IICE 2015
Keynote Address IICE 2015 – Bewleys Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin, 20th April, 2015
Dr. Kathy Harrison delivered a keynote address to the Ireland International Conference on Education in Dublin. The talk was entitled “Addressing Cultural Sensitivity in Education”. It linked a model of a democratic, rights-based approach to education, benchmarked against a framework of cultural sensitivity and cultural responsiveness, with the aim of ensuring the level playing field which ensures every learner, regardless of background, culture or creed, is centre stage in education. She highlighted the drivers of this need, including learners from EU or other European countries, third country nationals and members of the Traveller and Roma communities who are endeavouring to shape an identity in Ireland, as well as in other nations across Europe and internationally. Kathy outlined how educators can, being mindful of the multicultural aspect of education, accommodate the practical needs of such a diverse population, and can embrace an ethos of equality, access and inclusion for every learner. She provided practical examples of culturally responsive and sensitive teaching and learning. Such culturally sensitive approaches are necessary for sustaining lifelong learning. The also help to ensure the learner is placed firmly at the centre of attention, and at the centre of the learning environment, optimising their capacity to reach full potential.
The IICE is an international refereed conference dedicated to the advancement of the theory and practices in education. It promotes collaborative excellence between academicians and professionals from Education. The aim is to provide an opportunity for academics and professionals from various educational fields with cross-disciplinary interests to bridge the knowledge gap, promote research esteem and the evolution of pedagogy.
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