Check the 2024 Family Learning Conference programme

Attendees:

View the Family Literacy Conference padlet

Take the evaluation survey

Join us at the NALA Family Learning Conference in Dublin. 

Our Family Literacy Conference is back and we are looking forward to seeing you. The conference will focus on sharing good practice in family learning.

Date: Thursday 24 November 2022.

Time: 9.30am – 3.30pm.

Venue: Ashling Hotel, Stoneybatter, Dublin 8.

Cost: There is no fee for attending this conference. Please register below.

Programme: Please view the full programme for the conference.

 

Agenda

9.30am – Registration, tea and coffee

10.00am – Welcome, opening remarks and introduction to the conference

Colleen Dube, CEO, NALA

10.10am – Family literacy practices, parental engagement and home school links in a DEIS school.

Maria Kennedy, Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Coordinator, Presentation Primary School.

10.30am – Childhood Development Initiative supporting communities in literacy engagement.

Clare Bohan, Literacy Coordinator, Childhood Development Initiative, St Mark’s Family and Youth Centre.

10.50am – Top hats, green kittens and a goblet full of bonbons: Poetry treasure hunts in the library.

Juliette Saumande, children’s writer, translator of children’s books and professional bookworm and Maedhbh Rogan-McGann, Senior Executive Librarian, Meath County Council Library Service.

11.10am – Coffee break

11.30am – 1.00pm – Morning Workshops (see below)

1.00pm – Lunch

2.00pm – 3.30pm – Afternoon Workshops (see below)

 

Family Literacy Workshops

– Morning Workshop: 11.30am – 1.00pm and Afternoon Workshop: 2.00pm – 3.30pm

–  There will be different workshop options in the morning and the afternoon. Each participants can attend 2 different workshops.

 

Morning Workshops: 11.30am – 1.00pm.

(a) ‘Sirko’, a Ukrainian folktale and a Storysack. A conversational approach to exploring traditions, culture, social norms and folklore in Ireland and Ukraine.

Facilitators: Carmel O’Neill, Family learning tutor and Programme Coordinator and Rachel White, ESOL and Family Learning tutor, Kilkenny and Carlow ETB.

(b) Poetry in your pocket: A fun and accessible way to engage families in creating a giant collaborative piece of art and poetry.

Facilitators: Juliette Saumande and Maedhbh Rogan-McGann.

(c) Family literacy practices and ideas: Tools that can help parents of junior infants and early start in relation to emergent literacy and language development and building home school links. – This workshop is full, registrations are closed.  

Facilitator: Maria Kennedy, HSCL Coordinator, Presentation Primary Warrenmount, Dublin 8.

(d) Early years literacy and numeracy supports in an area-based context: This workshop will look at the following Early Learning Initiative programmes – ParentChild+, Zoom Ahead with Books and Early Numeracy.

Facilitators: Brigina O’Riordan, Senior Community Service Coordinator and Jennifer O’Neill, Senior ParentChild+ coordinator, Early Learning Initiative.

 

Afternoon Workshops: 2.00pm – 3.30pm.

(e) ‘Sirko’, a Ukrainian folktale and a Storysack. A conversational approach to exploring traditions, culture, social norms and folklore in Ireland and Ukraine.

Facilitators: Carmel O’Neill, Family learning tutor and Programme Coordinator and Rachel White, ESOL and Family Learning tutor, Kilkenny and Carlow ETB.

(f) Supporting family literacy development in our communities: A exploration of literacy initiatives utilised by HSCLs in primary and secondary schools in Tallaght and strategies used to promote, motivate and retain parents in these initiatives. This workshop is full, registrations are closed.  

Facilitators: David Fagan, Chairperson of the Tallaght Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Coordinator Cluster and Anita Doody, Secretary of the Tallaght HSCL Coordinator Cluster.

(g) Hug your book: The Hug your book programme is an introductory course to family literacy programmes for parents. The programme is for all parents who want to make reading fun and learn new ways to support their children’s literacy skills. We will share ourbook club approach, where parents bring books to life for their children and instil a love of reading, writing and talking from birth through to primary school, through fun and rewarding activities. This workshop is full, registrations are closed.  

Facilitators: Lána McCarthy and Justyne McDonagh, Young Ballymun, Dublin.

(h) Reconnecting: Post-pandemic, many people are fearful and uncertain about returning to group learning. In this workshop, we explore ways to create welcoming spaces, rebuild connections and foster a sense of belonging in family learning groups.

Facilitator: Pam Buchanan, Tutor and Coordinator, Dublin and Dun Laoghaire ETB.

 

If you can’t attend the conference, please join us for our Family Learning Webinar Series from the 29 to the 30 of November.

To attend the conference please register below.

Contact Fergus Dolan at fdolan@nala.ie with any questions