This paper presents the findings of original research which applied the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale Extension (ECERS/E) four Curricular Subscales in 26 pre-schools throughout Ireland to measure and assess the provision of literacy, maths, science and environment, and diversity as follows: inadequate, minimal, good or excellent. The…

In Ireland, policy on literacy now aims to expand the role that post-primary teachers of all subjects have in developing students' literacy skills. This paper draws on data from a wider research study carried out in secondary schools in 2010 and focuses on the classroom support with disciplinary literacy provided by subject teachers for…

Irish public policy strongly promotes greater flexibility in higher education. This review paper examines Irish policy conceptualisations of flexible learning. The review finds that the promotion of flexible learning is positioned within strongly economistic discourses of lifelong learning, and primarily in human capital terms of meeting the…

Irish society has experienced unprecedented demographic change since the turn of the twenty-first century, and increasingly, educators are facing the prospect of having to respond to the changing nature of cultural diversity in their classrooms. Traditionally characterised as"Catholic, white and Gaelic", Irish schools are said to be…

There has been increasing attention on teacher "quality" and effectiveness internationally. There is, however, little research documenting experienced teachers' classroom practices and their beliefs on why they teach the way they do. Drawing on a mixed methodological study of practices and beliefs across 12 primary and secondary schools, this…

This article reviews research on primary physical education (PE). In primary schools around the world PE is taught by the classroom teacher rather than by a PE specialist. Most classroom teachers feel poorly prepared to teach PE programmes that are meaningful to pupils and provide the types of experiences that lead to lifelong participation. This…

This essay presents the theoretical framework and main results of a research on intercultural mediation which has been performed in eight multicultural classrooms of Italian secondary schools. Intercultural mediation is conceived as a form of dialogic communication which should empower empathic and equal relationships between the participants by…

This paper unearths the improvisational nature of Irish state exigencies and their central contribution to racialisation in and through schooling. The analysis unravels white-Irishness through gender and Traveller membership, in terms of its links to the state's early efforts at intelligibility and associated politics of desirable and viable…

This article addresses the distinctive role that artists play in education. Although there has been a growing body of research internationally into artists involved in teaching and learning processes, the practice of artists in education in Ireland has developed in an uneven and sometimes disjointed manner. The field of "arts in education" and…

This paper investigates key elements in a positive practicum, from the perspective of post-primary pre-service teachers in Victoria, Australia. Four key issues emerged: the emotional and professional support given by the supervising teacher, the freedom for pre-service teachers to develop their own teaching style, the provision of specific and…

Drawing upon the writings of Maxine Greene and Paolo Freire, this article explores the necessary conditions for the advancement of education for democracy in the context of modern post-industrial societies, with a focus on schooling in the Republic of Ireland. The article charts a general topography of the Republic of Ireland in relation to the…

For the past number of years, experienced teachers have sometimes come to visit my office with a sense that they are working outside the official educational system. In many ways these teachers see themselves as subversives, acting on behalf of their students to deliver a better educational experience, but in many cases they feel that they are…

Two previous articles in this journal advocate the greater use of a behaviourist methodology called "Precision Teaching" (PT). From a position located within virtue ethics, this article argues that the technical feat of raising narrowly defined performance in mathematics and other subjects is not sufficient justification for the extensive use of…

This article explores perspectives on the current contribution of integrated schools to society in Northern Ireland and asks whether there is a mismatch between what some expect from the schools and what they may be able to provide. It suggests that integrated education may for some be a magic panacea, whilst those leading the sector see the…

In this article, the author discusses the concept of the individual as essentially autonomous. Subsequently, each individual, in theory, is capable of directing the course of his/her own life. Yet, as persons, we are continually required to confront and even overcome new challenges in life. The potential of every human being to respond to such…