ANGELA RICKARD
Assistant Professor, Department of Education
MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY
Email: angela.rickard@mu.ie
BIO
ANGELA RICKARD is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor in the Department of Education in Maynooth University and Course Leader for Year 1 of the Professional Master of Education (PME). Her research concerns Initial Teacher Education (ITE), collaborative practice, and social justice education. Specifically, this work focuses on the use of digital video in ITE, Development Education and Team Teaching. Angela is also the Education Department representative on the Ubuntu Network of Teacher Educators. She coordinates the Development Education and Social Justice initiatives on the PME programme. Angela is currently undertaking doctoral level study at the Graduate School of Education in Bristol University. Her dissertation will use a narrative inquiry approach to explore ways to open conversations about LGBTQ experience in Irish schools
PERSONAL STATEMENT
I was attracted to the DISCs project because I figured it would enable me to think more deeply about how we approach social justice themes and practices on our programmes. For me the starting point for that is to be socially just towards our own students and to ensure that we don’t teach in ways that are oppressive (or that if we do we are mindful of how power operates therein and to problematise that). I also think that it is important to consider how students can learn from/with others, in particular within their own and with other professional groups. I am interested in asking how we help students to be actively engaged in the social justice issues. How is this done? How do they experience it? What value is there in talking to students about social justice if they feel their own educational experience is oppressive? Principles of collaborative, creative and socially just approaches are key to their careers and how they define themselves as teachers: our role is to ensure that they are enabled not to replicate oppressive forms of educational practice.
So, to me the DISCs project seems to model this critical thinking about education and I think it offers the chance to read and think more about social justice education, discover new ideas and learn from/with others in other disciplines. I see the project as a means to renew my own pedagogic practice.
- To co-plan a seven-week module with colleague from Department of Applied Social Studies (bringing our students together in a shared module) in which we identify suitable and transferable activities for intercultural learning for Youth and Community and Formal education settings
- To develop project ideas with students on ways to work together (in a social justice related project)
- To write up and share insights from the module to the wider university community
COURSE DEVELOPMENT
To learn more about Angela’s course development and planning for the Spring 2020 semester, please choose from one of the links below.
REFLECTIONS AND OUTCOMES
To learn more about Angela’s pedagogical orientation and approach as well as her experiences of participating in the DISCs Project, please click on one of the links below.
What is the purpose of Higher Education?
What does it mean to incorporate social justice principles into my teaching?
Reflections on the DISCs Project