Academic biography

I am an Assistant Professor in Drama Education in the School of Arts Education and Movement at the Institute of Education, Dublin City University (DCU). I teach and research in the area of Drama Education. I have a B.Ed. from St Patrick’s College, DCU, an M.St. (Drama Education) from the University of Dublin, Trinity College and an Ed.D. from the University of Exeter. Before I began working in Initial Teacher Education, I worked as a primary school teacher and in teacher in-service, with the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) now OIDE, offering support in the areas of Drama and Gaeilge. I have a particular interest in drama, embodiment, student-teacher relationships, phenomenological inquiry, children’s participation rights, and Social Justice Education. I am also interested in the practice of teaching, the art of storytelling, curricular integration using Mantle of the Expert, performative pedagogy and visual and embodied research data.  I was chairperson of the Association for Drama in Education in Ireland (ADEI) from 2017 to 2021 and vice chair for several years. I still serve on the ADEI committee for curriculum matters.  I joined the board of directors at The Ark, a dedicated cultural centre for children, in April 2021