Conversations in Adult and Further Education
Episodes
Episode 20 Financial Literacy
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I am speaking with Mary Mitchell from Dublin College FET Blanchardstown, which is part of the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and ...
Episode 19 Ramblings of a Bockedy Man- stories from a tutor on the Margins
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I chat with Niall Dempsey, a tutor with the Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB). Niall teaches adult literacy, ...
Episode 18 How to deliver a QQI Module for New Tutors
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I chat with my colleague, Dr Edel Ni Ghrainne, in the Literacy Development Centre at SETU. Edel has over 20 years of experience teach...
Episode 17 A Conversation on Family Literacy: From Waterford to Florida
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I am chatting with Dr. Lana McCarthy and Dr. Clare Power in the Literacy Development Centre (LDC) in the South East Technological Uni...
Episode 16 Adult Literacy for Life Strategy
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I am chatting wth Clare Power and Eleanor Neff from the Literacy Development Centre (LDC) in SETU and Paula Tiller, the Regional Adul...
Episode 15 Family Literacy
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I am chatting with Lana McCarthy about family literacy, also known as family learning. Lana has worked in this area for many years an...
Episode 14 Supporting Adults with Dyslexia
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I am chatting with Aoife O'Leary, the Adult Literacy Coordinator with Dyslexia Ireland. Aoife explains what dyslexia is and how w...
Episode 13 Using Arts-based methods in your practice
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I speak with Geraldine Mernagh about using arts-based methods in teaching. We explain what arts-based methods mean to us and discuss ...
Episode 12 Understanding the New Adult Educator Contract in Ireland
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Sarah Bates Evoy explains developments in the new job contract for adult educators. She traces the historical development of this con...
Episode 11 Understanding Trauma in Adult Education Classrooms
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I am speaking with Edel Ni Ghrainne about how we can support students experiencing trauma. Edel has a wealth of teaching experience i...
Episode 10: A brief history of adult literacy in Ireland
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I chat with Geraldine Mernagh about her experience of working in adult literacy and how it has changed since the 1980s. Geraldine giv...
Episode 9: Meritocracy
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I am chatting with Geraldine Mernagh about Meritocracy. We discuss what meritocracy is, where the idea comes from and the problem it ...
Episode 8: Talking with the tutor: Anna Galligan on teaching drama
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I have a conversation with Anna Galligan, the outreach officer with Barnstorm Theatre Company in Kilkenny. Anna talks to me about her...
Episode 7: Tutor identity in FET
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I chat with Sarah Bates about her research into FET tutor's identities. Sarah is a tutor with Waterford and Wexford ETB and is also a...
Episode 6: Reflection and being a reflective practitioner
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I am chatting with Catriona Warren from the Literacy Development Centre in Waterford Institute of Technology. Catriona has some usefu...
Episode 5: Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I chat with Dr Maeve O' Grady about Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). We discuss what it is, how educational providers recog...
Episode 4: Paulo Freire
25 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I chat with Maeve O' Grady about the work of Paulo Freire and the significance of his ideas in contemporary Adult and Further Educati...
Episode 3: Talking with the Tutor: Mary Curtis
31 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first in a series called talking with the Tutor, where I interview Tutors working in Adult and Further Education about their work. I...
Episode 2: Do you have lunch or dinner in the middle of the day? A sociological look at food
04 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we are taking a sociological look at food, how our identity is intertwined with the foods that we eat and our traditions around food. ...
Episode 1: What is neoliberalism and what's it got to do with me?
03 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the first episode of Conversations in Adult and Further Education. In this episode Dr. Maeve O' Grady and I discuss neoliberalism. What is ...