EDII Project Awards

2nd year B.Ed and Psychology students on the Placement 3 and Language Studies elective hosted 29 students from EDNIP (Embracing Diversity, Nurturing Education Project) schools on campus in MIC. The boys and girls from Scoil Isoagáin, CBS and St. Johns Girls and Infant Boys School joined the B.Ed students for their lesson in TARA for a series of station teaching activities that focused on teaching Irish.

The World Languages lesson was hosted by Dr Conchúr Ó Brolcháin and his students designed interactive lessons for the primary school students to enjoy. The event was engaging and hugely enjoyed by the younger students. The theme of the event was bia and the students took part in rhymes, an siopa, an bialinn and bingo. The event was a partnership between EDNIP and Dr Neasa Ní Chuaig Head of the Department of Language and Literacy Education, and Dr Conchúr Ó Brolcháin, Lecturer.

Following the World Languages Café, the group were given a tour of the campus facilitated by TED  (Transforming Education through Dialogue) staff;  Dr Ruth Bourke, Suzanne Kyle, Lisa Martin and Karen Hardiman.

Ghlac scoláirí ón mB.Oid 2 & Síceolaíocht le 29 dalta ón scéim EDNIP (Embracing Diversity, Nurturing Education Project) ar champas Choláiste Mhuire gan Smál le déanaí. Mhúin siad buachaillí agus cailíní ó scoileanna éagsúla i Luimneach lena n-áirítear: Scoil Íosagáin, Scoil na mBráithre Críostaí, Scoil Chailíní Naomh Eoin agus Scoil Naíonán na mBuachaillí. Dhírigh na ceachtanna isteach ar ghníomhaíochtaí spraíúla, cumarsáideacha trí Ghaeilge don ghrúpa daltaí seo a thagann ó chúlraí éagsúla cultúrtha agus teanga. 

Ba é an Dr Conchúr Ó Brolcháin a d’eagraigh an Caifé “Domhanda na dTeangacha” inar dhear a chuid scoláirí ceachtanna gearra idirghníomhacha i gcur chuige stáisiún foghlama. Ba ócáid iontach taitneamh í agus bhain na daltaí óga an-sult as na rannta, dánta, cluichí teanga agus rólimirt timpeall ar an téama “Bia”. Comhpháirtíocht a bhí san imeacht seo idir EDNIP agus an Dr Neasa Ní Chuaig Ceann na Roinne Oideachais Teanga agus Litearthachta, agus an Dr Conchúr Ó Brolcháin, Léachtóir. 

• Lisa Martin, MIC
• Dr Conchúr Ó Brolcháin, MIC
• Dr Neasa Ní Chuaig, MIC

• Dr Sandra Ryan, MIC
• Dr Maeve Liston, MIC
• Dr Eleanor Walsh, MIC

The project funded by the EDII was the graphic design of a book I had written for parents of young children with Williams syndrome (WS), entitled Reach for the stars: Supporting the early development of your young child with Williams Syndrome. WS is a rare neurodevelopmental condition which is largely unknown to the general public. Research has shown that this makes the initial years of parenting a child with WS to be even more challenging than parenting a child with a publicly-recognised condition. Parents also seek information to support their child. This book was written based on my work with pre-school children with WS during the Covid-19 pandemic. I met the children and their families online for a ‘summer camp’. Parents could not meet up face-to-face during this time, and hence the book was written to promote connection and support when the camp ended. 

The book is written through a pedagogy of hope, taking a strengths-based, family-centred approach. It gives guidance to parents on how simple, everyday activities can support their child’s development. The graphic design was very important to ensure accessibility of the content for all parents. As a result, it is bright, colourful and organised. Each ‘chapter’ explains the child-centred activity, highlights the benefits for the child’s wellbeing and development from a WS perspective, and outlines how the activity can be used. Individuals with WS voted on the book’s cover design. Thanks to the EDII funding, this book, launched in September, is available for parents to download free of charge. 

• Dr Fionnuala Tynan, MIC

Students from minoritised backgrounds face unique challenges in schools due to policies and practices which are often developed to suit those from majority groups. Learners with marginalised identities are those who face discrimination and additional societal barriers because of aspects of their identity such as ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, disability etc. Within schools, these learners can face multiple forms of discrimination from fellow students, teachers, or structurally from schools themselves. Teachers without an understanding of identity and inequality may not be aware of the discrimination faced by their students and consequently are likely to lack the skills necessary to best support them. 

This project aimed to support primary school teachers within the TED Project networks and PME 1 students in MIC to understand the nuanced and unique challenges facing children from minoritised backgrounds in their classrooms and to explore how teaching practices can be inclusive for all children. 

Two experts were employed through this project to develop materials for and deliver workshops to both practicing teachers through the TED Project, and student teachers on the PME course. The workshops included:

• A focus on conceptualising identity
• An overview of how inequality can impact on children in schools
• A focus on language and terminology in this space
• An introduction to anti-racism, anti-bias, and intercultural competences

Following the workshops, materials were shared with participants which included further activities and resources that could be used to deepen self-reflection and teaching and learning activities in this area. It was beyond the remit of the project to explore the impact the workshops had on practice for the participants, but many students included examples from the workshops in their module assignments to illustrate their arguments around approaches to inclusive teaching. 

• Áine Lyne
• Dr Brighid Golden, MIC
• Fiachra Kennedy
• Briana Fitzsimons

• Dr Dorothy Morrissey, MIC
• Liam McCarthy 
• Dr Ailbhe Kenny, MIC 
• Dr Fiona McDonagh, MIC

Menopause occurs when menstruation has stopped for 12 months and is a biological stage in life. However, menopause, along with the stages before and after it (perimenopause and post menopause), can cause dozens of negative symptoms that can last for years. These symptoms span a wide range and include physical (e.g., hot flushes, dry mouth, heart palpitations), cognitive (e.g., brain fog, forgetfulness), and socioemotional symptoms (e.g., anxiety, low mood, anger), all of which can limit performance in the workplace, as well as everyday life (e.g., O’Keeffe, 2023). 

A survey conducted in Ireland in 2021 by The Menopause Hub found that 82% of women had their performance at work negatively affected by menopause symptoms, while 39% said they had missed work because of symptoms. Unfortunately, 12% indicated they had given up work because of the symptoms. Findings from international studies are similar, with one UK survey reporting that those experiencing menopause were less likely to want to apply for promotion (Fawcett Society, 2021). 

The current MIC EDII funded project focused on how menopausal symptoms may affect the workplace performance of educators, by conducting a review of available international evidence. The review findings highlighted educator workplace challenges, including reduced work capacity and changes in professional identity. As Nordling (2022, p. 382) noted in relation to the menopause and academia, “Anything that affects your ability to process information, your decision making, your focus — that’s not a good look for an academic”. Building upon the findings of the international review, the research also aims to explore effective evidence based strategies to support educators experiencing menopause.

• Dr Suzanne Egan
• Professor Niamh Stack

• Dr Sandra Ryan, MIC
• Tracey Fitzgerald, HSCL Coordinator, and parents of Our Lady of Lourdes NS, Rosbrien

• Mateus De Souza, MIC

• Dr Deirdre Flynn, MIC
• Katie Hallinan, MIC Student
• Jean Reale, MIC
• Caitlin Donnelly, MISU

• Dr Deirdre Flynn, MIC
• Unapologetic Magazine
• Sandrine Ndahiro & Fiona Kearney, Editors

• Fiachra Kennedy, MIC Student
• Dr Brighid Golden, MIC

• Dr Fiona McDonagh (FemFest Chair) on behalf of MIC FemFest; all MIC

• Dr Fionnuala Tynan, MIC

• Lisa Martin, MIC
• Dr Ruth Bourke, MIC
• Dr Sandra Ryan, MIC
• Helen Lowe, MIC
• Dr Brighid Golden, MIC

• Manoel Sampaio Schiavi, MIC Student

• Dr Sandra Ryan, MIC
• Tracey Fitzgerald, HSCL Coordinator, Our Lady of Lourdes NS, Rosbrien

• Dr Sandra Ryan, MIC
• Dr Maeve Liston, MIC
• Dr Eleanor Walsh, MIC

• Santhi Corcoran