Donegal native awarded DCU Institute of Education teacher fellowship

Donegal native, Mary O’Donnell who is an Assistant Principal at Celbridge Community School in Kildare has been awarded a prestigious Teacher Fellowship at DCU Institute of Education. 

She is one of five primary and post-primary teachers who were awarded a two-year fellowship at the university, starting in September 2023. 

This initiative was developed to benefit the next generation of teachers and further enhance the quality of the teaching profession in Ireland.

Mary has been teaching Chemistry, Maths and Science at post-primary level since 2014. 

She has worked in Celbridge Community School for the past eight years and she has held an assistant principal post in teaching and learning for five years. 

Over the past eight years Mary has facilitated Science and Maths methodologies in Maynooth University and she has worked on the PME courses in Maynooth University and DCU. 

Mary is passionate about the area of ‘Learning to Learn’ and she has a particular interest in supporting new teachers to navigate their first few years in the classroom.

Over the past two years, Teacher Fellows worked with DCU academic staff to support student teachers on school placement, facilitated reflective tutorials, provided workshops and lectures across numerous programmes and modules, and developed online professional learning courses for teachers. 

The Teacher Fellows programme is coordinated by Dr. Shivaun O’Brien, Associate Dean for Professional Development and Partnerships, who said: 

“Over the past two years, I have thoroughly enjoyed working closely with the six Teacher Fellows. It was wonderful to see their passion and drive, as well as the extensive expertise that they brought to our learners, programmes, and staff teams. With dedicated study periods, each of the Teacher Fellows has also advanced significantly in their postgraduate studies.”

Dr Anne Looney, Executive Dean at DCU’s Institute of Education, said:

“Our teacher fellows are now an integral part of DCU’s teacher education programmes. They bring their current school experiences to our lecture halls and workshops. They support our students in navigating the complexities of contemporary primary and post-primary classrooms with their wisdom from the chalkface. And while they are with us for the two years of their fellowship, the teacher fellows get the opportunity to study for a post-graduate qualification preparing them for the next phase of their careers. It's a win-win programme and we are really proud of the innovation, unique in Irish universities."

Photo Caption: Mary O'Donnell, Assistant Principal, Celbridge Community School, Co. Kildare