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Conference 2013 A Silver Anniversary Celebration!

The 25th Annual conference of the Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education was held in St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra on the 6th, 7th and 8th June. We had a diverse, stimulating conference with a range of topics that enabled teachers and other professionals working in the field to learn, develop their skills and network with colleagues. The conference was opened by Maureen O’Sullivan, T.D. She made reference to the many issues that impact on Special Education in Ireland. The Keynote address was delivered by Áine O’Neill, Lecturer in Education, Church of Ireland College, Rathmines. She looked at the theme of Conference 2013, Back to Basics. In her keynote address, Inspiring Practice in Challenging Times, Áine talked about the range of inspirational practices that she encounters in her work with teachers across educational settings.Áine’s presentation set the tone for the conference –

acknowledging the innovation and professionalism of teachers in a time of great challenge. As ever, we had an international dimension to our conference and we would like to thank the delegates and presenters who joined us from abroad. On the Friday night of conference the CEC hosted a reception in the beautiful James Joyce Centre in North Great Georges Street. Delegates had the opportunity to socialise with a glass of wine while listening to a superb choir!

Autumn Update Autumn 2013

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The focus in this edition of CyberCorner is on Irish support services for ICT integration. While most of the supports will be familiar to teachers, there have been some changes in recent months which may be worth noting. For example, Scoilnet now offers access to Encyclopaedia Britannica for home or school use, without the need for a password. The only requirement is to click through from the Scoilnet website, www.scoilnet.ie. For newly qualified teachers they also offer a very useful, self-guided interactive module to the many resources on the site: http://www.ncte.ie/upload/ScoilnetForTeachers/player.html

The role and function of the NCTE now comes under the remit of the PDST. There are lots

of excellent resources available on the PDST technology support site: http://www.pdsttechnologyineducation.ie/

It features, for example, a listing of Apps for iOS devices, aligned by Strand and Strand Units, for a range of subjects: http://pdst.ie/Activelearning-withICT and http://pdst.ie/node/267

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Seomra Ranga is an award-winning site which offers resources for a range of subjects: www.seomraranga.com

If you’d like to keep up with news, opinion and developments in ICT, then two sites spring to mind: Teachnet blog features articles written by Irish teachers of differing background and approaches: http://teachnet.ie/Blog/SitePages/blog.aspx

www.anseo.net is run by Simon Lewis and is full of good advice and opinion:

Finally, www.tme.ie offers news, advice and video tutorials on Apple products, especially on iOS Apps for iPod / iPhone / iPad. It is a great site to go to before buying an app. There’s nothing better than to see the app in action, guided by a teacher who knows its application in the classroom. This site is run by Thomas Creighton. You can follow him on Twitter @creigthomas

Cybercorner

4 Produced by Central Executive Committee I.A.T.S.E. • Editor: Jerry PierceE-mail: update@iatse.ie • Web: www.iatse.ie Printed by Martone 01 628 1809

2013 Regional Seminars

IATSE has in recent years, established an annual award to give recognition to good practice in Irish schools in the area of Special Education. All practising teachers involved in Special Education are eligible to apply. This also includes teachers of mainstream classes where pupils with Special Needs are included.

Submissions may describe:• A piece of work carried out with a particular

pupil/group/class• A programme of staff development established e.g.

school based induction programme for new staff i.e. Teachers, SNAs

• A curricular programme or innovation

A submission may be in the form of a case study/project which would describe the practical application, methodologies and outcomes of the innovation. It may also take the form of a narrative through which the story is told. It should be between1,000 and 3,000 words in length. Submissions may be made by an individual or group of teachers. Up to four prizes of €500 each will be awarded each year. Only one award will be made for each winning submission.

AdjudicationWinning submissions will be selected by a panel of adjudicators, comprising members of the IATSE CEC, and other selected readers. The CEC of IATSE will be the final arbiter in relation to the award.

Applications should be made to Annual Award, IATSE, Drumcondra Education Centre, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. Closing date for submissions is March 31st 2014 .

Date for your Diary: IATSE AGM 2013

The Annual General Meeting of The Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education will take place in The Teachers’ Club, Parnell Square on Saturday, 16th November 2013, 10.30-12.30pm.

Challenges and Opportunities in Supporting Students with Dyspraxia

Mr. Trevor O’ Brien B.Ed., M.Ed.

In this session, Trevor will consider some of the definitions of dyspraxia and the related terminology. He will also highlight possible practical strategies which may be used by teachers when planning for success in the classroom.

Trevor O’ Brien is a faculty member of the Department of Special Education at Mary Immaculate College since 2012. He has a Masters in Education from The University of Hull, U.K., with a focus on Inclusive Education and is currently undertaking a Doctorate in Special Education at The University of Sheffield. Prior to joining the special education team at Mary Immaculate College, he spent many years working as a classroom teacher and as a resource teacher in Dublin and Cork.

Mr. Trevor O’ Brien B.Ed., M.Ed. will give his presentation after the main business of the AGM has concluded.

IATSE Annual Award 2013/2014

IATSE held two regional seminars this year, one in February in Navan, and one in April in Cork. The seminars this year aimed to support teachers who were working with children with autism. At each seminar one of the presentations was given by a teacher who was currently working in a special class for children with autism, and the second presentation was given by an Occupational Therapist who shared ideas for helping self regulation in children with autism.

IATSE would like to thank all the presenters; Muriel Weeks, Margot Barry, Mary McKenna and Sandra Patton for their constructive and inspirational talks, which were very well received. Both seminars were well supported and IATSE would also like to thank everyone who gave up their Saturday morning to attend them.

We look forward to bringing the 2014 regional seminars to more new venues around the country.