Niall Halpenny

Biography

Niall works as a post-primary teacher of English and History. He qualified from University College Dublin (UCD) in 2013 and has since worked in schools in both the UK and Ireland. He completed his Master in Education (M.Ed.) in 2024 in which his research focused on 'Second-level teachers' experiences and perceptions of team teaching'. Niall is in the first year of the D.Ed. programme and his doctoral research focuses on teacher agency in the enactment of creative writing in the Junior Cycle English classroom. 
 
Niall developed a deep love of literature as a teenager and hopes to inspire this love of reading and writing in his students. His research topic stems from his professional experience as a classroom teacher and witnessing the changing nature of classroom creative writing experiences in the context of curricular reforms. He is particularly interested in the potential of creative writing as a vehicle for student self-actualisation, expression, and critical thinking about the world as well as exploring the relationship between creativity and assessment in schools.