“It’s very important to hear what everyone has to say”: A Study Into teaching and learning in a Centre for Survivors of Institutional Abuse
On the 11th of May 1999 the then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern apologised on behalf of the Irish State to those who had suffered in Irish institutions. The centre that forms the basis of this research was established as a part of this apology to provide education and support. It caters specifically to survivors of institutional abuse and their families. This research aims to examine what factors need to be considered when creating a training programme for tutors who are coming into the centre. Currently there is no provision for training new tutors entering into this environment. The first thing that needed to be done was to establish a need for training of tutors. This was done initially through casual conversations and then through interviews during the research process. Learners at the centre are vulnerable and have a uniquely dark past relationship with education. An awareness of this among tutors is important so that they can determine appropriate actions within classrooms at the centre. This research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with both tutors and learners from the centre. Tutors come to the centre in one of two ways. Either they are sent by the local Education and Training Board (ETB) or they are volunteers who are directly recruited by the centre. From these interviews it became clear that communication is of key importance, whether it be between the centre and its learners, the centre and its tutors or between tutors and learners. Learners need to feel as though their opinions and thoughts are respected and that they are free from being judged, from both their tutors and from the centre itself. Tutors need to feel as though they are listened to. The need for tutor support was clear from the interviews. Working at the centre, although rewarding for its tutors, can be difficult and has the ability to affect personal lives negatively. A training programme and the provision of support for tutors would improve the experience of teaching at the centre.
National University of Ireland - Maynooth
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