Sadly, the effects of COVID are still being felt by our society and most especially by our school children. The delivery of a full curriculum has been compromised over the past few years and as an Education Centre, we want to help restore this imbalance and bring Irish Education back to where it has always been at the the highest level. By contrasting and comparing and sharing our skills and agenda and methodologies and ideas and creativity with another Education Centre such as Centro de Profesorado de Monzon, we hoped to start this engagement and process of restoration of the Irish Education System. STEAM, Digital Technologies and Modern Foreign Languages are all being promoted by the Dept of Education and thus we wanted to learn as much in these areas to bring back best practice education methodologies and ideas to our teachers and their schools and ultimately for the benefit of all our children. By visiting various education establishments, Primary /Post primary Mainstream Schools and DEIS type Schools (schools in deprived areas) as well as Universities and Conservatories of Music (my own area of expertise being a professional soprano) , we managed to learn so much and to share our mutual knowledge which we will share.
Blackrock Education Centre has a staff of 13 including its Director. It is over 50 years in existence and is one of 21 Education Centres throughout Ireland providing professional and personal development in all areas of the National Curriculum for thousands of teachers in over 200 Primary and over 90 Secondary Schools. We do our best to cater for all the needs of the teachers and their schools by providing them with courses they require and we also provide STEAM, Arts' and various Digital Programmes all of which we would like to further develop and enhance. We would also like to develop our provision of Foreign Languages to our teachers and learners. We cater for all learners and ages in our provision of courses and support services from Preschools and Primary Schools and Post Primary Schools and Third Level Institutions as well as adult learners and community based projects. Centro de Profesorado, Monzon is an Education Centre we wanted to work with to learn how that organisation provides courses to its teachers as well as the teaching methodologies and development of curricular areas as well as STEAM and Digital skills sharing of knowledge.