Posted on 23rd April, 2020, under News
Once upon a time, storytelling was how people learned about their history and came to make sense of their world. I argue that this tradition of learning through storytelling is as powerful now as it was over 2000 years ago. For example, I do not doubt that in fifty years’ time children will hear the story, ‘once upon a time, there was a virus that spread across the world and no child or adult could leave their homes…’. My primary interest is in education, with a focus on how children are supported and encouraged to learn and develop using their innate imagination and creative abilities. My research reviews national and international theory and educational practice relating to story-based teaching methods; I aim to evaluate the impact of story-based approaches to learning and development in early childhood learning environments. This website will provide insights into how we can take models of best practice from around the world and explore how such teaching practices would work in an Irish context. My commitment to finding holistic, relational, and inclusive ways to help children learn has been influenced by many great scholars from around the world. For example:
My past research has focused on using stories told or stories read to develop social and emotional development. I also carried out research examining early childhood educators understanding of cultural diversity using picturebooks or oral stories. Currently, drawing from the work of Kieran Egan (1986), I am researching storytelling as a teaching model with children in preschool settings.
Paley, V. (1981). Wally’s Stories: Conversations in the Kindergraten. London: Harvard University Press.
Phillips, L. (2012). Retribution and rebellion: Children’s meaning making of justice through storytelling. International Journal of Early Childhood, 44(2), 141156.
Roche, M. (2015). Developing Children’s Critical Thinking through Picturebooks: A guide for primary and early years’ students and teachers. Oxon: Routledge.
2nd February 2024
Dyslexia is a word used to describe a learning disability that commonly affects reading, writing and related skills, such as the use of language, articulation and grammar. However, this blog will not examine reading, writing or language use. Instead, it highlights the impact of dyslexia on self-esteem. Understanding how dyslexia…...
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Teaching thinking in the classroom Socrates (c.470-399BCE), an early Greek philosopher and teacher, suggested: Thinking is enhanced not by answers but by questions Students learn best when supported to analyse and evaluate concepts Deep questions challenge our assumptions Educators must model intellectual inquiry To summarise a complex topic, all humans…...
Read More23rd May 2023
Scéalta Blog In this week’s Scéalta, Catherine O’Reilly, PhD research student at Trinity College Dublin, discusses how critical thinking relates to early childhood and how we can use storytelling to give children in Early Years settings the same opportunities as older children to learn how to communicate, collaborate, be creative…...
Read More27th April 2023
Have you ever wondered how educators decide to teach the way they teach and why they use the practices they adopt in the classroom to support learning and development? There are many ways to answer this question; your answer will be influenced by your knowledge of the educational system and…...
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