Anseo.net - If I were the Minister for Education

I welcome Noel Davidson to the podcast to discuss entrepreneurship education and practical problem-solving in Irish schools. Noel shares his own education and career journey from horticulture into starting businesses and becoming Head of Training and Strategic Partnerships at the Entrepreneurs Academy, arguing that programmes like the Junior Entrepreneur Program (primary) and the Student Enterprise Program (post-primary) build confidence and life skills such as creativity, communication, resilience and learning from failure. We discuss why these human skills matter even more alongside AI, which Noel frames as a tool that should save time but cannot replace empathy or leadership. Noel highlights student success stories, including Anthony’s Wooden Crafts, and introduces First Bell (firstbell.ie), a new Irish app launching this September to help schools source substitute teachers more efficiently than phone calls or WhatsApp, with location-based matching, cascading preferences and GDPR-aware design. I close by inviting listeners to anseo.net’s Unconvention.

We’ve developed a course that makes sense of the revised primary curriculum and shows you how to enact it over the next two years and beyond. As a thank you for being a member, you are welcome to use it for free if you pay an annual licence. Simply get in touch with your details and we’ll get you signed up. (schoolpolicy.ie/cpd)

Are you interested in making sense of the revised primary curriculum and enacting your whole school plans over the next two years? We’ve developed a course to do just that. More information on schoolpolicy.ie/cpd or upgrade your account for free access.

00:00 Welcome and Purpose01:16 Meet Noel Davidson03:07 Noel’s Education Journey05:13 Mentors and First Business08:02 What JEP and SEP Teach10:00 Entrepreneurship in the AI Era13:02 Student Success Stories15:59 First Spell Origin Story19:46 How First Spell Works22:03 WhatsApp Limits and GDPR25:32 Launch Details and Access26:53 Minister for a Day29:29 Failure and Ken Robinson33:40 Wrap Up and Unconvention


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

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Grace Brennan, founder of Higgle, about process-driven visual arts and creative thinking in primary classrooms. Grace shares her education journey from County Wexford to art and design studies and entrepreneurship supported by Enterprise Ireland and local programmes, and reflects on how third-level art opened her mind to experimentation and careers. We discuss how art can become outcome-focused “cookie cutter” work influenced by social media, often because teachers lack training and time to explore materials, and why this can harm children’s creativity and confidence. Grace explains Higgle as a digital prompt generator that supports open-ended, cross-curricular art problems adaptable to available materials and diverse classroom needs, and she outlines her EPV courses for teachers.00:00 Welcome and Art Chat01:24 Grace Brennan Journey03:35 Simon Art Teaching Roots04:56 Mentors and Creativity07:57 Leaving Cert Art Reality09:03 Fixing Cookie Cutter Art16:31 Why Art Foundations Matter20:00 STEAM and New Curriculum22:55 What Is Higgle24:47 Inside the Prompt Generator26:12 Pencil and Paper Challenge27:45 Minister for a Day30:32 Where to Find Higgle31:52 Final Thanks and Wrap


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

I was delighted to meet Eithne Walsh, CEO of Féach Vision Support Services, to talk about improving supports for blind and visually impaired children in Irish mainstream schools. Eithne shares how her two children gradually lost their sight and how low expectations and limited expertise in schools pushed her to advocate for practical planning, expanded core curriculum skills, and assistive technology so her children could become independent learners. She explains Féach’s evolution from parent peer support into a charity offering school guides, webinars, SNA and teacher training, low vision awareness workshops, and VR immersive training, now supporting hundreds of schools. They discuss slow policy change, gaps in AT training, key recommendations from Féach’s access reports, and why braille remains essential for literacy alongside modern technology.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:24 Eithne Story and Diagnosis
03:00 School Expectations Shift
05:13 Building Independence Skills
06:28 Why Féach Exists
07:32 Féach Services and Training
10:47 Mainstream Progress and Gaps
13:20 Assistive Tech Push
17:49 Why Policy Moves Slowly
23:08 Toolkits for Teachers
24:16 Age-Appropriate Tech Skills
24:36 Typing Progression Plan
25:36 Audit Tools and Live Resources
26:55 North-South Training Collaboration
30:13 Annual Report Key Recommendations
33:07 AI and Accessible Tech Advances
35:55 Why Braille Still Matters
38:58 Big Questions for Education
41:42 How to Contact Feach
43:09 Closing Thanks and Wrap-Up


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

Education Unconvention: Big Questions About ReadingI introduce the Education Unconvention as a fringe-style, discussion-based subset of my podcast, designed to complement and sometimes challenge the Convention on Education by sharing progress and inviting contributions online. The first theme is reading, explored through debates about Reading Recovery, UFLI, and dyslexia, alongside reading schools and reading classes. I describe tensions between research evidence and teachers’ lived experience, including questions about independent Irish evaluation of Reading Recovery and what should replace it if flaws are found. Teachers praise UFLI’s structure and results, while others caution against treating any programme as a silver bullet. On dyslexia, contributors argue for either specialists, stronger teacher knowledge, or expanded specialist provision, raising wider questions about inclusion. Across all topics, recurring themes include time, resources, workload, training, disadvantage, home literacy, and defining what success in literacy should look like.00:00 Welcome to Unconvention02:20 Why Reading Matters05:05 Reading Recovery Debate07:43 Research Versus Experience10:37 What Counts as Evidence15:12 UFLI Takes Off18:07 Program Hype Cycle23:33 Dyslexia Mainstream Reality25:36 Mainstream or Specialist26:54 Highest Need Critique27:36 Expertise Without Roles29:13 Every Teacher Dyslexia30:51 Reading Classes Debate31:54 Inclusion What Means34:14 Bigger System Questions36:10 Curriculum Time Squeeze38:19 Home Factors Screen Time40:09 Unconvention Ethos Wrap


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

In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with US educator, consultant and author Patty McGee about transforming grammar teaching away from dry worksheets and red-pen correction towards inquiry, curiosity and delight, connected to real writing. Patty explains how traditional grammar instruction can create discomfort and inequity, and reframes grammar as a tool for communicating with clarity and connection, noting differences between spoken, book and standard grammar and how grammar evolves. She shares practical classroom experiences: brief, frequent sessions using talk in partnerships, comparing concepts (such as simple and compound sentences), explicit instruction with accessible language (like FANBOYS), hands-on manipulatives for playful practice, and reflection to consolidate learning. We also discuss Ireland’s evolving curriculum, trust in teachers, and Patty’s wish to bring literacy practices to schools, as well as her view that literacy should be defined as meaning-making and sharing voice.
00:00 Welcome and Teaser
01:22 Meet Patty McGee
02:24 Ireland Connection
03:17 Why Grammar Gets Hated
05:54 Beyond Grammar Police
08:00 Teachers and Discrete Grammar
11:46 Three Buckets of Grammar
14:09 Playful Grammar Experiences
19:23 Irish Curriculum Reflections
21:30 Workshops and School Support
24:50 Trust and Respect in Education
26:51 Minister for a Day
29:26 Where to Find Patty
30:44 Final Thanks and Sign Off


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