As part of our ongoing series of online events SCoTENS hosted a research focused webinar on 15 March 2022.

The event was aimed at members of SCoTENS and was a thoroughly successful event.  The seed funding research speakers provided a very thoughtful and inspiring input on how Scotens seed funding enabled them to carry out much needed research and detailing the impact the funding had. They all embodied what the committee of SCoTENS aspire to, namely creating a safe space for collaboration, sharing, listening and learning for educators on the island.

Catch up on the Webinar below 

Seed Funding Research Speakers

Three new education projects have been awarded funding under the partnership between the Shared Island unit in the Department of the Taoiseach and the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS).

A call for research on the theme of “How we teach: acknowledging, understanding and learning with others and from others on a shared island” was issued in late 2021 with funding of up to €25,000 per project available. Projects are North-South research partnerships, with contributions from international experts, which will undertake action-based research on enhancing understanding across communities through education.

The three projects which have been awarded funding are:

• SRASI: Shared Responsibility Across a Shared Island: Teaching social justice in initial teacher education – led by Prof. Ann MacPhail, University of Limerick, and Dr. Paul Mc Flynn, Ulster University, Coleraine. This project will develop and share, through practitioner research, a teaching approach to social justice across the initial teacher education programmes in UL and UU.
• CRiTERiA: Cultural Responsivity in Teacher Education: Research in Action – led by Dr. Patricia Eaton, Stranmillis University College, Belfast, and Dr. Martin Brown and Dr. Paddy Shevlin, Dublin City University, in collaboration with Dr. Manuela Heinz, National University of Ireland, Galway, and Prof. Joanne Hughes, Queen’s University Belfast. This project will work with teacher educators and student teachers to design and develop an Open Access Online course (for teachers of all levels of experience, including student teachers) to enhance culturally responsive educational skills and competencies, recognising that teaching takes place in culturally diverse learning environments. This Open Access Online course will benefit education professionals on the island of Ireland and internationally.
• EDUCATE: Educating about Difference Uniting Classrooms and Teacher Education – led by Dr. Patricia Kieran, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, and Dr. Stephen Roulston, Ulster University, Coleraine, in collaboration with Dr. Emer Nowlan, Sandra Irwin Gowran and Vera Shanahan, Educate Together, Séamus Conboy and Megan Whyte, Education and Training Boards Ireland, Cliodhna Scott-Wills, Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education, and Dr. Matthew Milliken, Ulster University, Coleraine. This project will equip primary school initial teacher education students with the teaching skills, knowledge, and resources to explore and teach, in diverse primary classrooms, about respect for identity, difference, and fostering mutual understanding.

The project teams will publish their reports in September 2023, and their findings will contribute to enhanced understanding and professional and policy development, on a shared island basis, and internationally.

Co-chairs of SCoTENS, Dr. Maria Campbell and Dr. Gabrielle Nig Uidhir added, “These new projects are an exciting next step in the Shared Island-SCoTENS research partnership programme.  They are providing an opportunity to enhance cooperation and collaboration between teachers and educators across the island of Ireland by bringing together leading national and international experts.

“We were particularly pleased to see so many diverse and high-quality projects applying for the funding, which is further evidence of the appetite that exists for increased North-South collaboration on important education issues across this island.  It is through sharing ideas and learning from each other’s experiences that we will deliver the best outcomes for our students.

“We have no doubt that these three important research projects addressing “How we teach: acknowledging, understanding and learning with others and from others on a shared island” will provide valuable insights for educators North, South, and beyond.  We would like to wish the successful awardees well as they begin their work”.

Click HERE to find out more from the project partners.

Find out more about the Projects below:

SRASI Project Overview

CRiTERiA Project Overview

EDUCATE Project Overview

As part of our ongoing series of online events SCoTENS are delighted to announce that they are running a short research-focused webinar on 15 March 2022 from 2.00-3.00 pm with a follow-on session for 30 minutes for anyone considering applying for seed funding this year (3.00-3.30pm).  

This event is aimed at members of SCoTENS and will comprise the following: short presentations by a small group of team members who have been successful in recent SCoTENS funded projects; the launch of our Annual Report by Dr. Noel Purdy, Director of Research and Scholarship, Director of the Centre for Research in Educational Underachievement (CREU), Head of Education Studies, Stranmillis University College, Belfast and the presentation of this year’s John Coolahan by Prof Linda Clarke, Research Director, Ulster University, Coleraine, to the authors of the Seed Funding Report which is recognised to be the most in line with the values and ideals of SCoTENS; and, finally, from 3.00 to 3.30pm, a short Q&A session to support potential applicants to this year’s seed funding programme. 

When: 15 March 2022 at 2.00pm

The Shared Island-SCoTENS Research Partnership are delighted to announce that the first two projects awarded funding under the the theme of “Enhancing educational attainment: sharing experience and learning on a shared island”  

Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD speaking at the the Shared Island Forum said, “I would like to congratulate these first awardees under the Shared Island SCoTENS research programme.  “I am confident that these two research projects will add significantly to teacher education practice, and to the scope for deeper cooperation at a policy level on the island. I wish both of the research teams the very best as they start their work, and look forward to seeing the results.”

Click HERE to see speech from Minister Norma Foley TD and the Partners from the successful projects, BUDDIES and SHARED.

• “BUDDIES” – led by Dr Glenda Walsh, Stranmillis University College, Belfast, in collaboration with Dr Seaneen Sloan, University College Dublin and Clíodhna Martin, Marino Institute of Education, Dublin. Building on discussions of the role of Home-School Community Liaison at the Shared Island Dialogue on education, this study will seek to gain a clearer understanding of the valuable but under-researched work of HSCLs across the island.
• “SHARED” – led by Dr Melanie Ní Dhuinn and Dr. Julie Uí Choistealbha from Marino Institute of Education, Dublin, in collaboration with Julie Hamilton, from St. Mary’s University College, Belfast. This project explores how teacher educators can prepare and support student teachers to negotiate and engage with the challenges of educational underachievement while on their school placement.

Find out more about the projects below:

The Buddies Project Synopsis

The SHARED Project Synopsis

Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD and Minister for Education Norma Foley TD have announced two successful projects awarded funding under the partnership between the Shared Island unit in the Department of the Taoiseach and the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS).

A call for research on the theme of “Enhancing educational attainment: sharing experience and learning on a shared island” was issued earlier this year with funding of up to €25,000 per project available. Projects are North-South research partnerships, with contributions from international experts, which will conduct action-based research on tackling educational underachievement.

The first two projects which have been awarded funding are:

• “BUDDIES” – led by Dr Glenda Walsh, Stranmillis University College, Belfast, in collaboration with Dr Seaneen Sloan, University College Dublin and Clíodhna Martin, Marino Institute of Education, Dublin. Building on discussions of the role of Home-School Community Liaison at the Shared Island Dialogue on education, this study will seek to gain a clearer understanding of the valuable but under-researched work of HSCLs across the island.
• “SHARED” – led by Dr Melanie Ní Dhuinn and Dr. Julie Uí Choistealbha from Marino Institute of Education, Dublin, in collaboration with Julie Hamilton, from St. Mary’s University College, Belfast. This project explores how teacher educators can prepare and support student teachers to negotiate and engage with the challenges of educational underachievement while on their school placement.

The project teams will publish their reports in October 2022, and their findings will contribute to enhanced understanding and professional and policy development, on a shared island basis, and internationally.

Welcoming the awards, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said, “I am very happy to be announcing the successful projects awarded funding under this partnership between the Shared Island unit in my Department and the Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South (SCoTENS).  Tackling educational underachievement is a core priority of mine and this Government.  Through collaborative North/South projects such as this we can learn lessons about how to enhance supports for children at risk of educational underachievement, and improve the outcomes and quality of life for children and young people right across this island.  I would like to wish the researchers well as they begin their work and I look forward to reading their findings next year.”

Minister for Education, Norma Foley TD added, “I would like to congratulate these first awardees under the Shared Island SCoTENS research programme.

“I am confident that these two research projects will add significantly to teacher education practice, and to the scope for deeper cooperation at a policy level on the island. I wish both of the research teams the very best as they start their work, and look forward to seeing the results.”

A second funding call under the Shared Island-SCoTENS research partnership on the theme, “How we teach: acknowledging, understanding and learning with others and from others on a shared island” is open for applications, with research to be undertaken in 2022-2023.  More information is available here.

Co-chairs of SCoTENS, Dr Maria Campbell and Dr Gabrielle Nig Uidhir added, “This partnership on the Shared Island SCoTENS research initiative is a reflection of common aspirations to enhance cooperation, connections and mutual understanding. It has enabled the expansion of SCoTENS’ support for North-South collaborative research, and we are particularly pleased that it builds in opportunities for leading international experts on teacher education to collaborate on the research, for the mutual benefit of all involved.

“The members of our SCoTENS network have such a wealth and breadth of expertise on teacher education, and this research partnership is harnessing that expertise to explore how best to tackle educational underachievement and to share learnings on the important ways in which educators can have a positive impact on enhancing students’ educational attainment.”

“These two important research projects addressing educational underachievement have the potential to inform policy and practice for both pre-service and in-service teacher education on the island and beyond, and we look forward to seeing the results of their work ”.

The two projects for the Shared Island SCoTENS research initiative were funded by the Shared Island unit in the Department of the Taoiseach. 

A new research funding partnership between #SharedIsland and  @SCoTENS  was launched at the Shared Islands Dialogue on Education on 1 October 2021. Funding of up to €25k will be awarded to four projects.

Read more here https://scotens.org/call-for-funding-applications/