JANE O’KELLY
Lecturer, Institute for Education
School of Policy & Practice
DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY
Email: jane.okelly@dcu.ie
BIO
Jane O’Kelly is the Chair of the BSc in Education and Training in the DCU, Institute of Education. The four year mode of the Degree leads to a level 8 honours degree in education and training plus recognition as a tutor for Further Education and Training (FET) by the Teaching Council of Ireland. Her research interests include teaching practice in FET and learning communities. Jane’s background includes working in NCGE and Leargas, supporting policy and practice in adult education, VET and guidance. Jane has strong ties to European Commission funded VET programmes through twenty years of working in Leonardo da Vinci, Lifelong Learning and Erasmus+ programmes. She has a deep interest in contributing to the development of the further education sector in Ireland particularly in learner-centred practice both to support the continuing professional development of educators and to improve outcomes for FET learners.
PERSONAL STATEMENT
My career so far has encompassed my return to education as a mature learner, a working understanding of EU and other approaches to collaboration and societal cohesion aswell as an ongoing personal attempt to understand the world and our society through informed debate, discussion and examination of research. I have learned that I need to learn more, speak to others who are experiencing societal change and discrimination and listen to those who are telling their stories. I am in a position now to teach others about our society and the advantages and disadvantages that people experience and also endure. I want to make sure that I am accurately reflecting what is known about our society and people’s lives and actively encouraging others to inform themselves and take action to devise solutions. I would like to make a positive contribution to our society and use my role as a lecturer and researcher to work with fellow members of society for the greater good. I feel that I have a responsibility to learners and colleagues and to myself to speak out on injustice and inequity.
- Inform myself through study and discussion on theory and the history of societal challenges
- Design a structured teaching curriculum using universal design and plain language to model and inform learners of societal challenge
- Encourage others to explore and understand theory and context of societal challenges in order to collaborate and investigate solutions
COURSE DEVELOPMENT
To learn more about Jane’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 Jane’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