Dr Margaret Flood
Biography
Margaret is an Assistant Professor in Inclusive Education and the Maynooth Access Programme (MAP) Academic Advisor for the Education Department. She is also Programme Lead for the BScEd Programme (Years 1 and 2).Her experience in inclusive and special education includes teaching, teacher professional learning design and delivery, policy development, curriculum design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Before joining Maynooth University in 2022 Margaret was the Education Officer with responsibility for Inclusive Education and Diversity at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). She led and collaborated on inclusive curriculum review and design projects across primary and post-primary. Margaret also worked in the teacher professional development service, Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) where she designed and delivered continuous professional development training on specific curriculum programmes for students with intellectual disabilities, inclusive practices in the mainstream classroom, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). She has also provided professional development on inclusive education and UDL to government agencies, including National Council for Special Education (NCSE), Professional Development Services for Teachers and Junior Cycle for Teachers (now Oide) and the National Educational Psychological Support Services (NEPS).
As a Fulbright Scholar, in 2021 Margaret worked with Lynch School of Education and Humanities at Boston College and CAST to explore equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice through the lens of UDL. She worked on CAST’s UDL Guidelines 3.0 Collaborative that supported and informed the process of re-envisioning CAST’s UDL Guidelines to specifically address systemic barriers to equitable learning opportunities and outcomes. As a respected leader in UDL and inclusive education, Margaret works with education institutions and other agencies internationally to develop capacity in enacting inclusive practices.
Margaret is the creator and host of #UDLchatIE and of the Podcast ‘Talking about all things Inclusion’.
Research Interests
Margaret’s research interests include:
- diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in education
- contextual dimensions and the role of teachers in inclusive policy and practice enactment
- teacher engagement with professional learning for inclusion
- student voice
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- curriculum design for inclusion
- barriers to learning for students with chronic health conditions
- the role of special education to support our learners
- supporting learners with special education needs/additional education needs
Current research projects:
- Exploring barriers to education for children treated for cancer (parent and educator perspectives). In collaboration with Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore Md. Funded by Childhood Cancer Ireland.
- Professional Learning to support schools and teachers enact UDL. In collaboration with Froebel Department, Maynooth University. Funded by Eochalir.
- Attitude, knowledge and skills of Irish educators in relation to UDL ( two parts: further and higher education, early childhood, primary and post-primary education). Funded by Centre for Teaching and Learning, Maynooth University UDL Fellowship.
Recent research projects:
- Teacher Implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Educational Technology in Ireland: a cross border project (2023-2024). In collaboration with Ulster University, Northern Ireland and Lassell University, Boston M.A. Funded by LANTEC
- “SUSKIDS - Enabling professionals and families to transfer sustainable knowledge and skills to Down Syndrome (DS) individuals (2018-2022). In collaboration with Trinity College Dublin, Universidad DE Burgos, University College Leuven Limburg, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and Down Syndrome Association Burgos. Funded by Erasmus
- Exploring the Impact of a Collaborative Whole-School Model of Continuous Professional Development on the Enactment of Level 2 Learning Programmes in a Mainstream Post-Primary School (2015-2019). Ed D research.
Research Projects
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Margaret Flood; Anna Logan (2024) 'The Outcomes of Collaborative Whole-School Professional Development on Teachers'. International Journal of Teacher Education and Professional Development (IJTEPD), 7 :1-19. [Link] http://doi.org/10.4018/IJTEPD.341267 | |
| 2023 | Bray, A.; Devitt, A.; Banks, J.; Sanchez Fuentes, S.; Sandoval, M.; Riviou, K.; Byrne, D.; Flood, M.; Reale, J.; Terrenzio, S. (2023) 'What next for Universal Design for Learning? A systematic literature review of technology in UDL implementations at second level'. British Journal of Educational Technology, . [Link] [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2021 | Flood, M.; Banks, J. (2021) 'Universal Design for Learning: Is it gaining momentum in Irish education?'. Education Sciences, 11 (7):341-352. [Link] https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11070341 [Full-Text] | |
| 2021 | Flood, M.; Logan, A. (2021) 'Where we were then: An illuminative evaluation of teacher knowledge, beliefs and practices in relation to Level 2 Learning Programmes and inclusion in a mainstream post primary school'. REACH: JOURNAL OF SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION IN IRELAND, 34 (2). [Link] [Full-Text] |
Thesis
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Flood, M. (2019) Exploring the Impact of a Collaborative Whole-School Model of Continuous Professional Development on the Enactment of Level 2 Learning Programmes in a Mainstream Post-Primary Schoo. Ireland: [Thesis] [Link] [Full-Text] |
Book Chapter
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Andrea R. Harkins-Brown; Margaret Flood (2023) 'Special Education Policy in the United States and Ireland: Comparisons and Analysis Through the Lens of Universal Design for Learning' In: Building Inclusive Education in K-12 Classrooms and Higher Education: Theories and Principles. usa : IGI Global. [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2024 | Flood, M.; O'Reilly, L.; Walsh, E.; Dunne, S. (2024) 'The enactment of the principles of UDL in practice in an Irish post-primary English classroom: A snapshot' In: Cases on Effective Universal Design for Learning Implementation Across Schools. [Link] [DOI] |
Other Publication
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Flood, M. (2024) Foreword. [Link] |
Honors and Awards
Committees
Employment
Education
Teaching Interests
Margaret is Programme Lead for the BScEd Programme (Years 1 and 2). She also leads the UDL micro credential module.
Modules currently teaching:
- Inclusive and special education (PME programme Year 1)
- Introduction to UDL (BSc Ed programme Year 2)
- Inclusion (BSc Ed programme Year 4)
- Exploring differences (Postgraduate Diploma in Guidance Counselling Programme)
- University Tutor (Placement) (PME Programme Years 1 and 2)
- UDL: Designing with variability in mind (Micro-credentials)
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (Centre for Teaching and Learning Programme)
Recent Modules
- Advanced Methods (Equity and inclusive education) (PME Programme Year 2)
Teaching Interests:
- Inclusive Education
- Special Education
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
- Methodologies