Voices, values and visions: a study of the educate together epistemic community and its voice in a pluralist Ireland

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to explore the Educate Together sector, the multidenominational primary school movement in the Republic of Ireland. This multilevel exploration looks at the role of Educate Together in a pluralist Ireland, the challenges presented by the accelerated growth of the sector, the values that underpin the schools in the sector and in particular the relevance of what is termed the Core Curriculum. The background to the research is the prior work conducted with the sector in 1998. The work presented here is an account of the second phase of the research, which attempts to examine in greater detail some of the key issues that arose in the earlier work. Through a co-operative inquiry that involves a wide range of Voices within Educate Together, the research identifies a number of key issues that have arisen for the sector between 2000 and 2006. The work examines the concept of mixed schooling that underpinned the Irish National School system in the 1830’s, the gradual erosion of this system and its replacement by denominational schools and the emergence of the Educate Together sector in the 1970’s. Using a form of co-operative inquiry the research identifies the importance of Educate Together in an intercultural Ireland, the impact of this form of inclusive education on the children who attend the schools and the design and development of “Learn Together: An Ethical Education Curriculum for Educate Together Schools”. The final section of the research examines the impact of this curriculum at national and international level and in particular the strengthening of the relationship between the Colleges of Education and Educate Together. The study offers a unique insight into an important partner in Irish education

Migration of Cells During Choroid Fissure Closure

In the developing embryo, the eyes are formed through an ordered and complex process. A critical facet during the developing eye is the formation of the choroid fissure which forms the optic cup. Failure of the choroid fissure to close during eye development results in ocular Coloboma. Coloboma results an abnormality of the lens, iris and retina. We lack a complete understanding of the migration gene expression required for this process to occur properly. Furthermore, it is unknown if cells within the apposed sides of the CF will maintain their current location within the CF after fusion has occurred. We hypothesize that the cells within the choroid fissure will remain within position post-closure compared to their position pre-closure indicating an inherent positional knowledge. To address positional movement of cells pre- and post-choroid fissure closure, we will utilize UV light activation for UAS Kaede and GAL4 embryos using in vivo imaging

An analysis of the training needs of staff in the further education sector in the Republic of Ireland.

This article examines the training needs of educators working in the further education (FE), adult education, and Second Chance sectors in the Republic of Ireland. The research on which it is based was funded jointly by the European Union Leonardo da Vinci Programme and the Department of Education and Science of Ireland and took place from 1998 to 2002. It consisted of a survey of the coordinators of 162 further education (FE) centres and follow up interviews with 13 of these coordinators. The paper concentrates largely on the skills and competencies identified as the key to providing a quality service for the clientele of FE in Ireland. It begins by describing the different types of provision which the FE label refers to in Ireland and then presents some quantitative data which establishes the training deficit suffered by staff in the system. The main part of the paper is based on the interview data obtained, which offers a very complex picture of the skills and competencies perceived as vital in delivering a service which meets the needs of the clientele. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the extent to which further and adult educators perceive personal development and interpersonal communications skills to be the most vital tools in their work. In consequence, it is argued, programmes of professional development for staff in this field must find ways to enhance these skills

A Global Metabolic Shift Is Linked to Salmonella Multicellular Development

Bacteria can elaborate complex patterns of development that are dictated by temporally ordered patterns of gene expression, typically under the control of a master regulatory pathway. For some processes, such as biofilm development, regulators that initiate the process have been identified but subsequent phenotypic changes such as stress tolerance do not seem to be under the control of these same regulators. A hallmark feature of biofilms is growth within a self-produced extracellular matrix. In this study we used metabolomics to compare Salmonella cells in rdar colony biofilms to isogenic csgD deletion mutants that do not produce an extracellular matrix. The two populations show distinct metabolite profiles. Even though CsgD controls only extracellular matrix production, metabolite signatures associated with cellular adaptations associated with stress tolerances were present in the wild type but not the mutant cells. To further explore these differences we examine the temporal gene expression of genes implicated in biofilm development and stress adaptations. In wild type cells, genes involved in a metabolic shift to gluconeogenesis and various stress-resistance pathways exhibited an ordered expression profile timed with multicellular development even though they are not CsgD regulated. In csgD mutant cells, the ordered expression was lost. We conclude that the induction of these pathways results from production of, and growth within, a self produced matrix rather than elaboration of a defined genetic program. These results predict that common physiological properties of biofilms are induced independently of regulatory pathways that initiate biofilm formation

Projecte integrat 'INCLUD-ED: cohesió social i impacte polític a Europa'. Presentació

El conjunt de països europeus amb baixos nivells educatius i les desigualtats en educació (OCDE, 2007) són una realitat preocupant en el marc de la Comissió Europea. Els resultats educatius desiguals entre països i dins de cada Estat membre afecten en sentit negatiu els col·lectius més desfavorits amb baix nivell acadèmic, i generen exclusió social. En aquest sentit es requereix un esforç per superar les desigualtats educatives existents en la societat del coneixement. La recerca europea realitzada fins ara mostra la multidimensionalitat de l"exclusió social i ressalta la seva connexió amb l"educació

The changing face of teacher education in Ireland: a major overhaul or a cosmetic review?

Irish education has undergone major changes in the recent past. These changes came about as a result of a White Paper on policy, Charity Our Education Future, (1995), the subsequent establishment of the Education Act (2000) which formally gave legal status to key aspects of education and the Teaching Council Act which was charged with the maintenance and improvement of the quality of teaching and teacher education. The professionalization of teaching and teachers was identified as key to the proposed changes. Change processes in any profession are challenging and demand collaboration and agreement from a number of stakeholders. In teacher education such changes involve existing practitioners, the training providers, the government and the unions, which represent parents, teachers and teacher education providers. In order to bring about change, there should also be evidence that the proposed changes are properly cost, are capable of improving current practice and that change management teams are available to support and evaluate the impact of the changes. This paper addresses the challenges that exist in bringing about successful change in a difficult economic and social situation, where the quality, impact and success of Irish education processes are being closely scrutinized. The paper places a strong emphasis on the role of teacher educators

El proyecto INCLUD-ED

El proyecto INCLUD-ED ha sido una de las investigaciones más amplias realizadas sobre el sistema escolar en Europa y que ha contado con mayores recursos financiados por el VI Programa Marco (2002-2006) de la Comisión Europea. Se pretendía identificar estrategias educativas que contribuyeran a superar las desigualdades y promovieran la cohesión social. Se describen sus objetivos, estructura y metodologíaMadrid (Comunidad Autónoma). Subdirección General de Formación del Profesorado. CRIF Las Acacias; Calle General Ricardos 179; 28025 Madrid; Tel. +34915250893; Fax +34914660991; [email protected]

Temps d'educació

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónEl conjunto de países europeos con bajos niveles educativos y con desigualdades en educación (OCDE, 2007) son una realidad preocupante en el marco de la Comisión Europea. Los resultados educativos desiguales entre países y dentro de cada Estado miembro afectan en sentido negativo los colectivos más desfavorecidos con bajo nivel académico, y generan exclusión social. En este sentido se requiere un esfuerzo para superar las desigualdades educativas existentes en la sociedad del conocimiento. La investigación europea realizada hasta ahora muestra la multidimensionalidad de la exclusión social y resalta su conexión con la educación.Universitat de Barcelona. Biblioteca del Campus de Mundet ; Passeig de la Vall d'Hebron 171; 08035 Barcelona; Tel. +34934021035; Fax +34934021034ES