Conversations in Adult and Further Education

• Episode 19 Ramblings of a Bockedy Man- stories from a tutor on the Margins

  In this episode, I chat with Niall Dempsey, a tutor with the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB). Niall teaches adult literacy, ESOL, and Conversational Irish. As a wheelchair user, he is also researching the intersection of identity, masculinity, and disability. We discuss his experiences as a tutor working in a marginalised sector, the instability of employment in the adult education sector, as well as his perspective on belonging to a marginalised group himself.Adult education tutors will relate to the challenges of navigating insecure work and finding purpose within a sector that offers limited recognition.Niall is a passionate tutor and a natural storyteller. This is well worth a listen. Ramblings of a Bockedy Man is the title of Niall’s MEd. Thesis (used with his permission). You can read his Thesis here:https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/17699/1/MEd%20Thesis%2C%20Ramblings%20of%20a%20Bockedy%20Man%2C%20Niall%20Dempsey%2021252071.pdf You can find Niall’s paper, ‘Conversations with Strangers’, here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02660830.2023.2262638#d1e165I strongly recommend reading his paper. Niall tells a moving story that blends humour and sadness while exploring complex themes of disability, masculinity, and his experiences working as a tutor in a marginalised sector.

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• Episode 18 How to deliver a QQI Module for New Tutors

  In this episode, I chat with my colleague, Dr Edel Ni Ghrainne, in the Literacy Development Centre at SETU. Edel has over 20 years of experience teaching in Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in Ireland. She explains how to plan and deliver a QQI-accredited module (Quality and Qualifications Ireland), from completing the paperwork to interpreting a module descriptor.This is a great episode to listen to if you are a new tutor or are teaching a QQI-accredited module for the first time.Some useful links:The National Framework of Qualifications in Ireland: https://www.qqi.ie/what-we-do/the-qualifications-system/national-framework-of-qualificationsFurther Education Support Service: https://fess.ie/Explanation of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives from Cornell University: https://teaching.cornell.edu/resource/blooms-taxonomy

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• Episode 17 A Conversation on Family Literacy: From Waterford to Florida

  In this episode, I am chatting with Dr. Lana McCarthy and Dr. Clare Power in the Literacy Development Centre (LDC) in the South East Technological University (SETU), Professor Jenifer Jasinski Schneider, the interim Dean in the College of Education in the University of South Florida (USF), and Dr. Rachel Hatten, the Associate Director in the David C. Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching in USF. We chat about family literacy, how Lana and Jenifer met and the work they are doing together in the Family Literacy Community of Practice.  The Family Literacy Community of Practice is a partnership between the Literacy Development Centre in the South East Technological University (SETU LDC), NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency) and Adult Literacy for Life National Programme Office (ALL NPO).If you would like to join the Community of Practice, you can register at the following link:https://forms.office.com/e/fVan26wNsr  Links to Jenifer and Rachel’s work and the College of Education in USF:Jenifer Jasinski Schneider, PhD: https://www.usf.edu/education/faculty/faculty-profiles/jenifer-jasinski-schneider.aspxUSF College of Education: https://www.usf.edu/education/David C. Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching: www.usf.edu/anchin 

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• Episode 16 Adult Literacy for Life Strategy

  In this episode, I am chatting wth Clare Power and Eleanor Neff from the Literacy Development Centre (LDC) in SETU and Paula Tiller, the Regional Adult Literacy Coordinator for Kerry, about the Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Strategy. They explain what is in the strategy, why it was developed and what is happening to implement it. To learn more about the ALL Strategy, visit: https://www.adultliteracyforlife.ie/

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• Episode 15 Family Literacy

  In this episode, I am chatting with Lana McCarthy about family literacy, also known as family learning. Lana has worked in this area for many years and developed the 'Hug Your Book' programme. She has recently established a Community of Practice for Family Literacy, a partnership between the Literacy Development Centre in the South East Technological University (SETU LDC), NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency) and Adult Literacy for Life National Programme Office (ALL NPO).If you would like to join the Community of Practice, you can register at the following link:https://forms.office.com/e/fVan26wNsr You can also contact Lana at [email protected] you want to check out Lana's PhD. research on Parental engagement you can do so here:McCarthy, L, (2025) `The Dance of Engagement': AConstructivist Grounded Theory Study of Parental Engagement., Trinity CollegeDublin, School of Linguistic Speech & Comm Sci, Clin Speech & LanguageStudies, https://www.tara.tcd.ie/handle/2262/110774

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