Carol Ann OSiorain

Dr

Contact Details


Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education


Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education
Dublin City University, Institute of Education
St. Patrick's Campus
Drumcondra
Dublin 9
T:00353 1 700 9020
M:00353 (0) 87 6147336

E:carolann.osiorain@dcu.ie
Profile Photo

Carol-Ann is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education. She is a both a Montessori trained teacher and a Primary qualified teacher registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland. She is a passionate educator and researcher. She has taught across all levels of early years and primary education, with extensive experience in special and inclusive teaching and learning.  Her research and experience in promoting inclusion in education and society and her expertise in early childhood and primary education brings a critical and contemporary vision to teaching and learning in ITE. Carol-Ann's research interests are: The inter-relationships between cultural, language and communication, identity and belonging and the role of education in the development of intercultural competencies in early childhood. Special education and inclusion; a continuum of play; children’s personal play worlds; the importance of real-life play experiences; the role of family play experiences; intergenerational play/fun and the development of humour in early play. Playful teaching and learning in early childhood (playful inclusive pedagogy, transformative pedagogy); early literacy and numeracy; autism and neurodivergent challenges including rare diseases. The teaching of early communication, language and mathematics through play for children with autism in early intervention and primary classrooms.

Peer Reviewed Journal

Year Publication
2023 Carol-Ann O’Síoráin; Margaret Kernan; Fíona McArdle (2023) 'Disrupting the Aistear hour: working towards a play-based curriculum in early childhood classrooms in Irish primary schools'. International Journal of Early Years Education, . [Link] [DOI]

Book Chapter

Year Publication
2024 (2024) 'Redesigning our Approaches: Giving it a go from the get-go, Reaching with your teaching' In: Adopting a UDL attitude within academia. London : Routledge. [DOI]
2022 O’Síoráin, C. A., Carr-fanning, K. & McGuckin, C. (2022) 'Well That’s another Fine Mess You Got Me Into: The Jargon of Research' In: Thinking Critically and Ethically about Research for Education. London : Routledge. [DOI]
2021 Mc Guckin, C., O’Síoráin, C. A. (2021) 'The Professional Self and Diverse Learning Needs' In: Why Do Teachers Need to Know About Diverse Learning Needs?. London : Bloomsbury.
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2023) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.

Professional Associations

Association Function From / To
Children's Research Network Ireland and Northern Ireland Communication Office for Early Childhood Research Sig -
Education Association of Ireland ESAI Member -

Education

Start date Institution Qualification Subject
10/10/2014 Trinity College PhD

Outreach Activities

Year Engagement Type Organisation Description
2017 Other Clontarf Football Club Steering committee member and lead coach, advisor in supporting the inclusion of children with additional needs in tag rugby. Member of the Youth and Minis committee, reporting to the executive.

Media

Title Year Type Authors
What are the key elements of literacy for autistic children 2023 Other Carol-Ann O'Síoráin

Research Interests

 Carol-Ann is an active researcher with specific interests in early intervention, autism teaching and learning, early play, play-based inclusive practice and pedagogy (playful learning experiences), the Bio-ecological Systems Theory, Family Systems Theory, the role and importance of parents in education, initial and continuing teacher education. She has successfully designed, organised, and conducted research in these areas and has published in peer-reviewed journals, books and educational magazines. She is a change agent with a goal to bring high quality research evidence to the field of early childhood education and care, early intervention, and inclusive teaching.

  

Research Projects

Title Role Description Start date End date
Standing Together for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Differences (STAND) Principal Investigator The overall aim of this research project was to explore the teaching and learning experiences of individuals in special schools in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic. This small scale study aimed to gather data from a minimum of 8 principals and/or teachers in Special Schools in the Republic of Ireland and a minimum of 4 in Special Schools in Northern Ireland. 30/01/2022 30/09/2023

External Collaborators

Type Name Company Role
External Dr Conor Mc Guckin Trinity College, Dublin Academic
External Dr Craig Goodall St Mary's College, Belfast Academic
External Dr Una Bones O'Connor Ulster University Academic
External Dr Jessica Bates Ulster University Academic
External Dr Miriam Twomey Trinity College, Dublin Academic
External Dr Margaret Kernan Leiden University Academic

Modules Coordinated

Term Title Subject
2023 EC325
2023/2024 Numeracy ED2023
2023/2024 Literacy ED1011
2023/2024 Early Childhood Education: Small Schools EC325