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Mellon, Dr Conor

NCI Learning & Teaching

Programme Director in Educational Practice

Conor.Mellon@ncirl.ie

Key Responsibilities at NCI

Director of MA in Educational Practice
Director of PGD in Arts in Educational Practice in Teaching for Further Education
Teaching on postgraduate programmes in Educational Practice
Supervision of MA theses in Educational Practice
Member of Exams and Assessment Task and Finish Group

Education

EdD (Queen’s University Belfast)
MA Ed. (Durham University)
PGC Quant. Methods (University of Ulster)
PGCE (Durham University)
Licentiate (Trinity College London)
BA Hons (NUI)

Academic/ Professional Experience

Lecturer in Education with Hibernia College
Teaching, Learning and Research Associate with The Teaching Council
Lecturer in Education with Portobello Institute

Professional Body Membership

Member ESAI (Educational Studies Association, Ireland)
Member EECERA (European Early Childhood Education Research Association)
Member CRN (Children’s Research Network, Ireland)

Key Publications and Research Interests

Conor’s research interests include inclusion and diversity, reflective practice/ reflexivity, and educator and learner identity. He was awarded an INTO research bursary for his doctoral work, exploring discourses around inclusion and ethos in Educate Together schools.

Journal Articles

Mellon, C. & Ryan, K. (2023). It’s now or never: The experiences of older mature learners in further education and training in Ireland. Research Issues in Contemporary Education. 8 (1). 138-167.
Mellon, C. (2023). Lessons from the road less travelled: student teachers’ and newly qualified teachers’ experiences of mentoring in the Irish further education and training sector. International Journal of Coaching and Mentoring in Education. Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
Mellon, C. (2022). Lost and found: an exploration of the professional identity of primary teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Journal for Multicultural Education. 16 (1). 77-89.

Book Chapters

Mellon, C. (2022). Using triadic reflective dialogue to support active learning. In 100 Ideas for Active Learning (pp. 345-351). Active Learning Network, University of Sussex Library.
Rothe, A., Moloney, M., Sims, M & Mellon, C. (2022). Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Government Policies Relating to the Early Childhood Sector Across Ten Countries. In The Impact of COVID-19 on Early Childhood Education and Care: International Perspectives, Challenges, and Responses (pp. 67-88). Springer Cham.

Conference Presentations

Mellon, C. & Barr, A. (2022, 14-17 July). Innovation, Resilience and Continuity – The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Early Childhood Care and Education in Ireland [Virtual Conference Presentation]. European Conference on Education, London, United Kingdom.
Mellon, C. & Ryan, K. (2022, 14-17 July). I'm Finally Going to Do What I Want to Do: The Re-engagement Experiences of 'Older' Mature Learners in Further Education [Virtual Conference Presentation]. European Conference on Education, London, United Kingdom.
Mellon, C. & O’Síoráin, C. (2020, 16 January). Opportunities, Obstacles and Open Doors: Views on Engaging Families in Early Childhood Education [Conference Presentation]. THRIECE Conference, Carlow Institute of Technology, Ireland.
Mellon, C. & Kearns, C. (2019, 17-18 October). Leading Reflective Cultures in Schools [Conference Presentation]. Standing Conference on Teacher Education North and South (SCOTENS), Cavan, Ireland.
Mellon, C. (2018, 12 October). Reflection: Models, Mindsets and Modes [Conference Presentation]. Instructional Leadership National Conference, Carlow, Ireland.

Seminars

Mellon, C. (2019, 19 June). Teachers’ Professional Learning in Ireland – A Snapshot! Seminar presented at the International Summer School for Teachers, Centre for Adult Learning and Professional Development NUI Galway, Galway, Ireland.
Mellon, C. & Kearns, C. (2019, 12 June). Developing Critical Reflection in Schools: The Role of Middle Leaders. Seminar presented at the Summer School on Middle Leadership, Mary Immaculate College Thurles, Tipperary, Ireland.
Mellon, C. (2019, 5 June). Critical Reflection: Building on Professional Learning Experiences. Seminar presented at the graduation of the Teaching and Learning for the 21st Century Programme, Portlaoise, Ireland.
Mellon, C. (2018, 5 December). Critical Reflection in Teacher Research. Seminar presented at the Learning Schools Project, Cork, Ireland.

Report/ Framework Contributions

Teaching Council. (2018). Common ground in a crowded space. Teaching Council.
Teaching Council. (2017). Report on the Montessori consultation. Teaching Council.
Teaching Council. (2016). Cosán: Framework for teachers’ learning. Teaching Council.

Resources

Mellon, C., Kearns, C., & Brewer C. (2019). A Suite of (online) Resources for Reflecting on Professional Learning. The Teaching Council, Maynooth, Ireland.