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Celebrating Early Childhood Education and Care at NCI


 
It is a week of celebrations and welcomes here at NCI. This afternoon, Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024, the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Early Childhood Education team, guided by Siobhan Canavan, Deirdre Tinnelly, and Anna Barr will be hosting an intimate ECEC event at the beautiful Spencer Dock (S2.05) at 13:00pm to welcome this year’s Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) international students and to celebrate the publication of Academic Skills in Early Childhood Education and Care: Self-Inquiry, Learning and Writing for Students and Practitioners, co-authored by Dr Ita Kennelly and Dr Meera Oke.
 
Here at National College of Ireland, we are thrilled to see that there has been an increase in the number of international students who have joined the ECEC programme compared to last year. This year’s international cohort have joined us at NCI from a range of locations including Indonesia; India; El Salvador; Myanmar; Vietnam; Singapore; Bolivia and Malaysia.
It is an honour to welcome these students to the College as we hope they will have an incredibly fulfilling experience here at NCI, both personally and academically. These fantastic students are wonderful additions to the programme. They are bright, curious individuals who are excited about embracing a brand-new learning environment, and by sharing their own experiences, conversations have been enriched as everyone in the room is learning about different cultures and different experiences. 
Continue Reading to Learn More About NCI's Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Early Childhood Education

Academic Skills in Early Childhood Education and Care: Self-Inquiry, Learning and Writing for Students and Practitioners, co-authored by Dr Ita Kennelly and Dr Meera Oke supports the development of academic, personal, and professional skills for students of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). 
This book aims to demystify several aspects of learning and writing practices so students can use it as a practical resource to enhance their engagement with education and to support their success on their programmes. This book is a highly effective tool as it guides students in a range of areas that will support their academic development such as study techniques, time management, managing groupwork, understanding assessment requirements, academic writing and how to work effectively within a digital learning environment. 
This book will also help students develop personally and professionally, as it invites readers to engage in a process of self-inquiry as part of their learning. This self-inquiry is important to consider when understanding assumptions about learning and can help students to explore their prior educational experiences and to identify their particular motivations and challenges. The book extends this self-inquiry to support the development of reflective practice which is key to enhancing students' learning and to enabling the ongoing professional development and practice of the ECEC educator. You Can Learn More About the Book Here

 

“Over the years, Ita and I felt that students would benefit greatly from a bespoke resource that would support their academic skills, but we also wanted educators, lecturers, and professionals to be able to use it as well. We hope that readers will enjoy this book, as we have designed it to be a helpful resource that can be returned to whenever needed.” ~ Dr Meera Oke, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education and Care at NCI. 
 

At National College of Ireland, we would like to say congratulations and well done to Dr Ita Kennelly and Dr Meera Oke on the publication of this fantastic new book. We hope that readers will enjoy engaging with this it as it will no doubt hugely benefit them, academically, professionally, and personally. We would also like to thank and congratulate the entire Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Early Childhood Education team as we look forward to a really lovely event. No doubt it will be a very enjoyable day welcoming and celebrating our international students. 

 

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