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There is a shift towards increased accountability and assessment in schools and this is echoed in an Irish context, with assessment a neglected area of study in teacher education programmes. The aim of this study is to explore teacher educators understanding of school-based assessment practices and how they prepare pre-service teachers to assess in schools. Interviews with a sample of teacher educators attached to 13 Irish teacher education programmes, residing in two associated higher education institutes, conveyed the policy implications of curriculum change, the need for assessment literacy professional development and the consideration of standalone assessment modules or an embedded approach to assessment in teacher education programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we aimed to analyze Irish educators' differentiation practices and their relationship to teachers' sense of efficacy. We examined teachers' (N = 470) reports of their curriculum modification practices and their provision of challenge or choice. When their students had mastered the required class work, more than half of teachers were willing to substitute assignments on a weekly or daily basis for both their average and gifted students. However, the frequency of differentiation was not high in practices that eliminate mastered curricular material or allow students to work at their own pace, which would allow gifted students to work at their ability level. More than 40% of teachers reported practicing these forms of differentiated instruction once a month or less frequently. Fifteen percent of teachers reported never engaging in these effective differentiation practices. Differentiation practice was positively correlated with teachers' sense of efficacy, particularly for instructional strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a comprehensive account of Irish teachers' perspectives on life inside schools in England, as reported in empirical studies. The research literature shows that Irish teachers report experiencing intense pressure from the inspectorate, but also internally as a consequence of the demands placed on English schools. Within these low-trust environments they experience what they feel to be unsustainable and time-consuming workloads which compound and perpetuate the pressure and stress they feel. Of most significance are Irish teachers' views on the motives of English schools, which they interpret and perceive to be dictated by and for the inspectorate as opposed to serving the best interests of students. Overall, Irish teachers' experiences in English schools are shaped by the overarching and inescapable pressures of high-stakes accountability and are far from positive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the experience of Shared Teachers (STs) who were employed on temporary contracts across school partnerships designed to enrich and integrate the educational experiences of children in primary schools in rural and religiously diverse areas in Northern Ireland, as part of a specific Shared Education Programme. In a society emerging from conflict, where Shared Education is advocated both to improve the quality of education and contribute to more positive community relations, this paper critically explores the strengths and limitations of using a ST initiative to develop inter-school collaboration. There were clear educational benefits in sharing resources, planning and curricular enrichment but the potential to affect positive community relations was often limited. STs were used for routine tasks within individual partnership schools, rather than normalising shared experience where pupils are educated together. STs lacked the institutional support necessary to challenge the cultural and social mores embedded within a divided society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harnessing teacher collegiality has been advocated as a means through which to negotiate contemporary challenges to teacher professionalism. However, the dominance of discourses of competitive individualism in global educational contexts poses a challenge to collegial relationships. This paper draws on the findings of a narrative study of teacher identity in the Irish context. It points to some ambiguities and tensions within the operation of teacher collegiality in that context and highlights the profession's cultural susceptibility to individualism. The paper argues that glossing over these vulnerabilities could hamper the development of collegial professionalism. These findings highlight the importance of bringing a culturally and contextually embedded analysis to the critique of international trends around teacher professionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines the wellbeing, resilience and physical activity (PA) levels among Irish pre-service teachers. Participants were a sample of 128 higher education students (29% male; 71% female; mean age range 18–27 years old) who completed a self-report questionnaire, using a combination of established instruments for wellbeing, resilience, and PA. Descriptive data revealed that 39.1% presented with low levels of resilience, and 74% were not meeting the PA guidelines for health. One sample t-tests further revealed the sample population of higher education students had lower wellbeing (t (127) = −3.05, p =.003) and resilience (t (127) = −6.48, p =.003) levels, when compared to the population normative data. Results from the existing study suggest that a structured mental health and PA education awareness intervention for Irish pre-service teachers may be warranted, specifically to increase the lower than expected levels of resilience. The existing sample of pre-service teachers are at a critical time of transition, as they move forward into a profession where self-awareness of wellbeing is required at the beginning of their careers to sustain health both inside and outside of the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective teaching encompasses both a pedagogical and an interpersonal dimension. Despite this, the latter typically receives little attention in initial teacher education and professional development programmes because of its tacit, non-conscious, and context-specific nature. In this study, the interpersonal dimension of teaching was conceptualized in terms of an explicit set of problem-solving strategies. Using the Tacit Knowledge Inventory for High School Teachers (TKI-HS), the perceived effectiveness of these strategies amongst a sample of Irish post-primary teachers (n = 69) was explored, and the extent to which this varied across certain individual and contextual factors was also investigated. The findings suggest that, when faced with challenging social situations in the course of their professions, Irish post-primary teachers demonstrate preferences for strategies involving either rational discussions with the source of the problem, or appealing to a colleague for advice. These preferences were independent of the teachers' gender, education level, degree of job satisfaction, and the climate of the school in which they worked. Some implications for teacher education programmes are outlined. Potential future directions, including links to broader issues concerning the assessment of non-cognitive skills and competencies more generally, are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a lack of conclusive evidence connecting autonomous schools and academic success, school autonomy is regularly championed as being a way of not only improving schools but as a way of improving the quality of education in socially and economically deprived areas. This research builds on a recent paper published in Irish Educational Studies that argues that school autonomy should not be advanced in Ireland by exploring how teachers feel about features of autonomous schools. Irish teachers who have previously worked in academy schools in England, and who now teach in disadvantaged schools in Ireland, were interviewed about their experiences and how they would feel about features of autonomous schools being implemented in Ireland. The experiences the participants had in England indicate how school autonomy can be experienced in different ways – morally proper ways that engage with the broad purposes of schooling such as focusing on students and their learning, and morally improper ways that prioritise looking good on external measures at the expense of students and their learning. Overall, the participants were opposed to schools in Ireland becoming more like English academies but felt that having greater local flexibility over the curriculum in schools and offering a wider range of subjects would be beneficial, provided that it was embraced and enacted in a morally proper manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central role of teachers in ensuring the quality of education has been increasingly recognised internationally in recent decades. This paper reviews various shifts that have occurred in the initial teacher education agenda internationally during this time period. The paper reviews the radical reform that has occurred in the structure and provision of Irish teacher education since 2012. The paper considers the approach taken to reducing fragmentation within the Irish system and concludes with a discussion of the author's concerns and recommendations for the future of initial teacher education, with particular reference to Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2004, Ireland has experienced the arrival of immigrants from various countries from all over the world including Poland. The Polish came to Ireland with their families including children of school age obliged to attend compulsory education. These children have attended schools dissimilar from the ones they are accustomed to in their home country in terms of teacher–student relationships. The question then arises as to what an Irish teacher is like in the opinions of young Polish immigrants? Is the image different from the one of a Polish teacher, or does the peculiarity of this job make teachers in various countries alike? This research conducted among a group of Polish grammar school students in Ireland helps to answer these questions. This article is a comparative study of teachers’ competence, and their personality, as well as their substantive, methodological and educational competence. The information was obtained by group interview technique with Polish youth aged 13–15 studying in Irish secondary schools at junior cycle level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay is a reflection on the significance of Irish language teaching outside of Ireland and the challenges which Irish teachers abroad face. With a focus on the significance of Irish teaching in Poland, it opens up debate about the proper contextualisation of Irish language programmes within Irish Studies courses. It also makes recommendations about future directions for Irish language teaching outside of Ireland and suggests the establishment of a professional network for Irish teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the similar intents, practices, and expected outcomes of Ireland's Project Maths and the United States' Com- mon Core State Standards for Mathematics, insights into promoting successful adoption of Common Core in the U.S. can be gained by looking at factors that have supported and/or hindered Irish teacher adoption of Project Maths-related content, pedagogy, and assess- ment. In this paper, a U.S. mathematics educator summarizes her experiences with and insights into Project Math based on a variety of observations, interviews and interactions with various aspects and players involved in Project Maths. This paper highlights observed strengths and limiting structural and personal factors related to teacher change and adoption of Project Maths. The paper then discusses an integrated framework for considering teacher change and concludes with suggested next steps for continued growth and development of Irish math teachers under Project Maths, as well as implications for professional development of teachers adopting Common Core in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]