Paper presented at the ICT for Language Learning Conference, Florence, Italy on 14 November 2012

1. ICT SUPPORTED TEACHER TRAINING
IN IRELAND: THE SPÉIS PROJECT
Dr. Alan Bruce
Universal Learning Systems, Dublin
ICT for Language Learning: International Conference
Florence, Italy
14-15 November 2013

2. Ireland: education and identity
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•
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Learning and Gaelic society
The impact of colonialism
Ascendancy and hedge schools
Elitism, privilege and the assault on Gaelic
The impact of religion
Experiment and challenge: Maria Edgeworth
Bardic lore to exile: maintaining the flame of
culture

3. Policy in crisis: the 19th Century
National School system (1831)
Resistance and segregation
Identity and revolution
The tidal wave of emigration
Partition and religion

4. The New State
• Department of Education (1924)
• The national curriculum
• The Irish language
• Subservience to the Church
• Separate systems: embedding elitism
• Vocational Education Act (1943)
• Declining demographics

5. Irish language profile

6. Irish and teaching
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Two official languages
Official Languages Act (2003)
Irish in a multiethnic society
Discontinuity between primary and post-primary
Language teaching deficits –English as lingua franca
No CLIL examples
Deficits in English language teaching
Overwhelming impact of curriculum based assessment
Teacher training systems

7. Teacher training
• Denominational basis
• Secondary: degree plus Higher Diploma in
Education
• Primary: Teacher Training Colleges
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–
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Mary Immaculate, Limerick
St Patrick’s, Dublin
Colaiste Mhuire, Marino
Church of Ireland College of Education, Dublin

8. Primary Curriculum
• Education for a Changing World (1992)
• Primary School Curriculum (1999)
• National Council on Curriculum and
Assessment www.ncca.ie
• Scoilnet portal www.scoilnet.ie

9. CICE

10. CICE Background
• Established 1811
• Extensive library
• Effects of partition 1922
• Linkage to Trinity College Dublin
• Evolving future – DCU
• Poor ICT infrastructure
• Small numbers (150)

11. Active teaching methodologies

12. General focus
Teacher Education comprised of developing knowledge but also developing skills and attitudes
Focus on skills such as:
1.
Expressing and justifying opinions
2.
Analysing information-facts/stories given
3.
Opportunities to empathise with other people’s experiences
4.
Resolving differences
5.
Participating/co-operating
6.
Ability to work co-operatively with others
7.
Ability to see and appreciate different perspectives
8.
Ability to tolerate another point of view
9.
Ability to use and engage in a problem solving approach
Values:
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Openness to others
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Respect for the law
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Concern for human rights

13. Challenges in teaching formation
• Scattered and remote location of many Protestant
schools
• Changes in degree structure and provision in B.Ed.
program
• Minority ethos and status
• Inadequate ICT and resources
• Impact of financial crisis in 2008

14. The need for Innovation
• Supervising placement
• Costs, travel and remoteness
• Recording and uploading information
• Writing, monitoring and examining
• Supervision and quality
• Communications

15. Developing e-Support
1.
Method of supervision and contact for trainee teachers and supervisory tutors in
CICE.
2.
A means for on-line engagement with trainee teachers.
3.
An e-forum and seminar framework for group learning and exchange.
4.
A method to manage classroom practice and learning.
5.
A means for trainee teachers to upload assignments, materials, essays and
journals of reflective practice.
6.
Integration of pedagogical processes and technology solutions to meet CICE
requirements
7.
A creative and dynamic mechanism to supervise and support the placement
process over 10 weeks in various and remote locations.

16. Spéis: School Placement e-Integrated Scaffolding
• Aim of Spéis: to provide the first teacher placement
e-support and portfolio system in Ireland
• Deployed advanced technologies to enable creation
of a platform where academic staff in the College,
student teachers and administrative personnel could
plan, design, implement and review an ICT
supported learning architecture

17. CLE: Context Learning Environment
• Developed for efficient and smooth digitalization of learning processes
and learner administration
• Learner-orientated approach to ICT systems, tools and processes
implementation by mapping the current state of the learning
organization
• Identifies potential areas where ICT tools can improve learning and
establishes
a
clear
roadmap
and
milestones
for
e-learning
implementation
• Implementation of e-learning technology solutions that enable a smooth
transition towards digital learning

18. Process: Stage 1
1.
Detailed identification of needs (1 workshop)
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Review of existing resources, plans/documentation and source material
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Learning process mapping: with main focus on placement periods
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Identifying areas in which technology can be applied to foster learning and improve effectiveness
of learner management and follow-up
2.
Development and implementation plan (Context and ULS prepared based on workshop results)
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Defining learner and teacher/mentor processes and tools
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Integration of pedagogical processes and technology solutions to meet CICE requirements
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Implementation plan

19. Process: Stage 2
3. Technical implementation
Tailoring and configuration of CLE solutions for CICE's ICT environment
Integration of communication, management/administration and evaluation tools into CLE
4. Piloting
User training/induction
Testing CLE solutions and tools with a pilot group
Pilot follow-up, collecting feedback, evaluating the process
Identifying critical development needs
Making necessary improvements in CLE solutions and tools
Quality management (ULS)
5. Launching the full B.Ed. on-line program

20. Format and deliverables
• Learner (user) data management
• Management of learning activities (on-line, classroom) and remote
supervision
• Management of assignments, essays, learning materials, journals
of reflective practice, etc.
• Synchronous communication and group collaboration tools
• e-forum for sharing ideas and building knowledge
• e-portfolio (for students to maintain course-specific portfolios and
develop a personal student portfolio)

21. Supporting Irish
• Integration of the Irish language and language teacher training supports.
• The deployment of advanced ICT supports in the digital portfolio
construction has enabled Irish to be fully integrated as a means of
communication and engagement.
• The history of language learning in Ireland has not been a happy one.
Decades of compulsion and mandatory rote learning produced
catastrophic results for the language as a positively perceived medium of
education, enjoyment and expression in its own right.
• Use of digital portfolios is designed to reinforce and complement
language instruction approaches that are proactive and learner centered.

22. Developing linkage
• Uses ULS expertise and networks to link to
analogous EU projects
• Link to Foras na Gaelige
• Specific linkage to LANGO project

23. Specific
linkage:
LANGO
LANGO aims to reduce language communication barriers through specific use of new
smart phone technologies. The project has developed a language-learning tool which
requires a little effort on the part of learners. LANGO users will be able to learn
language - literally on the go, at any time and any place on flexible web-based and
mobile learning platforms.

24. Specific linkage: NELLIP
NELLIP carries out the following main activities:
1.Identification and description of examples of best practice in planning and implementing language learning
initiatives that have received the European Language Label.
2. Development of guidelines on how to plan, implement, manage, exploit and create network between
language learning quality initiatives based on maximizing best practice developed within the framework of
European language labeled projects and initiatives.
3. Organization of workshops to test and exploit project results and European language labelled initiatives and
projects.

25. Summary
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Spéis project: in context of the changing and evolving context of teacher training
provision in Ireland with specific reference to the central role of the Irish language
and its promotion.
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Teachers need to gather and demonstrate evidence of their growth and
achievement over time. Developing a professional portfolio at undergraduate
level is the first step in this process.
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It enables student teachers to begin the process of reflection necessary for them
to develop as reflective practitioners.
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Spéis is an innovative e-supported portfolio, unique in Ireland. E-learning best
practice and its adoption in Irish schools using this project and other allied
initiatives is designed to promote digital access and excellence.

26. Next steps
• Digital Schools of Distinction
www.digitalschools.ie
• Open Discovery Space
www.opendiscoveryspace.eu
• TRANSit
www.transit-project.eu

27. Thank you
Dr. Alan Bruce
ULS Dublin
abruce@ulsystems.com