Work integrated learning (WIL) is an educational approach that integrates learning with practical work experiences. Within the structure of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in the Republic of Ireland, WIL is facilitated through School Placement (SP). SP is widely recognised as sitting at the fulcrum of ITE. It is primarily valued by partners in education as the opportunity to put learnt pedagogy and foundational knowledge into practice within a school setting and as such is a form of authentic assessment. Moreover, it is an opportunity for student teachers (STs) to become socialised into the profession as active partners in educational practice. The Teaching Council, as the regulator of the teaching profession in the Republic of Ireland, has emphasised the role of the ST as researcher and pedagogical collaborator, moving the focus of SP away from a singular consideration of practice within the classroom and towards a whole school and system wide approach. This expands the potential scope of SP towards a reciprocal relationship whereby the ST has agency to impact on the actions of the site of practice by sharing new and emerging practice and pedagogy from their research and studies. However, beyond these lofty ideals, SP is a formative assessment and determines the success of STs in obtaining their professional qualifications. Given the centrality of SP to ITE, the prevailing lack of consistency and clarity around the partnership model, the roles of partners and the future of SP, are worthy of exploration. This paper presents current doctoral research and preliminary results on the impact of the partnership model on the efficacy of SP as a robust form of assessment and proposes the introduction of a new SP partnership framework

In 2023, a small team at Hibernia College, composed of library staff and the digital learning department researcher, took the initiative to develop an online asynchronous digital literacy course for the college and wider community. This poster will address the rationale, process and outcomes of developing the digital literacy course. The availability of the course as an OER will be discussed, highlighting our interest in contributing to digital citizenship and the SDGs. The poster will also highlight some possible future directions that could develop and build on the work done to date. The poster was presented at the CILIP Ireland/LAI Annual Joint Conference held in Newry, from Wednesday 24th April to Thursday 25th April 2024. It was also presented at the ILTA EdTech Conference held in Sligo, from 30th May to 31st May 2024. It won Best Poster at the CONUL Conference held in Belfast, from Wednesday 29th May - Thursday 30th May 2024.

This study examines the reasons for student underperformance in Leaving Certificate Accounting. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory was used to perceive and distill the literature. Thirty-minute, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five experienced post primary Accounting teachers. Thematic analysis drew out three key and several sub-themes. Student underperformance can be attributed to approximately thirty reasons including mobile phone distraction, lack of self-belief, absenteeism, reasons that would not be lost on many people. What is far more interesting is that the reasons for underperformance can be broadly attributed to interactions between stakeholders across a range of ecological systems: The home; The School and the government.

A self-study, semi-structured interviews (N =2), questionnaires (N =30) and DR was used to gather primary data of PPE in Irish public schools. Probability/Non-Purposive sampling was undertaken, and inclusivity criteria adopted. Thematic analysis identified that educators should connect and build relationships (incl. extra-curriculum engagement) with students before implementing differentiation strategies. Successful strategies include differentiating instruction, worksheets, notes, homework, and tests; with active strategies such as using ICT, groupwork and mind maps; monitored via student achievement. The EPSEN Act (2004) requires reform and further address provided by the DoE. Limitations and recommendations for future pedagogical practice and research have been outlined.

The aim of this dissertation was to explore the extent to which the practice of the teacher reading aloud is evident in senior classes of primary schools in Ireland. It endeavoured to gain an insight into the motivations, benefits, and possible challenges of implementing this practice. A mixed-method data collection approach was applied with online questionnaires (n=27) and semi-structured interviews (n=2). Results indicate that all respondents read aloud to their students at varying levels. Modelling good reading, language development opportunities and fostering a love of reading were the primary benefits, with finding a suitable book as the most prevalent challenge to the practice.

This study explored Irish teachers’ perspectives on the use of cooperative learning methodology in mathematics in primary school. Research questions addressed frequency and types of cooperative learning used by teachers, as well as its benefits and challenges. A mixed method approach, informed by pragmatist philosophical paradigm, was taken, with quantitative data gathered from 21 questionnaires, and qualitative data from two semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that half of teachers use structured types of cooperative learning on a regular basis. According to participating teachers, the most significant benefits of CL are academic gains, improved social skills, and language development, while the most significant challenges are a range of academic ability among pupils, pupil relationships and behaviour management, and organisational issues.

Modern foreign language teachers (MFL) are more mindful than ever of differentiating for students with dyslexia and other language processing difficulties. Despite this, there is a lack of research based in Ireland that examines dyslexia in the MFL classroom. Using a qualitative approach and convenience sampling, five MFL teachers were interviewed to gather data on MFL teachers’ experiences of including students with dyslexia. This data was thematically analysed and interpreted with reference to extant studies on dyslexia in the MFL classroom. The findings identify that Irish MFL teachers view students with dyslexia positively but feel that there is a lack of support at an administrative and state level.

This study examined students' motivation to learn French, uptake of French at Senior Cycle, and motivational strategies from teachers' perspectives in an Irish post-primary context. Data was collected using a mixed-methods approach through a questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions. Teachers reported that students are moderately motivated to learn French (57.5%). The apparent disparity between students' interests and strengths and the perceived insignificance of speaking French as a native English speaker demotivated students. Senior Cycle subject choice was primarily influenced by Higher Entry matriculation requirements and teachers' main motivational strategy emerged as technology.

This study investigates the challenges to second language acquisition for students with dyslexia, from a practitioner perspective. It is a small-scale, qualitative study. Through a series of five interviews with stakeholders in education at second-level, it poses questions about best practice in supporting dyslexic students in the Modern Foreign Language (MFL) classroom. Through careful thematic analysis, the principal finding of the study was to identify a highly individualised approach to differentiation as the key to effective support. The study also identifies the main challenges in MFL teaching, including issues of time and teacher expertise, and recommends strategies that could be used to meet these challenges.

The concept of partnership in school placement is not new to the initial teacher education (ITE) reform agenda (Furlong et al., 2000). Despite its prevalence in the rhetoric on placement, the nature of partnerships, the definition of partners, and the extent to which partnerships are voluntary or enforced are all far from universally accepted facts. Harford and O’Doherty (2016) argue that the partnership metaphor has been applied very loosely to describe collaboration and consensus, without any real definition of what is meant by it. Partnership in school placement is often discussed in policy documents and guidelines as a fait accompli, but when we probe the use of the word, we find it can be applied to many ways of organising collaboration between higher-education institutions (HEIs) and schools (Gorman & Furlong, 2023). It can vary in meaning depending on who uses it, whether site of practice, HEI, professional body, or student teacher. It can also be used to reflect distinct interpretations and motivations (Stuart & Martinez-Lucio, 2004). If we cannot agree on what partnership is, how can we hope to understand who the partners are and how they should fulfil their roles? This article posits that the confusion around partnership has hindered the development of school placement into a meaningfully experienced first step in the continuum of professional development, resulting in a paralysis of reform in school placement.