IoE Graduation Awards 2022
We were delighted last week in the DCU Institute of Education with the class of 2022 graduating and a number of awards to acknowledge the excellence of our students.
Siobhan McClelland
Siobhan McClelland - Vere Foster Medal (PMEP), Catherine Mahon Award, John Smith Award
There are three awards available to students completing the Professional Master of Education (Primary) programme:
- The Vere Foster Award is awarded to the student who obtained the highest marks on Professional Placement and associated modules over the two-year PMEP programme.
- The Catherine Mahon Award is awarded to the student who obtained the highest place overall on the PME (Primary).
- The John Smith Award is awarded to the student who obtained the highest mark in the Research Dissertation on the PME (Primary).
In 2022, Siobhan McClelland achieved all three awards, demonstrating her stellar marks across all modules of the programme. Throughout her time on the PMEP, Siobhan has not only been a conscientious, highly engaged and dedicated student, but she has also been an articulate advocate for her peers as she fulfilled the role of class representative on PMEP2. She is now teaching in Scoil Mhuire CBS on Griffith Avenue where she has, not surprisingly, already secured a permanent position. Siobhan achieved stellar results on all graded School Placement modules, demonstrating her unwavering dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to the children in her classes.
Siobhan’s final year research project, which achieved the John Smith award, sought to improve Siobhan’s approach to teaching literacy in the primary classroom. She focused on the shared reading approach, and investigated how her teaching strategies could be modified during shared reading to mitigate the harmful impact of COVID-19 on the shared reading experience for early literacy learners.
Overall, the PMEP is a large and complex programme with a wide range of modules, spanning all primary school curricular areas, foundational subjects and placements in schools. It is very impressive to see a student perform at the highest level across all modules, given the diversity of the challenges presented. Yet across both years and the full breadth of the programme Siobhan has done consistently well and produced work of an exemplary standard. Congratulations!
Fiontán Ó Loinsigh
Fiontán Ó Loinsigh - ILSA Award
Fiontán received the 2021-22 Irish Learning Support Association (ILSA) Award for achieving the highest overall grade on the Graduate Diploma in Inclusive Education, Learning Support and Special Education (GDILS). Fiontán completed his B.Ed. at St Patrick's College of Education, Drumcondra and a subsequent M.Ed. at UCD.. He is a primary school teacher, currently working as a Special Education Teacher in Co. Kildare. Fiontán has experience of working in mainstream classes, in an Autism class, in a gaelscoil, and as an oral Irish examiner with Marino Institute of Education. He worked with Concern as an education coordinator in the Rwandan refugee camps on the Tanzania-Rwanda border. Fiontán worked on a number of education projects in Cambodia for a period of 8 years with Concern, UNICEF and KAPE (Kampuchean Action for Primary Education). He is a fluent Khmer speaker who worked as an advisor to the Cambodian Ministry of Education Child Friendly School Programme Steering Committee.
Tierna Rowsome and parents with INTO President John Driscoll
Tierna Rowsome - Vere Foster Award (BEd), Carlisle and Blake Award
Tierna Rowsome received two awards at the BEd ceremony. The first award she receives is the INTO Vere Foster medal for the student or students who achieved the highest grade on School Placement over BEd 2, 3 and 4. Tierna shares this award with a fellow student. The second award she receives is the Carlise and Blake award, awarded by Department of Education for the student who achieves the highest marks in Core Education and School Placement over BEd 2, BEd 3 and BEd 4. Tierna is from Dublin and has been appointed to a position in Gaelscoil Mológa, Harolds Cross teaching rang a trí. She has always had a keen interest in the promotion of Irish Culture, notably Irish traditional music and the Irish language. This interest she admits was further enhanced over four years engaging with the BEd course in DCU where undertook the specialism of ‘Ceannaireacht Ábhair i Scoileanna T1’ which she found particularly fascinating. She has thoroughly enjoyed my first few months of teaching and looks forward to continuing in my journey of learning and developing now as a newly qualified teacher.
Rachel O'Crowley with INTO President John Driscoll
Rachel O’Crowley - Vere Foster Award (BEd)
Rachel O’Crowley receives is the INTO Vere Foster medal for the student or students who achieved the highest grade on School Placement over BEd 2, 3 and 4. She shares this award with a fellow student. She is from Leopardstown in Dublin. She specialised in Early Childhood Education within her BEd and completed a placement in an ECE setting as well as SP1-7. She thoroughly enjoyed her specialism and took a huge interest in Aistear. She is now working in St. Anne’s NS in Shankill where she teaches First Class. Within her First Class, she has begun implementing elements of Aistear.
Niamh Duggan with Assistant Prof Fiona Giblin
Niamh Duggan - Brian Ruane Award
The title of Niamh Duggan's exemplary research project was The Inclusion of Learners for whom English is an Additional Language in the Writing Workshop. Her work demonstrated an exceptional ability to reflect on her own practice throughout her professional placement on the Bachelor of Education programme. The project also demonstrated a high level of academic rigour and a deep understanding of the research literature on how to best support English Language Learners to achieve their full potential during writing lessons.
Jessica Kavanagh with Father Stephen
Jessica Kavanagh - Vincentian Award
The staff on the Certificate in Religious Studies programme are absolutely delighted that Jessica is receiving the Vincentian Medal award. Jessica was diligent throughout her engagement with the various modules on the programme and her work was of a very high standard. Her capacity for reflection and assimilation of all that she learned shone through in her submission for the final module on spirituality. Her personal reflections were honest, contemplative and very insightful. Her conviction in supporting others through troubled and difficult times and her own belief of leading by example bodes well for her bringing the "good news" proclaimed by her spiritual heroes to the children she teaches.
From Jessica’s perspective, she speaks of having enjoyed the modules of the Cert and is honoured to receive the medal which will serve as a beautiful reminder of her time at DCU. Jessica is now teaching in St Laurence O’Toole’s NS in Roundwood where she teaches 3rd class – whom she describes as ‘wonderful’.
We are delighted that Fr Stephen Monaghan is presenting Jessica with her award on behalf of the Vincentians. Stephen served as Chaplain in St Pat's and was much respected and valued by the community. We welcome him back to the fold, even if it is for a short time today. Stephen departed for Ethiopia to further develop a school for the deaf which he set up in Ambo. His connection with the Mater Dei Centre for Catholic Education in DCU and the BEd students has been maintained in a small way through the generous contributions of students. Jessica may not remember it, but her purchase of her core text contributed to Stephen's work in Ambo. And so we come full circle. For every beginning there's an ending, and for every ending, there's a beginning!
Well done on this well-deserved award Jessica and every best wish for the future!
Orla Doyle and family with Dr Susan Pike
Orla Doyle - Mark Morgan Award
The Mark Morgan Award is given to the student who achieves the Highest Mark on the MEd. Orla Doyle is a primary school teacher from Dublin who has been working in St. Vincent’s Infant Boys’ School on North William Street since graduating from her Bachelor of Education degree in 2007. In 2013, Orla completed a Masters in Applying Psychology to Education in Queen's University, Belfast. She received a NEIC fellowship from DCU's Educational Disadvantage Centre to complete this MEd with the special option in Poverty and Social Inclusion. Her thesis was inspired by the question 'What's great about the NEIC?' and explored young children's positive experiences of living in the north east inner city.