Dr Jones Irwin gives Keynote at University of Catania, Sicily
Dr Jones Irwin, Associate Professor in Philosophy and Education, was an invited Keynote speaker for a conference on Paulo Freire’s educational philosophy in Catania, Sicily, on January 16th-17th. The conference explored ‘Paulo Freire: A Pedagogy for Emancipation and for Hope’ and also included participants from the universities of Ferrara, Rome, Kore-Enna, as well as Catania. Dr Irwin’s topic was ‘Freire’s Pedagogy: Then and Now’ and explored the resonances between Freire’s 1968 publication Pedagogy of the Oppressed and the current developments in radical social and political movements, including in Italian contexts. Other presentations considered the focus in Freire’s work on intercultural education, leftist politics and adult education.
Further discussions considered the relationship between curricular developments in Irish and Italian contemporary education systems. Dr Irwin is also Project Officer with the NCCA for the first state multi-denominational curriculum, Goodness Me, Goodness You!, with Community National Schools.