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

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Orna Farrell and Prof Mark Brown about the EDEN Annual Conference 2023. We discuss the history of the EDEN community and its core values, before focusing on the annual conference 2023. Dr Farrell and Prof Brown provide an overview of the conference, including the overarching theme of hope. They detail how this was evident throughout the conference sessions and keynote speakers. Our conversation highlights the importance of community to the EDEN management committee and the ways in which this is fostered throughout the year. Dr Farrell and Prof Brown discuss the importance of positivity and action in an education landscape that is increasingly more connected with technology rather than a binary choice of digital vs face-to-face. EDEN’s strategic plan is also discussed, which focuses on developing leaders of the future.

You can find out more about the EDEN conference 2023 here: https://eden-europe.eu/event/eden-2023-annual-conference-in-dublin/

You can find out more about EDEN here: https://eden-europe.eu/

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Aoife Brennan. Dr Brennan is Head of School at the School of Inclusive and Special Education in the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. Aoife has spent many years researching the impact of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) on inclusive practice. Aoife begins this podcast by discussing the overall timeline of her research and how, from doctoral level, she has continued her investigations in this area. This episode first draws on Aoife’s recently published paper titled “Teachers’ experiences of transformative professional learning to narrow the values practice gap related to inclusive practice”. The paper stems from a desire to improve the confidence of teachers to meet the diversity of needs of all learners. The paper identifies PLCs as a tool for providing meaningful and transformative development in this area. The study showed that the PLC helped to enhance teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion, enhanced their efficacy, their ability to enact inclusive practices, and their collaboration with one another. When the study ended, questions arose, such as: does the impact last? how can we sustain the learning? A follow-on intervention found that a culture of collaboration had developed from the PLC, which lasted over time. The second part of the episode focuses on Aoife’s current research project which broadens out the scope of the PLC, bringing in new schools (including primary and post-primary) and participation from a wider range of staff (e.g. SNAs). This project, funded by the Teaching Council, found that teachers viewed PLCs were a safe space that facilitated collaboration and collegial support around problems of practice. Finally, Aoife speaks about an upcoming comparative study which examines the links between face-to-face and online professional learning communities.

You can read Dr Brennan’s paper titled: “Teachers’ experiences of transformative professional learning to narrow the values practice gap related to inclusive practice” here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0305764X.2021.1965092

To find out more about Dr Brennan and her work, you can view her academic profile here: https://www.dcu.ie/inclusiveandspecialeducation/people/aoife-brennan

You can also find Aoife on Twitter @aoifebren123

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with members of the CASTeL research centre about their conference ‘STEM Education in Ireland: Spotlight on Research Impact and Practice’, which took place on Thursday the 25th of May 2023. CASTeL is Ireland’s largest research centre in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. Centre Director, Dr Clíona Murphy began by providing an overview of the CASTeL centre and its mission, followed by an introduction to the themes of the conference - how they emerged, and their importance to the CASTeL centre. She also highlights the innovative, collaborative approach used in the development and presentation of these themes at the conference. Dr Aisling Twohill provided an overview of the conference theme ‘STEM education and global challenges’. Aisling talks about the importance of preparing students for the future and the need to tackle global challenges such as climate change, fake news, migrating populations, and inequality. STEM education will play a crucial role in supporting students design solutions to these problems. Dr Paul van Kampen provided an overview of the conference theme ‘STE and M education: context and tool or inseparable’. The purpose of this theme was to question the relationship between mathematics and the other STEM areas. On one end of the spectrum we can view mathematics as a tool for science, technology and engineering, on the other, everything is integrated. Dr Paul Grimes provided an overview of the conference theme ‘STEM education research for impact’. This theme focused on the different types of impact that can be achieved by education and researchers in the STEM field - including publications, impacting children's perceptions of science, and raising critical questions. Finally, Dr Gillian Roehrig talks about the key global challenges facing STEM education and the importance of sharing practice and the development of a common goal for STEM education.

You can find out more about the CASTeL and their conference here: https://castel.ie/

You can also find out more about the contributors: Dr Clíona Murphy @clionamurph, Dr Aisling Twohill @aistwo, Dr Paul Van Kampen @PaulvanKampen, Paul Grimes @grimesp3, and Prof Gillian Roehrig @ghroehrig

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Alan Gorman from the School of Policy and Practice at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. Alan works across a range of areas including teaching methodologies, research methods, and policy analysis. He is the leader of the “Teacher Education and Professional Learning” Area of Professional Focus on the Institute of Education’s Professional Doctorate programme. Dr Gorman discusses his recently published article titled “Partnership or Prescription: a critical discourse analysis of HEI-school partnership policy in the Republic of Ireland.” During our conversation, Alan speaks about his interest in policy analysis and how policy frameworks are applied in educational research. This has particular resonance for Alan through his work on school placement and how policy impacts the relationship between HEIs and Schools involved in initial teacher education. The drive for the study was to analyse how teacher education policy impacts how HEIs, schools, and teachers participate in teacher education. The paper looks at the approaches taken by the Teaching Council in communicating with the various stakeholders. The paper finds that there was a marked difference in the language used for HEIs and that used for schools. The language in policy comes through as ‘managerial and direct’ to HEIs but ‘asking’ of schools. One of the issues raised by Alan in the podcast and in his paper is that treating partners differently in how they are addressed in policy, leads to challenges in creating and maintaining ongoing partnerships between the various stakeholders.

You can read Dr Gorman’s paper titled “Partnership or Prescription: a critical discourse analysis of HEI-school partnership policy in the Republic of Ireland” here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1359866X.2023.2177139

To find out more about Dr Gorman and his work, you can view his academic profile here: https://www.dcu.ie/policy-and-practice/people/alan-gorman

You can also find Alan on Twitter @alangorman22

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Eamon Costello from the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global studies at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. Eamon is Associate Professor of Digital Learning, working across a range of teacher education and professional programmes in the faculty. Before joining the Institute of Education, he worked in DCU’s open education unit - DCU connect - working with online learners across a range of programmes. Dr Costello gives listeners an overview of his recently published article on ChatGPT and educational AI, a topic of great interest and debate in recent times. Dr Costello takes a unique stance on the subject, drawing on philosophy to unpack the seemingly unending chatter we hear about topics and how these ‘non-truths’ gain attention through persistent talking. It only matters who is talking, rather than what they are saying. Dr Costello’s article picks up this discussion in relation to ChatGPT and AI in education. He argues that we have been here before in relation to EdTech and cautions against the dangers of this kind of hyperbole. Eamon’s contribution to the debate is to argue for clarity in the area, allowing time for reflection. Eamon provides a critique of studies on AI in Education, arguing that many are driven from the perspective of the developers and that different perspectives need to be drawn into the conversation. Finally, Eamon talks about the importance of Computer Science as a discipline in order to develop teacher and student skills in relation to the construction and deconstruction of AI and its implications.

You can read Dr Costello’s paper titled: “ChatGPT and the Educational AI Chatter: Full of Bullshit

You can read Dr Colette Kirwan’s paper titled: “ADAPTTER: Developing a Framework for Teaching Computational Thinking in Second-Level Schools by Design Research” here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11528-022-00735-8

To find out more about Dr Costello and his work, you can view his academic profile here: https://www.dcu.ie/stemeducationinnovationglobalstudies/people/eamon-costello

You can also find Eamon on Twitter @eam0

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Neil Kenny from the School of Inclusive and Special Education at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. He is Programme Chair of the Master of Education and Autism, which is a programme for teachers working with autistic students. Before joining DCU, Dr Kenny worked in Teacher Education in the University of Limerick. Dr Kenny gives listeners an overview of his recently published paper titled ‘Transformative Inclusion: Differentiating Qualitative Research Methods to Support Participation for Individuals With Complex Communication or Cognitive Profiles’. The overarching issue the paper addresses is inclusivity and collaborative research involving people from different backgrounds and with different motivations or intentions. The idea for the paper emerged from Dr Kenny’s experience using qualitative research methods in inclusive education research. The field has moved towards capturing qualitative data from a variety of participants, including those with different communication profiles such as those with neurodevelopmental differences. However, many researchers spend much of their time adapting these qualitative methods to suit their audiences. Neil and his colleagues set out to address this gap by outlining their approach to adapting research methods to suit participants from a variety of contexts, with diverse profiles. The paper begins by outlining the implications of the current situation, for example the challenges for individuals with intellectual disabilities or complex neurodevelopmental conditions providing their views and experiences using traditional qualitative tools. The paper then draws on existing literature and practical experience to present readers with a framework to guide researchers in the use of qualitative methods with diverse populations. Dr Kenny is keen to collaborate with colleagues in the area both nationally and internationally. He also launched a website for the Accessible and Collaborative Research Network (ACORN) to encourage collaboration in this domain.

ACORN website is available here: https://sites.google.com/dcu.ie/acrn/home

You can read Dr Kenny’s paper titled “Transformative Inclusion: Differentiating Qualitative Research Methods, with Dr Neil Kenny” here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/16094069221146992

To find out more about Dr Kenny and his work, you can view his academic profile here: https://www.dcu.ie/inclusive-and-special-education/people/neil-kenny

You can also find Neil on Twitter @NeilKenny0

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Orna Farrell from the School of Policy and Practice at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. Dr Farrell has been with DCU for eight years, working in the area of online education, with a particular focus on supporting mature students studying online, and academics in developing online learning materials. Over the years, her interest in learning design has grown, and her research focuses on the various tools and techniques that can be applied in online settings. Dr Farrell begins by introducing listeners to the digital learning design unit in Dublin City University, providing an overview of its main mission - preparing academics to teach online during Covid-19. She provides an account of the development of this initiative, including the focus on professional development and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The intervention combined theory, small group workshops, and technical tasks, which allowed staff to practice skills in a safe and supportive environment. As part of the initiative, Dr Farrell and colleagues reviewed staff Loop pages using a version of Quality Matters (an evaluation framework), and identified areas of development so that support could be individually targeted. While staff were initially sensitive about sharing their practice, the result was more tailored advice and not a ‘one size fits all’ approach. One of the major impacts of the project is the creation of a permanent digital studio in the university called “DCU studio”. Digital competence has increased due to the initiative and staff have had the opportunity to reflect on the different modes of learning available to them. Key findings of the paper include the value of Learning Design for institutions, not just in investigating online learning but learning in general. Learning Design is a profession that is not well understood in higher education institutions. There is a need to invest in learning designers and promote the value of the work they do. Dr Farrell’s study argues that on-demand, tailored learning is more impactful, helping to build confidence and competence. Dr Farrell is keen to connect with other learning designers and gather their experiences during Covid-19 and more generally.

You can read Dr Farrell’s paper titled ‘Learning Design in the Time of COVID-19: The Digital Learning Design Unit Story’ here: https://openpraxis.org/articles/10.55982/openpraxis.14.2.485/

To find out more about Dr Farrell and her work, you can view her academic profile here: https://www.dcu.ie/policyandpractice/people/orna-farrell

You can also find her on Twitter @orna_farrell

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Dr Maurice OReilly from the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University. Dr OReilly, who has been working in Education for over 40 years, is a mathematics educator and researcher with a special interest in the history of mathematics and mathematics education. Dr OReilly begins by introducing listeners to the Edward Worth library, its founder, location, and history. Following this, he speaks about an innovative research project undertaken by his students. Students began by visiting the library to get a sense of the history of the place and its founder. Students then selected a book and undertook to write about its author, its content, and its context. In collaboration with the Edward Worth library librarian, the students' work was migrated to an online exhibition which exposed the contents of the library to a wider audience. Dr OReilly speaks about the successes and challenges in engaging students in this approach, revealing a real sense of enjoyment experienced by students. Students, while initially intimidated, spoke about moving into a different space in learning about mathematics. Participating in the project allowed them to view mathematics and, in particular mathematicians, in a different light. Dr OReilly is interested in working with communities in Ireland and internationally.

You can find out more about the project on the Edward Worth library website: https://mathematics.edwardworthlibrary.ie/and in Dr OReilly’s conference presentation: https://skriftserien.oslomet.no/index.php/skriftserien/article/view/664