Tara Concannon-Gibney
Dr
Dr Tara Concannon-Gibney lectures in the area of literacy. A former primary school teacher, she has worked with pre-service and in-service teachers in Ireland and in New York for two decades. Prior to joining D.C.U. in 2017, she was programme coordinator of the B.Sc. in Early Childhood Education at Marino Institute of Education (Dublin) where she lectured in literacy and Early Childhood Education. From 2009 until 2012, Dr Concannon-Gibney worked at Adelphi University in New York.
She was awarded an Advanced HE Fellowship in 2021 and earned a Universal Badge for Learning (UDL) in 2020 (AHEAD/CAST). Dr Concannon-Gibney has a keen interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning and has conducted and published self-studies in recent years to enhance her teaching. She currently leads the BEd4 Self-study Research Project module. She was a key member of a community of practice that pioneered the use of Interactive Oral Assessments at DCU. She was nominated (as part of a team), for the DCU President’s Teaching Excellence Award in 2021.
Dr Concannon-Gibney has a sustained and substantial publishing record in highly-ranked peer-reviewed journals. She is also the sole author of Teaching Essential Literacy Skills: A guide for students and teachers (Routledge). She is past president of the Literacy Association of Ireland and the current Irish representative for FELA (Federation of European Literacy Association). She was a member of an expert advisory panel for Doodle Den (Childhood Development Initiative) which developed a website and support materials to enhance the literacy development of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. She also worked with AMBER (Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research) in 2020-2021 to develop lesson plans integrating science, maths, and literacy. Her recent SCOTENS-funded project focused on the 'Exploration of the Use of Children's Literature in Early Reading'. She recently worked with a large team of researchers from the IoE on the research report in relation to the updating of the national literacy (including digital literacy) & numeracy strategy and another team within the LLECE (DCU) on a Literature Review to Support the Updating of Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (NCCA, 2019).
Her current research interests include early literacy, the literacy instruction of English language learners, literacy integration, creativity in literacy education, teacher professional development in literacy, and teaching and learning in higher education.
She welcomes applications for Ph.D./Masters by research/EdD.
Book
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Concannon-Gibney, T. (2019) Teaching Essential Literacy Skills in the Early Years Classroom: A Guide for Teachers and Students. Oxon: UK: Routledge. [Link] | |
| 2010 | Concannon-Gibney, T., Kelly, A. & Willoughby, K. (2010) Literacy in the 21st Century: Perspectives, Challenges & Transformations, Proceedings of the Reading Association of Ireland’s 33rd Annual International Conference. Dublin: Reading Association of Ireland. |
Book Chapter
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Concannon-Gibney, Tara (2024) 'Comprehending Poetry with Social Justice Themes'. Reading Teacher, 77 (4). [DOI] | |
| 2023 | Ward, M.; O’Riordan, F.; Logan-Fleming, D.; Cooke, D.; Concannon-Gibney, T.; Efthymiou, M.; Watkins, N. (2023) 'Interactive oral assessment case studies: An innovative, academically rigorous, authentic assessment approach'. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Concannon-Gibney, T. (2021) 'Moving beyond the transmission of knowledge in the lecture hall: a self-study'. Professional Development in Education, Published online 25 January 2021 . [Link] | |
| 2021 | Concannon-Gibney, Tara (2021) 'Teacher, Teacher, can't Catch Me!: Teaching Vocabulary and Grammar using Nursery Rhymes to Children for Whom English is an Additional Language'. Reading Teacher, 75 (1). [DOI] | |
| 2019 | Concannon-Gibney, T. (2019) 'Immersing First Graders in Poetry: A Genre Study Approach'. Reading Teacher, 72 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2018 | Concannon-Gibney, T. (2018) 'Immersing first grade in poetry: A genre study approach'. Reading Teacher, . | |
| 2012 | Concannon-Gibney, T & McCarthy, M. (2012) 'The Explicit Teaching of Reading Comprehension in Science Class: A Pilot Professional Development Program'. Improving Schools, 15 (1):33-45. | |
| 2012 | Concannon-Gibney, T. & Murphy, B. (2012) 'Explicit Reading Comprehension Instruction and Teacher Professional Development: An Irish Experience'. Teacher Development, 38 (1):131-148. | |
| 2012 | Concannon-Gibney, T. & Murphy, B. (2012) 'Reading comprehension instruction in Irish primary classrooms: Key insights into classroom practice from one recent study'. Irish Educational Studies, 31 (4):433-449. | |
| 2012 | Gibney, T. (2012) 'Teaching Memoir in the Elementary School: A Genre Study Approach'. Reading Teacher, 63 (3):243-253. | |
| 2010 | Concannon-Gibney, T. & Murphy, B. (2010) 'Reading Practice in Irish Primary Classrooms: Too Simple a View of Reading?'. Literacy, 44 (3):122-130. |
Other Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Concannon-Gibney, T. (2018) 'Play and the primary school curriculum: Developing quality practices and examining curricular opportunities' VI (1) . [Link] | |
| 2011 | O’Connor, E. & Concannon-Gibney, T. (2011) 'Using Formative Assessment to Effectively Identify and Remediate Reading Issues in the Early Grades' 8 (1) :37-51. |
Conference Publication
Conference Contribution
Published Report
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Kennedy, E; Concannon-Gibney, T.; Dwyer, B. (2022) Pedagogical strategies, approaches and methodologies to support literacy in the primary school: A review of the literature. Department of Education, . [DOI] | |
| 2022 | Concannon-Gibney, T., de Brún, J., Ní Dhiorbháin, A., Ní Láimhín, M., & Ó Duibhir, P. (2022) Pedagogical strategies, approaches and methodologies to support literacy and digital literacy development for Gaeilge and EAL. Department of Education (Ireland), . [Link] https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7881298 | |
| 2022 | French, G.; McKenna, G.; Giblin, F.; Concannon-Gibney, T.; Farrell, T.; Gillic, C.; Halligan, C.; Lake, G.; Ni Dhiorbhain, A.; Ni Laimhin, M.; O'Neill, S. (2022) Literature review to support the updating of Aistear, the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, . [Link] | |
| 2015 | Concannon-Gibney, T. & Shiel, G. (2015) Reading Literacy in PIRLS 2011:in E. Eivers & A. Clerkin, National Schools, International Contexts: Beyond the PIRLS and TIMSS test results. Educational Research Centre, . |
Other Publication
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Concannon-Gibney, Tara (2022) Arts Integration in Diverse K-5 Classrooms: Cultivating Literacy Skills and Conceptual Understanding. [DOI] |
Professional Associations
Honors and Awards
Enterprise Engagement
Outreach Activities
Media
Research Interests
Meaningful literacy teaching in the early years
Reading Comprehension
Literacy instruction for pupils for whom English is an additional language (EAL)
Literacy/STEM integration
Writing instruction