ResearchEd Conference reviews evidence-based pedagogy in Bandon
One in five Irish children and teens use artificial intelligence for schoolwork, according to survey data, as educators gather to examine long-term learning retention.
Irish ResearchEd Conference Reviews Evidence-Based Pedagogy
The fourth Irish ResearchEd conference convened at Bandon Grammar School on the west side of Bandon, bringing together primary and secondary level teachers to review evidence-based pedagogical strategies. Founded in England in 2013 by Tom Bennett and Helen Galdin-O’Shea, the conference previously met in Ireland in 2019 at St Columba’s College in Dublin. Keynote speaker Bradley Busch, chief psychological officer at InnerDrive, told attendees in the venue’s chilly gym that common study habits fail to build lasting knowledge. Busch promised “transformational” research during his fascinating talk about how memory works and how to transfer information from students’ working memory to their long-term memory. Busch stated that highlighting text, reviewing dense PowerPoint presentations, and tracking pages read do not generate actual learning. Instead, learning requires reading followed by repeated quizzing to check retention.
Busch also addressed generative artificial intelligence, noting that educators cannot consistently detect AI use in student writing. That limitation calls into question the value of homework and project work introduced under new Leaving Cert specifications, according to his presentation. News Minimalist coverage of the Bandon event corroborated that experts warned current teaching methods are fundamentally ineffective for long-term retention. Short-term performance on assessments directly following instruction does not guarantee that students have mastered a topic, according to Amarbeer Singh Gill, assistant director of London-based Greenshaw Research School.
Singh Gill Recommends Distributed Study Sessions
Singh Gill told attendees in a tiered lecture hall that forgetting is inevitable and that lower initial performance can lead to improved learning if students return to assess the material repeatedly. His talk posed a question, “Why are students so bad at learning?” It centred on how students forget, and the inevitability of forgetting. He cautioned against long study sessions dedicated to a single topic, recommending distributed 30-minute sessions and interleaving separate yet connected subjects to help students maintain focus and recognize conceptual links.
Julian Girdham, deputy principal at St Columba’s College and organiser of the first Irish ResearchEd, addressed a packed traditional classroom regarding attention spans in contemporary schooling. Girdham dismissed the rhetoric claiming past generations were inherently superior, arguing that the human capacity for deep thought and focused attention remains intact. His presentation contrasted with that of Tadhg O’Donovan, a science teacher at Carrigaline Community School and TikTok creator, who demonstrated content-creator engagement tactics including a staged, consented student punch to capture classroom interest. O’Donovan’s talk in the same room later that day featured the same level of enthusiasm, though Busch’s presentation was a bit more professional than that. Closing speaker Mark Roberts, director of research at Carrickfergus Grammar School, emphasized the necessity of a safe environment for students to experience and learn from errors.
