Grant allocation for Naíonra Béal an Mhuirthead
October 8, 2012
There was welcome news this week for Naíonra Beal an Mhuirthead with the announcement of a grant of €6,250 by minister of State Dinny McGinley.
The grant will enable the naíonra to purchase and update equipment for its existing facilities and has been welcomed by Minister of State for Tourism and sport Micheal Ring who said: “I hope Naíonra Beal an Mhuirthead will find this grant useful and I wish them continues success for the future.”
www.advertiser.ie/mayo
Published on Gaelport.com – 8th October 2012
Free Irish language classes from Sinn Féin
October 8, 2012
Sinn Féin will hold Irish language classes in the office on 70 Prospect Hill, beginning next Monday at 7pm.
The classes are available to those who have an interest in learning the Irish language and all are welcome.
The classes start off with beginner classes, aimed at those who have very little or no Irish at present. There are also plans to hold an intermediary class for those who wish to brush up and improve their language skills.
Classes are free of charge but participants ar asked to donate €2, if able, towards travel costs. After the Irish language class, there will be a music session taking place from 8pm until 9pm where people attending will be encouraged to speak Irish.
For more information on the classes call Christina and 091-567921 or 087-9737908.
www.advertiser.ie/galway
Published on Gaelport.com – 8th October 2012
Fun inside and outside of the classroom!
October 8, 2012
At this time when many newspapers are going to the wall, Irish speakers have some good news. ‘Foinse’ lost its grant a few years ago, but they could not kill off a good newspaper. It came back, smaller, but stronger, like a good boxer. It is given away free every Wednesday with the Irish Independent. In the paper edition of ‘Foinse’, there are news, features and sport as well as educational material for primary schools, post-primary schools and adults.
But the enthusiastic staff of ‘Foinse’ are not just content to put out a weekly paper. ‘Foinse’ has an Irish language Internet site (www.foinse.ie) which is updated daily. There is a wide range of educational material available on the site. Learners of Irish, both young and old will be interested in this material. Last week ‘www.foinse.ie’ announced the launch of a new free online series of resources for primary school teachers and pupils in conjunction with COGG (www.cogg.ie). More than 200 first class resources are available on line, including crosswords, posters, games, filling the gaps and lesson plans for teachers. All the resources are based on curriculum topics and are suitable for all levels.
Among the new resources are attractive coloured posters. These posters can be used on the interactive white board and with a projector, but they can also be used in a more traditional way. So, go to www.foinse.ie and click on ‘Acmhainní’ and let the fun begin- inside and outside of the classroom!
Irish classes in Muff
There are still a few places available for the 5.30-7.00 pm class in St. Mary’s Community Hall on Tuesdays. Contact the Resource Centre: (00353)749384572.
www.derryjournal.co.uk
Published on Gaelport 8th October 2012
Being bilingual ‘boosts brain power’
October 5, 2012
Learning a second language can boost brain power, scientists believe.
The US researchers from Northwestern University say bilingualism is a form of brain training – a mental “work out” that fine-tunes the mind.
Speaking two languages profoundly affects the brain and changes how the nervous system responds to sound, lab tests revealed.
Experts say the work in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides “biological” evidence of this.
For the study, the team monitored the brain responses of 48 healthy student volunteers – which included 23 who were bilingual – to different sounds.
They used scalp electrodes to trace the pattern of brainwaves.
Under quiet, laboratory conditions, both groups – the bilingual and the English-only-speaking students – responded similarly.
But against a backdrop of noisy chatter, the bilingual group were far superior at processing sounds.
They were better able to tune in to the important information – the speaker’s voice – and block out other distracting noises – the background chatter.
‘Powerful’ benefits
And these differences were visible in the brain. The bilingualists’ brainstem responses were heightened.
Prof Nina Kraus, who led the research, said: “The bilingual’s enhanced experience with sound results in an auditory system that is highly efficient, flexible and focused in its automatic sound processing, especially in challenging or novel listening conditions.”
Co-author Viorica Marian said: “People do crossword puzzles and other activities to keep their minds sharp. But the advantages we’ve discovered in dual language speakers come automatically simply from knowing and using two languages.
“It seems that the benefits of bilingualism are particularly powerful and broad, and include attention, inhibition and encoding of sound.”
Musicians appear to gain a similar benefit when rehearsing, say the researchers.
Past research has also suggested that being bilingual might help ward off dementia.
BBC NEWS
Evidence points to holding low stakes exams, Quinn says
October 5, 2012
Minister broadly accepted NCAA proposals
THERE IS compelling international evidence that students will perform better by moving away from “high stakes” exams like the Junior Cert, according to the Minister for Education and Skills.
The Junior Cert exam is to be replaced with a school- based model of assessment with an emphasis on the quality of students’ learning experience. The new system is modelled on current practice in Scotland, Finland, New Zealand and other high- performing education systems.
Ruairí Quinn said the new “lower stakes” Junior Cert would deliver a programme which would allow students to develop a wide range of skills, including critical thinking skills and basic skills such as numeracy and literacy.
It would, he added, “liberate teachers to do what they do best – teach effectively in the classroom”.
The Minister described his plan as “the most radical shake-up of the junior cycle programme since the ending of the Inter Cert in 1991”. Mr Quinn has broadly accepted proposals put forward by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to introduce a new junior cycle programme.
The most controversial plan is the proposal for teachers to assess their own students, which is vehemently opposed by the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI).
Other features of the plan include:
Most students will generally take no fewer than eight subjects and no more than 10 full subjects for certification purposes in the new junior cycle;
Students will be able to substitute two short courses for one full subject, allowing options such as Chinese or physical education or digital media literacy to be taken;
Schools will also be able to offer their own short courses in accordance with specifications provided by the NCCA. This will give schools the flexibility to tailor the programme to the needs of students i n their locality – for example, a short course might focus on an aspect of l ocal industry, agriculture or heritage;
Standardised testing will be i ntroduced in literacy and numeracy (from 2014) and in science (from 2016);
Parents will get a fuller picture of how their child is progressing at every stage of their first three years at second level, and
External supports will be available to schools who underperform in relation to national averages.
Mr Quinn said the current Junior Cert exam had dominated teaching and learning.
“The Junior Certificate is no longer a high stakes exam, yet we continue to treat it as if it were a ‘dry run’ for the Leaving Cert – to the detriment of many of our students.”
In the new exam, the State Examinations Commission (SEC) will be involved in the assessment of English, Irish and Mathematics in the initial years as recognition of the central role these subjects play in literacy and numeracy.
These subjects will be examined at higher and ordinary level, while all other subjects will be assessed at common level.
The SEC and the NCCA will also provide materials to schools to assist in ongoing assessment of students’ progress and achievement.
Explaining the changes, Mr Quinn pointed out that significant numbers of first-years did not make progress in English and maths – the key building blocks of learning. “Too many students switch off in second year and never reconnect to learning … It is high time we changed this, for the good of our students and our teachers.”
www.irishtimes.com
Quinn: Radical reforms will end ‘teaching to the test’
October 5, 2012
Education Minister Ruairi Quinn says his plan for the Junior Certificate will benefit students and mean teachers are no longer under pressure to “teach to the test”.
His radical changes will see junior cycle students examined entirely by schools instead of the State.
He has largely rubber-stamped the reforms proposed last November to change the focus of the junior cycle to learning instead of preparing students for a final exam.
However, he went beyond what the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) advised him by deciding all elements of the Junior Certificate will eventually be set and marked by students’ teachers instead of by the State Examinations Commission.
He said regular in-school assessment at lower second-level was a feature of the best education systems.
The other main elements will include:
* Most students sitting exams in eight to 10 subjects;
* The option to take up to four short courses, with marks in two to be used in place of a traditional subject;
* Final exams will be worth 60% of total marks and, except for English, Irish, and maths, will be taken in normal school time in May;
* A new five-point awards system will replace the traditional system of A, B, etc down to no grade;
* The phased introduction of changes, starting with students entering second-level in 2014, with third-year students in 2020;
* The SEC will eventually withdraw from setting and correcting the Junior Certificate.
However, though Mr Quinn says the plan will liberate teachers and students, and give parents more information on pupils’ achievements, unions have strong concerns.
The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland said it would be grossly naïve to presume a certificate awarded by a school would hold the same status as one awarded by the State, and ending an anonymously marked exam system will impact negatively on perceptions of impartiality and student-teacher relations.
“This is not about being paid to correct exams, we’re angry that there has been no consultation with us, or with parents and school managers. And we don’t have faith that the resources and funding for training or for administering exams in schools will be provided,” said ASTI general secretary Pat King.
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland said there was serious concern about increased workload against a background of slashes to school staffing and other cutbacks.
Mr Quinn rejected the TUI’s assertion that key elements of the plan were driven by budgetary rather than educational rationale. He said significant professional development for teachers and principals would start next year.
www.irishexaminer.com
Education faces a new test
October 5, 2012
FOR all its critics, the Irish educational system gets more right than wrong.
But a hardy perennial, when it comes to complaints, is the cry that our second- level schools teach by rote and that stressed students, in both the junior and senior cycles, resort to cramming in the home straight.
Yesterday Education Minister Ruairi Quinn announced a radical shake- up of the junior cycle by heralding the scrapping of the Junior Certificate, replacing it with a system of continuous assessment.
As much as 40pc of the assessment of each subject will be based on schoolwork and the rest in the shape of written exams by teachers.
Under this system there will still be standardised tests in English, Irish, Maths and Science.
This seems a progressive move and perhaps an indication of what might later apply, in some disciplines at least, in the Leaving Cert. But that is another day’s work.
The change, however, has not been unreservedly welcomed. Teachers’ unions have expressed fears that abolishing traditional state exams could erode parents’ trust in the system.
And then there is the issue of the necessary resources to fashion this new assessment process. Are there any?
The first batch of pupils to experience this brave new world start secondary school in the autumn of 2014.
That doesn’t give the Department of Education a whole lot of time to iron out any wrinkles, but plenty of time for its critics to expose any lingering flaws.
www.independent.ie
Suirbhé: An Ghaeilge agus Pobal na Scoile
October 5, 2012
Minister Quinn announces major reform of the Junior Certificate
October 4, 2012
The Minister for Education and Skills is announcing a radical reform of the Junior Certificate. Plans unveiled today by Minister Ruairí Quinn T.D. will see students rather than examinations at the centre of the new approach to assessment.
“We already know that significant numbers of first years do not make progress in English and Maths – the key building blocks of learning,” said Minister Quinn.
“Too many students ‘switch off’ in second year and never reconnect to learning. We know that the experience of third year students is dominated by preparations for the Junior Certificate exams where the focus narrows to the performance in the examination rather than the quality of the learning. It is high time we changed this – for the good of our students and our teachers.”
The Minister’s plans amount to the most radical shake-up of the junior cycle programme since the ending of the Intermediate Certificate and Group Certificate examinations in 1991. Minister Quinn has broadly accepted proposals put forward by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment to introduce a new junior cycle programme.
Schools will be expected to deliver a programme that will enable students to develop a wide range of skills, including critical thinking skills and basic skills such as numeracy and literacy.
Most students will generally take no fewer than 8 subjects and no more than 10 full subjects for certification purposes in the new junior cycle. Students can substitute two short courses for one full subject, allowing options such as Chinese or Physical Education or Digital Media Literacy to be taken. Schools will also be able to offer their own short courses in accordance with specifications provided by the NCCA. This will give schools the flexibility to tailor the programme to the needs of students in their locality – for example, a short course might focus on an aspect of local industry, agriculture or heritage.
Minister Quinn has recognised that the current examination has dominated teaching and learning. He said, “The Junior Certificate is no longer a high stakes exam, yet we continue to treat it as if it were a ‘dry run’ for the Leaving Cert – to the detriment of many of our students. There is compelling evidence from many countries that shows more students will perform better by moving away from such terminal exams.”
The terminal Junior Certificate Examinations will be replaced with a school-based model of assessment with an emphasis on the quality of students’ learning experience. This will be done on a phased basis with English being the first subject to be introduced to First Year students in 2014.
The State Examinations Commission (SEC) will be involved in the assessment of English, Irish and Mathematics in the initial years as recognition of the central role these subjects play in literacy and numeracy. These subjects will be examined at higher and ordinary level, while all other subjects will be assessed at common level. The SEC and the NCCA will also provide materials to schools to assist in on-going assessment of students’ progress and achievement.
This school-based model of assessment is just one element of the changed approach to assessment in the new junior cycle. From 2014, students in second year will sit standardised tests in English reading and Maths, and Irish reading in Irish-medium schools. From 2016 standardised testing in Science will also be included. The NCCA is also developing a new report card for parents which will give them much more information about their son or daughter’s learning progress.
Minister Quinn continued, “This is not about our schools, students and teachers doing more work at junior cycle. It is about them doing things differently. Teachers are already doing a great job, but they are often hamstrung by pressure to teach to the test. The new reformed junior cycle will liberate teachers and their students. Parents too will benefit by knowing much more about their children’s achievements over the three years of junior cycle than they could ever find out from a State Exam certificate at the end of Junior Cert.”
The new focus on assessment will require significant Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers and principals. These programmes of support will begin in 2013.
“I have listened to teachers and principals who have asked for the new junior cycle to be fully resourced. The changes I am announcing today are not about saving money, in fact they will cost us considerably more than if I were to do nothing. However, even in these very difficult financial times, this Government believes in investing in our children and I will provide all the resources necessary to ensure the success of the new junior cycle,” Minister Quinn concluded.
Today’s announcement follows the publication of Towards a Framework for Junior Cycle – Innovation and Identity by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) last November. Detailed discussions have taken place between the NCCA, DES officials, the SEC and education partners on its implementation.
Dr. Anne Looney, CEO of the NCCA said, “Following the NCCA review of Junior Cycle, it was clear that we needed to begin the process of moving away from a terminal examination towards a greater emphasis on school-based assessment, and we advised the Minister on that basis. He has accepted that advice and taken it a step further, signalling an end to the terminal examination as we know it so that we can focus on developing a school-based model for its own sake, rather than as an add-on to what we currently do in the Junior Certificate Examination. For a system so used to examinations, it will be a challenge for everyone – inside and outside the system – to adapt to the new mindset. But the research evidence is clear on the benefits of that new mindset – for teachers, for students and their parents. And that the benefits travel with the students into the next phase of their post-primary education.”
Aidan Farrell, CEO of the SEC said, “The SEC looks forward to working with the Department, the NCCA and education partners on the implementation of these proposals. We will work closely with the NCCA on the design and development of the assessment toolkit which will support schools and teachers in the delivery of the new assessment model.
The SEC will play a critical role in supporting the change initiative while continuing to deliver the current Junior Certificate examinations. Crucially, the change at junior cycle presents an opportunity for a refocusing of efforts at senior cycle towards more varied forms of assessment across all examinations subjects”.
Fr Mícheál Mac Gréil lecture on Youth Work as Gaeilge
October 4, 2012
Feachtas, Óg-Ghluaiseacht na Gaeilge, are organising an event on 17 October, where Fr Mícheál Mac Gréil will give a speech entitled ‘The importance of working with youth in the Irish Language community’.
Fr. Mícheál Mac Gréil has dedicated 30 years of his life working with youth in the Irish Language community. He was awarded a a commemorative plaque in March this year to celebrate his achievements.
During his talk which will be directed at TDs and city councils, Fr Mac Gréil will discuss the need for more resources for young people learning Irish and the importance of working with young people in the Irish language.
The open event will take place at Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, 46 Kildare St, Dublin 2 on 17 October at 6pm and drinks and refreshments will be provided. RSVP before 12 October.
Contact details: ursula.feachtas@gmail.com
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