101: The Ways We Learn

❝ In our final episode we meet educator Diane McSweeney from Trinity Access 21 as she learns to swim. We listen as her teacher Jennifer Murrin, a marine scientist and competitive sea swimmer, guides Diane’s first dip in the pool at University College Dublin. Jane and I reflect on the importance of trusting a teacher when diving in to scary new worlds. We talk to neurogeneticist Kevin Mitchell from Trinity College Dublin about how practice makes perfect. Finally, we look back at making 101 The Ways

❝ If you could learn something new, what would it be? One of the most common responses people give is a musical instrument. In episode 9, we tune our attention to learning how to play one. We meet geneticist Aoife McLysaght from Trinity College Dublin who’s learning djembe drums with Trinity bio-engineering student Charles Adebayo. Inspired by this, I teach my fellow host Jane a simple song on the ukulele. We chat about why so many people are motivated to learn music, the informal way most of us

❝ For many, the idea of learning to code conjures an image of a person working alone. Perhaps a mathematically inclined person who just ‘gets it’? In episode 8 we meet Lynn Scarff, Director of Science Gallery Dublin, who’s learning to code with Niamh Scanlon, EU Digital Girl of the Year, 2015. Sharing her experiences of learning in a community of other young people, Niamh challenges Lynn to see coding as a creative way to solve problems with others. This leads Jane and I to discuss the communities

❝ If you’ve ever tried to design something, you’ll know that learning is a slow process. It’s messy, and it takes time. In episode 7, we meet science communicator Miriam Harte and graphic designer Robert Farrelly—who guides Miriam through the brainstorming stage of the graphic design process, using the visual identity for this very podcast as a starting point. After the lesson, Jane and I chat about different aspects of design education, and what it can teach us about the learning process. ❞—Shane