research seminar series events 2011 - 2012

General information on the research seminar series

The School of Education, NUI Galway annual Research Seminar Series (RSS) consists of a number of seminars linked to our five research themes ( http://www.nuigalway.ie/education/research/themes_projects.html).  Each RSS event is linked to a specific research theme, and provides a forum for the presentation and discussion of ongoing research work within the School. In addition, at each event, an external speaker, related to the specific theme, is invited to present on their work in the area.  The RSS events are open to anyone who wishes to attend.  The venue is the Education Building (Block D).

See below for event listings. 

'leading learning': educative school - university partnerships by professor lori beckett, leeds metropolitan university

May 2012

The School of Education, NUI Galway, held a Research Seminar Series (RSS) event on Monday 14th May 2012.  

The presentation was given by guest speaker, Professor Lori Beckett, who is the Winifred Mercier Professor of Teacher Education at Leeds Metropolitan University, having been recruited from Australia in 2005.  Initially trained as a secondary health and physical education teacher, Lori has been working in the field of education for over thirty years, in schools, in post-graduate studies, in the public education lobby, and in teacher education in Australia and for the last seven years in England.

The presentation was for stakeholders in schools, particularly teachers and academic partners, and discussed the potential for meaningful partnerships that serve an educative purpose: developing and mobilising teachers’ knowledge about what needs to be done to improve the academic and social learning outcomes of all groups of students.  It began with a sketch of what partnerships can offer, notably a locally developed infrastructure of support which is crucial in this era of austerity and budget cut-backs.  It continued with an illustration of partnerships for school improvement and ways this might sit with government expectations and the pressures currently being exerted and experienced.  The presentation offered some suggestions for working strategically to build a local model of partnership that is well positioned to develop responsive CPD programmes for school Heads, teachers and allied agency workers, and illustrated this with working examples from Australia and England. 

The photo shows Dr Manuela Heinz, Director of Teaching Practice (PDE), guest speaker Prof. Lori Beckett and Dr Mary Fleming, Director of  the PDE 

For further information, please contact Dr Mary Fleming (email  mary.flemingnuigalway.ie  ) or Dr Manuela Heinz (email  manuela.heinznuigalway.ie ) or Dr Elaine Keane ( email elaine.keanenuigalway.ie ). 

Postgraduate Research Seminar

April 2012

The School of Education, NUI Galway, held a Research Seminar Series (RSS) event on Saturday, 28 April 2012 and was dedicated to Postgraduate Research undertaken within the School.

Presentations were made by our current PhD and MLitt students.  Former NUI Galway, Master of Education students also shared their findings and their learning.  The audience consisted of both current and past Master of Education students, School of Education staff, and members of the wider educational community.

The photo shows Prof. Chris Curtin, Head of the School of Education & Vice President for Innovation and Performance and Dr Elaine Keane, welcoming everyone to the event.

If you would like further details on this event, or information about future events, please contact Dr. Elaine Keane
(email to elaine.keanenuigalway.ie) .

Promoting Innovation in mathematics and science education

January 2012

The School of Education, NUI Galway held a special lunchtime seminar, 'Promoting Innovation in Mathematics and Science Education' on 25th January 2012.

This event focused on sharing and discussing current research and professional projects related to innovation in science and mathematics education and featured a presentation and discussion session with Dr. Gail Burrill, Michigan State University.

Dr. Gail Burrill is a former President of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and has been involved with developing national standards for mathematics education in the United States. She has been recognised for her contributions to the field of mathematics education through both research and teaching and is the author of a number of books and articles on statistics and mathematics education.
In addition to the feature session, the event offered presentations from members of the School of Education focusing on the following areas:

- Science outreach
- Progressing mathematics education
- Innovative applications of technology in education

L to R. Dr Kevin Jennings, Joint Programme Director, BA in Mathematics and Education, School of Mathematics; Dr Gail Burrill, Michigan State University and Dr Catherine Paolucci, Joint Programme Director, BA in Mathematics and Education,
School of Education. 

For more information please contact:
Dr. Catherine Paolucci
Joint Programme Director, BA in Mathematics and Education
School of Education, NUI Galway
Phone: +353 91 492155
E-mail: catherine.paoluccinuigalway.ie 

Seminar on Widening Participation in Higher Education

November 2011

On Wednesday, November 9^th 2011, the School of Education, NUI Galway, in conjunction with the Access Office, at NUI Galway, hosted a seminar entitled “ Widening Access and Participation and the Student Experience in Higher Education: Evidence from Research and Practice at NUI Galway”.

Following the opening by Professor Chris Curtin (Head of the School of Education, and Vice-President for Performance and Innovation, at NUI Galway), and an introduction by An tOllamh Nollaig MacCongáil (Registrar and Deputy President of NUI Galway), two presentations were given. The first was an overview by Imelda Byrne (Access Officer, NUI Galway) on the design and delivery of access courses at NUI Galway and the successes and challenges encountered over the period of the initiative. The second presentation was by Dr. Elaine Keane (Lecturer in the School of Education, NUI Galway). Drawing on her recent publications in the area, Elaine presented findings from a three-year study exploring the post-entry academic and socio-cultural experiences of 45 school-leaver-aged access and traditional-entry students at an Irish university. Finally, there was a presentation from a former access student at NUI Galway, who outlined her experiences as a participant of this programme.

Pictured L-R: Ms. Imelda Byrne (Access Officer, NUI Galway), An tOllamh Nollaig MacCongáil (Registrar and Deputy President of NUI Galway), Ms. Ciara Togher, Professor Chris Curtin (Head of the School of Education, and Vice-President for Performance and Innovation, at NUI Galway), and Dr. Elaine Keane (Lecturer, School of Education, NUI Galway).

For further information, please click on this link or contact Dr. Elaine Keane, School of Education, NUI Galway.
Email: elaine.keanenuigalway.ie

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