Caoineadh ar Shéamas Óg Mac Coitir (†1720)

Edition of 'Mo dhainid go fuin, mo shileadh deór, mo scíos', by Uilliam Mac Cartáin an Dúna on the death of Séamas Óg Mac Coitir (1689-1720)

Caoineadh ar an Ridire Séamas mac Éamoinn Mac Coitir (c.1630-1705): Is och im chliabh 's is diachair phéine le hUilliam Mac Cartáin an Dúna

Introduction, edition, translation, textual notes on a 52 verse elegy composed by Uilliam Mac Cartáin an Dúna on the death of his patron Sir James Cotter in 1705

Initial Teacher Education for Inclusion Phase 1 and 2 Report: NCSE Research Report No. 26

Executive Summary Background to the project The context for this project is a growing international consensus on the importance of policy initiatives to both raise the quality of teaching (OECD, 2005) and to better prepare teachers to respond to increasing diversity in communities and classrooms (EADSNE, 2011). The DES and the Teaching Council of Ireland developed policies requiring higher education institutions providing Initial Teacher Education (ITE) to undergo a re-accreditation process from 2012. This involved both an extension and a reconceptualization of programmes, with mandatory additional content related to inclusive education and differentiation, together with the opportunity for a wider range of school placement experiences. All concurrent (undergraduate) programmes of initial teacher education must be of four years' duration and all consecutive (postgraduate) programmes of initial teacher education must be of two years' duration. The latter were re-accredited at Masters Level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Following this major reform, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in Ireland commissioned a study of ‘Initial Teacher Education for Inclusion’ in 2015. NCSE’s research aim was: ‘to establish what the components of inclusive/special education are within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes in Ireland and to explore if the recent changes prepare newly qualified teachers to be inclusive using the indicators set out in the EASNIE’s Profile of Inclusive Teachers’. The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (EASNIE) conducted a four-year project on Teacher Education for Inclusion, involving representatives of twenty five countries. A key output was a proposed ‘Profile of Inclusive Teachers’ (EADSNE, 2012), which outlines a range of attitudes, knowledge and skills in relation to four core values and eight areas of competence, to be addressed in initial teacher education to prepare all new teachers to become more inclusive. The NCSE proposed the EASNIE Profile of Inclusive Teachers as the baseline definition of inclusive teaching for the project and it is used by the research team as the framework and starting point for analysis. The ‘Initial Teacher Education for Inclusion’ project (ITE4I), runs from 2015-2018. The research team is led by Manchester Metropolitan University in partnership with University College Cork and University College London, Institute of Education. We understand this project may be one of the first system-wide, longitudinal studies of initial teacher education for inclusive teaching in Europe. This report relates to the first year of the project in 2015/16, which analysed the content of ITE programmes and studied the experiences of the first cohort of student teachers to graduate from the extended and reconceptualised programmes, in their final year of study. This comprised two phases of data collection: in Phase 1 we analysed programme documents and surveyed teacher educators; in Phase 2 we surveyed student teachers and interviewed a sample of student teachers and teacher educators. At the same time, a literature review was developed setting out definitional debates on inclusive education and outlining the scope of the international literature on inclusive teaching. Research design The Research Questions formulated by National Council for Special Education (NCSE) were as follows: 1. What are the components of inclusive/special education within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes in Ireland for primary and post-primary teachers? 2. Do the recent changes to ITE prepare newly qualified teachers to be inclusive as identified by European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education (EASNIE) Profile of Inclusive Teachers? 3. What is the intended impact of the changes in ITE on outcomes for students with special educational needs (SEN) and do student/newly qualified teachers perceive their learning during initial teacher education makes an impact on outcomes for students with SEN? 4. What gaps are there in how current ITE programmes prepare student teachers to be inclusive as per the EASNIE Profile of Inclusive Teachers and what aspects need to be strengthened to better prepare student teachers to be inclusive? 5. What lessons can be identified from this research for initial teacher education in Ireland and subsequent phases in the continuum of teacher education? The Project Phases were planned around data collection over the three years of the project: Phase 1 (Sept. – Jan. 2016): Analysing ITE Programme Content Data collection in Phase 1 included documentary analysis and a survey of teacher educators. Documentation relating to some 30 programmes (out of 59 nationally) from 13 ITE providers (out of 19 in total) was obtained with the support of the Teaching Council. These were primarily standard proforma submitted for re-accreditation, with module outlines appended in some cases; in addition, reviews of these submissions published by the Teaching Council were analysed, together with the criteria used for re-accreditation. The documentary analysis started from a typology derived from the EASNIE Profile of Inclusive Teachers, to examine how and where inclusive teaching is represented within ITE programme documents. A survey of teacher educators was conducted at the same time, to collect initial data on the range of views expressed by teacher educators in relation to issues of inclusive teaching in ITE programmes. The survey was constructed to reflect areas of competence within the EASNIE Profile of Inclusive Teachers, and to collect free-text comments. Following piloting, 21 respondents (programme leaders, module leaders, heads of departments) provided complete or near-complete responses giving information relating to 27 programmes from 13 institutions (some survey responses related to more than one programme). Phase 2 (Feb. – Aug. 2016): Understanding the ITE Student Experience Data collection in Phase 2 included a survey of student teachers, together with interviews with student teachers and with teacher educators at five case study sites. The five ITE providers were selected to represent a range of primary, post-primary, consecutive and concurrent programmes; and to provide a geographical spread of institutions. The survey of student teachers elicited data about their experiences of initial teacher education and their understandings of inclusive teaching. The questionnaire captured demographic information, key areas of experience prior to and during the respondents’ ITE programme, and a series of statements mapped to an analysis of the attitude, knowledge and skills components of the EASNIE profile. A total of 430 valid responses were received, representing a sample of approximately 13% of the national cohort of student teachers. The interviews with student teachers aimed to elicit their views about their course and how their studies related to their school placement experiences; their understandings of inclusive teaching; their approaches to inclusive teaching in practice; and their reflections on their own professional development in relation to inclusive teaching and how their courses might be developed. A total of 47 students were interviewed in person or by Skype, with 32 recruited at the five case study sites and a further 15 recruited by survey responses from other institutions. The interviews with teacher educators sought their views on issues of inclusive teaching and ITE in Ireland, and on the impact of the extension and reconceptualization of ITE programmes; their responses to emergent themes and issues arising from the survey of teacher educators and the documentary analysis; and their reflections on aspects of the EASNIE Profile of Inclusive Teachers. A total of 11 staff interviews were conducted across the five case study sites, typically including the Head of School or a Programme Leader and a lecturer in inclusive or special education

Team-teaching for inclusive learning: Purposes, practices and perceptions of a team-teaching initiative in Irish post-primary schools

Background. Schools unequivocally privilege solo-teaching. This research seeks to enhance our understanding of team-teaching by examining how two teachers, working in the same classroom at the same time, might or might not contribute to the promotion of inclusive learning. There are well-established policy statements that encourage change and moves towards the use of team-teaching to promote greater inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream schools and mainstream classrooms. What is not so well established is the practice of team-teaching in post-primary settings, with little research conducted to date on how it can be initiated and sustained, and a dearth of knowledge on how it impacts upon the students and teachers involved. Research questions and aims. In light of the paucity and inconclusive nature of the research on team-teaching to date (Hattie, 2009), the orientating question in this study asks ‘To what extent, can the introduction of a formal team-teaching initiative enhance the quality of inclusive student learning and teachers’ learning at post-primary level?’ The framing of this question emerges from ongoing political, legal and educational efforts to promote inclusive education. The study has three main aims. The first aim of this study is to gather and represent the voices and experiences of those most closely involved in the introduction of team-teaching; students, teachers, principals and administrators. The second aim is to generate a theory-informed understanding of such collaborative practices and how they may best be implemented in the future. The third aim is to advance our understandings regarding the day-to-day, and moment-to-moment interactions, between teachers and students which enable or inhibit inclusive learning. Sample. In total, 20 team-teaching dyads were formed across seven project schools. The study participants were from two of the seven project schools, Ash and Oak. It involved eight teachers and 53 students, whose age ranged from 12-16 years old, with 4 teachers forming two dyads per school. In Oak there was a class of first years (n=11) with one dyad and a class of transition year students (n=24) with the other dyad. In Ash one class group (n=18) had two dyads. The subjects in which the dyads engaged were English and Mathematics. Method. This research adopted an interpretive paradigm. The duration of the fieldwork was from April 2007 to June 2008. Research methodologies included semi-structured interviews (n=44), classroom observation (n=20), attendance at monthly teacher meetings (n=6), questionnaires and other data gathering practices which included school documentation, assessment findings and joint examination of student work samples (n=4). Results. Team-teaching involves changing normative practices, and involves placing both demands and opportunities before those who occupy classrooms (teachers and students) and before those who determine who should occupy these classrooms (principals and district administrators). This research shows how team-teaching has the potential to promote inclusive learning, and when implemented appropriately, can impact positively upon the learning experiences of both teachers and students. The results are outlined in two chapters. In chapter four, Social Capital Theory is used in framing the data, the change process of bonding, bridging and linking, and in capturing what the collaborative action of team-teaching means, asks and offers teachers; within classes, between classes, between schools and within the wider educational community. In chapter five, Positioning Theory deductively assists in revealing the moment-to-moment, dynamic and inclusive learning opportunities, that are made available to students through team-teaching. In this chapter a number of vignettes are chosen to illustrate such learning opportunities. These two theories help to reveal the counter-narrative that team-teaching offers, regarding how both teachers and students teach and learn. This counter-narrative can extend beyond the field of special education and include alternatives to the manner in which professional development is understood, implemented, and sustained in schools and classrooms. Team-teaching repositions teachers and students to engage with one another in an atmosphere that capitalises upon and builds relational trust and shared cognition. However, as this research study has found, it is wise that the purposes, processes and perceptions of team-teaching are clear to all so that team-teaching can be undertaken by those who are increasingly consciously competent and not merely accidentally adequate. Conclusions. The findings are discussed in the context of the promotion of effective inclusive practices in mainstream settings. I believe that such promotion requires more nuanced understandings of what is being asked of, and offered to, teachers and students. Team-teaching has, and I argue will increasingly have, its place in the repertoire of responses that support effective inclusive learning. To capture and extend such practice requires theoretical frameworks that facilitate iterative journeys between research, policy and practice. Research to date on team-teaching has been too focused on outcomes over short timeframes and not focused enough on the process that is team-teaching. As a consequence team-teaching has been under-used, under-valued, under-theorised and generally not very well understood. Moving from classroom to staff room and district board room, theoretical frameworks used in this research help to travel with, and understand, the initiation, engagement and early consequences of team-teaching within and across the educational landscape. Therefore, conclusions from this study have implications for the triad of research, practice and policy development where efforts to change normative practices can be matched by understandings associated with what it means to try something new/anew, and what it means to say it made a positive difference

Physically-based methods for improved high temperature creep performance of 9Cr steels and welds: nano-, micro- and macro-scale studies

The reduction of emissions from fossil fuel power plants is essential to minimising the environmental impact of power generation and this can be achieved by higher temperature, with more efficient combustion of the fuel. This requires the development, testing and improved understanding of materials capable of resisting the creep deformation that occurs during long-term operation under high temperature and pressure conditions. 9Cr tempered martensitic steels have excellent creep resistant properties due in part to their hierarchical microstructure stabilised by multiple precipitate types. To obtain the maximum life from a 9Cr component, plant operators require accurate modelling and assessment methods to predict the remaining service life of a given component. Thus, the thesis is concerned with the development of experimental small scale testing methodologies for component remnant creep life measurements and, the novel numerical modelling of microstructure evolution during high temperature creep. This numerical model utilises a physically-based continuum damage mechanics creep model, incorporating the mechanisms of (i) primary hardening, (ii) multi-precipitate type coarsening and (iii) cavitation damage. A novel multi-precipitate type term is developed, incorporating the thermal- and strain-induced coarsening behaviour of M23C6 and MX precipitates. The model is validated for current generation P91 materials at power plant conditions and accurately predicts the effect of altered composition on the creep strain behaviour. The production of a creep resistant microstructure in 9Cr components requires careful heat treatment to generate the precipitate strengthened hierarchical microstructure. As such, the effects of standard 9Cr, and elevated temperature heat treatments, on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the next-generation material MarBN are also investigated. This enables recommendations on the optimum heat treatment for MarBN components and these are also presented. The enhanced creep strain model is implemented in a finite element creep subroutine to simulate the behaviour of welded tensile and piping components and this accurately predicts the behaviour of P91 welded tensile specimens from laboratory to plant conditions. Literature data for precipitate and microstructural features, for the weld metal and the heat affected zones, are combined in a novel parameter identification approach to extract the necessary material terms for the model. Weld strength reduction factors are calculated, indicating that welded tensile results are conservative when compared to component level modelling. Small scale testing of in-service component materials, sampled without the requirement to take plants offline, play an important role in estimating the remaining life of a component. A small punch creep (SPC) test is one such method and the material requirement here is very small in comparison to standard tensile testing - the specimen being 7 mm in diameter and 0.5 mm thick. It is shown here that this approach produces reliable and repeatable test data which, importantly, is in agreement with the published tensile test data. SPC tests of the un-aged and thermally aged P91 specimens are presented. The aged specimens demonstrate significantly reduced creep lives with little to no warning of failure occurring prior to disk rupture. Unaged specimens were considerably more ductile with accelerating displacement rates observed prior to failure. The multi-precipitate type creep subroutine predicts the punch minimum displacement rate trend in agreement with the experimental results. In terms of the heat treatment of the next generation MarBN, normalisation was conducted at the (i) standard 9Cr temperature and (ii) a recommended elevated temperature for MarBN. The higher temperature normalisation is significantly different from the current standard for 9Cr materials. A softened region, observed in the sample normalised at the lower temperature, is investigated via micro-mechanical testing and electron microscopy. Lath size effects are correlated with the hardness data, indicating that decarburization potentially leads to softening after lower temperature normalisation. The higher temperature normalisation resulted in finer laths, which are indicative of a stronger material with a higher yield stress, it also prevents the formation of creep weak precipitates (BN) and promotes uniform mechanical properties. This work emphasises the requirement for elevated temperature normalisation of MarBN for component manufacturing. For plant operators employing 9Cr precipitate strengthened steels, there now exists a multi-precipitate type based model with enhanced prediction of creep lives of welded and plain components using measured microstructural features. Coupled with the small punch creep test, the remaining life assessment of in service components can now be performed from minimal material samples

Tax policy and OECD unemployment

The effect of changes in payroll taxes on wages is a question of tax incidence. If workers can shift the burden of taxation onto employers, in the form of higher wages, we may expect increases in unemployment. This paper examines the extent to which workers succeed in shifting the burden of taxation onto employers and therefore the effects on unemployment of higher direct taxes. A reduced form vector autoregression model is used to estimate the effects, of a shock to direct taxes, on both wages and unemployment. The empirical estimates, estimated separately for eleven OECD countries, show workers failing to shift the burden of higher taxes and consequently insignificant changes in unemployment