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Millennium’s Teacher Triumph at Innovation Awards25/03/2010
Pupils at Millennium Integrated Primary School , Saintfield are celebrating the return of their award winning Vice Principal, Barry Corrigan, from the Microsoft Innovative Educator’s Forum that ran in Berlin from 22nd-25th March. Mr. Corrigan beat strong
Pupils at Millennium Integrated Primary School, Saintfield are celebrating the return of their award winning Vice Principal, Barry Corrigan, from the Microsoft Innovative Educator’s Forum that ran in Berlin from 22nd-25th March. Mr. Corrigan beat strong competition from teachers across Western Europe to carry home the Microsoft European Innovative Teacher of the Year Award for Community.
Award winning teacher Barry Corrigan with Millenium IPS pupils
The ‘Making Homework Count: Engaging Parents’ project showcased the work that Mr. Corrigan and his children at Millennium IPS had been doing to make homework an interactive and meaningful extension of the school day. Competition was rife with over 200 teachers from more than 40 European countries throughout the three day competition. However, the work was recognised as being beneficial to the entire school community. Needless to say Mr. Corrigan is delighted with the award; “I feel that it is recognition of the effort the children and parents have put into realising my ideas and vision for the use of ICT in the learning process. It is by no means perfect but it certainly goes a long way to breaking down the barriers between school and home. The children have recognised the value in what I am trying to do with them and their enthusiasm has made the work much easier.”
Through using the Virtual Learning Environment, LearningNI, students are able to access the resources used by Mr. Corrigan in the teaching day. Students are also using the LNI resource to carry out research, practice key concepts and email their teacher for homework support.
Millennium IPS is understandably elated with the award and recognition of the work that Mr. Corrigan has been doing with the children. Principal Mrs. Roulston said; “Children need these key skills now, and in the future, and what Barry is doing is delivering them in a way that makes learning interesting and exciting. It is also important that our ethos of parental involvement is developed in new and exciting ways and this is certainly both. We are delighted that his work has been recognised in this way and we all now have our fingers crossed for South Africa later in the year.”
Eight semi-finalists competed in Mr. Corrigan’s section however only three are invited to compete later this year in the Worldwide Innovative Education Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. “To be chosen as a semi-finalist was breath-taking,” said Mr. Corrigan, “but to actually come first in the competition was an incredible feeling. I still find myself coming to terms with the enormity of what has happened but am determined that the work and dedication of the children and parents is recognised on the largest stage – the world finals!”
The annual awards are run by Microsoft through its ‘Partners in Learning’ initiative and are designed to recognise those areas in which teachers use technology to make a difference to children’s’ lives.
