importance of embracing teacher diversity. I conclude with a call to return the focus of education to pedagogy rather than reducing schools to childminding services.

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:33 Reflecting on 2024 and Looking Ahead

01:48 Special Education: Challenges and Hopes

07:06 The Exciting Future of Technology in Education

13:04 The Patronage System in Schools

18:11 Hopes for a New Minister of Education

20:36 The Shift from Twitter to Instagram for Educators

25:03 Social Media Exodus: From Twitter to Instagram

26:13 New Primary Maths Curriculum: Hopeful Changes

28:48 School Meals Program: Pros and Cons

34:49 Primary Language Curriculum: Modern Foreign Languages

36:19 Teacher Diversity and the Baptism Barrier

43:10 Looking Forward to 2025: A Call to Action

 If you have been listening to the first half of this episode where I covered the education stories from January to June, you'll notice that the first half of 2024 in schools was not exactly filled with hope. With special education slowly but surely been stripped away and the world falling apart with war. Could the second half of the year, bring some hope? Let see...

 If there's nothing else you can say about the Minister for Education, Norma Foley. When we look back at 2024, it's likely she will feature heavily. Whether it was her crisis opportunity during the general election campaign or her 9 million Euro phone pouches, in this episode, join me as I look back on a year where the Department of Education were more interested in smartphones than teacher shortages and where all of the problems in the education system seemed to be defended by throwing free school books and free school lunches at parents. So without further ado, let's review the year from January to June.