In this episode, Phil Fox, Acting Director of The Teaching Council, is joined by Dr. Patrick Kirwan and Dr. Mary Moore, to discuss sustainability education in schools. The conversation focuses on practical steps that school communities can take to instil a growth mindset approach towards sustainability, education outdoors, empowering pupils to become agents of meaningful action, and much more. 

After a career in science as an epidemiologist, Patrick trained as a post-primary Science teacher. In 2021, Patrick founded the Irish Schools Sustainability Network, which brings together teachers and students from different schools to foster climate and nature conversations, to work on joint initiatives, share best practice, and push sustainability to the top of the educational agenda.

Mary Moore is a primary school teacher with a passion for all things science and sustainability. She is currently teaching third class in Clerihan N.S., Co. Tipperary, and is an active member of the Irish Schools Sustainability Network. 

To find out more about the ISSN, and find the resources mentioned in the podcast, see: https://www.issn.ie/ or connect on twitter @IrishSchSusty

In this episode, Phil Fox, Acting Director of The Teaching Council, is joined by Ann Marie Caulfield and Josephine Byrne, to explore their experiences of inclusive education in mainstream schools. 

Ann Marie has been a post-primary teacher since 1996. She is currently an assistant principal and the additional needs coordinator at St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Rush, Co. Dublin. 

Josephine has been a primary teacher since 1999. She is an assistant principal at St. Mary’s Primary School, Edenderry, Co. Offaly, where she currently teaches 1st Class. 

Inclusive teaching is ‘good teaching’. What is necessary for one pupil, can benefit all in the classroom. This podcast features practical advice for teachers seeking to enhance their inclusive practice. It reflects on the challenges and opportunities of true inclusivity, supporting pupils with additional needs in the transition from primary to post-primary; and much, much more. 

Podcast Disclaimer Notice: These recordings have been prepared by the Teaching Council for general information and discussion purposes. Any expression of viewpoints or opinions reflect the views of the individual speakers and are not necessarily those of the Teaching Council. 

This panel remembered and reflected on the past two years of the pandemic and reimagined the future of teaching and learning.

As we journey from what has been a huge global pandemic affecting not only schools but entire communities, a conversation on the FÉILTE 2022 theme Remembering, Reflecting and Reimagining is both timely and apt.

When schools were forced to close, the need for and the importance of collaboration within the entire education system became even more clear. During these extraordinary times, teachers, student teachers and schools rose to the challenge, demonstrating their ultimate professionalism along with creativity, compassion, and collaboration to ensure that learning for all continued.

While the pandemic posed many challenges across the education community, it has also resulted in new, exciting, and innovative practices, many of which we saw at FÉILTE 2020 and 2021. One obvious challenge was online teaching, where teachers faced decisions such as camera on or off during class time, most suitable platform to use, GDPR, broadband connectivity, student engagement and well-being, curriculum delivery and much more.

The pandemic highlighted another theme which our panel will drew on. Respect; for the teaching profession, and respect for the role that teachers play not only in the classroom but in the community. Teachers adapted admirably during the pandemic, and as former President of Ireland Mary Robinson at FÉILTE 2020 noted “every parent values teachers more now because they did their home schooling during the lockdown and learned how difficult it is to home-school well”.

Teachers now have an opportunity to remember teaching through the pandemic, both the good and not so welcome elements, and to reflect on what is important. There is now an opportunity to reflect and explore what has changed, what are the implications of these changes, what have we learned?

This panel remembered and reflected on the past two years and reimagine the future of teaching and learning.