Dr Gareth Burns

    Turn to Teaching

    Gaeilge agus fáilte

    Director

    Education Building
    (01) 474 7577

    Biography


    I am a lecturer in the Department of Adult and Community Education and Director of Maynooth University’s Turn to Teaching Project, a maturing widening participation project which supports diversity in the Irish teaching profession.  

    The central thread running through my past and present professional roles and experiences is their collective focus on conditions and cultures that encourage and support the development of curricula and pedagogies that are inclusive, democratic, culturally responsive and critically conscious.

    My practice is informed by a desire to challenge and disrupt inequalities in education developed during my time working as a primary school teacher and school leader in a variety of roles and settings, and leading and designing various projects and initiatives that promote equality, diversity and citizenship in initial teacher education.  

    In terms of programme and curriculum development, I have co-designed and co-ordinate the     Think About Teaching Foundation Certificate, a pre-university access programme which prepares students for progression into defined ITE programmes and pathways across the continuum of education (early childhood, primary, post-primary, and further education). I have also designed and co-ordinate a postgraduate level 9 Special Certificate in Leading Transformative Education that facilitates teachers to develop key leadership and mentoring skills that support the development of culturally responsive and inclusive relationships, pedagogies and school cultures.

    I also have an interest in school and community engagement and outreach and coordinate a school outreach mentoring and leadership programme     Rising Teachers, Rising Leaders. I also lead a cross departmental curriculum development group, Tar Linn ag Teagasc, which has developed an alternative Irish language curriculum which provides support and equivalence to Leaving Certificate Irish for primary ITE.      

    I have taught and designed modules in sociology of education, current issues in education, educational leadership, foundations of education, and teacher identity (ies), across the continuum of teacher education at pre-university, undergraduate and postgraduate level.      

    My research interest in the lived experiences of emerging and early career teachers and their understandings of ‘making a difference’  stems from my previous work as a qualified mentor of newly qualified teachers and a facilitator of professional development seminars for the National Induction Programme for Teachers. I am currently leading a research project that is exploring the experiences of students from diverse and underrepresented groups and their stories of becoming and being teacher.

    As a member of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland Special Interest Group (SIG) Teacher Education: Critical Pedagogy and Praxis for Social Justice, I participate in a collaborative, cross institutional research and writing project with colleagues from DCU, UL and Marino Institute of Education that is concerned with building a critical community of praxis in ITE.  

    Research Interests

    Research Interests: Widening Participation in Teacher Education, Sociology of Education, Educational Leadership, Teacher Identity(ies), Inclusive Education, Curriculum Making and Shaping and the role of Critical Communities of Praxis 

    I am currently leading a number of collaborative, cross departmental, multidisciplinary research projects:

    1. A longitudinal study exploring the experiences of student teachers from diverse and underrepresented groups and their stories of becoming and being a teacher. 

    2. A cross departmental study that is evaluating the development, significance, impact, and future of the Irish language work across the Turn to Teaching project. 

    3. An action research project focused on the development of diverse and differentiated FE-ITE curricula and pathways

    4. A cross-institutional research project exploring the experiences of those working on widening participation programmes

    Book Chapters

      Year Publication
    2023 '‘Becoming and Transforming’: The role of critical and diverse communities of practice in challenging and transforming teacher education through Maynooth University’s Turn to Teaching project'
    Burns, G., Byrne, L., & O’Neill, J. (2023) '‘Becoming and Transforming’: The role of critical and diverse communities of practice in challenging and transforming teacher education through Maynooth University’s Turn to Teaching project' In: Brian Mooney (eds). Ireland's Yearbook of Education 2022. Dublin: Education Matters [in press]. [Details]
    2023 ''Going the Extra Mile’: Working Class Teachers and their Engagement with Parents'
    Burns, G., & O'Sullivan, K. (2023) ''Going the Extra Mile’: Working Class Teachers and their Engagement with Parents' In: Keane, E., Heinz, M., & McDaid, R (eds). Diversifying the Teaching Profession: Dimensions, Dilemmas, and Directions for the Future. London: Routledge. [Details]
    2023 'No One Sees a Traveller at the Top of the Class'
    Burns, G., Colum, M., O'Neill, J. (2023) 'No One Sees a Traveller at the Top of the Class' In: E. Keane, M. Heinz, and R. McDaid (eds). Diversifying the Teaching Profession: Dimensions, Dilemmas, and Directions for the Future. London: Routledge. [Details]
    2018 'Turn to Teaching: Diversifying Initial Teacher Education'
    O'Sullivan, K. & Burns, G. (2018) 'Turn to Teaching: Diversifying Initial Teacher Education' In: Brian Mooney (eds). Ireland's Yearbook of Education 2018, 2019. Dublin: Education Matters. [Details]

    Peer Reviewed Journals

      Year Publication
    2016 'Pedagogies of sameness and care: The daily practices of early career primary teachers in DEIS schools'
    Burns, G. (2016) 'Pedagogies of sameness and care: The daily practices of early career primary teachers in DEIS schools'. Irish Teachers Journal, 4 (1):93-111 [Details]
    2016 'Relationships of surveillance, assurance and recognition: early career primary teachers’ engagement with discourses of accountability and performance'
    Burns G. (2016) 'Relationships of surveillance, assurance and recognition: early career primary teachers’ engagement with discourses of accountability and performance'. Irish Educational Studies, 35 (3):269-288 [DOI] [Details]

    Conference Publications

      Year Publication
    2019 Diversifying Initial Teacher Education: Who Utilises Alternative Entry Routes to Teaching & How They Compare to Direct Entry Students
    O'Sullivan, K., Burns, G., & Bird, N. (2019) Diversifying Initial Teacher Education: Who Utilises Alternative Entry Routes to Teaching & How They Compare to Direct Entry Students 5th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’19) , pp.649-659 [full-text] [Details]
    2018 Teachers from Diverse Backgrounds: ‘Making a Different Kind of Difference’
    Burns, G. (2018) Teachers from Diverse Backgrounds: ‘Making a Different Kind of Difference’ International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy DCU, St Patrick's Campus, , pp.1-19 [Details]
    2015 Challenges for early career teachers in DEIS schools
    Burns, G. (2015) Challenges for early career teachers in DEIS schools . In: Deirbhile Nic Craith, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation eds. Review of DEIS: Poverty and Social Inclusion in Education Proceedings of a Joint Conference: INTO and Educational Disadvantage Centre, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra , pp.91-100 [Details]

    Electronic Article

      Year Publication
    2020 Diversifying Initial Teacher Education:Maynooth University's Turn to Teaching Project.
    Burns, G & O'Sullivan, K (2020) Diversifying Initial Teacher Education:Maynooth University's Turn to Teaching Project. Dublin: Electronic Article [Details]

    Conference Contributions

      Year Publication
    2022 Educating ‘otherwise’ and the ‘hopeful cracks’.
    Henry, S., O’Neill, J., and Burns, G (2022) Educating ‘otherwise’ and the ‘hopeful cracks’. [Oral Presentation], Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE) Spring Conference, Marino Institute of Education [Details]
    2022 ‘What is to be a teacher’: Stories from the past, present and future.
    O'Neill, J & Burns, G. (2022) ‘What is to be a teacher’: Stories from the past, present and future. [Oral Presentation], Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE) Spring Conference, Marino Institute of Education [Details]
    2022 The emerging story of Turn to Teaching: Diversifying pathways into, through and beyond initial teacher education.
    Burns, G. & O'Neill, J. (2022) The emerging story of Turn to Teaching: Diversifying pathways into, through and beyond initial teacher education. [Oral Presentation], Association for Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE) Spring Conference,, Marino Institute of Education [Details]
    2022 Recovering what matters in education through building a critical community of praxis: thinking, dialoging, caring as teacher educators in challenging times [Symposium].
    O'Brien, M, Gibson, D., Burns, G., King, P., McDaid, R., Murphy, T., O'Shea, A., Farrell, C, (2022) Recovering what matters in education through building a critical community of praxis: thinking, dialoging, caring as teacher educators in challenging times [Symposium]. [Oral Presentation], Educational Studies Association of Ireland Annual Conference, Marino Institute of Education [Details]
    2022 Reflections from an adult education-led project in Ireland.
    Burns, Gareth; O'Neill, Jerry (2022) Reflections from an adult education-led project in Ireland. [Invited Lecture], Widening participation in teacher education, Universidade do Algarve [Details]
    2021 Narrative emergence in the work of a Widening Participation project.
    Burns, Gareth; O'Neill, Jerry (2021) Narrative emergence in the work of a Widening Participation project. [Oral Presentation], Irish Narrative Inquiry Conference, Dublin City University [online] [Details]
    2021 Possibilities and Challenges for Communities of Practice in Disembodied (COVID) Space [Symposium].
    O'Brien, M., Burns, G., Gibson, D., O'Shea, A., Farrell, C., King, P., Mc Daid, R. (2021) Possibilities and Challenges for Communities of Practice in Disembodied (COVID) Space [Symposium]. [Oral Presentation], Educational Studies of Ireland Annual Conference, Institute of Education, DCU [Details]
    2021 Critical Praxis: Moving from ‘Being Risk’ to ‘Doing Risk’.
    Burns, G. (2021) Critical Praxis: Moving from ‘Being Risk’ to ‘Doing Risk’. [Oral Presentation], Educational Studies of Ireland Annual Conference, Marino Institute of Education [Details]
    2020 Performativity and Teacher Educator Praxis in the PUCA: Opening up Possibilities for Pause and Reflective Praxis [Symposium].
    O'Brien, M., Mc Daid, R., King, P., Gibson, D, O'Shea, A., Farrell, C., Burns, G. (2020) Performativity and Teacher Educator Praxis in the PUCA: Opening up Possibilities for Pause and Reflective Praxis [Symposium]. [Oral Presentation], Educational Studies of Ireland Annual Conference, Institute of Education, DCU [Details]
    2020 The Transformative Influence of Teachers From Underrepresented Groups.
    Burns, G., Bird, N., O'Sullivan, K. (2020) The Transformative Influence of Teachers From Underrepresented Groups. [Oral Presentation], Educational Studies of Ireland Annual Conference, Institute of Education, DCU [Details]
    2019 Early Career Teachers’ Understandings of ‘Making a Difference’: A Habitus Specific Idea.
    Burns, G. & O'Sullivan, K. (2019) Early Career Teachers’ Understandings of ‘Making a Difference’: A Habitus Specific Idea. [Oral Presentation], British Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Manchester [Details]
    2019 Diversifying Initial Teacher Education: Who Utilises Alternative Entry Routes to Teaching & How They Compare to Direct Entry Students.
    O'Sullivan, K., Burns, G., & Bird, N. (2019) Diversifying Initial Teacher Education: Who Utilises Alternative Entry Routes to Teaching & How They Compare to Direct Entry Students. [Oral Presentation], 5th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’19), Universitat Politècnica de València [Details]
    2019 Who Gets to Become a Teacher? The Characteristics of Students Entering Initial Teacher Education through an Alternative Entry Route.
    O'Sullivan, K. & Burns, G. (2019) Who Gets to Become a Teacher? The Characteristics of Students Entering Initial Teacher Education through an Alternative Entry Route. [Oral Presentation], Annual Conference of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland, Sligo [Details]
    2018 Teachers from Diverse Backgrounds: ‘Making a Different Kind of Difference’.
    Burns, G. (2018) Teachers from Diverse Backgrounds: ‘Making a Different Kind of Difference’. [Oral Presentation], International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy, Dublin City University, St Patrick’s Campus, Drumcondra [Details]
    2017 Early Career Teachers’ Habitus and its Influence on the Teacher-Parent Relationship in Designated Disadvantaged Schools.
    Burns, G. (2017) Early Career Teachers’ Habitus and its Influence on the Teacher-Parent Relationship in Designated Disadvantaged Schools. [Oral Presentation], Annual Conference of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland, University College Cork [Details]
    2016 Relationships of Surveillance, Assurance and Recognition: Early Career Primary Teachers’ Engagement with Discourses of Accountability and Performance.
    Burns, G. (2016) Relationships of Surveillance, Assurance and Recognition: Early Career Primary Teachers’ Engagement with Discourses of Accountability and Performance. [Oral Presentation], Annual Conference of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland, Galway [Details]
    2015 The Influence of the Neo-Liberal Accountability and Performativity Discourse on Early Career Teachers’ Understandings of ‘Making a Difference’.
    Burns, G. (2015) The Influence of the Neo-Liberal Accountability and Performativity Discourse on Early Career Teachers’ Understandings of ‘Making a Difference’. [Oral Presentation], Annual Conference of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland, Maynooth University [Details]
    2015 Investigating the Factors and Processes that Shape the Professional Identities, Felt Responsibilities and Practices of Early Career Teachers through their Stories of Becoming and Being Teacher.
    Burns, G. (2015) Investigating the Factors and Processes that Shape the Professional Identities, Felt Responsibilities and Practices of Early Career Teachers through their Stories of Becoming and Being Teacher. [Oral Presentation], Irish Narrative Inquiry Conference, Maynooth University [Details]
    2011 ‘Identity Reconstruction’ – A Catalyst for Transformative Practice among Beginning Teachers.
    Burns, G. (2011) ‘Identity Reconstruction’ – A Catalyst for Transformative Practice among Beginning Teachers. [Oral Presentation], Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra [Details]
    2007 The Role of the Mentor in Primary Education.
    Burns, G. (2007) The Role of the Mentor in Primary Education. [Oral Presentation], Annual Conference of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland, Cavan [Details]

    Policy Contribution

      Year Publication
    2021 Submission to Consultation for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Statement of Strategy 2021 - 2023 on behalf of Dept of Adult & Community Education.
    Barter, D., Burns, G., Grummell, B., Kenny, M., O’Neill, J. (2021) Submission to Consultation for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Statement of Strategy 2021 - 2023 on behalf of Dept of Adult & Community Education. Policy Contribution [Details]
    2022 Submission to the DFHERIS on the Policy Platform document: Progressing a unified tertiary system for learning, skills, and knowledge - Scope for change on behalf of the Department of Adult and Community Education, Maynooth University.
    O'Neill, J, Fitzsimons, C., Ryan, M., McCormack, D., Burns, G., Barter, D. (2022) Submission to the DFHERIS on the Policy Platform document: Progressing a unified tertiary system for learning, skills, and knowledge - Scope for change on behalf of the Department of Adult and Community Education, Maynooth University. Policy Contribution [Details]
    2021 Submission to the independent review of the Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) on behalf of the Department of Adult and Community Education.
    Barter, D., Burns, G. Grummell, B., Kenny, M., & O'Neill, J. (2021) Submission to the independent review of the Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) on behalf of the Department of Adult and Community Education. Policy Contribution [Details]
    2021 Equity of Access to Higher Education Submission to the National Access Plan 2022-2026 on behalf of Dept of Adult & Community Education.
    Barter, G, Burns, G., Finnegan, F., Fitzsimons, C., Grummell, B., Kenny, M., Nugent, M., O’Neill, J. (2021) Equity of Access to Higher Education Submission to the National Access Plan 2022-2026 on behalf of Dept of Adult & Community Education. Policy Contribution [Details]

    Thesis

      Year Publication
    2006 An evaluation of the role of the mentor in the National Pilot Project on Teacher Induction- Primary Strand (2002-2003). [MEd Thesis].
    Burns, G. (2006) An evaluation of the role of the mentor in the National Pilot Project on Teacher Induction- Primary Strand (2002-2003). [MEd Thesis]. NUI Galway: Thesis [Details]
    2014 ‘Making a Difference’- What it Means for Early Career Teachers Working in Designated Disadvantaged Schools [PhD Thesis].
    Burns, G. (2014) ‘Making a Difference’- What it Means for Early Career Teachers Working in Designated Disadvantaged Schools [PhD Thesis]. St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin 9: Thesis [Details]

    Video recording / TV

      Year Publication
    2019 Lessons in diversity: The changing face of teaching in Ireland.
    O'Sullivan, K., Burns, G, & Assume Nothing Media (2019) Lessons in diversity: The changing face of teaching in Ireland. Video recording / TV [Details]

    Conference Hosted

      Year Publication
    2021 Making Hope Practical: A Dialogue on Freire.
    Dept of Adult & Community Education (2021) Making Hope Practical: A Dialogue on Freire. Conference Hosted [Details]

    Report

      Year Publication
    2022 Progress and evaluation on Turn to Teaching (2021-2022).
    Burns, G. (2022) Progress and evaluation on Turn to Teaching (2021-2022). Report [Details]
    2021 Maynooth University’s vision for, and commitment to, enhancing diversity and inclusion across teacher education: A proposal for mainstreaming the work of Turn to Teaching.
    Burns, G. & O'Neill, J. (2021) Maynooth University’s vision for, and commitment to, enhancing diversity and inclusion across teacher education: A proposal for mainstreaming the work of Turn to Teaching. Report [Details]
    2021 Progress and evaluation on Turn to Teaching (2020-2021).
    Burns, G., & O'Neill, J. (2021) Progress and evaluation on Turn to Teaching (2020-2021). Report [Details]
    2020 Becoming and Transforming: towards enhancing diversity in teacher education and development [Turn to Teaching phase two proposal].
    O'Neill, Jerry; Burns, Gareth (2020) Becoming and Transforming: towards enhancing diversity in teacher education and development [Turn to Teaching phase two proposal]. Maynooth: Report [Details]

    Honours and Awards

      Year Title Awarding Body
    2010 Research Bursary Award in Education Irish National Teachers’ Organisation
    2010 Research Bursary Award in Education Teaching Council of Ireland

    Professional Associations

      Association Function From / To
    Educational Studies Association of Ireland Member /
    Rising Leaders Community of Practice Founder and member /
    National Initial Teacher Education Diversity Network Member /
    International Professional Development Association Member /
    Teaching Council of Ireland Registered Primary Teacher /
    ESAI Special Interest Group: Teacher Education: Critical Pedagogy and Praxis for Social Justice Member /

    Committees

      Committee Function From / To
    Reasonable Accommodation and Professional Placement (RAPP) Steering Committee Member /
    TUTOR Erasmus+ Teacher Academy Advisory Committee Member /
    Turn to Teaching Steering Committee Steering Committee Member /