Professor Peter Barrett
Well-designed classrooms can boost learning progress in reading, writing and maths in primary school pupils by up to 16% in a single year.
Professor Barrett will set out the headline results of his Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council funded research which, for the first time, isolated the scale of the impact of the physical school environment on the learning progress of primary school pupils. He will go on to describe the novel SIN model that underpinned the research. Peter will set out the main design principles that are revealed and will illustrate the main factors involved. These include the familiar issues of light, air quality etc, but extend to include issues such as ownership, flexibility and level of stimulation.
Dr Tony Hall
Tony Hall is Senior Lecturer in Educational Technology and Deputy Head, School of Education, National University of Ireland, Galway.
A Fellow of the International Society for Design and Development in Education, his research focuses on design-based research, innovation and technology in formal and informal educational environments.
He is currently NUIG’s co-principal investigator for the EU project, DEIMP (Designing & Evaluating Innovative Mobile Pedagogies), and T-REX (Teachers' Research Exchange), a blended learning platform to support Irish teachers to engage in collaborative research.
His most recent book is Education, Narrative Technologies and Digital Learning: Designing Storytelling for Creativity with Computing (2018).
Simon Dennehy
Simon Dennehy graduated from the National College of Art and Design in 2003. After working in industry with many progressive Irish companies, he chose to return to his Alma Mater to commence a two year research masters, through Industrial Design. By the end of his Research Masters, Simon had developed and designed a patented system for sitting and working, which had shown to improve the comfort and posture among Primary school children. His work is currently continuing as a PhD study.
In 2009, he founded Perch Dynamic Solutions, to build on and commercialise the IP and design vision, which emerged from his MA. In October 2012, the RAY school furniture system was launched at the world's leading furniture fairs, Orgatec and Stockholm. Perch is now collaborating with several top 50 EU manufacturers and brands, such as Orangebox, Labofa, Donati, GreyFox and Holmris, to generate new research-based applied-work solutions and strategies.
Simon along with Dr. Gearoid O'Conchubhair and Sam Russell, pursued funding from the EU's FP7 programme, under the IAPP scheme, in 2009. Entitled TFE, (Task Furniture in Education) the project received €1.3 million in funding. Simon has interacted with the project from its conception and acted as Design Director for the project. http://www.tferesearch.com/
Simon and his company, Perch, were again successful in a second European research project worth €2.9m. This project is called PELARS (Practice-based Experiential Learning Analytics Research and Support) and the work is led by CIID, Copenhagen and shared with several leading European research institutes and SME’s. The focus is on improving the student experience in STEM subjects, through learning analytics, while developing better furniture and environment solutions for all stakeholders. www.pelars.eu
Máire Corbett
Máire Corbett has been involved in the Early Years sector for over 30 years. She initially trained as a Montessori Teacher and has worked in mainstream primary schools, been a childminder, worked in the community early years sector and been self employed as a creche owner/manager. She has worked with Early Childhood Ireland since 2001 and completed an MA in 2009, in Integrated Provision for Children and Families in Pen Green/ University of Leicester. She is a Síolta and Aistear mentor and worked with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment on the online Aistear Síolta Practice Guide.
Most recently she has been involved in the development of the DCYA’s publication Universal Design for Early Learning and Care settings with the Centre of Excellence for Universal Design, Trinity Haus, Mary Immaculate College and Nathan Somers design. This consortium were tasked with developing the Universal Design Guidelines for Early Learning and Care settings which were published in June 2019. The purpose of this publication is primarily to support the development of an inclusive culture (AIM Level 1) but will also guide settings to apply for small grants for apparatus or minor modifications to support inclusion (AIM Level 5). Copies of the Universal Design Guidelines for Early Learning and care settings, the Literature Review and the Self-Audit tool will be available, in accessible format on www.aim.gov.ie.
Richard Brennan
Richard Brennan has studied the Alexander Technique since 1983 and has been teaching the technique full time for over 30 years; he travels extensively in Europe and USA giving talks and courses on the Technique. He has taught the Technique at many educational centres including Galway University, Limerick University, Middlesex University, Dartington College of Arts, DIT Conservatory of Music, Dublin, Temple University, Indiana University and Arcadia University.
Richard has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines including The Irish Times, The Sunday Tribune, The Irish Examiner, Cosmopolitan, Hello and Home and Country; he has appeared on BBC I & RTE 1 and been featured on BBC Radios 4 & 5 as well as many local Radio around Ireland and the UK. He has written eight books on posture and health which been translated into 22 languages Theses include Change your Posture - Change Your Life and How to Breathe.
Richard lives in Galway, Ireland where he is the director of the Alexander Teacher Training College, Ireland He was the founder and past President of the Irish Society of Alexander Technique Teachers. (ISSAT). Richard has been campaigning for improvements in school furniture in Ireland since 1998.
Website: www.alexander.ie
Mary Murphy
Mary Murphy has worked with multinational companies in Ireland for over 10 years prior to establishing Occupational Health and Safety Services in 1993. She is a graduate of NUIG, UCD and The University of Birmingham. Mary also graduated as an Alexander Technique Teacher in 2018.
Recognising that poor postural habits are a significant cause of back pain, and that reducing muscle tension can positively impact mental stress, Mary incorporates the principles and procedures of the Alexander Technique into all her training programmes.
Jan Van Haaren
Jan Van Haaren is an Alexander Technique Teacher, holding a degree in Industrial Design and is a Display Screen Environment (DSE) Assessor. With a background in building and designing Jan specialises in how the environment affects us. Jan designs and makes custom furniture, gives individual Alexander Technique lessons and group workshops.
The Alexander Technique helped me become free of back trouble, even more than that however it made me happier in life. I decided to become an Alexander Technique Teacher to be able to share this with others. I am most interested in understanding ourselves better so that we can make new and better choices, giving freedom from habitual reactivity and ultimately opening up the possibility of true contentment.