Conversations in Adult and Further Education

About Conversations in Adult and Further Education

Conversations with practitioners in adult and further education in Ireland. This podcast explores a wide range of topics of interest to those working in Adult and Further Education. Bringing you conversations on theory, practice and policy in an understandable, accessible format. Please note that any issues discussed on the podcast are the opinions of individuals and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the organisations they represent. Contact me at Karen.Bunyan@SETU.ie Cover art photo provided by Paul Bulai on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/@pcbulai

Publisher

Karen Bunyan

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Nov 2018

Latest episode

5 May 2026

Latest episodes

24 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 May 2026

   Episode 24: Understanding Adult Education Teachers’ Rights in Ireland With Anne Foster

   In this episode, I’m joined by Anne Foster, Vice Chair of the Adult Education Teachers’ Organisation (AETO) and an adult education teacher with the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB). Anne shares insights from her many years working in adult education and talks about her involvement with AETO’s campaign to secure better rights for teachers. She highlights several challenges within the sector, especially those affecting teachers with many years of service, such as pension rights and the impact of the new adult educator contract on these teachers. If you would like further information or would like to join the AETO, you can email inquiries.aeto@gmail.com (mailto:inquiries.aeto@gmail.com).

2. 

   10 Apr 2026

   Episode 23: Making Sense of Numbers – Numeracy, Dyscalculia & Dyspraxia with Mark Daly

   In this episode, I’m joined by Mark Daly to talk about numeracy, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia. Mark is a student at Dublin College in Loughlinstown, part of the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB). Mark was diagnosed with dyscalculia as a child and later with dyspraxia, and he shares his personal experiences of school, the challenges he faced, and his return to education as an adult. Mark’s story offers valuable insight into how we can bettersupport students who struggle with numbers, along with practical advice for tutors. Here is some of the work that Mark has done to highlight numeracy, dyscalculia and dyspraxia This is a booklet that Mark created to tell his story: https://www.canva.com/design/DAG7N97BwTo/af-mzF1dzgpWJVHyozSmpA/view?utm_content=DAG7N97BwTo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=he9cf7f8002#2 (https://www.canva.com/design/DAG7N97BwTo/af-mzF1dzgpWJVHyozSmpA/view?utm_content=DAG7N97BwTo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=he9cf7f8002#2) Some podcast clips where Mark explains his experience with dyscalculia and dyspraxia: https://soundcloud.com/user-764766124/mark-dalys-experience-with-dyscalculia (https://soundcloud.com/user-764766124/mark-dalys-experience-with-dyscalculia) https://soundcloud.com/user-764766124/mark-dalys-experience-with-dyspraxia (https://soundcloud.com/user-764766124/mark-dalys-experience-with-dyspraxia) A video highlighting Mark’s work as a Numeracy Ambassador for NALA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwUpSFsIfLQ&t=103s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwUpSFsIfLQ&t=103s)

3. 

   24 Feb 2026

   Episode 22 Let's Talk about Family Literacy

   In this episode, I’m joined by Lana McCarthy, from the Literacy Development Centre at SETU, and Helen Walsh, the Family Literacy Lead at SOLAS. We are talking about family literacy. Lana and Helen highlight what’s happening both nationally and locally to support and promote family literacy. They also discuss the value of the Family Literacy Community of Practice—why it matters, how it works, and how you can get involved. This community brings together passionate people from a wide range of organisations and sectors, all committed to promoting family literacy. New members are always welcome, so if you have a project or initiative you’d like to share, or you want to find out more about the work they are doing, they would love to hear from you. Contact Helen at Helen.walsh@solas.ie (mailto:Helen.walsh@solas.ie) Use the following link to join the Family Literacy Communityof Practice: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jsB9ntvZ20qQm7C0ym-jglByPNQqcMNIkjMRCUcGpAdUNjZZSlVGQzk3N0NKVVpDQ1VITFlNUEtLTSQlQCN0PWcu&origin=QRCode (https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=jsB9ntvZ20qQm7C0ym-jglByPNQqcMNIkjMRCUcGpAdUNjZZSlVGQzk3N0NKVVpDQ1VITFlNUEtLTSQlQCN0PWcu&origin=QRCode)

Who has been a guest on Conversations in Adult and Further Education

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Clare Power
• Eleanor Neff
• Paula Tiller
• Lana McCarthy
• Aoife O'Leary

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 17 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

22

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

Contact Conversations in Adult and Further Education

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.