Dr Margaret Flood

Education

Assistant Professor

Biography

Margaret is an Assistant Professor in Inclusive Education and the MAP Academic Advisor for the Education Department. Her experience in inclusive and special education includes teaching, teacher professional learning design and delivery, policy development and curriculum design.  Before joining Maynooth University in 2022 Margaret was the Education Officer with responsibility for Inclusive Education and Diversity at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). She led and collaborated on inclusive curriculum review and design projects across primary and post-primary. Margaret also worked in the teacher professional development service, Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) where she designed and delivered continuous professional development training on specific curriculum programmes for students with intellectual disabilities, inclusive practices in the mainstream classroom, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). She has also provided professional development on inclusive education and UDL to government agencies, including National Council for Special Education (NCSE), Professional Development Services for Teachers and Junior Cycle for Teachers (now Oide) and the National Educational Psychological Support Services (NEPS). 

As a Fulbright Scholar, in 2021 Margaret worked with Lynch School of Education and Humanities at Boston College and CAST to explore equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice through the lens of UDL. She now sits on CAST’s UDL Guidelines 3.0 Collaborative that supports and informs the process of re-envisioning CAST’s UDL Guidelines to specifically address systemic barriers to equitable learning opportunities and outcomes.

Margaret is the creator and host of #UDLchatIE and of the Podcast ‘Talking about all things Inclusion’.

Research Interests

  Margaret’s research interests include contextual dimensions and the role of teachers in inclusive policy and practice enactment, teacher engagement with professional learning for inclusion, student voice, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Her EdD research focused on the impact of a collaborative whole-school model of professional development on the enactment of an inclusive curriculum programme (Level 2 Learning Programmes) in a mainstream post-primary school.

Research Projects

Title Role Description Start date End date Amount
Erasmus+ SUSKIDS Short course development and assessment The Project “SUSKIDS - Enabling professionals and families to transfer sustainable knowledge and skills to Down Syndrome (DS) individuals” aims to connect the education and training of DS individuals in the field of sustainability and the need of raising awareness about new materials produced. Partners will design and develop innovative tools to help educators to develop sustainability concepts through recycling & sustainable construction content to individuals with DS. 01/10/2018 30/09/2021

Peer Reviewed Journal

Year Publication
2024 Margaret Flood; Anna Logan (2024) 'The Outcomes of Collaborative Whole-School Professional Development on Teachers'. International Journal of Teacher Education and Professional Development (IJTEPD), 7 :1-19. [Link] http://doi.org/10.4018/IJTEPD.341267
2023 Bray, A.; Devitt, A.; Banks, J.; Sanchez Fuentes, S.; Sandoval, M.; Riviou, K.; Byrne, D.; Flood, M.; Reale, J.; Terrenzio, S. (2023) 'What next for Universal Design for Learning? A systematic literature review of technology in UDL implementations at second level'. British Journal of Educational Technology, . [Link] [DOI] [Full-Text]
2021 Flood, M.; Banks, J. (2021) 'Universal Design for Learning: Is it gaining momentum in Irish education?'. Education Sciences, 11 (7):341-352. [Link] https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11070341 [Full-Text]
2021 Flood, M.; Logan, A. (2021) 'Where we were then: An illuminative evaluation of teacher knowledge, beliefs and practices in relation to Level 2 Learning Programmes and inclusion in a mainstream post primary school'. REACH: JOURNAL OF SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION IN IRELAND, 34 (2). [Link] [Full-Text]

Thesis

Year Publication
2019 Flood, M. (2019) Exploring the Impact of a Collaborative Whole-School Model of Continuous Professional Development on the Enactment of Level 2 Learning Programmes in a Mainstream Post-Primary Schoo. Ireland: [Thesis] [Link] [Full-Text]

Podcast

Year Publication
2022 Flood, M. (2022) Talking about all things inclusion. Ireland: [Podcast] [Link]
2021 Garland, S.; Flood, M. (2021) The Glass Half Full... Honouring Every Learner at Every Level through Universal Design for Learning. Ireland: [Podcast] [Link]

Book Chapter

Year Publication
2023 Andrea R. Harkins-Brown; Margaret Flood (2023) 'Special Education Policy in the United States and Ireland: Comparisons and Analysis Through the Lens of Universal Design for Learning' In: Building Inclusive Education in K-12 Classrooms and Higher Education: Theories and Principles. usa : IGI Global. [Link] [DOI]
2024 Flood, M.; O'Reilly, L.; Walsh, E.; Dunne, S. (2024) 'The enactment of the principles of UDL in practice in an Irish post-primary English classroom: A snapshot' In: Cases on Effective Universal Design for Learning Implementation Across Schools. [Link] [DOI]

Other Publication

Year Publication
2024 Flood, M. (2024) Foreword. [Link]
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2024) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

Honors and Awards

Date Title Awarding Body
03/10/2023 CTL 2023 Teaching and Learning Fellowship- Universal Design for Learning Centre for Teaching and Learning, Maynooth University
01/03/2020 Fulbright Research Scholar Award Fulbright Commission Ireland
01/01/2020 International Professional Development Association Prize International Professional Development Association (IPDA)

Committees

Committee Function From / To
Office of Ombudsman for Childrens' Office Beyond Limits Advisory Committee Chairperson 18/09/2018 - 19/10/2019
National Council for Special Education (NCSE) Consultative Forum Committee Member 01/10/2017 - 22/09/2023
CAST Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Stakeholder Council Council Member 02/01/2022 - 12/02/2024

Employment

Employer Position From / To
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Education Officer with responsibility for inclusive education and diversity 01/09/2017 - 02/09/2022
Trinity College Dublin (TCD) Adjunct Teaching Fellow 06/12/2019 - 02/09/2022
Royal Roads University, Canada Associate Faculty 01/09/2021 - 21/01/2022
Dublin and Dun Laoighre ETB Special Educational Needs Development Officer 01/09/2015 - 31/08/2017
Junior Cycle for Teachers Associate for Level 2 Learning Programmes 06/10/2014 - 31/08/2017
Greenhills College Teacher, Assistant Principal, Special Educational Needs Coordinator 01/09/2009 - 31/08/2017
Greenhills College and St. Peter's BNS School Completion Coordinator 07/01/2002 - 31/08/2009
Central Remedial Clinic Training and Education Manager/Teacher 01/05/2001 - 23/12/2002
Stewarts Care Team Member 02/05/2000 - 01/05/2001
Jobstown Community College Teacher 01/09/1999 - 28/04/2000

Education

Start date Institution Qualification Subject
The Honorable Society of Kings Inn Advanced Diploma in Law and Education The Law and Education
Dublin City University Doctor of Education Special and Inclusive Education
Church of Ireland College of Education Post Graduate Diploma in Learning Support and Special Education Special education
St Angela's College Postgraduate Diploma in Special Education Autism
Maynooth University Higher Diploma in Education Education
Maynooth University Masters in Education Education
Froebel College and School of Practical Childcare Certificate in Therapeutic Play Education and play
Irish Management Institute Certificate in Supervisory Management Human Resources
Maynooth University Batchelor of Arts History, Sociology, English

Teaching Interests

Inclusive Education

Special Education

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion