CLIONA MURPHY
BEd(NUI), MEd(DCU), PhD(DCU)

Lecturer in Science Education

Office E310
Tel: +353 (01) 884 2153
email: Cliona.Murphy@spd.dcu.ie

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Modules Taught

ED253 Science
ED337 BEST elective
GD503 Primary Science
In-Service Certificate/Diploma in Science
MEd Science
Bioscience

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Research Interests

• Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE)
• Developing primary teachers’ conceptual and pedagogical knowledge of Nature of Science
• Developing primary children’s understandings of Nature of Science
• Incorporating Nature of Science in primary curricula

Research Projects

European FP7:  Fibonacci Project (funded by the European Commission)

The Fibonacci Project is an inquiry based science education programme which is aimed at developing an integrated strategy for scientific literacy and awareness for primary and secondary schools across Europe. www.fibonacci-project.ie

Total European funding: €4.3 million. Allocation of funding for Ireland: €170,000.

Irish coordinator: Dr Clíona Murphy (St. Patrick's College)

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SELECT project, 2011-12
The Science Enhancement and Learning through Exchange and Collaboration among Teachers, involved Dublin-based and Belfast-based teachers in professional development exchanges. The two groups of teachers met face-to-face  in CPD sessions to present and share expertise, as well as continuing dialogue via on-line media.  An evaluation of this project is being conducted in order to research the impact of this exchange.

Investigators:  Dr Clíona Murphy (SPD), Greg Smith (SPD), Dr Janet Varley (SPD); Colette Murphy (Queen’s University, Belfast); John McCullagh (Stranmillis University College, Belfast).

Awarding agencies: SPD research committee; CASTeL; Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South (SCoTENS).

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BEST Project (continuation):  2011-12
The Building Expertise in Science Teaching (BEST) project. This involves conducting and evaluating a year-long intervention programme that combines two innovative teaching strategies: Co-teaching and teaching about Nature of Science at primary level. The  initial two years of this project were funded by NAIRTL with the support of St Patrick’s college, and this year’s continuation has been funded entirely by the college.

Awarded by: SPD Teaching and Learning Committee

Principal investigator and project coordinator of the BEST Project: Dr Clíona Murphy

Supported by Dr Janet Varley and Dr Paula Kilfeather.

Collaborations with other Bodies

Irish Association for Social Scientific and Environmental Education (IASSEE) (2002 to 2009)

This organisation brings together education lecturers in science, history and geography from all primary teacher education institutions, North and South. Their aim is to promote cross-institutional research and teaching and learning projects. IASSEE conducted a major longitudinal study from 2004 - 2009. The final report: ‘Becoming a teacher: Primary student teachers as learners and teachers of history, geography and science, an all-Ireland study’ was launched by its main sponsor, SCoTENS (Standing Conference on Teacher Education, North and South) in October 2009

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Committee Membership/Administrative Responsibilities

• 2009- 2010: Acting director of in-service programme board (SPD)
• 2008-present: Elected member, BEd Programme board SPD.
• 2008-present: Committee member, St. Patrick’s College Teaching and Learning Committee (as above)
• 2003-present: Member, In-service education programme board
• 2003-present: Member, M.Ed. degree programme board
• 2002 - 2005: IASSSEE management committee ( secretary)
• 2006- present: IASSEE Research Committee

Membership of Professional Bodies/Professional activities

• ESERA (European Science Education Research Association)
• IASSEE (Irish Association for Social, Scientific and Environmental Education)
• ESAI (Educational Studies Association of Ireland)
• ASE (Association for Science Education)
• ATSE (Association for Tutors of Science Education)
• CASTeL

Selected Presentations

Murphy, C., Varley, J., Mc Morrough, A., & Treacy S., (2012). Teaching About the Nature of Science Through Inquiry: Insights and Development of a Two-year Professional Development  Programme. Paper presented at the Fibonacci European Conference, University of Leicester.

Murphy, C. (2011, September). Ideas for teaching about the Nature of Science in the Primary Classroom. Paper presented at the Integrating Inquiry Across Curricula European Conference, University of Leicester, Leicester.

Murphy, C. & Varley, J. (2011, June). Learning to teach, teaching to learn: Student and practising teachers' experiences of co-teaching about the Nature of Science. Paper presented at the Initial Teacher Education Conference, St Patrick's College, Dublin.

Murphy, C., Murphy, C., & McCullagh, J. (2011, February). The Fibonacci Project: Creative approaches to teaching scientific inquiry in the classroom. Invited workshop presentation to the Irish Association of Social Scientific and Environmental Education (IASSEEE) Conference, St Patrick’s College, Dublin.

Murphy, C., & Varley, J (2010, October). The Building Expertise in Science Teaching (BEST) Project. Paper presented at the National Academy for the National Academy for the Integration of Research and Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) Annual Conference, Dublin..

Jarvis, T, Murphy, C., & Murphy, C. (2010, September). The Fibonacci Project: Teaching about Nature of Science in the Primary Classroom. Invited workshop presentation to the 4th Science and Mathematics Educational Conference (SMEC), Dublin.

Murphy, C., & Varley J. (2010, September). The BEST way of teaching about Nature of Science. Paper presented at the Colleges of Education Research Consortium (CERC) Conference, Dublin.

Murphy, C. & Varley, J. (2010, June). The Building Expertise in Science Teaching (BEST) Project. Paper presented at the Irish Association of Social Scientific and Environmental Education (IASSEEE) Annual Conference, Belfast.

Pike, S., Murphy, C., Dolan, A. & Waldron, F. (2010, March). Becoming a Teacher: Student Teachers' Experiences as Learners of Science and Geography. Presented at the Education Studies of Ireland Annual Conference, Dundalk.

Murphy, C., Varley, J. & Veale, O. (2009, September). Examining the impact of the Irish primary science curriculum. Paper presented at the BERA annual conference, Manchester.

Varley, J. Murphy, C. & Veale, O. (2009, September). Looking back, looking forward: Irish pupils’ views of primary and post-primary school science. Paper presented at the BERA annual conference, Manchester.

Murphy, C. (2009, September). Teaching about nature of science: Impact on beginning primary teachers and their pupils. Paper presented at the BERA annual conference, Manchester.

Murphy, C. (2009, June). Student teachers’ issues of confidence and concern regarding teaching primary science. Paper presented at the Irish Association for Social Scientific and Environmental Education (IASSEE) annual conference, Dublin.

Murphy. C. (2009, April). Building primary teachers’ confidence and expertise through the nature of science. Paper presented at the ESAI annual conference, Kilkenny.

Varley, J. Murphy, C. & Veale, O. (2009, April). Prospect and retrospect: Irish pupils’ views of primary and post-primary school science. Paper presented at the ESAI annual conference, Kilkenny.

Murphy, C., Varley, J. and Veale, O. (2009, April). What children say about school science. Paper presented at the ESAI annual conference, Kilkenny.

Murphy, C. (2008, September). Does teaching teachers about the nature of science matter?. Paper presented at Science and Mathematics Educational Conference (SMEC), Dublin City University.

Murphy, C. (2007, January). Can Irish primary school children obtain contemporary conceptions of the nature of science within the Irish primary school curriculum?. Paper presented at the Association of Science Education (ASE) annual conference, Birmingham University.

Murphy, C. (2005, March). Do explicit approaches to teaching about the Nature of Science (NoS) affect the conceptions of NoS of prospective primary school teachers?. Paper presented at ESAI annual conference, University College Cork.

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Journals

Murphy C, Varley, J, and Veale, O. (2012). I'd rather they did experiments with us… than just talking: Irish children's views of primary school science. Research in Science Education, 42 (3): pp. 415-438. DOI: 10.1007/s11165-010-9204-3

Murphy, C., & Smith, G. (2012). The impact of a curriculum course on preservice primary teachers' science content knowledge and attitudes towards teaching science. Irish Educational Studies, DOI:10.1080/03323315.2011.634061

Murphy, C. (2011). Teaching teachers to teach about the nature of science: concerns regarding the teaching and learning of science. Chemistry in Action, Issue no. 93, p43 -49.

Murphy, C., Murphy, C., & Kilfeather, K. (2010). Children making sense of science. Research in Science Education. doi:10.1007/s11165-010-9165-6

Murphy, C., Kilfeather, P., & Murphy, C. (2007). An exploration of issues surrounding teaching the nature of science to pre-service primary school teachers. Irish Educational Studies, 26(1), 27-38. doi:10.1080/03323310601125120

Conference Publications

Murphy, C. (2005). The development of Irish primary teachers’ conceptions of the nature of science and their translation into classroom practice: A yearlong study. In Proceedings of the ATSE annual conference.

Published Reports

Waldron, F., Pike, S., Greenwood, R., Murphy, C., O, Connor, G., Dolan, A., & Kerr, K. (2009). Becoming a teacher: Primary student teachers as learners and teachers of history, geography and science: An all-Ireland study (A Report for the Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South (SCoTENS)). Download as pdf.

Varley, J., Murphy, C., & Veale, O. (2008). Science in primary schools (Phase 2, Final report. Research commissioned by the NCCA.). Retrievable from www.ncca.ie.

Varley, J., Murphy, C., & Veale, O. (2008). Science in primary schools (Phase 1, Final report. Research commissioned by the NCCA.). Retrievable from www.ncca.ie.

Teaching Resources

Murphy, C. and Jeffrey, H. (2001-04). Switch on science: Teachers’ handbooks and pupils’ books for Junior Infants to Sixth Class (primary). Dublin: Carroll Heinemann.

Newsletters/Magazine

Murphy, C., Varley, J. and Smith, G. (2011). European Fibonacci Project:  a boost to the teaching of science in primary schools. InTouch [Magazine], Nov, p. 36.

Kilfeather, P., Murphy, C. and Varley, J. (2005-2010). Eureka (Irish Independent science supplement for primary schools).

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Last Updated: Tuesday May 15 2012