The first Conference on Learning and Teaching in Social Care which took place in Trinity College Dublin on Wednesday 13 May 2009 was a great success. It was attended by over 100 participants from across Ireland including many staff from IT Sligo. Heather James, NDLR Coordinator and Mark Taylor, lecturer from IT Sligo coordinated the conference with support from IASCE – Irish Association of Social Care Educators, and the NDLR- National Digital Learning Repository.
Participants at the recent National Teaching and learning conference in Applied Social Studies which was held in Trinity College Dublin
Trish Kane, Lecturer in Applied Social Studies, IT Sligo, gave a presentation on creating a reusable learning resource to explore models of youth work practice. Deirdre Scott, a fellow Lecturer in Applied Social Studies, IT Sligo, gave a presentation on developing the reflective social care practitioner.
There were 19 presentations and workshops during the conference which gave social care educators a chance to discuss their practice, as well as inspire and inform each other. Two new books, two websites and an academic journal were launched, demonstrating how this active and effective community is growing and developing. Such opportunities are important to help educators and trainers take a reflective step back to make conceptual links as well as professional connections.
Notably, a manual for practice placement was launched at the event. The placement manual was written by Majella Mulkeen and Dr Margaret Gilmore, lecturers in Applied Social Studies at IT Sligo, with the support of the placement sub-committee of IASCE. There were 8000 copies ordered by 12 institutions across Ireland, and this is the first publication of the newly formed publishing company: Big Fish, organised by Chris Sparks, lecturer at IT Sligo.
The Applied Social Studies Community of Practice website, developed and managed here at IT Sligo, holds related learning materials and information about the conference. http://ndlr.ie/socialstudies/
For further information contact :
Dr Perry Share
Head of Department of Humanities
Institute of Technology, Sligo
Phone: 071 9155340
Email: share.perry@nullitsligo.ie
Website: www.socialstudies.ie