2001-2004

What’s this

Meitheal all about ?

Fun-Da-MentalsYa Brite Spark!!

Objective

Attention, Retention, Intention, Tension Blah! Blah! Blah!……

The Bottom Line!!? ? ?

Give ‘em E

Encounter Enroll

Engage Encourage

Energise Enlighten

and of Course -

•Electronics

Genesis of Meitheal -DKIT

• Experience with Programmable Systems Ltd. Kevin Starrs, Johnny Hanratty, Liam ó Gógáin delivering group learning workshops.

• 1990 Electronic Project Team with Chris Ryan, Pat McCaul, Liam Ó Gógáin

Genesis of Meitheal -DKIT

• Creativity of LSU in addressing Retention issues.

• Freedom to Learn – Carl Rogers

CONCEPT:

Meitheal is an ancient Irish tradition of a group coming together for a common purpose and working together and for each other, to

ensure that all succeed in achieving their goal.

Based on using this old Irish tradition, Meitheal develops a resilient, adaptive,

autopoetic learning community"

Ar scáth a céile a mhaireann na daoine !

In the Electronics Dept. in www.DKIT.ie we have revived these values and aim to create a Learning Community where students and staff together engage in teams to master exciting new technologies in Electronics, Computers, Audio/Visual, Communications, Robotics etc.

• Meitheal starts from the premise of creating Community as a core value.

• We seek to tune into the various rhythms and issues that are present with the particular student/staff dynamic.

It is an advantage that Meitheal is being developed within an Engineering sphere, where there is lots of room for interfusing the well developed Three R’s of Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic with the Three C’s ………….

The Three C’s

The Three C’s

Core Values

Creativity

CreativityCo-operation

Communication

• Using Problem/Project – based syllabi, with a fair mix of hands-on and theoretical content, there is a great opportunity for creating soul and rhythm within the learning community.

There are other layers to Meitheals, such as the rhythms, stories, memories, sounds, smells,

landscapes, myths and other EQ’s and SQ’s, which embody and

nurture the Genius of the group.

• When cultivated and conscientised, this richness provides the lubrication, creativity, magic, self belief and resilience for the Meitheal to respond to changes in its environment and to demands made on its members, whether they are rapid and unpredictable, or foreseeable and moderately paced, in a balanced, congruent, holistic and effective manner.

• In terms of managing change, particularly against the world view of accelerating, chaotic, unpredictable change, Meitheal can operate as an aware, congruent, self reliant, adaptive self organizing organism.

Through focusing on building the Meitheal synergy, it is possible to introduce, safely, the concept of challenge with peer support.

• In the forming of stakeholder-meaning and self-value for all members of the student/staff partnership, the Meitheal negotiates appropriate rituals and permissions which enable it to go about its learning tasks, with the proactive personal enrollment and commitment of all the members.

• This approach will promote development of the reflective practitioner engineering graduate who has had an experiential introduction to lifelong learning and to the lifelong community of their Meitheal.

The Meitheal experience also greatly humanizes Engineering and Technology and by inculcating and tapping into the real, personal and human aspects of the members lives, Meitheal can enhance the members’ capacities to consider ethical/human/moral/community impacts and consequences of technological development.

Results of Year One

OR

? ?

The FiguresSubject pass rate to 2nd year

2001 2002 up/down

Engineering Science 82.6 92.6 up 10.0

Electronic Fundamentals 87 96.3 up 9.3

Digital Electronics 58.7 85.2 up 26.5

Mathematics 73.9 100 up 26.1

Engineering Skills 95.6 100 up 4.4

Computer Systems 89.1 96.3 up 7.2

Comms and Language 84.8 96.3 up 11.5

Subject pass rate to 2nd year2001 2002 up/down

Engineering Science 82.6 92.6 up 10.0

Electronic Fundamentals 87 96.3 up 9.3

Digital Electronics 58.7 85.2 up 26.5

Mathematics 73.9 100 up 26.1

Engineering Skills 95.6 100 up 4.4

Computer Systems 89.1 96.3 up 7.2

Comms and Language 84.8 96.3 up 11.5

The Facts

Next Phase

• Delivering Meitheal for the full two year course.

• Define “BASE” for Students to Buzz.

• Flexible imaginative timetabling, adaptive to students engagement.

Meitheal Staff themselves working as a PBL group, learning by doing Meitheal.

Planned Outcomes•Confident, adaptable

graduates with total Meitheal experience

•New course design adaptable to changing technologies and content

Planned Outcomes

•Team-based upskilled staff with meitheal process expertise

•Franchising Meitheal as a learning process adding value to DKIT

• Students.

• Staff and Institute.• Industry and Community.

Win-Win-Win for

Epilogue• This presentation is part of an

interactive workshop – a presentation/narrative into the mapping of the Meitheal vision and to a consideration of its appropriateness to other learning environments. The workshop also reflects on issues such as:-

• Leadership styles within Meitheal.• The catalytic energy surge demanded

from change agents.• Motivation and reward issues.• Sustainability of vision and momentum.• Resources, ingredients, environments

etc necessary to develop Meitheal.

Thank You for watching.

For Further Information or to send ideas, challenges, suggestions etc.

Contact me at ogogainl@gmail.com

Liam Ó Gógáin

www.liamog.com