Category: Uncategorized
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A Lesson in Letting Go of Control
From my very first experience of ‘Teaching Practice’ as a student teacher, I learned that it was very important to maintain ‘control’ of the class. In fact, my biggest fear as a student teacher was ‘losing control’ of my class while being observed. And while the language of ‘Teaching Practice’ has moved on, and the…
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Reach Journal
https://reachjournal.ie/index.php/reach/issue/view/75/14 Article: The influence of a Sensorimotor Handwriting Programme on the Emergent Handwriting Development and Motor Proficiency of Junior Infant Children.
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The Ones Who Need Us Most
If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. Luke…
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Does Creativity Call for Paper?
This week I was working with students on a reflective activity whereby they were asked to create a poster that visually illustrated their learning journey throughout the module. This was an attempt to move away from a written format of reflection, and to acknowledge alternative methods to represent knowledge and information. I hoped that the…
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The Power of ‘Very Good’…
The transition from ‘infant teacher’ to teaching young adults is quite something. The days of 15 junior infants all clambering to get your attention, to tell you their favourite part of the story, or what their dog did yesterday become a distant memory. The days of needing a speaking object and turn-taking visuals to make…
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Embracing the Aloneness of College Life
Over the last week, as our new first year students appear on campus to begin their journeys through college life, I was reminded of my own experience arriving at the gates of St. Pat’s college some time ago. And while I can recall that as an exciting and liberating time for sure, full of newness…
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Long Live the Pencil Case
“Handwriting is “one of the most visceral means by which human beings leave tracks of their existence” (Nelson et al., 2018). One of my fondest childhood memories of this time of year is the smell of a brand new pencil case. I can still smell it so clearly. The little thin foam wrapping inside, the…
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My First Day at School
Below is a sample script that explores the feelings and emotions that many young children (and older children!), experience as they navigate their first day of school. It is hoped that this script might act as a helpful scaffold for teachers to get started using puppets this term. It is not intended to be used…
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In a world of ‘Do Better’, can we take a moment for ‘Do Worse’?
Last Thursday night, I went to see (or perhaps ‘experience’ would be a more apt term), Michael Keegan-Dolan’s Mám, at the Bord Gáis Theatre. I had been hoping for a chance to see Mám since watching The Dance – a short-film by Pat Collins – documenting the creative process behind this remarkable dance production. And…