Irene White | Dublin City University (original) (raw)
Papers by Irene White
Pastoral Care in Education, 2018
The present climate of standardisation and quantification compels schools to deliver outcome-base... more The present climate of standardisation and quantification compels schools to deliver outcome-based curricula that measure educational success in terms of academic attainment and students' 'ability' to perform according to set criteria. Efforts to tackle educational inequality encourage conformity rather than address the underlying issues of the varied economic, cultural and social capital of diverse populations. Drawing on Paulo Freire's theory of critical pedagogy, this paper examines the impact of a Freirean-inspired Dublinbased participatory arts initiative on youth from lower socioeconomic backgrounds in Ireland. Focusing on the Freirean concepts of dialogue, democratic relations, voice, creativity and imagination, the authors present a case study of Fighting Words Creative Writing Centre, a socially-engaged participatory arts organisation currently operating in the non-formal education sector in Ireland. The research, a qualitative study conducted over a 12-month period, presents data gathered from participants and other key stakeholders through interviews and questionnaires. The findings indicate that participants in Fighting Words demonstrate increased levels of engagement and motivation, improved confidence and selfesteem, recognition of and pride in creative ability, a stronger sense of self, a greater ability to work collaboratively, and improved literacy.
Narratives in Research and Interventions on Cyberbullying among Young People, 2019
Cyberbullying in the adolescent years can have a devastating impact on mental health and the soci... more Cyberbullying in the adolescent years can have a devastating impact on mental health and the social and emotional development of teens. Responses to the issue have been widespread. While many whole school programmes include elements such as role modelling, few interventions appear to use a participatory approach with adolescents. This chapter considers the use of narrative based participatory approaches that capture and utilise the student voice. It is suggested that these approaches be added as creative, complementary components of whole school anti-bullying programmes. Drawing on Turner’s concept of liminality and Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed model, we propose a creative process that places the adolescent voice at the centre of anti-bullying initiatives and advocate for a return to the development of more bottom-up approaches to school-based interventions. In line with United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Articles 12 and 13, we suggest that adopting a pa...
Irish Educational Studies, 2021
Initial Teacher Education (ITE) can be viewed as a formative space in professional teacher identi... more Initial Teacher Education (ITE) can be viewed as a formative space in professional teacher identity development. Practice plays a key role in shaping teacher identity, providing a window into the reality of school life, as well as nurturing professional autonomy. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, school life shifted suddenly and unrecognisably in March 2020. This paper focuses on the experiences of preservice teachers on an ITE programme (post-primary) in one Irish University during the period of sudden school closures. The data show the transition to be problematic, underscored by a chaotic pivot to virtual communication and a destabilising of the structures that normally provide consistency. Yet it also presented opportunities and responsibilities. We explore Victor Turner's work to consider school placement as an 'in between' space for preservice teachers and to examine the extent to which sudden school closures heightened this sense of 'in betweenness'. We argue that the pandemic and its lifting out of pervasive and predictable social structures, gave rise to a period of 'anti-structure'. We view school closures as an example of anti-structure, which challenged preservice teachers' identity formation yet also gave rise to 'communitas' through experimentation with different modes of being and doing.
Pastoral Care in Education, 2019
The dominant results-driven/performance-oriented culture and the pressures of performativity in e... more The dominant results-driven/performance-oriented culture and the pressures of performativity in education have meant that the promotion of creativity has been narrow in scope and the translation into practice less apparent than the rhetoric would suggest. Creativity can survive even in times of standardisation, but it is more likely to be confined to interstitial zones. Interstitial zones are in-between social spaces outside the formal teaching zones in which creativity may give voice to those students whose voice is not always heard in the formal teaching context. Often, creativity is equated exclusively to substantial creative outputs and, as a result, teachers who are not sensitised to creativity in a broader sense may underestimate their own creative ability and the positive impact this might have on the relationship with their students. A shift in teacher education that results in a more meaningful appreciation of both the nature of creativity and its benefits is therefore required. A developmental approach which starts with teacher cultivation of creative sensibility is essential to achieve greater infusion of creativity. The paper posits that teachers who resist rigid social structures and engage in critical pedagogy are also more likely to be receptive to creativity and its the pastoral potential in education.
International Review of Education, 2016
Creativity has been emerging as a key concept in educational policies since the mid-1990s, with m... more Creativity has been emerging as a key concept in educational policies since the mid-1990s, with many Western countries restructuring their education systems to embrace innovative approaches likely to stimulate creative and critical thinking. But despite current intentions of putting more emphasis on creativity in education policies worldwide, there is still a relative dearth of viable models which capture the complexity of creativity and the conditions for its successful infusion into formal school environments. The push for creativity is in direct conflict with the results-driven/competitive performance-oriented culture which continues to dominate formal education systems. The authors of this article argue that incorporating creativity into mainstream education is a complex task and is best tackled by taking a systematic and multifaceted approach. They present a multidimensional model designed to help educators in tackling the challenges of the promotion of creativity. Their model encompasses three distinct yet interrelated dimensions of a creative space-physical, social-emotional and critical. The authors use the metaphor of space to refer to the interplay of the three identified dimensions. Drawing on confluence approaches to the theorisation of creativity, this paper exemplifies the development of a model before the background of a growing trend of systems theories. The aim of the model is to be helpful in systematising creativity by offering parameters-derived from the evaluation of an example offered by a non-& Irene White
This research study set out to explore how creativity was being fostered within Participatory Art... more This research study set out to explore how creativity was being fostered within Participatory Arts initiatives, with a view to informing the design of a Participatory Arts model for education. The study explored two types of Participatory Arts initiatives, the first led by Upstate Theatre Project, a ‘pure’ Participatory Arts initiative, and the second led by Fighting Words, an ‘applied’ Participatory Arts initiative. In the context of this study, the aim was to provide an evidence base for, and articulate, the factors and processes underpinning climates for creativity, and the (pedagogic) approaches used to foster creativity in Participatory Arts initiatives, as well as exploring the enablement of beneficial outcomes across both Participatory Arts contexts. The study firstly affirmed that Participatory Arts initiatives foster creativity, and furthermore that the practices within these initiatives enable the type of ‘learning for creativity’ outcomes articulated by the National Counc...
Pastoral Care in Education, 2018
The present climate of standardisation and quantification compels schools to deliver outcome-base... more The present climate of standardisation and quantification compels schools to deliver outcome-based curricula that measure educational success in terms of academic attainment and students' 'ability' to perform according to set criteria. Efforts to tackle educational inequality encourage conformity rather than address the underlying issues of the varied economic, cultural and social capital of diverse populations. Drawing on Paulo Freire's theory of critical pedagogy, this paper examines the impact of a Freirean-inspired Dublinbased participatory arts initiative on youth from lower socioeconomic backgrounds in Ireland. Focusing on the Freirean concepts of dialogue, democratic relations, voice, creativity and imagination, the authors present a case study of Fighting Words Creative Writing Centre, a socially-engaged participatory arts organisation currently operating in the non-formal education sector in Ireland. The research, a qualitative study conducted over a 12-month period, presents data gathered from participants and other key stakeholders through interviews and questionnaires. The findings indicate that participants in Fighting Words demonstrate increased levels of engagement and motivation, improved confidence and selfesteem, recognition of and pride in creative ability, a stronger sense of self, a greater ability to work collaboratively, and improved literacy.
Narratives in Research and Interventions on Cyberbullying among Young People, 2019
Cyberbullying in the adolescent years can have a devastating impact on mental health and the soci... more Cyberbullying in the adolescent years can have a devastating impact on mental health and the social and emotional development of teens. Responses to the issue have been widespread. While many whole school programmes include elements such as role modelling, few interventions appear to use a participatory approach with adolescents. This chapter considers the use of narrative based participatory approaches that capture and utilise the student voice. It is suggested that these approaches be added as creative, complementary components of whole school anti-bullying programmes. Drawing on Turner’s concept of liminality and Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed model, we propose a creative process that places the adolescent voice at the centre of anti-bullying initiatives and advocate for a return to the development of more bottom-up approaches to school-based interventions. In line with United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Articles 12 and 13, we suggest that adopting a pa...
Irish Educational Studies, 2021
Initial Teacher Education (ITE) can be viewed as a formative space in professional teacher identi... more Initial Teacher Education (ITE) can be viewed as a formative space in professional teacher identity development. Practice plays a key role in shaping teacher identity, providing a window into the reality of school life, as well as nurturing professional autonomy. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, school life shifted suddenly and unrecognisably in March 2020. This paper focuses on the experiences of preservice teachers on an ITE programme (post-primary) in one Irish University during the period of sudden school closures. The data show the transition to be problematic, underscored by a chaotic pivot to virtual communication and a destabilising of the structures that normally provide consistency. Yet it also presented opportunities and responsibilities. We explore Victor Turner's work to consider school placement as an 'in between' space for preservice teachers and to examine the extent to which sudden school closures heightened this sense of 'in betweenness'. We argue that the pandemic and its lifting out of pervasive and predictable social structures, gave rise to a period of 'anti-structure'. We view school closures as an example of anti-structure, which challenged preservice teachers' identity formation yet also gave rise to 'communitas' through experimentation with different modes of being and doing.
Pastoral Care in Education, 2019
The dominant results-driven/performance-oriented culture and the pressures of performativity in e... more The dominant results-driven/performance-oriented culture and the pressures of performativity in education have meant that the promotion of creativity has been narrow in scope and the translation into practice less apparent than the rhetoric would suggest. Creativity can survive even in times of standardisation, but it is more likely to be confined to interstitial zones. Interstitial zones are in-between social spaces outside the formal teaching zones in which creativity may give voice to those students whose voice is not always heard in the formal teaching context. Often, creativity is equated exclusively to substantial creative outputs and, as a result, teachers who are not sensitised to creativity in a broader sense may underestimate their own creative ability and the positive impact this might have on the relationship with their students. A shift in teacher education that results in a more meaningful appreciation of both the nature of creativity and its benefits is therefore required. A developmental approach which starts with teacher cultivation of creative sensibility is essential to achieve greater infusion of creativity. The paper posits that teachers who resist rigid social structures and engage in critical pedagogy are also more likely to be receptive to creativity and its the pastoral potential in education.
International Review of Education, 2016
Creativity has been emerging as a key concept in educational policies since the mid-1990s, with m... more Creativity has been emerging as a key concept in educational policies since the mid-1990s, with many Western countries restructuring their education systems to embrace innovative approaches likely to stimulate creative and critical thinking. But despite current intentions of putting more emphasis on creativity in education policies worldwide, there is still a relative dearth of viable models which capture the complexity of creativity and the conditions for its successful infusion into formal school environments. The push for creativity is in direct conflict with the results-driven/competitive performance-oriented culture which continues to dominate formal education systems. The authors of this article argue that incorporating creativity into mainstream education is a complex task and is best tackled by taking a systematic and multifaceted approach. They present a multidimensional model designed to help educators in tackling the challenges of the promotion of creativity. Their model encompasses three distinct yet interrelated dimensions of a creative space-physical, social-emotional and critical. The authors use the metaphor of space to refer to the interplay of the three identified dimensions. Drawing on confluence approaches to the theorisation of creativity, this paper exemplifies the development of a model before the background of a growing trend of systems theories. The aim of the model is to be helpful in systematising creativity by offering parameters-derived from the evaluation of an example offered by a non-& Irene White
This research study set out to explore how creativity was being fostered within Participatory Art... more This research study set out to explore how creativity was being fostered within Participatory Arts initiatives, with a view to informing the design of a Participatory Arts model for education. The study explored two types of Participatory Arts initiatives, the first led by Upstate Theatre Project, a ‘pure’ Participatory Arts initiative, and the second led by Fighting Words, an ‘applied’ Participatory Arts initiative. In the context of this study, the aim was to provide an evidence base for, and articulate, the factors and processes underpinning climates for creativity, and the (pedagogic) approaches used to foster creativity in Participatory Arts initiatives, as well as exploring the enablement of beneficial outcomes across both Participatory Arts contexts. The study firstly affirmed that Participatory Arts initiatives foster creativity, and furthermore that the practices within these initiatives enable the type of ‘learning for creativity’ outcomes articulated by the National Counc...