About

Julieanne Devlin B.Ed., M.Sc. 

I’m a primary school teacher, author and creator of classroom-based language resources. I am a lifelong believer in the power of language to shape how children think, learn and connect with the world around them.

Based in County Donegal, I’ve spent my career working in primary education. I hold a B.Ed., a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and a Master of Science in Education. Every day in the classroom has reinforced something I feel deeply: that confident, capable communication is at the heart of all learning. When children have the words, they have the power.

This belief led me to create Language for Living, a whole-school approach to developing oral language and vocabulary in a meaningful, practical and engaging way. What began as a response to the needs I saw in my own classroom and school has since grown into a resource used in schools across Ireland and beyond – something I’m incredibly proud of.

Alongside this, I am also the author of Nibbler’s Adventures – a series of large-format books designed for junior classrooms. While originally developed to support play-based learning, the books place a strong emphasis on oral language, vocabulary development, and mathematical thinking through rich, detailed illustrations, with a simplified Irish version included to support language development across the curriculum. Like all of my work, they were created with the realities of the classroom in mind, with a strong focus on oral language and vocabulary development.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to share this work more widely – speaking at events such as the International Teaching and Learning Conference in Birmingham, the IPPN Annual Principals’ Conference & Education Expo and in education centres across Ireland, as well as facilitating face-to-face summer courses for teachers. These experiences have allowed me to connect with educators who share the same goal: giving children the language they need to succeed.

My work has always been rooted in real classrooms, real children and real challenges. I’m especially passionate about closing the “word gap” and ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has access to the language they need to thrive, both academically and socially.

Alongside my work in education, I’m also a mum to six wonderful children. They keep me grounded, busy and constantly learning (and, more often than not, running from one thing to the next). I’ve always had a love of storytelling and children’s literature, which continues to shape my work in and out of the classroom.

In this season of life, I’ve taken a step back from the pace of wider professional commitments to focus more on family and teaching, but my passion for language, learning and supporting teachers hasn’t gone anywhere.

I will continue to share ideas, reflections and practical approaches to teaching oral language, drawn from experience, shaped by research and always with the realities of the classroom in mind.

Because at the end of the day, language isn’t just another subject. It’s the foundation for everything.