Site blog
From time to time an opportunity comes along that is too good to miss. The Erasmus+ Teacher Academies Initiative was one of those. And TAP-TS was an idea that fit perfectly with the spirit and the detail of that call. So, when we came up with the central idea of designing and road-testing an innovative and challenging series of ‘learning & teaching packages’ - and then sat down to plan and design a project around these, it was like turning on a tap or more accurately a fire hose… and the rest of that story is the Journey to Here!
My name is Conor Galvin and I am based at UCD Dublin College of Social Sciences & Law, Ireland. For my day job, I direct the PhD Structured Programmes at our School of Education which is one of the largest on the island of Ireland. I also lecture and research on green & sustainable education, public policy, and research design & methods within the School and more widely within the College and university. My research interests include green and just transition, sustainable development, policy networks, professional knowledge, and the impact of new and emergent technology on learning and society. I am the principal architect of the TAP-TS project.
UCD supports a number of strands within TAP-TS. We contribute to all of the work packages in some way, and we lead on WP 5 – which deals with project Communication, Exploitation, Dissemination & Legacy. We are also involved in the design and implementation of TAP-TS packages relating to the nature of resilience – particularly those addressing learning and teaching for sustainability by using what are called ‘serious games’ and task-based scenarios. This strand is worked in partnership with EUMMENA. These materials have been extensively tested in our online workshops and in the various on-site events associated with ALE and at the TAP-TS summer school in Cyprus last year.
Going forward, I’d like to see the TAP-TS methodology becoming an integral aspect of what we do within all teacher education at UCD School of Education, and I’m delighted with our progress towards this to date. In a better world all student teachers would have access to materials and teaching approaches of the level and quality we are developing within the TAP-TS: I’m happy to be part of a project that is driving this idea forward and of the amazing TAP-TS partnership that is helping us on our way to better learning & teaching for sustainability.
Conor GALVIN, PhD