Humour is discussed in this article in relation to drama education in Ireland. Humour is identified as a potentially important feature of children's engagement in drama, and this is explained by an exploration of humour theory. Examples of how humour positively affects the experience of drama participation are also considered. The discussion is in…

With the initial COVID-19 lockdown of March 2020 in Ireland, many modules in university programmes that were designed to be delivered face-to-face were suddenly switched to remote delivery. The difficulty for both lecturers and students in replicating face-to-face interaction and the frequent lack of lecturers' visibility of students' work in such…

This paper explores the use of a Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), growth mindset infused, student partnership approach to language learning in a primary school context. Early success is important in language learning. Students may doubt their ability to learn a language, especially if they have had a non-positive experience of learning…

Attempts to understand the patterns behind student disengagement and early school leaving have traditionally focussed on early school leavers' individual characteristics. More recently, however, studies have begun to focus on the extent to which early school leaving is shaped by school-level factors, and in particular the central role of teachers…

The end of first year in secondary mathematics education is an important yet neglected milestone in the literature. It represents a crucial period in a students' mathematical lifetime when they have negotiated the physical, academic and emotional bridges between primary and secondary education, bridges which have been shown to impact considerably…

The impact of the COVID-19 school closures on children and young people has been significant, with research suggesting that it has disproportionately negatively affected students from areas of socio-economic disadvantage. With the move to remote schooling, the focus on ensuring classes continued to 'cover the curriculum' left little space for…

In this research article, the authors developed a novel astronomy board game and examined how this approach could facilitate the learning and teaching of astronomy topics covered in the new Irish Science Syllabus. A total of 119 post-primary students took part in the pilot trial across Ireland. Data was collected via feedback questionnaires,…

The transition from primary to secondary school represents one of the key junctions in the educational career of young people. Research has shown that much of the challenge in this transition stems from changing social structures and encountering different learning environments. However, the transition experiences of students with special…

The Community Wellness, Empowerment, Leadership and Lifeskills (CWell) program is a 2-year community-driven program developed in partnership between an underserved community in Limerick City and staff at the University of Limerick, Ireland. This article explores the transformative teaching and learning experiences that arose throughout the…

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…