Professional Profile

About me

I graduated in 2014 from the Limerick School of Art and Design with a B.A in Fine Art Painting.

After completing my undergraduate studies, I went on to study a Higher Diploma in Digital Media Design with the view to gain teaching experience during my postgraduate year while upskilling in a highly relevant area for both industry and developments in the current curriculum. I completed modules in Graphic Design, Creative Studio, Web Design, Entrepreneurship and Marketing. This area of study has supported the increased demand for digital literacy which for example can be used for Junior Cycle Short Courses especially in the areas of coding and animation.

Having gained teaching experience, I was highly committed to applying for a PME and thus far I have achieved high results in my academic work and school placements. I have been very fortunate to work as a substitute teacher throughout the last year. To date, my education has been focused on expanding my teaching abilities, gaining experience and exposure to various aspects of art, learning environments, and improving and expanding my skills and competency in the teaching of Art, Craft and Design. I would like to continue further my studies in SEN resource from CPD courses once I finish my PME.

I have a strong personal background in the area of special needs which I have found enables me as a teacher to successfully motivate students with special educational needs and work with them in a more compassionate and informed manner. I believe education needs to be holistic, and that as a teacher my job is to bring out the best in students and enable them to be lifelong learners as well as support them through exams. I have a particular interest in the area of Creative Arts Therapies which I have examined in my dissertation. I would be keen to extend this knowledge into the area of mindfulness through artistic practice in academics and extracurricular activities within a school. My thesis in support of my masters focused on critical and creative thinking and this has opened my eyes to effective classroom practice and the importance of student’s developing transferable key skills.

Key skills

Digital Literacy

I have upskilled in the areas of design communication, in particular coding and animation, which are becoming popular areas of study for JC short courses.

Special Educational Needs:

I have gained a life long personal experience with Autism and Dyslexia and I really enjoyed working with the SEN unit during my school placement catering for specific needs, adapting lessons and creating ILPs.

Creative Lesson Planning:

My degree and knowledge acquired in postgraduate studies have led me to develop a resourceful and informed style of lesson planning.

Classroom Management:

My experience of large groups and mixed ability alongside my experience of organising people, activities and resources through teaching has lead me to be confident and successful in this area.

Group work and Team Building:

In college and in school, I have enjoyed working closely with colleagues to share ideas and specialist knowledge. In the classroom I have successfully implemented group activities with emphasis on group critiques that have proven effective to students development.