David King – JCT Team Leader Science, Junior Cycle for Teachers
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- David King – JCT Team Leader Science, Junior Cycle for Teachers's presentations
Dr. David King is a seconded secondary school teacher from Blackwater Community School, Lismore, Co. Waterford. He is currently working as Team Leader for Science with the Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) Support Service. David is a doctoral graduate of the University of Sheffield School of Education. His research interests include curriculum, education policy, and Junior Cycle reform. He is co-founder of the STE(A)M in Junior Cycle elective CPD initiative.
Title: STE(A)M in Junior Cycle – towards an interdisciplinary CPD approach in lower post-primary
Synopsis: The Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) advocates for professional development that promotes collaboration. A formidable CPD programme for teachers and schools, led by JCT, is taking place against the backdrop of a number of other significant reform proposals in the STEM space. At a national level, the STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026 is formed on a number of underpinning principles, one of which acknowledges the interdisciplinary nature of STEM education (2017, p.9). In addition, Science Education for Responsible Citizenship (2015) offers a “21st Century vision” for Science education within the context of a broader European agenda and proposes a new framework for all types of Science education. It advocates for collaboration between formal and informal education providers and learning partnerships to promote active citizenry. To this end, the STEM Education in the Irish School System Report (2016, p.48) acknowledges the potential for intersection of STEM fields with the Arts in supporting cultural advancement and economic development opportunities. To support these ambitions, JCT launched the STE(A)M in Junior Cycle elective CPD initiative in November 2017. The vision for STE(A)M in Junior Cycle is “to provide Junior Cycle Teachers with rich STE(A)M CPD experiences in keeping with national and international best standards; this provision will allow for interdisciplinary responses to societal challenges in subject-specific and cross-curricular contexts”. In this paper, we consider the realised and potential impact of this initiative in connecting the voices of teachers across disciplines, as well as connecting formal and informal CPD providers in the STEM and the Arts fields.#
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