Left - Right; Manus McDyer, LM095 recipient Daire Burke, LM094 recipient Matthew Benn and Mark McKeever (Managing Director of Drenagh Sawmills) Congratulations to Daire Burke and Matthew Benn on receiving the inaugural ‘Outstanding Student Achievement Award in PN4021 sponsored by Drenagh Sawmills’. Recipient students and staff from the School of Education enjoyed a field trip to Limavady in Co. Derry to visit Drenagh Sawmills. The hosts kindly facilitated a tour of their facilities … Continue reading Outstanding Student Achievement Award Recipients’ Visit to Drenagh Sawmills
Meet the Researcher
My name is Catherine Daly and I am a PhD student on the Educational Leadership programme at the University of Limerick. I currently teach in a post-primary setting, specialising in Home Economics, and I am a member of the middle leadership team as Programme Coordinator. My professional background in teaching and leadership has strongly shaped my academic interests, particularly in the areas of … Continue reading Meet the Researcher
Have the goals of the Framework for Junior Cycle been achieved – what is working and what needs to be done?
Over the past decade, Ireland’s Junior Cycle has undergone one of the most significant curriculum reforms in a generation. A major four-year national research study by a team of researchers from the University of Limerick led by Prof Oliver McGarr, Dr. Orla McCormack and Dr John O’Reilly at the University of Limerick, has examined how these changes have been … Continue reading Have the goals of the Framework for Junior Cycle been achieved – what is working and what needs to be done?
New Report: Bonus Territory: The Shifting Landscape of Higher-Level Senior Cycle Mathematics (2010-2024)
By Niamh O’Meara, Associate Professor, School of Education. Summary points The Bonus Point Initiative (BPI) significantly increased higher-level maths participation, but most students are motivated by external rewards rather than genuine interest or deep learning. Teachers report major challenges, including a wider range of abilities in higher-level classes, students persisting at an unsuitable level, and … Continue reading New Report: Bonus Territory: The Shifting Landscape of Higher-Level Senior Cycle Mathematics (2010-2024)
Barriers to Sports Participation for Children with Additional Needs Through an Inclusive Leadership Lens
By Kevin Dineen, a first-year PhD student on the Educational Leadership programme, School of Education. Key summary points: Inclusive leadership transforms school experiences by ensuring children with additional needs can participate fully in sports and activities rather than watching from the sidelines. Barriers—physical, instructional and social—can be removed when leaders prioritise creativity, planning, professional development and a culture of belonging. Meaningful inclusion enriches the whole school … Continue reading Barriers to Sports Participation for Children with Additional Needs Through an Inclusive Leadership Lens
The importance of fiction and ‘as if’ assumptions for teachers.
By Raymond Lynch, Jennifer Hennessy and Merrilyn Goos Summary points: There is often a reluctance within teacher education to acknowledge the essential role that fiction plays in learning and teaching. Fictitious, ‘as if’ philosophies are foundational to constructivist learning theories and underpin much contemporary educational practices but do not always receive appropriate recognition. Drawing on Hans Vaihinger philosophy of ‘As If’, our recently published paper attempts to “elevate the place of fictions within teacher … Continue reading The importance of fiction and ‘as if’ assumptions for teachers.
The Reflective Teacher (Educator): Beginning with the Self
By Joanne O'Flaherty Ubuntu Network | A Centre of Excellence in GCE (On behalf of Tracy Galvin, Brighid Golden, Mary Fitzgerald, Cassandra Iannucci, & Dylan Scanlon). Summary points: Self awareness is the foundation of critical Global Citizenship Education, enabling educators to recognize their assumptions, emotions, and positionality before guiding students to question injustice. Relational, well facilitated communities of practice create the conditions … Continue reading The Reflective Teacher (Educator): Beginning with the Self
Adding Flame to the Torch: Why Teachers’ Positionality Matters in Curriculum Development
By Niall Mulpeter, Joanne O’Flaherty and Orla McCormack Summary points: Teachers are essential to meaningful curriculum development because they hold unique, integrative knowledge of learners, classrooms, subject matter, and context. Structural barriers such as limited time, workload pressures, and challenges with online collaboration restricted teachers’ ability to engage deeply. The study shows teachers contributed significantly to this study by refining … Continue reading Adding Flame to the Torch: Why Teachers’ Positionality Matters in Curriculum Development
What We Learned About Teacher Well-Being and Diversity (And Why It Matters)
By Dr Timothy R.N. Murphy Image: The cover of the book edited by Timothy R.N. Murphy and Patricia Mannix McNamara titled ‘International Perspectives on Teacher Well-being and Diversity: Portals into Innovative Classroom Practice'. This book ‘can be a valuable source for both teachers, schoolheads, policymakers and researchers giving conceptual, practical and inspirational insights into how teacher … Continue reading What We Learned About Teacher Well-Being and Diversity (And Why It Matters)
The Heart of Leadership: An Exploration into the Role of Emotions in School Leadership
By Catherine Daly This article synthesises the rationale, methodology, findings, implications, and reflections arising from the study on the role of emotions in Irish post-primary school leadership. Drawing together empirical evidence and lived experiences of senior school leaders, the chapter situates emotional intelligence (EI) as a central and indispensable component of effective educational leadership. It highlights how emotions shape leadership … Continue reading The Heart of Leadership: An Exploration into the Role of Emotions in School Leadership