2012

Interdisciplinarity in Science – always good?

In the interviews I have been having with teachers for my research, a word has come up regularly: interdiscplinarity. Interdiscplinarity is seen by teachers as a way of dealing with an extensive curriculum and at the same time giving time to students to explore their...

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STEM or Science II

 On my last blog I wrote regarding the now famous acronym STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). STEM is used to envelop a myriad of disciplines, and it is now becoming a common word. Even STEM curricula are becoming common for second level students....

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STEM or Science I

Promoting Science to our younger generations is Key. This motto is now repeated throughout the world. Nevertheless,  not everyone is referring to or understanding the same when using this sentence. It is argued that if you say Science you are leaving behind important...

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A young scientist

In today’s blog I would like to share with you an insightful experience I had in one of the outreach initiatives I collaborated in the past few weeks. In this particular initiative, I was in a primary school with the Irish Seaweed Research Group, from NUIG. The idea...

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Principals’ negotiating skills sorely tested

For Principals and Guidance Counsellors working in Second Level Schools or Colleges of Further Education, the past six months have been the most traumatic and unsettling of their professional lives, due to the changes to teacher allocations in schools announced in the...

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Ireland International Conference on Education

After a long overdue absence due to preparing and presenting my research in a couple of conferences I’m back to blog writing. One of the conferences I presented in was the Irish International Conference on Education that went on for three days in Dublin last...

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Points of Comparison: Hamlet

‘A reader’s interest is often captured by a difficult relationship in a text.’ Leaving Certificate Ordinary Level 2011 B 1. (a) Relationships Q. Write about a difficult relationship in one of the three texts you have studied for your comparative course. Explain why...

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Do geniuses need school?

From time to time one hears the idea that geniuses don’t need school. It is a popular myth that sometimes gains new life. The last resurfacing I saw of this myth was with the more and more popular internet memes. I don’t know if the reader is aware but it is a form of...

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How not to win friends and influence people!

I remember writing to the Advertising Standards Authority regarding a radio ad for Ashfield College which I felt was dismissive of and seeking to undermine Transition Year (TY), a year that has enormous benefits for students by implying it was a wasted year and a...

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Identifying School Values in a Value for Money Environment

I notice a recent news item phenomenon where individuals from the world of business and politics are invited onto the stock exchange floor to ring the bell, thus indicating the start of a day’s trading. Once the bell is rung, the frantic activity of buying and selling...

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