Professor Mark Morgan delivers inaugural lecture

Professor Mark Morgan delivered his inaugural lecture as DCU Cregan Professor in St Patrick's College on Monday 1st March. The lecture, entitled 'What Makes Teachers Tick? Motivation and Resilience in Changing Times’ focussed initially on the history of Irish education over a hundred year period, which is characterised by changes to management structures, to curriculum and to inspection and examinations. Professor Morgan argued that these changes have been accompanied by a move from external control of teachers' work based on extrinsic incentives to the current situation where teachers' work is driven by their own professional standards and by the intrinsic satisfaction of their work. He spoke about what attracts teachers to the profession. When questioned, many high point achievers who could have chosen any course, stated that they wished to become teachers because their own experience of primary school was so positive, or because they fondly remembered a teacher who had a major influence on their lives. He gave some statistics on teachers' motivation which arose from research conducted by the Colleges of Education Research Consortium (CERC).

The lecture was held in the Auditorium of St Patrick's College and attracted a capacity audience of teachers, educationalists, University and College colleagues, students, friends and members of the Morgan family.

Pictured above are Dr Pauric Travers, St Patrick's College President, Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University President, Professor Mark Morgan, and Áine Lawlor, Chief Executive of the Teaching Council who responded to Professor Morgan's Lecture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: Wednesday March 03 2010