Dr Annette Kearns

    Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education

    School of Education
    3rd
    311
    (01) 474 7449

    Biography

    Annette Kearns began her early childhood career as an owner/manager of a sessional preschool and is passionate about ensuring all children are provided with the best possible learning opportunities in early years’ settings.  Having achieved a BSc in Education & Training, an MSc in Education and Training Management and a Post Graduate Diploma in Special Educational Needs and Inclusion, Annette worked as an Early Years Specialist with Early Childhood Ireland supporting practitioners throughout the country to achieve best practice.  Now, as the Placement Coordinator and Lecturer in the Froebel Dept. working primarily with Early Years educators, Annette believes the best way to ensure this quality provision is to provide a curriculum for the trainee educators that meets their needs in a relatively young and evolving sector.  To this end, Annette’s doctoral research is in the area of early language and literacy development.  Her particular interest is in researching how best to educate the educators in this area to ensure children are supported to develop the appropriate skills in preschool that will ensure they are primed to become good readers later on.

    Research Interests

    Play
    Inclusive practices
    Continuing Professional Development
    Early Literacy
    Communities of Practice

    Conference Contribution

    Year Publication
    2023 Kearns, A., Stafford, P., McLoughlin, Prof. M., Stokes, Dr. T. (2023) International Froebel Society Conference Engaging with communities through Jungk’s Future Workshop Methodology: A Froebelian way of listening Maynooth University, 22/06/2023-24/06/2023.
    2019 Annette J. Kearns (2019) Perceived benefits for mature early years’ educators of degree level academic studies on their professional and pedagogical practice European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference Thessaloniki, Greece, 20/08/2019-23/08/2019.
    2019 Annette J. Kearns (2019) Teaching informed mature students: A study of how the professional knowledge mature early years’ practitioners bring to a degree programme impacts on how the curriculum is taught EuroACS Conference Maynooth University, Ireland, .
    2019 Annette J. Kearns (2019) Teaching informed mature students: A study of how mature students link their practice with theory Early Childhood Ireland Research Conference Dublin, Ireland, .
    2016 Annette J. Kearns (2016) Supporting Learning through Onsite Coaching in a Phonological Awareness Programme Early Childhood Ireland Research Conference Dublin, Ireland, .
    2015 Annette J. Kearns (2015) Supporting Learning through Onsite Coaching in a Phonological Awareness Programme OMEP: Organisation Mondiale pour l'Education Préscolaire (World Organization for Early Childhood Education) Cork, Ireland, .
    2015 Annette J. Kearns (2015) EECERA Conference Supporting the Development of Phonological Awareness in Early Childhood Educators: Using an Onsite Coaching Strategy Barcelona, Spain, .
    2014 Annette J. Kearns (2014) Documenting Children's Learning Early Childhood Ireland Research Conference Dublin, Ireland, .
    2011 Annette J. Kearns (2011) The impact of provision and practice of the online informal Siolta Quality Programme European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference Geneva, Switzerland, .
    2010 Annette J. Kearns (2010) Promoting participation in an on-line discussion forum European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference Birmingham, UK, .
    2007 Annette J. Kearns (2007) Improving Language and Literacy Opportunities in an Early Years Setting European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference Prague, Czech Republic, .
    2006 Annette J. Kearns (2006) Effect Teaching Strategies for Adult Learners European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference Reykjavik, Iceland, .
    2005 Annette J. Kearns; Margaret Coogan; Marlene McCormack (2005) Delivering the PLN Programme in an early childhood setting European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA) Conference Dublin, Ireland, .
    2004 Annette J. Kearns; Marion Brennan; Marlene McCormack (2004) The implementation of the Penn Literacy Network (PLN) programme in an Irish early years setting Annual Teachers Conference University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA, .
    2004 Annette J. Kearns (2004) Preschool education and Lifelong Learning Comenius Programme Seminar Molde, Norway, .

    Published Report

    Year Publication
    2019 Ring, Kelleher, Breen, Mc Loughlin, Kearns, Stafford, Skehill, Campion, Comerford and O Sullivan (2019) Interim Evaluation of the Leadership for INClusion in the Early Years LINC programme. Department for Children and Youth Affairs, .
    Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2023) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

    Professional Associations

    Description Function From / To
    PLé Ireland PRO, Executive Committee -
    OMEP Ireland Member -
    Early Childhood Ireland Member -
    Kildare Infant Literacy Group Academic Input -

    Teaching Interests

    Play
    Supporting enquiry, enacting the curriculum
    Children's well-being
    Learning and Development Perspectives
    Learning and Development Challenges
    Inclusive Practices
    Literacy Numeracy and Scientific Enquiry
    Professional Practice
    Professional Placement
    Leadership & Mentoring in Early Years