How many times have you said to yourself, "If I were the Minister for Education…?" Well I do! Rather than grumble to myself, I decided to podcast my thoughts on ways I'd change the primary education system in Ireland. Every episode I'll take on a different theme, give some background and hopefully come to some conclusions by the end. <br/><br/><a href="https://simonmlewis.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">simonmlewis.substack.com</a>
Anseo.net - If I were the Minister for Education
Claim This Podcastby Simon Lewis
4.6(34 reviews)
288 episodes
Updated Weekly
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇮🇪
73
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality77
Social0
YouTube82
Engagement90
Podcast Overview
How many times have you said to yourself, "If I were the Minister for Education…?" Well I do! Rather than grumble to myself, I decided to podcast my thoughts on ways I'd change the primary education system in Ireland. Every episode I'll take on a different theme, give some background and hopefully come to some conclusions by the end. <br/><br/><a href="https://simonmlewis.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">simonmlewis.substack.com</a>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/28/2019
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73
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality77
Social0
YouTube82
Engagement90
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Episode Length
33 minutes
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Recent Episodes
July 7, 2026
Interview 36: Grace Brennan
<p>In this episode of If I Were the Minister for Education, I speak with Grace Brennan, founder of Higgle, about process-driven visual arts and creative thinking in primary classrooms. Grace shares her education journey from County Wexford to art and design studies and entrepreneurship supported by Enterprise Ireland and local programmes, and reflects on how third-level art opened her mind to experimentation and careers. We discuss how art can become outcome-focused “cookie cutter” work influenced by social media, often because teachers lack training and time to explore materials, and why this can harm children’s creativity and confidence. Grace explains Higgle as a digital prompt generator that supports open-ended, cross-curricular art problems adaptable to available materials and diverse classroom needs, and she outlines her EPV courses for teachers.00:00 Welcome and Art Chat01:24 Grace Brennan Journey03:35 Simon Art Teaching Roots04:56 Mentors and Creativity07:57 Leaving Cert Art Reality09:03 Fixing Cookie Cutter Art16:31 Why Art Foundations Matter20:00 STEAM and New Curriculum22:55 What Is Higgle24:47 Inside the Prompt Generator26:12 Pencil and Paper Challenge27:45 Minister for a Day30:32 Where to Find Higgle31:52 Final Thanks and Wrap</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe</a>
June 27, 2026
Interview 35: Eithne Walsh
<p>I was delighted to meet Eithne Walsh, CEO of Féach Vision Support Services, to talk about improving supports for blind and visually impaired children in Irish mainstream schools. Eithne shares how her two children gradually lost their sight and how low expectations and limited expertise in schools pushed her to advocate for practical planning, expanded core curriculum skills, and assistive technology so her children could become independent learners. She explains Féach’s evolution from parent peer support into a charity offering school guides, webinars, SNA and teacher training, low vision awareness workshops, and VR immersive training, now supporting hundreds of schools. They discuss slow policy change, gaps in AT training, key recommendations from Féach’s access reports, and why braille remains essential for literacy alongside modern technology.</p><p>00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro</p><p>01:24 Eithne Story and Diagnosis</p><p>03:00 School Expectations Shift</p><p>05:13 Building Independence Skills</p><p>06:28 Why Féach Exists</p><p>07:32 Féach Services and Training</p><p>10:47 Mainstream Progress and Gaps</p><p>13:20 Assistive Tech Push</p><p>17:49 Why Policy Moves Slowly</p><p>23:08 Toolkits for Teachers</p><p>24:16 Age-Appropriate Tech Skills</p><p>24:36 Typing Progression Plan</p><p>25:36 Audit Tools and Live Resources</p><p>26:55 North-South Training Collaboration</p><p>30:13 Annual Report Key Recommendations</p><p>33:07 AI and Accessible Tech Advances</p><p>35:55 Why Braille Still Matters</p><p>38:58 Big Questions for Education</p><p>41:42 How to Contact Feach</p><p>43:09 Closing Thanks and Wrap-Up</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe</a>
June 14, 2026
Education Unconvention: Reading 1
<p>Education Unconvention: Big Questions About ReadingI introduce the Education Unconvention as a fringe-style, discussion-based subset of my podcast, designed to complement and sometimes challenge the Convention on Education by sharing progress and inviting contributions online. The first theme is reading, explored through debates about Reading Recovery, UFLI, and dyslexia, alongside reading schools and reading classes. I describe tensions between research evidence and teachers’ lived experience, including questions about independent Irish evaluation of Reading Recovery and what should replace it if flaws are found. Teachers praise UFLI’s structure and results, while others caution against treating any programme as a silver bullet. On dyslexia, contributors argue for either specialists, stronger teacher knowledge, or expanded specialist provision, raising wider questions about inclusion. Across all topics, recurring themes include time, resources, workload, training, disadvantage, home literacy, and defining what success in literacy should look like.00:00 Welcome to Unconvention02:20 Why Reading Matters05:05 Reading Recovery Debate07:43 Research Versus Experience10:37 What Counts as Evidence15:12 UFLI Takes Off18:07 Program Hype Cycle23:33 Dyslexia Mainstream Reality25:36 Mainstream or Specialist26:54 Highest Need Critique27:36 Expertise Without Roles29:13 Every Teacher Dyslexia30:51 Reading Classes Debate31:54 Inclusion What Means34:14 Bigger System Questions36:10 Curriculum Time Squeeze38:19 Home Factors Screen Time40:09 Unconvention Ethos Wrap</p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2">simonmlewis.substack.com/subscribe</a>
288 total episodes available
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