Presented by: Sharon Kearney
This presentation will share a modern methodology for teaching English/the humanities and 21C literacies that combines technology, teamwork and project-based work. It will demonstrate how teachers can use digital technologies to enhance the teaching of traditional curriculum content. It will also present findings from 4 one-week long interventions (n= 73 participants) in which students studied Shakespeare’s works using the Bridge21 methodology (www.bridge21.ie). Findings (from quantitative and qualitative data) support the use of the methodology, showing a positive increase in student engagement and confidence in English and 21C literacies/skills after the intervention.
Presenter Biography:
Sharon is an experienced education professional who is passionate about making the secondary school experience a positive one for all students. With a background in English teaching in various capacities, she’s currently pursuing a PhD at Trinity College Dublin in the Centre for Research in IT in Education (CRITE). Her research involves developing methods for teaching 21st century literacies in the English subject context; she’s adapting the Bridge21 – a team/project-based and technology-mediated – methodology for this purpose (www.bridge21.ie). She’s currently working with both second-level students and teachers in this endeavor.