carmel mulcahy - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by carmel mulcahy

A qualitative study examined the impact of training provided by the Education Studies Department ... more A qualitative study examined the impact of training provided by the Education Studies Department in Dublin City University on adult educators in the sector. It investigated whether courses had an effect on their professional lives as educators within their individual centers and on their own lives as adult students in a formal university setting. The graduating class of 200 (70% female and 60% age 40 or older) was asked to indicate reasons for pursuing a diploma in Further Education and Training. The reasons were further explored through interviews with students. In the area of personal development, improved self-esteem and greater confidence tended to validate experiential learning and, while promotion did not feature as a priority, course involvement greatly enhanced employability. In the area of continuing professional development, the progression rates of students were taken as an indicator of the success of the courses in providing adults with a secure environment in which to s...

Cultural Diversity in the Classroom, 2011

Throughout history Ireland and its people have undergone changes as a result of invasion, famine,... more Throughout history Ireland and its people have undergone changes as a result of invasion, famine, emigration and also a movement away from our rural roots to a more urbanised way of living. The Famine of 1847 led to one of the biggest changes in Irish society and the ...

Mulcahy Carmel Voices Values and Visions a Study of the Educate Together Epistemic Community and Its Voice in a Pluralist Ireland Phd Thesis Dublin City University, 2006

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to explore the Educate Together sector, the multiden... more The purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to explore the Educate Together sector, the multidenominational primary school movement in the Republic of Ireland. This multilevel exploration looks at the role of Educate Together in a pluralist Ireland, the challenges presented by the accelerated growth of the sector, the values that underpin the schools in the sector and in particular the relevance of what is termed the Core Curriculum. The background to the research is the prior work conducted with the sector in 1998. The work presented here is an account of the second phase of the research, which attempts to examine in greater detail some of the key issues that arose in the earlier work. Through a co-operative inquiry that involves a wide range of Voices within Educate Together, the research identifies a number of key issues that have arisen for the sector between 2000 and 2006. The work examines the concept of mixed schooling that underpinned the Irish National School system in the 1830’s, the gradual erosion of this system and its replacement by denominational schools and the emergence of the Educate Together sector in the 1970’s. Using a form of co-operative inquiry the research identifies the importance of Educate Together in an intercultural Ireland, the impact of this form of inclusive education on the children who attend the schools and the design and development of “Learn Together: An Ethical Education Curriculum for Educate Together Schools”. The final section of the research examines the impact of this curriculum at national and international level and in particular the strengthening of the relationship between the Colleges of Education and Educate Together. The study offers a unique insight into an important partner in Irish education.

Journal of Teacher Education For Sustainability, 2012

This paper presents a pedagogical model that emerged during the design of an online Masters progr... more This paper presents a pedagogical model that emerged during the design of an online Masters programme developed with the support of funding from the Erasmus multilateral programme. The authors are experienced in both the development and implementation of online learning, particularly values-based learning approaches in higher education, and are deeply committed to building alternate theoretical models that stimulate thinking about values-based learning within an online context. This pedagogical model thus represents an alternative theoretical resource for thinking about the role of ethical-values in learning. Garrison, Anderson and Archer's (2000) Community of Inquiry Framework has been re-conceptualised and a new pedagogical model, titled the "Ethical-values Pedagogical Model", has emerged. This model posits that a positive ethical-values presence is critical to sustaining teaching, social and cognitive presences and thus the lynchpin for the enablement of appropriate and meaningful cognitive experiences. The ethicalvalues bases of learners and educators effectively filter the way in which the cognitive experience is created and the manner in which the individual learner makes sense and/or constructs meaning within the learning environment. As such, the ethical-values bases of participants impact significantly on the teaching, social and cognitive presences within the learning environment. The presence of ethical-values that foster authentic, democratic and transformative learning experiences for the individual learner, communities of learners and educators is critical to the success of this Ethical-values Pedagogical Model.

Cuadernos De Pedagogia, 2012

Journal of Adult and …, 2005

Abstract: This article examines the training needs of educators working in the further education ... more Abstract: This article examines the training needs of educators working in the further education (FE), adult education, and Second Chance sectors in the Republic of Ireland. The research on which it is based was funded jointly by the European Union Leonardo da Vinci Programme and the Department of Education and Science of Ireland and took place from 1998 to 2003. It consisted of a survey of the coordinators of 162 further education (FE) centres and follow up interviews with 13 of these coordinators. The paper concentrates ...

La necessitat de basar l'educació en evidències científiques El conjunt de països europeus amb ba... more La necessitat de basar l'educació en evidències científiques El conjunt de països europeus amb baixos nivells educatius i les desigualtats en educació (OCDE, 2007) són una realitat preocupant en el marc de la Comissió Europea. Els resultats educatius desiguals entre països i dins de cada Estat membre afecten en sentit negatiu els col•lectius més desfavorits amb baix nivell acadèmic, i generen exclusió social. En aquest sentit es requereix un esforç per superar les desigualtats educatives existents en la societat del coneixement. La recerca europea realitzada fins ara mostra la multidimensionalitat de l'exclusió social i ressalta la seva connexió amb l'educació.

Educational Research eJournal, 2012

Irish education has undergone major changes in the recent past. These changes came about as a res... more Irish education has undergone major changes in the recent past. These changes came about as a result of a White Paper on policy, Charity Our Education Future, (1995), the subsequent establishment of the Education Act (2000) which formally gave legal status to key aspects of education and the Teaching Council Act which was charged with the maintenance and improvement of the quality of teaching and teacher education. The professionalization of teaching and teachers was identified as key to the proposed changes. Change processes in any profession are challenging and demand collaboration and agreement from a number of stakeholders. In teacher education such changes involve existing practitioners, the training providers, the government and the unions, which represent parents, teachers and teacher education providers. In order to bring about change, there should also be evidence that the proposed changes are properly cost, are capable of improving current practice and that change management teams are available to support and evaluate the impact of the changes. This paper addresses the challenges that exist in bringing about successful change in a difficult economic and social situation, where the quality, impact and success of Irish education processes are being closely scrutinized. The paper places a strong emphasis on the role of teacher educators.

Book reviews and shorter notices may be published also and publication will be subject to the app... more Book reviews and shorter notices may be published also and publication will be subject to the approval of the Editorial Board. Papers and reviews should be typed in black, in .5 spacing, and preferably should be transmitted to the Editor electronically. A short note on the writer's background should accompany every paper submitted and an abstract of the paper also should be provided. Preferably, reference to authorities should be made in the text by use of the Harvard (or Authordate) system, but the British Standard (the Numeric system) also is acceptable. Some examples: • Book MacBeath, J. and McGlynn, A. (2004) Self-evaluation: what's in it for schools? London and New York, RoutledgeFalmer. • Book chapter in an edited volume Gleeson, J. (2004) 'Cultural and Political Contexts of Irish Post-Primary Curriculum: influences, interests and issues', in Sugrue, C. (ed) Curriculum