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Ruth Forrest

Dr. Ruth Forrest

Dissertation Supervisor
Dr. Ruth Forrest is an experienced educator, academic, and leader in higher education, with a career spanning primary, secondary, and tertiary education. She is currently the Vice-President of Longford International College, Ireland, where she plays a pivotal role in curriculum development and postgraduate teaching.

Overview

Dr. Ruth Forrest is an experienced educator, academic, and leader in higher education, with a career spanning primary, secondary, and tertiary education. She is currently the Vice-President of Longford International College, Ireland, where she plays a pivotal role in curriculum development and postgraduate teaching.

Dr. Forrest holds a PhD in Philosophy from Dublin City University, where she was awarded a medal for Academic Excellence in Research. She also has an MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology, and an MEd in Educational Leadership and Management from the Open University, UK. Additionally, she holds a BSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy and a BEd in Primary Education from Trinity College Dublin and other certifications which reflect her diverse range of interests and skills.

Before transitioning into higher education, Dr. Forrest served as a Principal Teacher in an Irish rural primary school, where she led strategic policy development, human resource management, and curriculum implementation. She later moved into academia, taking on roles at Froebel College of Education, Dublin City University, and Maynooth University, where she lectured in diverse subject areas such as Early Childhood Education, Research Methods, Education Administration, and Mathematics Competency.

Her research interests include leadership in education, coaching for female leaders, Sport and Exercise Psychology, and Teacher-Education. She has supervised numerous postgraduate dissertations and frequently presents at international education conferences across Europe.

Beyond academia, Dr. Forrest is passionate about choral singing and has performed at prestigious venues, including the Vatican, Carnegie Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall. A dedicated sea swimmer, she engages in daily swimming on Inis Mór, Aran Islands off the West Coast of Ireland.

Areas of expertise

  • Educational Leadership and Management
  • Teacher Training and Development
  • Sport and Exercise Psychology
  • Counselling and Psychotherapy
  • Coaching for Female Leaders
  • Research Supervision and Dissertation Guidance
  • Religious Education and Spiritual Formation

Research interests

  • Leadership and Coaching for Women in Business
  • Sport and Exercise Psychology
  • The Role of Spirituality in Education
  • Online Teaching and Learning
  • Person-Centred Psychotherapy

Publications

  • Conference papers presented internationally (detailed below)

Conferences, Talks, and Speaking Engagements

  • Milan (2024): AI In, Academic Writing Out? Reflections on Trialling an AI Software application in an Irish Undergraduate Teacher Education Programme
  • Kracow (2023): The Influence of Role-play in Personal and Professional Learning in Teacher Education Programs: The Transfer of Drama Pedagogy and Practice
  • Riga (2022): Relatedness” in the process of Online Teaching and Learning – applying Seligman’s PERMA model
  • Palma (2018): EDDIE’S APPS. Education students (BEds) devise a “hAPPy” and share APP recommendations to help Eddie to stay well…
  • Lisbon (2017): To what extent do male and female students differ in terms of their perceptions of the challenges of the School Placement Experience and to what degree does this impact on their performance on the placement?
  • Germany (2016): Friedrich Froebel and the Enneagram
  • Riga (2015): Arranged Marriages and Pre-nuptial Agreements in Peer Placement within Initial Teacher Education: An Irish Proposal
  • Izmir (2014): Back to the Future? The Role of Arts Education Methodologies for Revised Bachelor of Education Religious Education Programmes in an Irish Teacher Education Context
  • Madrid (2013): “UP and Running”: Using YouTube to motivate learners in Initial Teacher Education to tackle the theme of Ageism in Primary School Classrooms
  • Athens (2012): The “Other ” in Me – an exploration of empathy in practice
  • Istanbul (2012): Towards a reflective and communicative approach to the practice of supervision in Initial Teacher Education
  • Braga (2011): Reviewing an Irish Teacher Education Programme with an Emphasis on Embracing Inter-culturalism and Diversity.
  • Riga (2011): Teachers’ Lifecycle from Initial Teacher Education to Experienced Professional
  • Palma (2010):How effective is the combination of Intercultural Storytelling using Educational Drama and Meditation as a therapeutic tool in combating student-teacher burn-out?
  • Budapest (2009): Knowledge Creation and Educational Drama in the Infant Classroom
  • Brussels (2008): Divide and conquer? Add and subtract? Approaches to strengthening the mathematical content knowledge of Teacher Education students for primary schools in Ireland.

Awards and Honors

  • Medal for Academic Excellence in Research (Dublin City University)