What we can learn from the UK when it comes to religion in schools
I've been writing about religious control of schools for well over a decade now, and I found that people tend to throw the same arguments out to me every time I talk about it. And there's a lot and lots of different arguments out there. The most common of which I think. And I could be wrong on this one, but the one that I'm hearing most of all these days is the argument that parents want Catholic schools, to which I'm always wondering what parents are they talking about because I'm a parent and I know lots of parents who don't want their children being being formed in a faith that isn't theirs.But that is not what I'm going to be talking about in this podcast, because another argument that I've heard and it gets thrown around, is Catholic schools internationally. And they often say that Catholic schools in England are well very sought after so we shouldn’t lose Catholic schools in Ireland. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe
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The Catholic Church Has the Least to Lose if Sacraments Leave Schools
We often hear the argument that the Church is determined to keep its grip on education. But if the sacraments were removed from the school day and shifted to after-school parish programmes, I’d argue the Catholic Church wouldn’t be the ones who’d lose out the most.There are, after all, a lot of people with a vested interest in keeping things just as they are.In this episode I explore who the real losers might be during Communion Season and then shift into another theory as to why divestment and reconfiguration can’t work This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe
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Interview 26: Paula Korsnakova and Eliane Segers (IEA)
As educators, I wonder do we think much about the research that is done about education. I spoke with Paula Korsnakova and Eliane Segers from the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) to talk about educational research, with a focus on reading from digital devices. The following links may be useful if you'd like to learn more:https://www.iea.nl/publications/teacher-resources/teaching-reading-comprehension-digital-world : Link to the new volume of Research for Educators on digital readinghttps://www.iea.nl/publications/iea-teachers-snippet/digital-reading-comp : Link to the new Teacher Snippet connected to the new bookAnd if you think these would be handy for listeners too:https://www.iea.nl/publications/iea-teacher-snippets : General Teacher Snippets pagehttps://www.iea.nl/publications/iea-teachers-snippets/iea-research-educators-more-book-series : General Research for Educators book series page This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe
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Interview 25: Roisin Brady from LanguageNut
With the new MFL curriculum coming up, I thought I'd speak to someone who knows a thing or two about teaching languages. Róisín Brady from LanguageNut joined me to explain how she thinks the curriculum is going to work out.Find more: http://languagenut.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe
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The True Cost of Underfunding in Irish Primary Schools
In this episode, I explore the issue of underfunding in Irish primary schools, using the example of Sacred Heart Junior National School in Killinarden, Dublin, which announced it would operate remotely due to financial constraints. I delve into the history and structure of funding for primary schools, highlighting how the Department of Education's capitation grants have not kept pace with rising costs, such as electricity, gas, and wages. As usual I critique the patronage system and propose that the Department of Education should be directly responsible for the financial management of schools to address these ongoing challenges. All shownotes and data available on: https://simonmlewis.medium.com/a-school-may-have-to-close-due-to-lack-of-funding-how-has-it-come-to-this-9392b568977bGet my newsletter every fortnight to your inbox on: https://www.anseo.net/subscribe00:43 Case Study: Sacred Heart Junior National School03:01 Funding Challenges in Irish Primary Schools03:48 Detailed Analysis of School Funding06:31 Impact of Rising Costs on Schools09:29 Historical Context and Comparisons27:51 Proposed Solutions and Conclusion This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe
About Anseo.net - If I were the Minister for Education
How many times have you said to yourself, "If I were the Minister for Education…?" Well I do! Rather than grumble to myself, I decided to podcast my thoughts on ways I'd change the primary education system in Ireland. Every episode I'll take on a different theme, give some background and hopefully come to some conclusions by the end. simonmlewis.substack.com
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