Launch of 'Development of Infant Education in Ireland 1838-1948'

"The Development of Infant Education in Ireland 1838-1948 - Epochs and Eras", written by Dr Maura O'Connor, Lecturer in Early Childhood Education in St Patrick's College, was launched in the College on 26 January by Áine Hyland, Professor Emeritus, University College Cork. The book is published by Peter Lang.

Launching the book, Professor Hyland pointed out the relevance of the history of infant education for to-day's student-teachers and early childhood educators. She highlighted the similarities and differences in approaches to infant education across the centuries and thanked Maura O'Connor for writing such an accessible and enjoyable book.

[Dr Maura O'Connor and Dr Harold Hislop, Príomh Chigire, An Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna]

This is the first published historical analysis of the development of infant education in Ireland. It spans the period from the opening of the Model Infant School in Marlborough St in 1838 to the introduction of the child-centred curriculum for infant classes in 1948. A study of early childhood education in Ireland in this period provides an understanding of how the child, childhood and the early years of school were viewed by society. Child-centredness had become a feature of educational practice in Europe in the early eighteenth century and was developed further by Rousseau, Pestalozzi and Froebel. How it manifested itself in schools in Ireland is critically explored in this book through an examination of key reports, as well as through new original primary source material not previously in the public domain. The curricular content, pedagogical approaches and organisation of infant schooling reveal much about the attitudes of those in authority to the youngest children and their educational needs. Interviews with kindergarten advisors, national (primary) school inspectors, lecturers on early childhood education, teachers of infants, and adults who were students in the early decades of the twentieth century provide further insights and enhance our understanding of policies and practices of the time.

Dr Maura O'Connor is a Lecturer in Education in St Patrick's College, where she specialises in Early Childhood Education. She has worked as a primary school teacher and school principal. She has written numerous articles on early childhood and care in Ireland and has presented at several national and international conferences. Her research interests include early years teaching and learning, the history of education in Ireland and childhood studies.

 

Last Updated: Monday February 07 2011