Education Studies

Biographical Details:

Irene White is a Lecturer in the School of Education Studies, Dublin City University. She coordinates year one of the Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) programme and supervises teaching practice across a range of programmes. Irene lectures in General and Special Teaching Methods, Drama in Education and Academic Writing. Irene taught English and Drama at second level for twelve years, during which time she acted as mentor for teachers involved in initial teacher education and was a State Exams Commission examiner for the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme. Her work in community theatre includes the design and delivery of a Crossover Community Theatre Project with Upstate Theatre Project, a cross-border, cross-community participative drama programme funded by Border Action. Her work with Upstate also includes the delivery of workshops on Community-Engaged Theatre to students of the Steinhardt School of Education, New York University. Irene works with adolescents in second level schools north and south of the border, using drama and theatre performance to promote positive mental health and raise awareness of issues surrounding suicide and suicide prevention through Smashing Times Theatre Company's `Acting for the Future' programme. Irene is on the Board of Directors for Upstate Theatre Project, a member of ADEI (The Association for Drama in Education in Ireland) and a member of LitLab, a support association for new and experienced writers.

Research Interests:

Drama and Theatre in Education. Application of drama-based techniques in non-theatre contexts. Community Engaged Theatre. Devising, scripting and performance skills. Active teaching and learning methodologies in second level education. Teaching of English at second level. Creative writing, Creative non-fiction and memoir. Collective storytelling. Arts in Education.