For this week’s podcast recommendation, we take you to Ireland and to the Dublin radio program Inside Education. Hosted by educator Seán Delaney, the show covers all sorts of topics that might interest teachers, parents, and educators anywhere, but it also covers topics that are uniquely Irish.
A recent two-part series discussed the Irish practice of Transition Year, something that’s often controversial within Ireland but also intriguing to those outside of it. Transition Year is an optional program that takes place between the first three years of secondary education, or the Junior Cycle, and the final two years, called the Senior Cycle. The idea behind it is to sort of shake up education.
Typical curricula are exchanged for much more widely encompassing ones and include everything from life skills, different types of sports, work experience, and volunteering. It takes students outside of the classroom at times and at others, brings outsiders into to it. The aim is to provide students with opportunities to learn different sorts of things, to explore their communities and interests, and to instill some self-direction. Delaney discusses Transition Year with Gerry Jeffers who authored a book on the subject.
Other episodes have tackled topics like how to teach public speaking, leadership in schools, and education psychology. Delaney has also discussed education practices in other countries, like a recent episode that covered schooling in Romania. If you’re interested in different perspectives on education issues or want to know more about how different countries design their academics, Inside Education is a good place to turn.