Category: Education

By Jolanta Burke Updated / Tuesday, 14 February 2023 09:06 Songs are not just songs – they are lines of words that repeat in our heads with a tune to accompany them. They are like thoughts, and it is sometimes hard to differentiate our thoughts from the songs that get stuck in our heads on… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Love Songs and Wellbeing

By Terry Gargan Updated / Thursday, 26 January 2023 10:26 I was about 11 years old when I first heard about the ghost in Petersville House. Anyone from around Moynalty in rural County Meath will be well familiar with what I’m referring to. It was one of the most written about folktales in the Schools’… Continue reading Reflections On . . . The Educational Value of Folklore and Local History

By Nora Corocran Updated / Monday, 12 December 2022 10:07 As a member of the Irish Traveller community and an academic, I am saddened that most of our children have no real concept of Traveller traditions in contemporary society. Our community is losing its traditions. To address this, I have started writing a series of… Continue reading Reflections On . . . The Need for Traveller Characters in Children’s Stories

By Leah Russell Updated / Monday, 31 October 2022 10:14 For many young people who are seen as “different,” even the most familiar everyday settings can feel like unsafe places – schools, bus stops, cinemas, parks, supermarkets, online spaces. I recently watched my child, who identifies as non-binary and pansexual, scan the crowd at a… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Early Childhood Education and Care and LGBTQIA+ Families

By Keith Murphy Updated / Monday, 19 September 2022 10:43 Neurodiversity encompasses the concept that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits. The word neurodiversity refers to the diversity of all… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Studying with a Neurodiverse Difference

By Suzanne O’Keeffe Updated / Thursday, 24 August 2022 16:24 Teaching children about sexuality and relationships is a brave thing to do. These topics encompass, amongst other things, self-identity, morals, power, and values. When combined, one may consider sexuality to be an essentially private concern. Yet, sexuality and relationships continually feature in the public domain… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Teaching Children about Sexuality and Relationships

By Dave Lordan Updated / Wednesday, 27 July 2022 12:24 NOW YOU’VE RUN TO THE TOP OF THAT HILL, WHERE TO NEXT? It is hard to overstate the gulf between the cultural experience of teens of my generation – the 1980s and 90s – and those of the digital era. Instantaneity is at the heart… Continue reading Reflections On . . . 1980s Culture in the Digital Age

By James Groome Updated / Thursday, 26 June 2022 11:32 YOU share a room with two brothers and you’re all running and gambolling before bed because going to sleep seems so boring. Your overworked mother just wants to make sure you don’t wake up with bags under your eyes but you refuse to settle down.… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Playing With the Pen

By Paula Walshe Updated / Monday, 30 May 2022 09:38 Children love being creative, whether it is to express themselves or to just have fun. We are all familiar with poster paints and paint brushes, but there is so much more to the creative arts than painting and colouring. Isn’t it about time we spent… Continue reading Reflections On . . . Creative Arts in Early Childhood Education