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How can arts-based learning shape the future of education in Ireland?
Arts Education in Ireland: From Pedagogy to Practice dissects this question using a rich collection of research and case studies spanning early childhood, primary, secondary and higher education. Through an examination of the evolving role of the arts in the Irish curriculum, this volume showcases how visual arts and interdisciplinary collaborations between educational and cultural institutions are transforming teaching and learning. With contributions from educators, researchers and artists, this collection focuses on key themes such as teacher identity formation, student engagement and the impact of creative pedagogies in developing twenty-first-century skills. It also highlights innovative programs like the Writers in Schools scheme, offering insights into how the arts foster critical thinking and deeper learning experiences.
Accessible yet deeply researched, this book is an urgent reference for arts educators, students and researchers worldwide. Whether you are new to arts-based learning or seeking unique perspectives on interdisciplinary education, Arts Education in Ireland provides both theoretical and practical insights into the power of the arts in shaping meaningful learning experiences.
Dr Dervil Jordan is emeritus professor of education at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin and is a former head of the School of Education. She has been involved in initial teacher education for over 30 years and her research interests are in teacher education, artist teacher identity and access to higher education.
Dr Jane O’Hanlon is the head of education with Poetry Ireland, coordinating its education and outreach programmes. Her doctoral research was on the unique character of arts learning within the formal education system, she is Fulbright Scholar Awardee for 2024.
List of Figures
List of Tables
Foreword
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council of Ireland
Acknowledgements
SECTION 1: PHILOSOPHY AND POLICY
1. Introduction: ‘Thoughts, Acts and Meanings’
Jane O’Hanlon
2. Cúinne an Ghiorria: Arts Education, a Core Curriculum and the Conundrums of Policy
Gary Granville
3. An Incredulity to Meta-narratives: Postmodern Philosophical Perspectives
Jones Irwin
4. A Posthuman Perspective in Arts-based Research with Children
Lucy Hill
SECTION 2: PEDAGOGY
5. ‘To Let my Imagination Grab My Pen’: Perceptions of Learning within the Writer-in-Schools-Scheme
Jane O’Hanlon
6. Visual Thinking Strategies: Practicing in the Field
Liz Coman
7. Quavers to Quadratics – An Interdisciplinary Science and Music Programme for Children
Shane D. Bergin, Marita Kerin and Nigel Flegg
8. ‘Cranking’ Composing: Reflections on Collaboration and Integrated Arts-based Performances
Michael Flannery and Mary Nugent
9. Signature Pedagogies of the Art Teacher
Dervil Jordan
10. ‘Beneath the Surface’ the Freud Project: A Cross-institutional Collaboration between NCAD School of Education and IMMA’s Engagement and Learning Department
Helen O. Donoghue, Dervil Jordan, Fiona King, Noel Guilfoyle and Mark Maguire
SECTION 3: PRACTICE
11. In my Craft or Sullen Art: A Writer in the Classroom
Siobhán Parkinson
12. Getting the Art of Hearing: Storytelling, Literacy, Literature, and Cognition
Patrick Ryan
13. The Write to Read Programme: Research-informed Pedagogies for Communities of Readers Writers, and Thinkers
Eithne Kennedy
14. Teacher Artist Partnership (TAP): Understanding, Entanglement, and Exploration through Creative Learning Relationships
Jenny Buggie and Vera McGrath
15. Artist Teacher Identity Formation
Dervil Jordan
16. Setting Learning Free: The Art of the Librarian in Education
Aidan Clifford and Kathleen Moran
17. Writing from Life: A Conversational Pedagogy for Creative Writing
Kevin McDermott
18. Making a Difference: Engaging Young Refugees in the Civic Space of the Museum
Tadgh Crowley
SECTION 4: ARTS-RELATED RESEARCH
19. The Affordances of the Digital: The Arts and Culture in Education Research Repository (ACERR), Ireland
Orla Murphy
20. The Change Lab: An Arts-based Research Approach in Initial Teacher Education
Fiona King and Lucy Hill
21. Returning to Research in Art Education: Notes from the Field
Dónal O’Donoghue
22. Postscripts and Future Foci
Mary Shine Thompson
Notes on Contributors
Index