Hotseating: Luke Abbott

In this episode of Hotseating, Aoibhinn Finnegan speaks to Luke Abbott. Luke studied for his Masters Degree with Dorothy Heathcote at Newcastle University in 1980/81. At the time Mantle of the Expert was being established as a teaching and learning approach and Luke was among the pioneering group of Dr. Heathcote’s students who first researched and then used the approach in their classrooms.

In over forty years of practice Luke has taught in hundreds of schools all over the UK and abroad. His work is internationally recognized and he has been instrumental in advancing the scope and application of Mantle of the Expert. Luke has worked extensively in Europe, China, America, and New Zealand and Palestine,. He is now a project tutor for the NEU Mantle of the Expert Programme and leading Mantle of the Expert projects in many schools across the country. So pour yourself a cup of tea, sit back, relax and enjoy.

Hotseating: Michael Finneran

In this episode of ‘Hotseating’ Aoibhinn Finnegan speaks to Michael Finneran. Michael is Senior Lecturer in drama at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Ireland. He is the founding Head of the Department of Drama and Theatre Studies at the College, and Programme Director for the BA in Contemporary & Applied Theatre Studies. Previously, he held the post of Head of the Department of Arts Education & Physical Education in the Faculty of Education at MIC. He holds a PhD from the University of Warwick, completed under the supervision of Prof. Jonothan Neelands. Michael’s research interests lie in the meaning-making, educative and pro-social possibilities of the arts, particularly drama and theatre, and he locates his work in an interdisciplinary space between the humanities and education. He seeks to understand how societies, their citizens and their structures engage with drama and theatre, and he strives for a better awareness of why the arts are typically regarded as secondary to more mainstream and 'important' discourses. Michael is currently leading an Irish Research Council (IRC) research project looking at creativity and wellbeing, as well as developing a project examining ecologies of theatre practice and participation. I am also interested in arts practice research and one of the founders of IMBAS - an Irish forum for Arts Practice Researchers and Artists.

Make a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy our conversation about Drama Education.

Hotseating: Brian Edmiston

In the hotseat this week is Brian Edmiston. He is Professor of Drama in Education in the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University.  His scholarship focuses on drama in literacy, language, and literature teaching, dramatic inquiry as a P-12 cross-curricular pedagogy, and drama as ethical education.   He regularly teaches and conducts research in P-12 classrooms in central Ohio.  He has also conducted research, led workshops for teachers, and taught in classrooms in both England and Northern Ireland.  He has authored over forty publications including four books.

He has directed the professional development of teachers at Ohio State as part of the partnership between the Royal Shakespeare Company and the university.

In the Department of Teaching & Learning at Ohio State University he teaches courses in the M.A., Ed.S, and Ph.D. programs, oversees the teaching of undergraduate Teaching and Learning with Drama: Introduction course, and run the pre-service Multiage M.Ed. licensure program in drama education.  He is a core faculty member in these areas of study: Dramatic and Arts-based Teaching and Learning; Rethinking Early Childhood & Elementary Education; and Adolescent, Post-Secondary & Community Literacies. He is an affiliate faculty member in Multicultural Education & Equity Studies; Literature for Children & Young Adults; and Reading & Literacy in Early & Middle Childhood.

So grab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy this episode of Hotseating: The Drama Education Podcast, with Brian Edmiston.

Hotseating: Season 1 Trailer

Welcome to Hotseating: The drama Education Podcast. This podcast is brought to you by the Association of Drama in Education in Ireland and presented and produced by Aoibhinn Finnegan. In this season of the podcast we are hotseating a host of drama educators and practitioners from all corners of the world. We are exploring drama education through the lense of the drama stretegies asking questions that are both personal and professional. It’s a chance to put your ear to the classroom wall of a variety of drama educators and listen to stories that will make you laugh, make you cry but most importantly keep the conversation about drama education flowing.

Season 1 of Hotseating features Kathleen Gallagher, Brian Edmiston, Michael Finneran, Luke Abbott, Christine Hatton and Carmel O’Sullivan. Here is a little sneak peek of what you can expect this season.