Eilish McDonagh

Outdoor Education, Sustainability and Well-being

Mayo

Can you tell us your name, job title, and the course you studied at ATU?  

Éilish Mc Donagh, Primary School Principal/ Professional Learning Leader with OIDE. 

I studied the MSc in Outdoor Education, Sustainability and Wellbeing 

Can you share your career path to date? 

I have been a Primary School Teacher for eighteen years, with the last seven spent as a Teaching Principal. I am now seconded to Oide, the national professional development and support service for teachers in Ireland, where I am a Professional Learning Leader on the SEE specification (Social and Environmental Education). 

What does your current role involve?

My role now is to support teachers and school leaders with the rollout of the Redeveloped Primary Curriculum Framework and provide in school support around the new subject specification SEE which consists of History, Geography and Religion, Beliefs and Worldviews.  

What motivated you to start studying?

I started to notice a disconnection between learning and the outdoors in the last few years and could see a growing overwhelm among young people around climate crisis and sustainability. I felt I needed to upskill particularly in the area of Outdoor Education and gain confidence using different pedological approaches to learning, teaching and assessment in outdoor education in order to increase and restore a connection to nature and a sense of agency when it came to sustainability etc.  

Why did you choose this course at ATU?

I choose the course at ATU specifically because I had heard of the Outdoor Education Department, their commitment, their passion and the high quality and varied delivery of their programmes.  

How did you find the process of studying in a flexible manner? What elements did you find helpful? Were there elements you found challenging? 

For me, my studies and research fed directly into my work as a teacher and as a school principal, the school also benefitted directly from the knowledge and upskilling. I was able to use my school holidays to study and the academic staff at ATU were very accommodating and understanding. There are adventurous outdoor elements to this course that can pose challenging at times but ultimately, for me, they ended in a great sense of achievement…. sometimes stepping outside the comfort zone not to mention the warm classroom! 

How did you balance work and study?

School holidays allowed for a nice balance along with evening lectures. 

In terms of your employer, were they supportive of your decision to study? Were there elements of the course that were particularly relevant to your current employer?

My employer was very supportive and encouraging and the school benefitted from an Outdoor Classroom Project which was officially opened by MEP Maria Walsh at our School Community Wellbeing Day. We also forged great bonds with William McElinney from Heritage in Schools, Dianora Balsimelli from Go Wild Forest School and many others throughout my studies. 

What advice would you have for anyone considering studying a flexible learning programme?

This is a really unique course; it is so enjoyable and lends itself well to flexible learning. It is a course for anyone as it is so meaningful and relevant to the world we live in today. 

In what way has studying with ATU benefitted your career?

It has strengthened my understanding of sustainability, wellbeing and given me confidence, agency and knowledge of pedagogy in Outdoor Education. It has strengthened my teaching and now allows me to share my knowledge and skills with other teachers in my role with Oide.  

Did this course provide any unexpected benefits to your career?

This course gave me a huge appreciation of place-based education and its vital role in education and wellbeing in today’s world.  

Did you find that the elements you were studying had practical relevance in your day-to-day role?  

The knowledge and experience I gained from this course, along with my research, have deeply influenced my teaching and enriched my life both professionally and personally. 

Hear from Éilish here: Video