27 November 2023
By Pam Landry
news@TheCork.ie
Pam Landry is an educator with a passion for social sciences and innovative learning research work. As an analyst, she loves to write and share helpful tips for parents and teachers. Follow Pam to learn how to make education accessible, inspiring, and fun.
Undoubtedly, one of the best ways to showcase education in the country is to highlight innovations and provide success stories to tell a positive story. Still, when approaching innovations, one should remember the challenges that become obvious right from the start. On one side, we can talk about the installation of smart boards and modern computers at the local school, yet on the other side, we have Irish Traveller children from the north Cork region who have to face disadvantages. The key is to provide a healthy coverage balance, as it is the only way to keep education in focus.
Education in Focus: Highlighting Innovations and Success Stories
- Success Stories That Help People Relate.
When creating a success story and talking about innovations, focus on subjects and cases that are easy to relate to. For example, talking about an expensive private school is rather an exception to the rule than the norm! Focus on the social side of things and accessibility. If you are unsure about how to make your writing clear and set the right tone, consider essay writers who can be of help and approach Grabmyessay as a safe solution for all your writing or editing needs. When your success story has the right accessibility level, it always pays off!
- Covering Both Bad and Good.
Make it a rule to cover both the positive and negative sides of a story by focusing on the advantages and shortcomings. If you cover only the good side of some events, people won’t believe you and will feel left out as their educational challenges have not been addressed. Do your best to talk about the reasons for shortcomings and praise the good sides of some idea or an innovation that could become a norm.
- Addressing Home and Remote Learning.
Discussing education, don’t forget to talk about the challenges and advantages of remote learning and the positive effect that it may have on the disadvantaged learners in Cork. You should also discuss homeschooled children and talk about various reasons for the practice. Since the majority of innovations and success stories in education in Ireland relate to homeschooling, it is a valid reason to focus on the vital points that make it successful. At the same time, keep things balanced and discuss the challenges for parents as well!
- Student-centered Success Stories.
We often hear about innovations like progressive grading and the use of field studies in education, yet only a few reports mention the concept of giving power to students. The trick here is student-centered education, where the learners are free to choose how to learn and master specific concepts at their own learning pace. As a teacher or a parent, you can also check these top 5 innovations in education to learn more about how such type of learning works in practice elsewhere, as the concept and educational objectives are mostly the same.
- Community and Volunteering Coverage.
Another vital aspect that helps to keep education in focus is the importance of community work where the children are involved. Researching success stories, you can talk about anything from local scouting activities (think about Paul McGrath’s story, the scouting leader from Cork) to visiting the children’s library and exploring the literary and social heritage of the country. Addressing educational matters, one should also talk about anti-bullying campaigns and make coverage about social work where parents are involved as volunteers. It will help to keep the community spirit alive and show that everyone’s contribution matters while showing a positive example.
The Cultural Diversity and Article 24 of the UNCRPD
While there are numerous challenges still in place, the situation with cultural recognition and respect is becoming better both in Cork and beyond. Quite a lot became possible thanks to the local scouting branches and extracurricular work done by the local communities. Approaching article 24 of the UNCRPD, the Irish government works hard to make education accessible even when there is a disability issue in question. What has changed, however, is the attitude as both school and college athletes tend to participate in community work and inspire students with disabilities to overcome and believe in themselves. Although we have the laws, there are things that affect the situation in a much deeper way, like our attitudes and the mutual respect that we show. Learning that we all are different helps us to appreciate cultural diversity and fight for innovative learning methods where success stories become not a single-case occasion but a regular matter!