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News and events 2007 - 2009
Congratulations!
Friday 22nd May 2009
Congratulations go to Ms Sinead Fitzgerald (Postgraduate Diploma in Education student 08-09). Sinead is the lucky winner of an Apple iPod Nano. Her name was drawn out of a hat containing all the names of students who had participated in an end of year, PGDE Course Evaluation survey.
Sinead is seen here being presented with her iPod Nano by Mr Tom Callanan of GalMac Computers Ltd. Galway, (Apple suppliers) who very kindly sponsored the prize. Also in the photo is Dr Veronica McCauley, Course Director, Postgraduate Diploma in Education.
Learning to Teach for Social Justice Event
Wednesday 22nd April 2009
The School of Education, NUI Galway and the Galway Traveller Movement recently held a celebration of PGDE students' service learning work (Service Learning Unit: "Pavee Study" Homework Club). The event consisted of brief presentations from PGDE students, the GTM and the School of Education. In addition to a display of posters and other project materials, there was also a presentation of certificates by the Registrar, Prof. Jim Ward, to the service learners.
This launch features in the latest edition of "Education Matters", please click on link below to see copy of article:
http://www.educationmatters.ie/2009/04/28/student-teachers-committed-to-social-justice/
Virtual Technology Stimulates Children’s Interest in the Natural World
Friday 23rd May 2008
A glimpse of ’Rua’ the fox from Brigit’s Virtual Garden which is being launched by NUI Galway on 28 May at the real life Brigit’s Garden, in Rosscahill, Co. Galway.
Science and nature education in the classroom moves into virtual territory with the launch of
Brigit’s Virtual Garden by NUI Galway. The habitats and features of local visitor attraction, Brigit’s Garden, have been digitally recreated in a 3D virtual space. The first public demonstration of the interactive
Brigit’s Virtual Garden takes place on Wednesday, 28 May, at 3pm in Brigit’s Garden, Rosscahill, Co. Galway.
Brigit’s Virtual Garden is an educational tool, alive with virtual versions of the insects and plants of the ’real’ garden. The user navigates the virtual space by controlling the movements of ’Rua’ the fox who takes them on an interactive tour of the 3D garden.
The virtual garden was designed as part of a project called the Digital Hedge School (DHS), which is a collaborative effort between Brigit’s Garden and several partners from NUI Galway including the Environmental Change Institute (ECI), the Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI), and the Education Department. The DHS project team have been working together for two years to create intergenerational programmes for primary, secondary, and third level students, by exploring the potential of novel technologies to enhance children’s environmental education.
This year’s participants in the DHS project were 4th and 5th class students from St. Patrick’s National School, and transition year students from the Presentation Secondary School. Students from both the Galway City schools completed an eight-week training programme in environmental peer education.
The students involved in the Digital Hedge School Project spent time in Brigit’s Garden taking digital photographs and drawings insects, water bugs, flowers and trees. The students were then shown how to upload their work into the virtual garden. Access to
Brigit’s Virtual Garden will be available to teachers involved in the project, for use in the classroom as a tool for supporting the educational experience of students visiting Brigit’s Garden.
“Incorporating technology into environmental education is the way forward in terms of relating to younger generations”, says Professor Gerard Jennings, Director of the Environmental Change Institute at NUI Galway. “The creators of
Brigit’s Virtual Garden have been very successful in providing a technology that stimulates children’s interest in the natural environment and encourages them to step outside the classroom and explore the world around them.”
The collaborators look forward to celebrating the success of the hard work of all of the students involved at the launch of
Brigit’s Virtual Garden, which is free and open to all. For more information on the project or the launch event please contact Dr. Sarah Knight, Outreach Officer for the Environmental Change Institute, on 091 495061.
Author:
Press Office, NUI Galway
Congratulations!
Sunday 18th May 2008
David Hand of the Mountain Climb Running Association, congratulating Michelle Healy on completion of a sponsored run,the Cruchan 5 mile mountain climb, in aid of The HIV/AIDS Global Awareness Programme, on May 18th 2008
Congratulations to Michelle Healy, a PGDE student, who was one of just four people nationally selected to participate in the Global Awareness Programme with EIL. Michelle will travel to Nigeria and take part in the HIV/AIDS awareness programme for July and August. EIL is a Cork-based Intercultural Learning organisation and the four people chosen for the 2008 programme will attend training on HIV & AIDS issues in Ireland, volunteer for 8 weeks in a key HIV & AIDS organisation in South Africa or Nigeria and plan and implement an awareness raising campaign around HIV & AIDS on their return to Ireland. Click on http://www.eilireland.org/ for more details.
Launch of Industry Awards for Science Teaching Excellence at ISTA and ASE common conference Letterkenny, April 2008.
Friday 11th April 2008
The 46 th Irish Science Teachers’ Association’s (ISTA) annual conference/AGM was co-hosted this year with the Association for Science Education (ASE) from Northern Ireland in Letterkenny, Co Donegal from the 11 th –13 th of April. The exhibitions, workshops and lectures were held in the Letterkenny Institute of Technology.
At this year’s conference, PharmaChemical Ireland launched the Industry Awards for Science Teaching Excellence. These awards were given to 16 student teachers who graduated from the education colleges of UCC, UCD, TCD, DCU, UL, NUIM and NUIG in 2007. The award winners were announced by Dr. James Ring, Education Executive for PharmaChemical Ireland and were presented by Karla Lawless, President of the ISTA council, during the Association’s dinner. The awards consisted of 10 years membership of the ISTA, an LCD projector for each teacher and a cash prize of €900. The two PGDE students from NUIG were Deirdre King from the physical sciences and Dearbhla Nolan from the biological sciences. Deirdre is teaching at the Dominican College in Taylor’s Hill, Galway and Dearbhla is teaching at the Patrician Brothers Secondary school in Newbridge, Co Kildare.
An overall winner was decided on the night, who would be awarded a further €3000, consisting of €1000 cash, a laptop and a lifetime membership of the ISTA. The winner was Fiona Rooney from NUIM who is teaching at the Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen, Co Kildare. The Science Educator of the Year award was presented by Dr Oliver Ryan (retired lecturer of the Education Department, NUIG) to Yvonne Higgins.
Dearbhla Nolan, winner of one of the Industry Awards for Science Teaching, from the 2006-07 PGDE cohort at NUIG.
From left to right.
Back Row: 10 winners of the Inaugural Industry Awards for Science Teaching
Front Row: Karla Lawless, ISTA President; Dr James Ring, Education Executive for PharmaChemical Ireland; Fiona Rooney, overall award winner; Seamus Donnelly, ISTA chairman.
Pavee Study
(from an article as appeared in the Tuam Herald, Thursday, April 24th 2008)
Service-Learning within the Postgraduate Diploma in Education: A Galway Traveller Movement and School of Education, NUI Galway Collaborative Project.
Pictured: L-R
Breda McDonagh (Galway Traveller Movement), Christina Leonard (PGDE Student and "Pavee Study" Volunteer Tutor), Elaine Keane (Lecturer & Deputy Director PGDE, School of Education, NUI Galway), Áine Lee (PGDE Student and "Pavee Study" Volunteer Tutor), Ciara Bradley (Community Development Facilitator, Galway Traveller Movement), and Debbie McDonagh (Leaving Certificate Student, Jesus & Mary Secondary School, Galway (Salerno, and "Pavee Study" participant)
As an optional part of their Education & Society foundation course, 42 Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) (former Higher Diploma in Education) students in the School of Education at NUI Galway registered their interest in service-learning and volunteering with the ALIVE programme in September 2007, and many subsequently went on to participate in such work with numerous community and other non-governmental organisations throughout the country.
One example is "Pavee Study". In 2007, the Galway Traveller Movement (GTM) and the School of Education at NUI Galway collaboratively set up "Pavee Study", a homework club managed, facilitated and supervised by Traveller parents. In its pilot year, it has run four nights per week in the GTM offices. General academic support, together with subject-specific homework support and tuition is provided free of charge to thirteen post-primary Traveller students from schools throughout Galway city, including the Presentation Secondary School, Salerno Secondary School, Coláiste Einde, and St. Mary’s College.
"I now feel happier going to school because I'm able to keep up with the rest of the class and my homework is always done. I would like to act as a role model for other young Travellers to finish school," said Debbie McDonagh, Leaving Certificate student (pictured)
Twenty-two voluntary tutors work with the students. Ten are NUI Galway PGDE students, two of whom (Christina and Áine) are pictured.
The GTM and the School of Education, NUI Galway are also collaboratively developing a workshop aimed at post-primary teachers and other educationalists. The workshop seeks to highlight the experiences of Traveller students in the post-primary education system, and, through dialogue with the educational partners, to explore ways of improving the rate of Traveller participation and achievement. The workshop was recently piloted in the Galway Education Centre, Cluain Mhuire, as part of Intercultural and Anti-racism week (7 th-14 th April), the theme of which, for 2008, was education.
The workshop consists of a short, innovative, drama piece developed by Traveller parents, tracing the struggles of a Traveller student trying to cope with the demands of school, and examining the situation from the perspectives of the key players; the student, the parent, the teacher and the school principal. Following the drama piece, workshop participants engage in active group-work to examine the experiences, role and actions of each of the players and to consider potential solutions. Finally, a whole-group facilitated discussion of key issues emerging takes place. The approach throughout is interactive and participatory.
The pilot delivery of the workshop was facilitated by Hannagh McGinley, a Traveller and ex-post-primary teacher.
"As a Traveller and an ex-teacher, I have experienced the education system from both perspectives. I recognise the challenges that teachers can face but these fade in comparison with the difficulties a child experiences," says Hannagh McGinley.
52 participants attended including post-primary principals and teachers, Traveller parents, educational welfare officers, higher education lecturers, NUI Galway PGDE students and youth workers. Feedback from participants was extremely positive, and the GTM and the School of Education at NUI Galway plan to further develop the workshop in collaboration with local schools in the coming year.
The event in Galway Education Centre also featured the launch of the report “Inclusion of Travellers in Education” (a joint initiative of the GTM and ITM) and a photographic exhibition from both the Pavee Study Homework Club, and the Carrowbrowne After-School Project.
Both the GTM and the School of Education feel that it is vital that Travellers don’t get lost in the current important focus upon interculturalism in both society and education. Work is in progress to further develop both the “Pavee Study” and workshop elements of this project, with a particular emphasis on examining ways of ensuring its long-term sustainability. This will include an exploration of potential funding sources.
For further details, contact Elaine Keane, School of Education, NUI Galway - Tel.: 091 493032 or email
elaine.keane
nuigalway.ie or Margaret O’Riada, Galway Traveller Movement – Tel.: 091 765390 or email
margaretgtmtrav.ie
Official launch of new Apple iPedagogy Learning Environment (AiPLE) - Timpeallacht Foghlama Teagasc iPod
Tuesday 4th March 2008
The AiPLE, NUI Galway is the first university-based Apple Regional Training Centre in Ireland, promoting excellence in educational technology and pedagogical research, and the creative application of ICT in teaching.
The new centre will provide innovative pre-service ICT skills development for teachers in the School of Education’s initial teacher education programmes: the Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Dioplóma Iarchéime san Oideachas and the new B.A. in Mathematics and Education.
The centre will also support teachers’ in-service ICT skills development in the Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Educational Studies, Postgraduate Diploma in Special Education Needs, and Master of Education.
In addition to supporting NUIG's concurrent and consecutive teacher education programmes, the AiPLE will also enhance the School of Education and NUIG's profile in educational research and the learning sciences.
The new AiPLE centre was made possible by seed funding from NUIG’s Millennium Fund, and matching funding support from Apple Ireland and Professor Kevin Barry, Dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies, who also performed the official launch in the School of Education.
REGENERATIVE MEDICINE INSTITUTE (REMEDI) DEBATE
May 2007
Dr Veronica McCauley, lecturer in Science Teaching here in the Education Department was a member of the judging panel (on left) at the recent Regenerative Medicine Institute (NUIG) debating competition.
Dr Veronica McCauley (back row on right) with members of the judging panel and the winners of the recent Regenerative Medicine Institute (NUIG) debating competition.
FADÓ FADÓ
Wednesday 2nd May 2007
The new AiPLE centre was recently featured on RTE's Nationwide programme, as part of our collaborative FADÓ FADÓ (digital oral history project) with Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) and local schools, see link below:
National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
Phone: +353 (0)91 492195 Fax: +353 (0)91 494538,
E-mail: education
nuigalway.ie
This page was last updated Thursday, January 20, 2011