"This award has afforded my colleagues and I the opportunity to carry out research into the impact of training teaching staff in specific strategies that support children who are deafblind. As a not for profit organisation, the Anne Sullivan Centre has been providing training and support to teaching staff for many years however we were unclear about both the training needs of teaching staff and the value of the training we were providing. This award has provided us with the means to find answers to both these questions as it has allowed us pay for facilitators to provide specialized training to teachers. The award and the resulting research project has increased our collaboration with schools and teachers all around Ireland, who are now aware of the condition of deafblindness and the supports available to children who are deafblind."
Catherine McDonald, Duine a fuair Spáránacht i mBabhta a hAon den Chreat Tacaíochta Taighde
"Within our research group, we are exploring the ways in which educator behaviours differ across a sample of European countries. The award we received as a part of the Research Support Framework has been incredibly helpful for us. While the financial support has been useful in increasing the scale and scope of what it is we are looking at, we feel that the main benefits of the award has been the access to a network of educational researchers (through REX: Research Expertise Exchange) and the overall increase in confidence and motivation from the recognition of how important our research is. Participation in the Research Support Framework has been overwhelmingly positive; we are working on data collection, several papers, and are bouncing ideas together on what we can present at upcoming FÉILTE 2018!"
Dean McDonell; Laura Griffin; Franziska Kartheus; Alexandra Späth; Christina Ditze; Georgia Tania; Stella Politi, and Katarina Micic, Daoine a fuair Spáránacht i mBabhta a hAon den Chreat Tacaíochta Taighde
"The Teaching Council’s John Coolahan Research Support Framework has allowed us to establish the Irish Research Network in Childhood Bilingualism. The funding has been pivotal in the organisation of events that brought a wide range of people together and we are confident that some of the discussions held during these meetings will lead to interesting cross-disciplinary projects."
Francesca La Morgia; Lorraine Connaughton Crean; Simon Rouse, and Duana Quigley, Daoine a fuair Spáránacht i mBabhta a hAon den Chreat Tacaíochta Taighde
"'Lay theories’ around theoretical research based approaches within the teaching profession have and continue to exist. Sugrue (1996) and Sexton (2007) indicate that teachers’ perceptions of ‘research’ is distinct from the development of their knowledge base, for which there is a strong emphasis. Sugrue (2009) also commented that in the context of research, teachers in general would not know where to begin or look. Gleeson (2012) outlined that research as an integrated component of professional practice was a clear case of ‘rhetoric versus reality’. In recent times, policy and practice regarding research in the teaching profession has been supported and facilitated in an effective manner through bodies such as the Teaching Council. In the context of initial teacher education (ITE), the increased emphasis on methods coupled with technological tools and analysis software has broadened the scope for greater interaction. The benefits of this are potentially profound in terms of the scope of learning intentions/outcomes and the organisation of learning experiences in a meaningful, inclusive and reflective manner. However, the grounding of core philosophical understanding within the field of education research needs attention. Paradigmatic orientations as well as the evolution of research methods within specific epistemological, phenomenological, ontological and axiological contexts must become an embedded component. This can enable a prospective teacher to identify elements in real time practice, through the lens of research, and apply the relevant research criteria to develop, enhance and create truly meaningful, inclusive and refective learning experiences that benefit teacher, student and school communities."
Joseph Lyster, Duine a fuair Spáránacht i mBabhta a hAon den Chreat Tacaíochta Taighde
"The Teaching Council funding has enabled us to promote a collaborative approach to professional development which essentially has been proven to improve pedagogy, student learning and organisational development. The funding has enabled us to roll this approach out to interested staff members and to facilitate teaching colleagues in the implementation of lesson study cycles. Teachers are actively involved and supported in the recording and analysis of research data and will subsequently publish/share findings. Their teaching practice will be research-led and informed."
Kathryn McSweeney and Olivia Gadd, Daoine a fuair Spáránacht i mBabhta a hAon den Chreat Tacaíochta Taighde
"The award and the support of the Teaching Council’s John Coolahan Research Support Framework has been of huge benefit to our project which looks at teachers' understanding of neuropsychology in the classroom. This involves looking at teachers' ideas and opinions on topics such as neuropsychological assessment and reports, accommodating children with poor self-regulation in the classroom, and reintegrating children with brain injury successfully back into school. The Teaching Council have been supportive in sharing information on the online element of our project as well as the focus groups and workshop we have organised. The funding has allowed for resources to be developed for teachers, successful workshop set-up, and will help us disseminate our findings."
Michelle Downes and Aisling O’Sullivan, Daoine a fuair Spáránacht i mBabhta a hAon den Chreat Tacaíochta Taighde
