Turn to Teaching is the brainchild of ALL member, Maynooth University lecturer and former access student, Dr Katriona O’Sullivan, who said that the programme could help “change the face of the Irish classroom”
In April 2018 the HEA PATH 1 fund, allocated €750,000 to Maynooth University to implement the Turn to Teaching project. This 3-year project aims to diversify teacher education through three innovative programmes of activities, including a one-year foundation year to prepare underrepresented groups to progress onto Initial Teacher Education degree courses and a significant school outreach programme, aiming to raise the academic and aspirational capabilities of students and teachers in DEIS schools.
Maynooth University president, Prof Philip Nolan: “Irish society can only benefit through having more diversity in the classroom, as teachers from different backgrounds send a clear message to young people that no one’s future is defined by the barriers they face when they are young,” he said.
Senator Lynn Ruane, who was president of Trinity College Dublin’s students’ union and a former access student, said “You cannot be what you cannot see, so to have teachers from various classes, races and ethnicities, and teachers living with a disability, will have a massive impact on improving the numbers of kids going on to third level education,”
Here are some links to articles about the event:
www.irishtimes.com/news/education/teaching-initiative-aims-to-diversify-white-middle-class-profession
www.irishtimes.com/news/education/diversity-in-teaching-i-d-like-to-be-a-role-model-for-other-children
www.thesun.ie
www.kildarenow.com
