Paula Lehane

When there’s just over 24 hours to get your #LAICon2025 proposals in! www.literacyireland.com/conference #edchatie #edusky #literacy #booksky

Thank you Emma!

📣LAI Presents: A Closer Look at Dyslexia - May 13th at 7pm #edchatie

Really looking forward to this one - what an incredible panel! 🙌

Please share with anyone who might be interested - registration 🔗: zoom.us/webinar/regi... #spéirghorm

The LAI is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is looking for photos, conference/symposia materials, or other mementos from the past 50 years of the RAI/LAI.

Do you have something to share? Or know someone who might?
Contact conference@literacyireland.com!
#edchatie

I will never not shout from the rooftops about the brilliance of my MEdLPP group, (dream staff room!) and the MEdLPP ✨. Log on this evening at 6pm to listen to 4 talented and passionate professionals share about their Master’s research findings #EdChatIe
dcu-ie.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Thank you Emma! Anything to make M50 traffic easier!!

Back to the future? Reflections from 25 years of empirical research on Leaving Certificate assessment in Ireland Post-primary students in Ireland are awarded the Leaving Certificate after passing the required assessments that occur in the final year of senior-cycle education. While planned changes have introd...

11/11 Our summary of the database can be found here in this @iesjournal.bsky.social article 📔 doi.org/10.1080/0332...

10/11 Want to dive deeper? The freely accessible database of studies is here:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

Researchers, teachers and policymakers can use this resource and share any missing or future work via the linked Google Form!

9/11 We think about this and more in the paper, but our main goal was to map existing research on LC assessment. We hope this serves as a 'go-to' resource, supporting others in their own investigations of the LC. 📚

8/11 🎯GenAI complicates AACs (and all of education!). Should we rethink AACs for all subjects? If schools must approve AACs, is that too much of a burden in an already stretched system? What research should be prioritised in order to truly help schools and the wider assessment system in this era?

7/11 Looking to the future, we would highlight two major research priorities:
🤔 We have very little research that would help us guide current assessment reform around AACs. e.g. what is the ‘ideal’ balance (if any) between AACs & exams? 20:80? 60:40? Would answering this question vary by subject?

6/11 🔍There are some interesting and unexpected insights from teachers involved in the LC2020 and LC2021 assessment process that need further unpacking in future research, particularly regarding their thoughts on if their role as assessors should be abandoned or expanded.

5/11 Until the ties between the LC, CAO, and third-level institutions are reimagined, openness to LC assessment reform will be limited. This emerged as a key finding across studies in all categories, whether they involved teachers, students, or parents. 🛠️

4/11 💡 Some studies explored the LC-CAO connection and examine alternative ways to support third-level selection and transition. Could these studies spark a research-informed discussion on how to potentially decouple the LC from third-level admissions? This is crucial because...

3/11 A notable focus on Maths & Science education in LC research likely reflects Ireland's economic priorities at the turn of the century. 📈 But what about other subjects? 🤔 There's still much to learn about teaching, learning, and assessment across the curriculum.

2/11 From the 107 studies that we gathered, we found 5 main areas of research:
1️⃣ Curriculum Development & Assessment Reform
2️⃣ Maths & Science Education
3️⃣ Fairness
4️⃣ Transition to Higher Education
5️⃣ Emergency Measures (for LC2020 and LC2021)

The findings reveal both insights & gaps.

Picture of the paper's abstract which reads: Post-primary students in Ireland are awarded the Leaving Certificate after passing the required assessments that occur inthe final year of senior-cycle education. While planned changeshave introduced incremental adjustments as to how assessment in this state-certified qualification is undertaken, recent unplanned events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated discussions on future assessment reforms. As we arrive at the centenary of the Leaving Certificate’s foundation, it seems timelyto review the empirical research that has been conducted on the assessment approaches that it currently uses. Taking the publication of the Commission on the Points System in 1999 as a starting point and using Arksey and O’Malley’s. (2005) six-step approach for scoping reviews, 107 publications up to 2024 were included in this study. Analysis and synthesis of the studies resulted in five broad research topics: Curriculum Development and Assessment Reform, Maths and Science Education, Fairness, Transition to Higher Education, and Emergency Measures. The results of this study highlight past researchand policy priorities as well as gaps within the existing literature. Itis hoped that the freely available database arising from this study will help to inform future research and policy agendas pertaining to Leaving Certificate assessment. The abstract's title is: Back to the future? Reflections from 25 years of empirical research on Leaving Certificate assessment in Ireland. It was written by Paula Lehane, Gillian O'Connor and Michael O'Leary

📢 New publication (from last month, yes, but still!)

A scoping review of research on assessment in Ireland’s Leaving Certificate (1999–2024)! 📚 With the LC's centenary approaching, now is the perfect time to take stock of the empirical research on LC assessment. 🧵👇1/11

Great evening at DCU @danwuori.bsky.social. The panel discussion reinforced the need for a shift in how ECEC is viewed within the Irish education system, calling for education for children under 5 to be valued just as much as for those over 5—along with the professional recognition of educators 👏🏼

Paula here (late...). I also did my undergrad in education and psychology. Taught in Dublin and now work in teacher education. I might add another recommendation here:
@emmaturner75.bsky.social has a lovely series of books on CogSci and its considerations for primary learners/schools. #EdChatIE

It was such a privilege to hear Prof. Ainscow (the first name on any reference list from my master's research!) and the panel discuss the past, present and future of inclusive education. I can't wait to see how the centre will grow and make a meaningful impact on Irish education. 🎒🎓🌟

#EdChatie on Bluesky All sessions on Monday evenings, 8:30–9:30 PM. Jan 13th: How can Ireland address its teacher recruitment and retention crisis? Host: @humphreyjones.bsky.social Jan 27th: AI in Irish education. Host: @john-hurley.bsky.social Feb 10th: Cognitive Science in Irish education. Host: @patjburke.bsky.social Feb 24th: Supporting additional needs in Irish schools: barriers and opportunities. Host: @trinagolden.bsky.social Mar 10th: Leadership in Irish schools: challenges and opportunities. Host: @joerolston.bsky.social Mar 24th: ESD in Ireland: the role of education in helping Ireland become climate leaders. Host: @codie1cory.bsky.social April 7th: Open to offers.

Session 4 of the revived #edchatie is on the hot topic of 'AI in Irish education', hosted by @john-hurley.bsky.social.

Monday evening, 8.30-9.30pm.

Tune in and take part in Ireland's liveliest educational conversation.

🎉 We are looking forward to welcoming registered guests to the DCU Centre for Inclusive Pedagogy launch. Details have been emailed to guests. We have a very exciting lineup of speakers 👇

@dcuioe.bsky.social @dublincityuni.bsky.social @dcuresearch.bsky.social

I am very excited about the launch of the DCU Centre for Inclusive Pedagogy on Monday, 27th January, @6pm - keynote by the eminent Prof Mel Ainscow.

Please join us! Register here: tinyurl.com/ycy6d85n

@dcuioe.bsky.social @dcuresearch.bsky.social

Further details below:

Next week, #edchatIE returns with a discussion on ‘How can Ireland address its teacher recruitment and retention crisis?’, hosted by yours truly. All welcome to join us here on @bsky.app, Monday January 13th from 8:30-9:30pm.

Abstract text: Intensive debate surrounds integration, pedagogy, and assessment in educational research. While these fundamental concepts have regularly been explored individually, they have rarely been considered in tandem with each other. Research (Burke & Lehane, 2023a, 2023b) to support the redevelopment of the Primary School Curriculum has highlighted a number of critical issues for their design and enactment, both individually and in concert. In this article, we chart the affordances and challenges of curriculum integration, highlighting principles that might inform its curricular and classroom implementation. The manifold perspectives on pedagogy are synthesised to highlight convergence and contradiction in the available literature. The crucial role of assessment in sustaining ongoing learning is outlined. In synthesising the literature from these areas, the article looks back and projects forwards, identifying meaningful innovations, potential issues and key implications for the coming period of curriculum reform.

What do we need to bear in mind as we move forward with a new Primary School Curriculum?

In a new article for the Irish Teachers' Journal, @paulalehane.bsky.social and I highlight key points from two research reports we published last year.

www.into.ie/app/uploads/...

#edchatie #edusky

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Blue sky with clouds, and hashtag edchatie in the middle.

Monday night: #edchatie Session 2 in the re-boot of discussions for everyone involved in Irish education.

8.30-9.30pm (preferred time from the survey).

Professional development for teachers in Ireland: opportunities & problems?

Nothing needed other than a Bluesky account!

Pls repost & join in

📣 Psssst!!! Teachers!! This one is for you👇

Happy to chat to anyone who is interested in the role! ☺️ www.dcu.ie/people/jobs #edchatie #jobfairy

A bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds scattered across it. The text '#edchatie' is prominently displayed in bold yellow in the center of the image.

#edchatie - Session 2:

Monday 16th December, 8.30-9.30pm

Professional development for teachers in Ireland: opportunities and problems?

host: @sccenglish.bsky.social

Pls repost

Lawsuit calls reading curriculum 'deceptive' and 'defective' A class-action lawsuit filed in Massachusetts claims that the educational publishing company Heinemann falsely advertised its products as “research-backed” and “data-based.”

A class action lawsuit is being taken against Heinemann for not including enough phonics in certain well-known literacy programmes.

This article has my head spinning. Trying to think of what an Irish equivalent would look like...
(1/3)
#edchatie

www.apmreports.org/story/2024/1...

Vote tomorrow, and then come on Monday evening to the first-ever #edchatie on Bluesky to say what you want in education from the new government.

Tune in at 7.30pm on Mon 2nd December.

Pass the word, and let others know this is a good reason for joining Bluesky...