26TRA511 PLLN Session 4: Leading Change for Literacy: Teams & Professional Development

 

 

 

 

 

Date:     Monday, 18th May 2026
Time:     7.00pm - 8.00pm
Venue:  Online via Zoom

Target Audience: PLLN Community – Formal and Non-Positional Middle Leaders in Irish Primary Schools

Looking to lead change in literacy that is embedded and sustained?

This interactive session will explore how leading change in literacy is often shaped by leadership systems, policy, practices and relationships within our schools. It will explore turning strategy into practice through meaningful and collaborative dialogue.

The session will encourage participants to discuss and reflect on the process of change through refelcting on;

🔄 Current leadership practices

🔍 Role of the middle leader in leading and
sustaining literacy improvement

👥 Teams – collaboration, vision and purpose

⚙️ CPD – practical approaches, value and
impact

It will encourage professional dialogue on how these elements connect in practice and how they can be strengthened to support consistent and sustainable change for literacy improvement.

Bio of Presenters: Dr Lorraine Lawrance & Laura Capon

Dr. Lorraine Lawrance is an Assistant Professor in Education at Hibernia College, where she serves as Module Lead for Languages, Literacy and Learning and Subject Lead for English. Her professional and academic work is grounded in a strong commitment to literacy, equity, and teacher education. Lorraine completed her PhD in Literacy Education (MIC) with a focus on exploring the use of picturebooks to support disciplinary literacy in the Irish primary school context. She is the author of Over the Moon and Word Wizard (Gill Education) and is the Series Editor of Cosán na Gealaí, a Gaeilge literacy series for primary schools. She was also a research team member on the Building Bridges of Understanding programme. Prior to entering higher education, Lorraine spent 17 years teaching in a DEIS Band 1 primary school, experience which continues to inform her research and teaching. Her Master’s degree in Education (MIC) focused on the teaching of reading comprehension in a disadvantaged school setting. Lorraine is a co-founder of the Centre for Children’s Literature and Pedagogy Ireland (CCLPI) and is a reviewer for the Irish Journal of Education. Her research interests include children’s literature, initial teacher education, literacy development, and curricular reform

Laura Capon is a Part-time Lecturer, School Placement Tutor and PhD Candidate ( Leadership for Literacy) at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, as well as, an academic tutor for Hibernia College. She is a Primary Teacher and Assistant Principal II (Literacy). Her career has included teaching in Dubai, the UK and Ireland, across various school contexts and all class settings, where she has held various leadership roles including; literacy co-ordinator, music lead, Year head, SPHE curriculum development member, science lead and teaching coach and mentor.