Advertise on podcast: Conversations in Adult and Further Education

In this episode, I’m joined by Anne Foster, Vice Chair of the Adult Education Teachers’ Organisation (AETO) and an adult education teacher with the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB). Anne shares insights from her many years working in adult education and talks about her involvement with AETO’s campaign to secure better rights for teachers. She highlights several challenges within the sector, especially those affecting teachers with many years of service, such as pension rights and the impact of the new adult educator contract on these teachers. If you would like further information or would like to join the AETO, you can email [email protected].

In this episode, I’m joined by Mark Daly to talk about numeracy, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia. Mark is a student at Dublin College in Loughlinstown, part of the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB). Mark was diagnosed with dyscalculia as a child and later with dyspraxia, and he shares his personal experiences of school, the challenges he faced, and his return to education as an adult. Mark’s story offers valuable insight into how we can bettersupport students who struggle with numbers, along with practical advice for tutors.  Here is some of the work that Mark has done to highlight numeracy, dyscalculia and dyspraxia   This is a booklet that Mark created to tell his story: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG7N97BwTo/af-mzF1dzgpWJVHyozSmpA/view?utm_content=DAG7N97BwTo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=he9cf7f8002#2   Some podcast clips where Mark explains his experience with dyscalculia and dyspraxia: https://soundcloud.com/user-764766124/mark-dalys-experience-with-dyscalculia https://soundcloud.com/user-764766124/mark-dalys-experience-with-dyspraxia   A video highlighting Mark’s work as a Numeracy Ambassador for NALA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwUpSFsIfLQ&t=103s

In this episode, I’m joined by Lana McCarthy, from the Literacy Development Centre at SETU, and Helen Walsh, the Family Literacy Lead at SOLAS. We are talking about family literacy. Lana and Helen highlight what’s happening both nationally and locally to support and promote family literacy. They also discuss the value of the Family Literacy Community of Practice—why it matters, how it works, and how you can get involved. This community brings together passionate people from a wide range of organisations and sectors, all committed to promoting family literacy. New members are always welcome, so if you have a project or initiative you’d like to share, or you want to find out more about the work they are doing, they would love to hear from you. Contact Helen at [email protected] Use the following link to join the Family Literacy Communityof Practice: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jsB9ntvZ20qQm7C0ym-jglByPNQqcMNIkjMRCUcGpAdUNjZZSlVGQzk3N0NKVVpDQ1VITFlNUEtLTSQlQCN0PWcu&origin=QRCode

In this episode, I’m joined by Talent Nyamakope, Health Literacy Lead with the Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Strategy Office in SOLAS, and Edel Finan, Regional Literacy Coordinator with Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB). We discuss what health literacy means, what’s happening on the ground locally and nationally, and some of the projects they’ve been involved in. Talent and Edel also offer practical advice to help people make informed health decisions and share insights on how healthcare services can become more literacy friendly.   Links and contact information:  Literacy Support in Waterford and Wexford from WWETB:[email protected], or call 085 8567164. Digital literacy eLearning courses developed in WWETB can be accessed here: Digital Literacy eLearning videos - YouTube WWETB Plain English Booklet The ALL Strategy can be found at adult-literacy-for-life-strategy.pdf Online courses available at www.adultliteracyforlife.ie/aware   Useful health resources: www.hse.ie www.mychild.ie www.healthpromotion.ie HSE Health and Wellbeing Podcast on YouTube

In this episode, I am speaking with Mary Mitchell from Dublin College FET Blanchardstown, which is part of the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board. Mary is a tutor and the co-ordinator for the financial literacy project. She is also passionate about inclusion. Today, Mary is chatting with me about their financial literacy project and a new book on financial literacy they are launching at the beginning of December. This financial literacy project is a great example of how adult literacy programs can collaborate with local organisations to best meet the needs of the community. Mary walks us through how to start a project like this from the ground up.   To find out more about DDLETB’s financial literacy project, you can contact Mary at: Dublin College FET, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, D15 T3KT, (01)8212600 Email:  [email protected]       MSLETB Get Lit! Podcast: I would like to mention another podcast that has recently been launched by Roisin Egan from MSLETB (Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim ETB) called Get Lit. This podcast is all about adult literacy, and I highly recommend it. Their most recent episode is also about financial literacy. https://open.spotify.com/show/1xEm5MomFLfWXWt0nWbdX7?si=e878af19236f47b2

In this episode, I chat with Niall Dempsey, a tutor with the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB). Niall teaches adult literacy, ESOL, and Conversational Irish. As a wheelchair user, he is also researching the intersection of identity, masculinity, and disability. We discuss his experiences as a tutor working in a marginalised sector, the instability of employment in the adult education sector, as well as his perspective on belonging to a marginalised group himself. Adult education tutors will relate to the challenges of navigating insecure work and finding purpose within a sector that offers limited recognition. Niall is a passionate tutor and a natural storyteller. This is well worth a listen.   Ramblings of a Bockedy Man is the title of Niall’s MEd. Thesis (used with his permission). You can read his Thesis here: https://mural.maynoothuniversity.ie/id/eprint/17699/1/MEd%20Thesis%2C%20Ramblings%20of%20a%20Bockedy%20Man%2C%20Niall%20Dempsey%2021252071.pdf   You can find Niall’s paper, ‘Conversations with Strangers’, here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02660830.2023.2262638#d1e165 I strongly recommend reading his paper. Niall tells a moving story that blends humour and sadness while exploring complex themes of disability, masculinity, and his experiences working as a tutor in a marginalised sector.

In this episode, I chat with my colleague, Dr Edel Ni Ghrainne, in the Literacy Development Centre at SETU. Edel has over 20 years of experience teaching in Education and Training Boards (ETBs) in Ireland. She explains how to plan and deliver a QQI-accredited module (Quality and Qualifications Ireland), from completing the paperwork to interpreting a module descriptor. This is a great episode to listen to if you are a new tutor or are teaching a QQI-accredited module for the first time. Some useful links: The National Framework of Qualifications in Ireland: https://www.qqi.ie/what-we-do/the-qualifications-system/national-framework-of-qualifications Further Education Support Service: https://fess.ie/ Explanation of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives from Cornell University: https://teaching.cornell.edu/resource/blooms-taxonomy

In this episode, I am chatting with Dr. Lana McCarthy and Dr. Clare Power in the Literacy Development Centre (LDC) in the South East Technological University (SETU), Professor Jenifer Jasinski Schneider, the interim Dean in the College of Education in the University of South Florida (USF), and Dr. Rachel Hatten, the Associate Director in the David C. Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching in USF. We chat about family literacy, how Lana and Jenifer met and the work they are doing together in the Family Literacy Community of Practice.   The Family Literacy Community of Practice is a partnership between the Literacy Development Centre in the South East Technological University (SETU LDC), NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency) and Adult Literacy for Life National Programme Office (ALL NPO). If you would like to join the Community of Practice, you can register at the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/fVan26wNsr    Links to Jenifer and Rachel’s work and the College of Education in USF: Jenifer Jasinski Schneider, PhD: https://www.usf.edu/education/faculty/faculty-profiles/jenifer-jasinski-schneider.aspx USF College of Education: https://www.usf.edu/education/ David C. Anchin Center for the Advancement of Teaching: www.usf.edu/anchin

In this episode, I am chatting wth Clare Power and Eleanor Neff from the Literacy Development Centre (LDC) in SETU and Paula Tiller, the Regional Adult Literacy Coordinator for Kerry, about the Adult Literacy for Life (ALL) Strategy. They explain what is in the strategy, why it was developed and what is happening to implement it. To learn more about the ALL Strategy, visit: https://www.adultliteracyforlife.ie/

In this episode, I am chatting with Lana McCarthy about family literacy, also known as family learning. Lana has worked in this area for many years and developed the 'Hug Your Book' programme. She has recently established a Community of Practice for Family Literacy, a partnership between the Literacy Development Centre in the South East Technological University (SETU LDC), NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency) and Adult Literacy for Life National Programme Office (ALL NPO). If you would like to join the Community of Practice, you can register at the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/fVan26wNsr  You can also contact Lana at [email protected]. If you want to check out Lana's PhD. research on Parental engagement you can do so here: McCarthy, L, (2025) `The Dance of Engagement': AConstructivist Grounded Theory Study of Parental Engagement., Trinity CollegeDublin, School of Linguistic Speech & Comm Sci, Clin Speech & LanguageStudies, https://www.tara.tcd.ie/handle/2262/110774

In this episode, I am chatting with Aoife O'Leary, the Adult Literacy Coordinator with Dyslexia Ireland. Aoife explains what dyslexia is and how we can support students with diagnosed or undiagnosed dyslexia. She offers practical advice that we can implement in the classroom. Aoife also talks about the resources available from Dyslexia Ireland, which are available at the links below. You can contact Aoife at [email protected] Dyslexia Ireland https://dyslexia.ie/ Inclusive communications guidelines: https://dyslexia.ie/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Guidelines-on-Inclusive-Communications-2022.pdf Adult Dyslexia Hub: https://adultdyslexiahub.ie/  Structured Literacy: https://adultdyslexiahub.ie/structured-literacy/ Shannon Trust: https://shop.shannontrust.org.uk/

In this episode, I speak with Geraldine Mernagh about using arts-based methods in teaching. We explain what arts-based methods mean to us and discuss the process we take students through in a typical lesson. I hope this episode shows how art and creativity are for everyone.

In this episode, Sarah Bates Evoy explains developments in the new job contract for adult educators. She traces the historical development of this contract to where we are currently (October 2024). Sarah has done an excellent job of explaining a very long, complex process in recognising the important work of adult educators in Ireland and also acknowledges the work that still needs to be done. Related documents that may be useful: https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/291152/9fe20071-5e3a-4e37-b8a7-c5c2a14c2126.pdf#page=null

In this episode, I am speaking with Edel Ni Ghrainne about how we can support students experiencing trauma. Edel has a wealth of teaching experience in adult literacy and ESOL. She has over 14 years of experience teaching on refugee programmes with students across many nationalities. We discuss the broad range of experiences a refugee may have and how you can spot if a student is dealing with trauma Edel offers useful advice and strategies to support students who may be dealing with trauma. This episode is a must for anyone working in adult literacy, ESOL tutors or anyone working with refugees. Even if you are not working specifically in these areas, Edel's advice for supporting students is useful for any educational setting.

In this episode, I chat with Geraldine Mernagh about her experience of working in adult literacy and how it has changed since the 1980s. Geraldine gives us some great advice about reflecting on what drew us to our work in the first place so that we can decide what we want to carry with us as our profession changes.