On this week's podcast I speak to Professor Etta Hollins from the University of Missouri-Kansas City about teacher education and the role of the teacher. Among the topics we discussed are: Why observation is key to good teaching practice and learning to teach The need to be observing, documenting and analysing classroom practice from early in a student teacher’s course How the influence of theorists like Jerome Bruner and John Dewey can be seen in classroom practice Directed observation – how the subject you're studying narrows your focus of observation She gives an example of how a student t ..read more

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I speak to the President (Damian White), Deputy President (Brian O'Doherty) and Chief Executive Officer (Páiric Clerkin) of the Irish Primary Principals' Network at the annual conference of the Network. The IPPN is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Among the topics we discuss are the following: Damian White Workload and making the job of principal more sustainable into the future The PIEW model: Prioritise, Implement, Embed, Wait. Prioritising initiatives in a school. Refers to the Looking at our Schools document. Identi ..read more

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's programme I speak to Professor Mark Morgan from Dublin City University about psychology, education, his career and his thoughts on education. Among the topics we discuss are the following: How he became interested in psychology as a student teacher in St. Patrick’s College Being taught by John McNamara (who was known for his study of bilingualism) Completing postgraduate studies in London Being appointed as lecturer in St. Patrick’s College Having Albert Bandura as a tutor when offered a fellowship at Stanford University The idea of self e ..read more

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I am joined by author Dave Rudden who created the Knights of the Borrowed Dark trilogy. Dave talks about his own writing, about teaching writing to adults and children and he discusses the bullying that was a feature of his life in post-primary school. The specific topics discussed on the podcast are: How he began writing Knights of the Borrowed Dark as a college assignment The premise of the series Who the audience for the books is His experience in the classroom and what attracts him to writing His school visits His writing pract ..read more

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. This week's podcast is a solo episode in which I riff on the topic of homework. Your feedback and thoughts on the topic and on the podcast are welcome as always. Among the topics mentioned on the podcast are the following: Is time spent on school homework a good return on investment? Overview of podcast Why teachers give homework The Goldilocks principle and setting tasks for students, both in class and for homework Why research on homework can be problematic Lessons from research that can help children benefit from doing homework The “Matthew Effect” i ..read more

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's podcast I bring you interviews from students, teachers and organisers who attended the National Finals of Scifest 2019 in Marino Institute of Education on Friday, 22 November. Among the guests I speak to are the following: Sheila Porter, the founder and CEO of Scifest Aideen Hodgins from TU Dublin – Blanchardstown Students Ella, Eva and Willemijn from Loreto Balbriggan Students Caomhán Budhlaeir and Illann Wall from Presentation Brothers’ College, Cork Teacher Kristina Troy from Kishoge Community College Overall Winner Timothy McGrath fro ..read more

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney. On this week's programme I bring you an interview with Liam Murray who is secretary of Ficheall, a network of teachers around Ireland who teach chess in primary school. Among the topics discussed and the resources mentioned are the following: Is chess a curricular or extra-curricular activity? What students learn from playing chess: developing their social, cognitive and mental fitness skills How he organises chess teaching in his own classroom, using the lesson plans on the website and adopting a “(mini-) game-based” approach Organising a school chess ..read more

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I speak to Professor Nell Duke from the University of Michigan School of Education about literacy education and project-based instruction. Professor Duke was a keynote speaker at the 43rd Annual Conference of the Literacy Association of Ireland. Among the wide range of topics we discuss on the podcast and the resources mentioned are the following:   The role of project-based literacy in promoting reading and writing development The importance of purpose and audience for children’s writing Sources of project ideas: Edutopia, PB ..read more

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney This week on the podcast I speak to Michael Moriarty, who has been leading in education and other sectors for a number of decades, as a teacher, a principal, Head of Education and Training Boards Ireland and as CEO of a local radio station. His new book, Every Leader's Reality Guide: Strategies to Release Your True Leadership Potential has been released and it distills the lessons about leading that Michael learned through mentorship, training and self-reflection on his various roles. Among the topics we discuss on the podcast are the following: How lead ..read more

Presented and produced by Seán Delaney On this week's podcast I discuss several matters related to teacher education with Professor Ian Menter from Oxford University's Department of Education. The topics we discuss are the following: The Teacher Education Groups study of teacher education policy across the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. How England is an outlier in attempts to weaken the link between universities and schools in teacher education. Work he’s doing in Ireland with the National Institute for Studies in Education (NISE) based on collaboration a ..read more