NUI Maynooth Eprint Archive
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Opportunities > Outcomes: Seeking to Establish a Nurturing Environment in the Junior Infant Classroom
No full textThe significance of well-being in education has become a priority for schools over the past number of years, particularly with the impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, the concept of well-being is not clearly defined and arguably, like many other aspects of education, has fallen victim to neoliberal policies and agendas. Within previous curriculum frameworks and The New Draft Curriculum (N.C.C.A., 2020) it is apparent that well-being can be treated as a subject that is driven by an outcomes-based and measurable approach. Neoliberal approaches are observed to create unrealistic expectations on educators to solve the multitude of problems children face in their daily lives. These expectations can lead to controversies within our practice, ranging from a sense of guilt for not 'fully providing' for every child in a class to cases of teacher burnout.
A nurturing environment is one based on opportunities, rather than focussing on outcomes. Through adapting a nurturing pedagogical approach, I hoped to create an environment that was more conducive to the well-being of the child – rather than measuring it. This environment identifies the importance of reciprocal relationships and recognises the role of the child and the voice of the child as educational factors within the classroom.
Self-study action research was the chosen research methodology for this project. It was a suitable methodology as it is a values-laden, predominantly qualitative approach, in which the practitioner endeavours to enhance their practice. Within this self-study action research project, an exploration was conducted on both the relationships within the class and the teacher’s role in the agency of the child. Throughout the process, a focus was also placed on the promotion of the voice of the child. Within this exploration, and through identifying gaps in my pedagogical approaches, I sought to establish a nurturing environment within the classroom. Critical reflection and questioning were essential from the preliminary stages right
through to the conclusionary stages of the research journey. Triangulation was ensured throughout the data collection and validation processes. The project was structured on Carr and Kemmis’ (1986) Model of Action research, with a four-step approach of observing, planning, acting and reflecting. After the baseline data was gathered, the project took a unique format, choosing to run three action-cycles concurrently rather than the traditional consecutive approach. Each action-cycle had its own interventions in the form of relational sociograms, a multi-modal approach to communication and expression and using puppets to create a socio-dramatic world. Each intervention led to a number of environmental and personal findings, but ultimately, everything intertwined in the form of an ‘overarching finding.’ This ‘overarching finding’ presented as a solar-system of the nurturing environment that I sought to establish. Within this solar-system, it was essential to provide opportunities for the children to identify the need for and benefit of reciprocal relationships, a multi-modal approach to discussion and expression and facilitate an active approach to socio-dramatic play to encourage the agency of the child and their social-emotional development. In providing such opportunities to the children and supporting them to find their own meanings in a shared learning environment, the practitioner is manifesting a nurturing pedagogy and truly embodying the educative value of care
How Can I Use Personalised, Digital-Based Learning to Enhance my Teaching of Reading Comprehension?
No full textThis self-study action research project explored: How can I use personalised, digital-based
learning to enhance my teaching of reading comprehension? My focus on increased separation
and decreased interaction due to Covid-19 restrictions (DES, 2021) caused me to retreat to a
didactic approach in my teaching of reading comprehension. Through a combination of critical
reflection on the mismatch between my practice and my values, in addition to engagement with
Irish policy documents on enacting high-quality teaching (GOI, 2021a; DES, 2022), I realised I
needed to teach in a more responsive manner; one in which engagement could be maximised
despite the Covid-19 social distancing measures.
During the course of a ten-week action research cycle, my students completed a number
of digital-based reading comprehension tasks which developed the skill of connecting. The first
three weeks of the intervention focused on direct teaching of the digital skills needed to both
self-select a text from a digital library and create content to demonstrate learning. Scaffolding
was then provided as the students engaged with text and recorded their learning according to
their own preferences and needs. The digital library Epic was used, in addition to
content-creation software such as BookCreator, GoogleDocs and Jamboard.
It was found that the provision of personalised, digital-based learning experiences
enabled the children to experience themselves as agentic learners. The enactment of student
agency resulted in the students feeling empowered to use their voice, to make responsible
choices and to take ownership over their role in the process. The following two elements were
found to be important in empowering the learner to engage with personalised, digital-based
learning: establishing a supportive climate and enabling student agency by providing meaningful
learning opportunities in which responsibility is gradually released.
My own stuckness in relation to teaching reading comprehension has evolved as I moved
beyond a focus on the acquisition of knowledge and skills, towards a more holistic model of
learning. I now realise the significance of adopting a pedagogic approach that offers the students
the opportunity to discover information for themselves based on their own interests, needs and
preferences when using digital tools
Radical Justice: Activist Engagement with Legal Structures During the Irish Housing Crisis
No full textThis thesis investigates whether engagement with domestic legal structures can help radical left activists, movements and parties in Ireland, to further their aims and objectives. This question is examined through the lens of the Irish housing crisis, an issue which has dominated Ireland’s political sphere in recent years. The crisis, which is rooted in the commodification of the country’s housing sector, has provoked a considerable response from the radical left. Activists have protested and campaigned on issues such as homelessness, soaring rental prices and the selling of public lands to private developers. These actions have frequently brought socialists into contact with Ireland’s legal architecture. Activists have defended against legal actions and have also attempted to utilise the law as a tool to affect social change. The thesis considers the different way in which socialists have or could engage with the legal system by examining three case studies. Two of these involve instances in which groups involving radical left actors have come into contact with Ireland’s legal structures. The first examines the occupation of Apollo House in Dublin by the Home Sweet Home group in late 2016. The study considers the legal action brought to have the activists removed, reflecting on the court proceedings and the impact those proceedings had on the political debate which surrounded the occupation. The second case study investigates the work of the Dublin Tenant’s Association, a group which sought to utilise legal practice as part of its political mobilisation. The benefits and difficulties that came with this practice is considered. The thesis also considers a prospective legal engagement, asking whether socialists should engage with the campaign to give constitutional protection to the right to housing in Ireland. This case study considers the impact the right might have on Irish housing policy and the political opportunities which may emerge if socialists choose to campaign on the issue
Moving Primary PE Forward: How Can I Embed Physical Literacy Informed Practice at Primary Level?
No full textThis action research self-study tells the story of my professional learning journey. The purpose of this research is to explore how I can embed physical literacy (PL) informed Physical Education (PE) at primary level. My values of respect, democracy and voice are interwoven throughout as key contributors to the research and an extension of my Froebelian values. I endeavour to live more closely to my values and move primary PE forward from a performative and sports-based model in my practice. Literature Review: I present a critical review of the pertinent literature that details how PL potentially informs PE. Much of the existing research to date has been a top-down approach and a lacuna of data has emerged in the field. The literature also highlights that there is a continuing epidemic of physical inactivity. Thus, what is taught and how the increased time afforded to PE in the Draft Primary Curriculum Framework (NCCA, 2020) demands consideration. These theoretical insights inform my journey. Methodology: The participants of this action research were in a multi-grade third- and fourth-class co-educational setting. Qualitative research methods guided the research. I designed and planned an intervention that involved three strategies. These strategies included PE as teaching and learning, mapping the PL journey as assessment and meaningful PE strategies as an extension of PL. Results: I present a thematic analysis and discussion of the data. Three themes emerged from the data sets which include 1. Physical Literacy as a Model of PE for All 2.Increased Value and Engagement in Physical Education 3. A Physical Literacy Disposition in Physical Education. Conclusion: This research makes an original contribution to the field of PL by providing more evidence, advocacy and support to make PL a more tangible concept in practice. PL has been the catalyst for a new emphasis in PE and PL disposition. It is now time to take the ball, run with it and move Primary PE forward in an era of Curriculum reform in Irish education
Supporting Emotion Regulation in a Large Infant Classroom
No full textFor the purpose of this study, my key question was “How can I as a primary school teacher support children with emotion regulation through the use of effective strategies in a large infant classroom?”. While previously working as part of the Special Education Team in my school, I observed children experiencing difficulties in managing and controlling intense emotions. This became increasingly evident during the house isolation periods amid the Covid-19 lockdowns, as observed by parents during check-in phone calls. I felt that as a teacher I was not adequately equipped with the necessary strategies to support the children.
I began by researching literature on emotion regulation and observed a significant gap, specifically around supporting such a young age group of children within the classroom environment. I decided to choose action research as my chosen research paradigm because the focus lay primarily on improving teaching and enhancing learning, rather than fixing an issue. I could examine my individual practice while engaging in critical reflection, with my values of inclusion, care, and empathy at the epicentre of my research. I introduced the children to a range of highly researched intervention strategies.
I discovered that emotion regulation is a life skill. My findings explored four central themes comprising of a safe space, key influencers of emotion regulation, pupil identity and autonomy and the power of reflection and mindfulness. A ‘safe space’ is vital to ensure that the children can develop their emotion regulation in a secure environment. Both parents and teachers represent highly influential figures who have a significant influence over the development of children’s emotion regulation. Children should differentiate between their individual identity and their state of emotion, and autonomously select emotion regulation strategies that work best for them. Lastly, critical reflection and mindfulness can have a substantial impact on enabling children to emotionally regulate through reflection by consciously acknowledging and accepting one’s emotions.
This research resulted in transformational change to both my personal self as an individual and my professional self as a teacher. My teaching practices have changed, my relationship with the parents and the children in my class have been strengthened and my own emotion regulation has progressed. Emotion regulation is an essential life skill and therefore, as educators we need more research carried out in this area, particularly with young children within the educational context, to adequately support the children in our classroom
Real‐Time Multi‐Photon Tracking and Bioimaging of Glycosylated Theranostic Prodrugs upon Specific Enzyme Triggered Release
No full textReal-timetracking of pro drug up take, delivery and activation in vivore presents a major challenge for prodrug development. Here in, we demonstrate the use of novel glycosylated theranostics of the cancer pharmacophore Amonafide in highly-selective, enzymatic triggered release. We show that the use of endogenous enzymes for activated release of the therapeutic component can be observed, in real time, and monitored using one and two-photon bioimag-ing, offering unique insight into the prodrug pharmaco kinetic profile. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the potent cytotoxicity of Amonafide is preserved using this targeted approach
The impacts of and responses to place loss in a coastal community in Ireland
No full textThis paper explores the impact of place loss due to the loss of a beach from coastal erosion in the community of Courtown, Co. Wexford,Ireland. Using in-depth walking interviews and photo-elicitation, we investigate (i) the experiences and emotional challenges of place loss;(ii) the impacts of place loss and adaptive actions on people–place relationships and; (iii) how individuals re-imagine the future of place following loss. We find that place loss results in emotional responses consistent with solastalgia for many interviewees. Adaptation actions in the form of installation of rock armour to deal with coastal erosion were seen by many as undesirable and amplified the sense of loss experienced. For most, the lack of community engagement in decision-making has created a sense of powerlessness and anxiety around the future of place. Moreover, this sense of powerlessness is amplified for many by concurrent but unrelated policies that incentivised rapid residential development in the area, contributing to changing place identity and community cohesion. Our findings highlight that impacts of environmental change and adaptation on individuals, while significant on their own, unfold within and can be amplified by the context of on-going development issues and decision-making processes. Despite their sense of powerlessness, there is evidence that residents see rich opportunities to re-imagine place if decision-makers can create opportunities to incorporate the voice of local communitie
Time-Varying Univariate and Bivariate Frequency Analysis of Nonstationary Extreme Sea Level for New York City
No full textBivariate frequency analysis is an emerging method for the assessment of compound floods, especially in coastal regions. Changing climate, which usually leads to changes in characteristics of extreme hydrometeorological phenomena, makes the application of nonstationary methods more critical. In this research, a methodology is developed to apply frequency analysis on extreme sea level using physically-based hydroclimatic variables as covariates based on univariate Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) as the probability distribution function and copula methods. The results show that for extreme sea level, the location parameter of marginal distribution is directly related to the covariate variable of maximum temperature. For precipitation, the scale parameter is related to the covariate variable of minimum temperature, and the shape parameter is time-dependent. The univariate return periods of hurricanes Sandy and Irene are estimated at 85 and 12 years in nonstationary GEV distribution, respectively, while for stationary GEV distribution they are estimated at 1200 and 25 years, and in the bivariate frequency analysis of water level and precipitation, the normal copula function has more flexibility compared to other competitors. Using time-varying copula, the bivariate return periods of Hurricanes Sandy and Irene are 109 years and 136 years, respectively. The results confirm the importance of incorporating rainfall and extreme sea level in coastal flood frequency analysis. Although the proposed methodology can be applied to other hydro-climatological variables, the findings of this research suggest the necessity of considering nonstationarity in the analysis of extreme hydrologic events
This Room Explains a Great Deal: Virginia Woolf’s Renovative Modern Fiction of the 1920s
No full textA Query-based Approach for Verifying UML Class Diagrams with OCL Invariants.
No full textVerifying whether a UML class diagram is consistent involves finding valid instances that provably meet its
constraints defined in Object Constraint Language (OCL). Recent studies have shown that many existing tools and techniques
not only can find valid instances but also pinpoint the conflicts among the OCL constraints. However, they do not scale well and
are often unable to locate the conflicts when the number of OCL constraints significantly increases. In this paper, we present a
novel approach that is capable of verifying UML class diagrams with a large number of OCL constraints. Our approach has two
distinct features: (1) it provides a query language that allows users to choose parts of a UML class diagram to be verified. (2)
a new algorithm that can handle an extreme size of OCL invariants via concurrent verification. We have implemented a new
automated tool called: QMaxUSE. The evaluation results suggest that QMaxUSE has the potential to be adapted by industry
and offers up to 30x efficiency improvement in verifying UML class diagrams with a large number of OCL constraints