Kildare teachers join prestigious teacher fellow programme at DCU’s Institute of Education

Dublin City University this week welcomed five new teaching fellows to support the next generation of teachers currently enrolled in the DCU Institute of Education’s primary and second-level teacher education courses.

Among the new teacher fellows is Kildare-native Aislinn Nic Pháidín, a teacher in Gaelscoil Átha Í, an Irish-medium DEIS primary school in Athy, Co. Kildare; and Niamh Haughton, a teacher in Leixlip, Co. Kildare who brings decades of classroom experience to the Institute of Education.

Over the coming two years, the fellowship will create the opportunity for the five experienced teachers to bring real-world classroom insight to teacher education programmes while also undertaking a programme of professional development.

They join Pamela Ericson who began the two-year teacher fellowship in 2024 and is now in her second year of the programme.

The teaching fellows will work closely with academic staff and student teachers on various programmes across the Institute of Education. They will also support DCU students on school placements and as teachers-in-residence while supporting the University’s work of developing the 21st century teacher identity.

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Dean of the Institute of Education Anne Looney said: “The classroom experience these teachers bring to students studying at DCU is invaluable and I look forward to seeing the insight and innovation they will bring to their engagements with students and staff across the Institute of Education.’

Aislinn Nic Pháidín is a graduate of Marino Institute of Education and currently teaches at Gaelscoil Átha Í, an Irish-medium DEIS primary school in Athy, Co. Kildare. She has also worked voluntarily with Irish NGO Nurture Africa and has spent two summers teaching in Uganda.

Aislinn has led a range of innovative initiatives in her school including FIRST Lego League, the Irish World Aid Awards, and the Junior Entrepreneur Programme.

In 2024, under her direction, the school won an all-Ireland title at the Féile Scoildrámaíochta. Aislinn joins the DCU School of Arts Education and Movement.

She is also pursuing a master’s degree in specific learning difficulties.

Niamh Haughton, originally from Dublin, taught in a DEIS 1 primary school in Dublin for 13 years before moving to an Educate Together school in Leixlip for six years. She joins the DCU School of Policy and Practice bringing almost two decades of experience in education.

She has mentored newly qualified primary school teachers as part of the Droichead professional induction framework and has contributed to the national special needs assistant training programme as a part-time tutor in UCD. Her teaching and research interests focus on playful and active pedagogical approaches that support engagement and inclusion for all learners.