Conversations in Adult and Further Education

In this episode, I’m joined by Anne Foster, Vice Chair of the Adult Education Teachers’ Organisation (AETO) and an adult education teacher with the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB). Anne shares insights from her many years working in adult education and talks about her involvement with AETO’s campaign to secure better rights for teachers. She highlights several challenges within...

In this episode, I’m joined by Mark Daly to talk about numeracy, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia. Mark is a student at Dublin College in Loughlinstown, part of the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB). Mark was diagnosed with dyscalculia as a child and later with dyspraxia, and he shares his personal experiences of school, the challenges he faced, and his return to education a...

In this episode, I’m joined by Lana McCarthy, from the Literacy Development Centre at SETU, and Helen Walsh, the Family Literacy Lead at SOLAS. We are talking about family literacy. Lana and Helen highlight what’s happening both nationally and locally to support and promote family literacy. They also discuss the value of the Family Literacy Community of Practice—why it matters, how it works, and h...

In this episode, I’m joined by Talent Nyamakope, Health Literacy Lead with the Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Strategy Office in SOLAS, and Edel Finan, Regional Literacy Coordinator with Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB). We discuss what health literacy means, what’s happening on the ground locally and nationally, and some of the projects they’ve been involved in. Talent an...

In this episode, I am speaking with Mary Mitchell from Dublin College FET Blanchardstown, which is part of the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board. Mary is a tutor and the co-ordinator for the financial literacy project. She is also passionate about inclusion. Today, Mary is chatting with me about their financial literacy project and a new book on financial literacy they are laun...

In this episode, I chat with Niall Dempsey, a tutor with the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB). Niall teaches adult literacy, ESOL, and Conversational Irish. As a wheelchair user, he is also researching the intersection of identity, masculinity, and disability. We discuss his experiences as a tutor working in a marginalised sector, the instability of employment in the adult...

In this episode, I chat with my colleague, Dr Edel Ni Ghrainne, in the Literacy Development Centre at SETU. Edel has over 20 years of experience teaching in Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in Ireland. She explains how to plan and deliver a QQI-accredited module (Quality and Qualifications Ireland), from completing the paperwork to interpreting a module descriptor. This is a great episode to l...

In this episode, I am chatting with Dr. Lana McCarthy and Dr. Clare Power in the Literacy Development Centre (LDC) in the South East Technological University (SETU), Professor Jenifer Jasinski Schneider, the interim Dean in the College of Education in the University of South Florida (USF), and Dr. Rachel Hatten, the Associate Director in the David C. Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching i...

In this episode, I am chatting wth Clare Power and Eleanor Neff from the Literacy Development Centre (LDC) in SETU and Paula Tiller, the Regional Adult Literacy Coordinator for Kerry, about the Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Strategy. They explain what is in the strategy, why it was developed and what is happening to implement it. To learn more about the ALL Strategy, visit: https://www.adultlitera...

In this episode, I am chatting with Lana McCarthy about family literacy, also known as family learning. Lana has worked in this area for many years and developed the 'Hug Your Book' programme. She has recently established a Community of Practice for Family Literacy, a partnership between the Literacy Development Centre in the South East Technological University (SETU LDC), NALA (National A...

In this episode, I am chatting with Aoife O'Leary, the Adult Literacy Coordinator with Dyslexia Ireland. Aoife explains what dyslexia is and how we can support students with diagnosed or undiagnosed dyslexia. She offers practical advice that we can implement in the classroom. Aoife also talks about the resources available from Dyslexia Ireland, which are available at the links below. You can c...

In this episode, I speak with Geraldine Mernagh about using arts-based methods in teaching. We explain what arts-based methods mean to us and discuss the process we take students through in a typical lesson. I hope this episode shows how art and creativity are for everyone.

In this episode, Sarah Bates Evoy explains developments in the new job contract for adult educators. She traces the historical development of this contract to where we are currently (October 2024). Sarah has done an excellent job of explaining a very long, complex process in recognising the important work of adult educators in Ireland and also acknowledges the work that still needs to be done. Rel...

In this episode, I am speaking with Edel Ni Ghrainne about how we can support students experiencing trauma. Edel has a wealth of teaching experience in adult literacy and ESOL. She has over 14 years of experience teaching on refugee programmes with students across many nationalities. We discuss the broad range of experiences a refugee may have and how you can spot if a student is dealing with trau...

In this episode, I chat with Geraldine Mernagh about her experience of working in adult literacy and how it has changed since the 1980s. Geraldine gives us some great advice about reflecting on what drew us to our work in the first place so that we can decide what we want to carry with us as our profession changes.

In this episode, I am chatting with Geraldine Mernagh about Meritocracy. We discuss what meritocracy is, where the idea comes from and the problem it poses in adult education. We also discuss transformative education and helping learners to see their potential.

In this episode, I have a conversation with Anna Galligan, the outreach officer with Barnstorm Theatre Company in Kilkenny. Anna talks to me about her long career as a drama tutor. This is a fascinating look at Anna's approach to working with her students. Anna has really helped me to think outside the box with my teaching practice. Whether or not you are interested in drama, this episode will get...

In this episode, I chat with Sarah Bates about her research into FET tutor's identities. Sarah is a tutor with Waterford and Wexford ETB and is also a researcher and lecturer at Waterford Institute of Technology. Sarah talks about the diverse nature of the FET sector, how tutors see themselves within their profession and what motivates them in their work. I hope that tutors listening to this can i...

In this episode, I am chatting with Catriona Warren from the Literacy Development Centre in Waterford Institute of Technology. Catriona has some useful advice if you are interested in keeping a reflective journal or are interested in understanding what reflective practice is.

In this episode, I chat with Dr Maeve O' Grady about Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). We discuss what it is,  how educational providers recognise RPL and why it is a worthwhile exercise for all of us to name and record all of our learning experiences, professional and personal. Apologies, we are recording from home so we have some sound issues. Episode Length: 22m54s

In this episode, I chat with Maeve O' Grady about the work of Paulo Freire and the significance of his ideas in contemporary Adult and Further Education. Episode Length: 31 minutes

This is the first in a series called talking with the Tutor, where I interview Tutors working in Adult and Further Education about their work.  In this episode I am chatting with Mary Curtis, a tutor in Waterford and Wexford ETB. Mary talks about how she became a tutor and the creative ways that she engages her learners. I think there is a lot of good advice here for both new and experienced...

In this episode we are taking a sociological look at food, how our identity is intertwined with the foods that we eat and our traditions around food. We have a story about an avocado and we also talk about cake! Length: 34 mins.

Welcome to the first episode of Conversations in Adult and Further Education. In this episode Dr. Maeve O' Grady and I discuss neoliberalism. What is it? How does it impact educational planning and policy? How are those of us working within the further and adult education system affected by it? Here are a couple of links if you want to explore neoliberalism further:http://www.theguardian.com/books...