Mary Immaculate College
Official Organisation Name
Mary Immaculate College
Address
Mary Immaculate College South Circular Road Limerick, Ireland V94 VN26
City & Country
Limerick, Ireland
type of organisation
University
Organisation overview
Mary Immaculate College, founded in 1898, is a University-level College of Education and the Liberal Arts, academically linked with the University of Limerick. The College is a multi-campus institution, with a student population of over 5,000 students enrolled in undergraduate programmes in Primary and Post-Primary Education, Psychology, Liberal Arts and Early Childhood Care and Education, as well as a range of postgraduate programmes at diploma, masters, and PhD levels.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are at the heart of today’s world and the Department of STEM Education within the college is committed to providing equitable access to STEM experiences and literacy for all learners.
The department builds and cultivates knowledge, attitudes, and skills across disciplinary and interdisciplinary STEM education through socially responsive and innovative research, experiential and inquiry-based teaching and learning, the development of partnerships with schools and industry and through the preparation of teachers who are STEM literate.
Role in the PROTECT Project
Mary Immaculate College (MIC) is a higher education institution and provider of Initial Teacher Education Programmes. It offers advanced pedagogical expertise and research capacity in STEM Education, informed by innovative methodologies grounded in
robust research.
As part of the PROTECT project, MIC will build on its academic and research strengths in STEM Teacher Education to:
- Coordinate and support partners in the delivery of PROTECT project case studies providing insight into innovative activities
- Engage with Learning, Teaching and Training (LTTs) events, supporting the development of STEAM teaching practices
- Coordinate and support partners in the development of the PROTECT Handbook, summarising the State of Art and case-study reports together with a guide to using and adapting the project’s products and findings.
Teaching and learning endeavours in STEM Education at MIC will be further informed through these contributions and research into the PROTECT project.
EU / International Project Experience
The Department of STEM Education is committed to promoting and researching STEM education to better inform our practices as teacher educators and researchers and enhance the quality of meaningful STEM education.
The project team has collaborated extensively across teaching, research and outreach. These collaborations include the design and delivery of the MA in STEM Education programme, the precursor Erasmus+ STEAMing project, the Dept of Education and Youth funded STEM and the Arts Systematic Literature Review, and several other projects.
Individual team members hold various roles, including on the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) Early Childhood & Primary Mathematics Development Group and the Primary Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Development Group. Members also contribute to the Irish TIMSS National Advisory Council and have participated in Erasmus+ projects such as DataScEd4CiEn (highlighting data science literacy as an important skill for civic engagement and addressing societal challenges) and DATASETUP (Promoting Data Science Education for Teacher Education) projects.
The group has also engaged in college and school-based STEM initiatives, including Minecraft, co-creation and lesson study projects, in collaboration with student and in-service primary teachers. These initiatives provide children with authentic integrated STEM experiences. Team members also organise STEM outreach activities, including participation in the annual national Science Week festival.
Official Organisation Name
Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál
Address
An Cuarbhóthar Theas
City & Country
Luimneach, Éire
type of organisation
University
Organisation overview
Bunaíodh Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál sa bhliain 1898, agus is Coláiste Oideachais agus na nEalaíon Liobrálacha ar leibhéal Ollscoile é, atá nasctha go hacadúil le hOllscoil Luimnigh. Is institiúid ilchampas í an Coláiste, le daonra mac léinn de bhreis is 5,000 mac léinn cláraithe i gcláir fochéime in Oideachas Bunscoile agus Iar-bhunscoile, Síceolaíocht, Ealaíona Liobrálacha agus Cúram agus Oideachas Luath-Óige, chomh maith le raon clár iarchéime ag leibhéil dioplóma, máistreachta agus PhD.
Tá an Eolaíocht, an Teicneolaíocht, an Innealtóireacht agus an Mhatamaitic (STEM) i gcroílár shaol an lae inniu agus tá Roinn an Oideachais STEM laistigh den choláiste tiomanta do rochtain chothrom ar thaithí agus litearthacht STEM a sholáthar do gach foghlaimeoir.
Tógálann agus saothraíonn an roinn eolas, dearcthaí agus scileanna ar fud oideachas STEM disciplíneach agus idir-dhisciplíneach trí thaighde atá freagrúil go sóisialta agus nuálach, teagasc agus foghlaim atá bunaithe ar thaithí agus ar fhiosrúchán, forbairt comhpháirtíochtaí le scoileanna agus tionscal agus trí ullmhú múinteoirí atá liteartha i STEM.
Role in the PROTECT Project
Is institiúid ardoideachais agus soláthraí Clár Oideachais Tosaigh Múinteoirí í Coláiste Mhuire Gan Smál (MIC). Cuireann sí saineolas oideolaíoch ardleibhéil agus acmhainn taighde ar fáil in Oideachas STEM, atá bunaithe ar mhodheolaíochtaí nuálacha atá bunaithe ar thaighde láidir.
Mar chuid den tionscadal PROTECT, tógfaidh MIC ar a láidreachtaí acadúla agus taighde in Oideachas Múinteoirí STEM chun:
Comhpháirtithe a chomhordú agus tacú leo i seachadadh staidéir cháis tionscadail PROTECT a thugann léargas ar ghníomhaíochtaí nuálacha
Páirt a ghlacadh in imeachtaí Foghlama, Teagaisc agus Oiliúna (LTTanna), ag tacú le forbairt chleachtais teagaisc STEAM
Comhpháirtithe a chomhordú agus tacú leo i bhforbairt Lámhleabhar PROTECT, ag achoimriú na tuarascálacha Staidéir agus staidéir cháis mar aon le treoir maidir le táirgí agus torthaí an tionscadail a úsáid agus a oiriúnú.
Tabharfar tuilleadh eolais do iarrachtaí teagaisc agus foghlama in Oideachas STEM ag MIC trí na ranníocaíochtaí seo agus taighde ar thionscadal PROTECT.
EU / International Project Experience
Tá an Roinn Oideachais STEM tiomanta d’oideachas STEM a chur chun cinn agus taighde a dhéanamh air chun eolas níos fearr a chur ar fáil dár gcleachtais mar oideoirí múinteoirí agus taighdeoirí agus chun feabhas a chur ar cháilíocht an oideachais STEM bhríoch.
Tá comhoibriú fairsing déanta ag an bhfoireann tionscadail ar fud na múinteoireachta, an taighde agus na for-rochtana. Áirítear leis na comhoibrithe seo dearadh agus seachadadh an chláir MA in Oideachas STEM, an tionscadal réamhtheachtaí Erasmus+ STEAMing, STEM agus Athbhreithniú Córasach Litríochta na nEalaíon atá maoinithe ag an Roinn Oideachais agus Óige, agus roinnt tionscadal eile.
Tá róil éagsúla ag baill foirne aonair, lena n-áirítear ar Ghrúpa Forbartha Matamaitice Luath-Óige & Bunscoile na Comhairle Náisiúnta um Churaclam agus Measúnú (NCCA) agus ar Ghrúpa Forbartha Oideachais Eolaíochta, Teicneolaíochta, Innealtóireachta agus Matamaitice (STEM) Bunscoile. Cuireann baill leis an gComhairle Chomhairleach Náisiúnta TIMSS na hÉireann freisin agus tá siad páirteach i dtionscadail Erasmus+ ar nós DataScEd4CiEn (ag béim ar litearthacht eolaíochta sonraí mar scil thábhachtach le haghaidh rannpháirtíochta sibhialta agus ag dul i ngleic le dúshláin shochaíocha) agus tionscadail DATASETUP (Ag Cur Chun Cinn Oideachais Eolaíochta Sonraí d’Oideachas Múinteoirí).
Chomh maith leis sin, tá an grúpa páirteach i dtionscnaimh STEM atá bunaithe sa choláiste agus sa scoil, lena n-áirítear Minecraft, comhchruthú agus tionscadail staidéir ceachtanna, i gcomhar le múinteoirí bunscoile faoi oiliúint agus le múinteoirí inseirbhíse. Cuireann na tionscnaimh seo eispéiris STEM chomhtháite barántúla ar fáil do leanaí. Eagraíonn baill foirne gníomhaíochtaí for-rochtana STEM freisin, lena n-áirítear rannpháirtíocht i bhféile bhliantúil náisiúnta Sheachtain na hEolaíochta.
contact person
Edward Corry
Role in Organisation
Lecturer in Dept of STEM Education
Role in the PROTECT Project
Partner co-ordinator
Edward Corry is a lecturer in the department of STEM Education and delivers research-informed teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has led and co-led Erasmus+ and other projects in the STEM Education area. He collaborates widely with colleagues in STEM Education and has participated in many college and school-based STEM initiatives, in conjunction with student and in-service primary teachers.
