Lóchrann

Welcome to Lóchrann the Centre for Intercultural Education at MIE

Through teaching, learning and research, Lóchrann:

• Offers programmes relevant to contemporary issues in intercultural education at undergraduate and postgraduate levels
• Provides teacher education courses on teaching English as an additional language
• Develops quality resource materials and strategies for global justice education
• Informs best practice by initiating research within schools and the wider educational community
• Enables access to key materials for intercultural education
• Fosters collaborative links with relevant national and international organisations and statutory bodies

Master’s programme:

Master in Education Studies (Intercultural Learning and Leadership)

The Master in Education Studies (Intercultural Learning and Leadership) is an innovative and unique course for educators who want to engage with the opportunities and challenges of teaching in a diverse and globalised world. This course aims to equip participants with the threshold academic knowledge of educational leadership, in the context of critical examination of race, language diversity, and religious diversity. Through engaging in this Masters, participants will be prepared to take on leadership roles in their own settings, bringing the skills of a critical intercultural educator to enable all learners to achieve their potential.

Who is the programme for?

This programme is for educators who want to better understand the role of education in a diverse society. The Master in Education Studies (Intercultural Learning and Leadership) is rooted in principles of social justice and equality, and is relevant for all educators.

What will I study?

Students on this programme will study four discrete modules in first year; namely, schools and diversity, inclusion and intercultural education; school leadership in diverse settings; teaching English as an additional language; and religious diversity and intercultural education. In year two, students have the opportunity to focus on one of these areas in greater depth. They will develop research skills and prepare a dissertation of 20,000 words on a topic relevant to intercultural education.

Sample dissertation titles:

• Investigating the development of academic language proficiency in a multi-lingual classroom
• Does a Student Council promote voice and participation in an ethnically diverse Irish primary school? A case study
• Hard to reach parents or hard to reach schools? A case study of ethnic minority parental involvement in an Educate Together National School
• An investigation into the role of complementary schools in the Irish education system: A case study
• An investigation into the influence of assistencialism on students' perceptions of and attitudes to diversity in local and global contexts.
• The role of teacher identity in the culturally diverse classroom
• The question of religious / belief diversity in Irish multidenominational primary schools: Teachers' perspectives
• An examination of the experiences of recent immigrant parents navigating their way through the Irish education system
• An investigation into the impact of the phasing out of the Resource Teacher for Travellers in three schools in the West of Ireland: Views of teachers and Travellers
• Exploring the capacity of human rights based actions in cultivating intercultural values in the Irish primary school
• Implementing the Primary Language Curriculum in a multilingual infant classroom
• Transition experiences of children from ethnic minority backgrounds from Early Years Services (EYS) into primary school
• Teaching language strategies in the mainstream post-primary classroom: A community of practice initiating change through collaboration
• Minority ethnic students’ experiences and perspectives on teacher diversity

Contact us for more information:

Dr. Barbara O’Toole

[email protected] 

Dr. Rory McDaid 

[email protected]