Dr
Natalie
O'Neill
Academic biography
I am an assistant professor in the School of Policy and Practice within the Institute of Education at DCU where I chair the Science and Mathematics Education programme at DCU and coordinate Professional Placement for undergraduate PEM/PEB/SME students.
I work within the SME programme in a lecturing capacity, utilising my expertise as a Science Teacher, Teacher Educator and Researcher to design and deliver modules that align with current academic research and educational policy. I support DCU students in their academic and research endeavours as undergraduates and beyond university into the workplace.
My current research areas are as follows:
1. Enquiry-based teaching and learning - specifically using curriculum theory to underpin practical activities that foster conceptual understanding, by forming connections between prior, present and future learning activities.
2. Biodiversity Education- mapping the place of biodiversity within the education continuum and advocating for the role of eco-literacy within the curriculum
3. Learning Outcomes - mapping the history, integration and consequences of the use of learning outcomes in the Irish contect.
Research interests
Science Education
Biology Education
Biodiversity Education
Pedagogy for Thinking
Teaching Practical Work through Enquiry
Curriculum Studies
Aligning Policy with Practice
ECER 2022. Presentation: “From Recipe to Success – Findings from a Three-Year Study on Fostering Curricular Change in Upper Secondary Biology Practical Activties”
ECER 2021. Presentation: “Using Educational Design Research to develop a Framework for Enquiry in upper secondary biology practical work in Ireland” – updated to include the most recent developments in my research
Edcon -2020. Presentation: “Practical Lessons in Biology – Building a Recipe for Success?”
ECER 2019. Presentation: “Hands-On, Minds-On: The Role of Factual and Procedural Knowledge in Teaching Practical Work in Upper Secondary Science Curriculum in Ireland”
EuroACS 2019. Presentation: “Exploring practical activities in the Irish Biology Curriculum - A recipe for success?”
Current research projects
ESAI Biology Education Special Interest Group Lead:
I am chairing the ESAI Biology Education SIG. Our aims are to promote plant biology education, with a