Irish education experts have warned that familiar classroom and assessment practices may not reflect whether students are genuinely learning. Discussions at the fourth ResearchEd conference in Ireland focused on memory, attention, study habits, artificial intelligence and the need for safer environments where students can make mistakes.
Breaking News: What Ireland’s education conference highlighted
The conference, held at Bandon Grammar in west Cork, brought together teachers and education professionals from primary and secondary settings. ResearchEd began in England in 2013 and came to Ireland for the first time in 2019.
Its central aim is to connect classroom practice with the best available evidence. This year’s sessions examined a question with broad consequences for students, teachers and parents: how can schools distinguish short-term performance from lasting learning?
The speakers did not present a single solution. Instead, they explored how memory works, why students forget, how attention can be encouraged and why assessment results immediately after teaching may give a misleading impression of retention.
Why strong test results do not always mean lasting learning
Bradley Busch, chief psychological officer at InnerDrive, discussed the movement of information from working memory into long-term memory. His presentation challenged several habits that are common in homes and classrooms.
Highlighting text can create the impression of study without proving that information has been understood. A dense presentation may also overload students, while counting the number of pages read says little about what a learner can recall or explain.
A more reliable approach involves retrieving information repeatedly. Students can read material, close the book and answer questions, then return later to identify what they remember and where gaps remain.
- Use quizzes to test recall rather than relying only on rereading.
- Return to important material over time.
- Focus on understanding and explanation, not just completed pages.
- Use classroom presentations selectively and avoid unnecessary information overload.
The challenge posed by artificial intelligence
The conference also considered the difficulty of identifying AI-generated writing. Once text has been produced or heavily assisted by artificial intelligence, teachers may not be able to recognise it consistently from the finished work alone.
That issue raises questions about homework and project-based assessment, including the additional assessment components being introduced within new Leaving Certificate specifications. It does not remove the value of independent work, but it increases the importance of supervised tasks, discussion, oral explanation and assessment methods that reveal how a student reached an answer.
Latest Irish News: Study methods that may improve retention
Amarbeer Singh Gill of Greenshaw Research School addressed the inevitability of forgetting. His presentation stressed that doing well immediately after a lesson does not necessarily show that knowledge will remain available weeks or months later.
Students may benefit from shorter, distributed study sessions instead of spending a long period concentrating on one subject in a single sitting. The conference discussion pointed towards sessions of roughly 30 minutes, combined with opportunities to revisit the material later.
Interleaving can also help. This means moving between related areas rather than completing one topic in isolation. The approach can encourage students to identify differences and connections while helping them maintain attention.
A practical study routine might include:
- Learning a small section of material.
- Testing recall without looking at notes.
- Switching to a connected topic.
- Returning to the original material after a break.
- Reviewing mistakes and correcting misunderstandings.
Attention remains central to classroom learning
Julian Girdham, deputy principal at St Columba’s College in Dublin, focused on attention and deliberate thinking. His message was not based on nostalgia for an earlier education system. Instead, it centred on the continuing capacity of students to concentrate, examine detail and engage deeply with a subject.
That perspective matters as schools manage competing demands from devices, notifications and digital entertainment. Helping students focus is not simply a matter of imposing silence. Teachers must also create lessons that are purposeful, clear and intellectually engaging.
Tadgh O’Donovan, a science teacher at Carrigaline Community School and a TikTok creator, offered a contrasting route to engagement. His session considered techniques used by online content creators to capture attention, including a demonstration involving a student assistant.
The two approaches appeared different, but shared important foundations: respect for students, enthusiasm for teaching and confidence in what young people can achieve. Attention does not have to be won through confrontation.
Irish education needs safe space for failure
Mark Roberts, director of research and an English teacher at Carrickfergus Grammar School, addressed the educational value of mistakes. Failure can support learning when students feel safe enough to attempt difficult work and acknowledge errors.
That distinction is important. A classroom where every mistake brings embarrassment may encourage students to remain silent or avoid challenge. A supportive classroom can use errors as evidence of what needs to be clarified next.
For parents and teachers, the broader lesson is that progress cannot be measured by marks alone. Meaningful learning also involves recall, explanation, persistence, attention and the ability to improve after feedback.
What happens next for schools and students?
The issues raised at ResearchEd are likely to remain relevant as Irish schools adapt to new Leaving Certificate requirements and the expanding use of generative AI. Schools may need to balance written assignments with supervised assessment, conversations and tasks that test genuine understanding.
Students can respond by treating study as an active process rather than a passive one. Reading remains important, but it should be followed by retrieval, spaced review and honest reflection on what has been forgotten.
Frequently asked questions
What was ResearchEd Ireland about?
It was an education conference focused on applying research and evidence to practical teaching in primary and secondary classrooms.
What study method was recommended?
The discussions favoured retrieval practice, spaced study and interleaving instead of relying on highlighting or long, uninterrupted revision sessions.
Why is AI relevant to student assessment?
AI-assisted writing may be difficult to identify consistently, making it more important to use assessment methods that show a student’s reasoning and understanding.
Why is failure important in education?
Mistakes can help students learn when they are made in an environment where learners feel safe to try, receive feedback and improve.
Conclusion
The message from this Breaking News education discussion is clear: completing work, securing an immediate high mark or producing polished writing does not automatically prove that learning has taken place. Irish schools, families and students can respond with evidence-based habits that prioritise retrieval, spaced practice, attention and constructive feedback. As Ireland’s education system changes, the strongest measure of progress will be what students can still understand and use over time.
