Santa to visit Harcourt Street
December 4, 2013
Comhluadar Teo., who are located at No. 6 Harcourt Street in the heart of Dublin, are organizing a family event from 11am-1pm on Saturday, 7th December 2013. Santa will make a special appearance at this special family day our which is free for all to enjoy.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Aistear na heolaíochta
December 4, 2013
New research published on www.cogg.ie
December 4, 2013
Meanma na Nollag beo láidir ag Fleadh Feirste
December 4, 2013
Minister Quinn seeks views on how best to use technology in the classroom
December 3, 2013
Public consultation phase for new Digital Strategy for Schools launched
Parents, teachers, students, industry and academics are being asked for their views on how best to make use of computers and technology in the classroom.
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., launched the public consultation phase of the development of a new Digital Strategy for Schools today.
The public consultations phase will feed into the development of a new strategy on the use of ICT in teaching and learning in primary and post primary schools. This follows on from a comprehensive online survey of principals and teachers which took place earlier in the year. The findings from the survey, the public consultation process and focus groups to be held next year will together inform the new strategy.
Minister Quinn said, “The potential for using technology in the classroom is huge – but we need to be asking ourselves important policy questions like what is the actual benefit we expect from using technology in schools and how do we measure progress? How can we further embed ICT seamlessly across all curricula?”
“In this consultation phase, we are particularly interested in hearing from schools, parents, industry and academics on how we can genuinely use technology to improve teaching and learning in our classrooms – but also bearing in mind the challenging financial environment that many families and schools are facing.”
“We already have some excellent examples of schools who are using technology to innovate in the classroom. Our challenge now is to ensure that every child in every school has the same opportunities to engage with technology across all aspects of the curriculum,” he concluded.
A key aspect to supporting the use of technology is broadband in schools. This includes the introduction of 100 Mbps broadband to all post primary schools and investment in broadband for primary schools to ensure continued improvements in connections available to schools.
The new Digital Strategy for Schools will be completed during 2014, and will set out how resources, policies and projects can be prioritised and organised throughout the school system for the next five years.
At the launch of the public consultation, principals spoke of their experience of using ICT in their schools. Dr. Deirdre Butler of St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, outlined the potential of ICT to support teaching and learning in schools taking account of recent curriculum changes and the international experience. The views of the students were also heard.
The closing dates for submissions is 31st January 2014. Submissions can be made via Digital Strategy for Schools
Scrúdú TEG C1 (Ardleibhéal)
December 3, 2013
Comhsheimineár Aistear: Cumarsáid – An Teanga Labhartha, an Litearthacht, an Uimhearthacht Laethúil & Rannpháirtíocht na dTuismitheoirí
December 3, 2013
Weekend for Irish learners in Gaoth Dobhair
December 3, 2013
Gaelturas organises Irish language adult education classes which are designed to be fun and enjoyable and are focused on speaking the Irish language along with giving learners a strong taste of the traditions of the Donegal Gaeltacht with respect to music, singing, and dance!
Gaelturas in association with Cumann Cultúrtha Mhic Reachtain is organising a weekend for Irish learners in Tigh Hiúdaí Beag, Gaoth Dobhair, Co. Dhún na nGall from 6th -8th December 2013.
Fee: €60 nor €130 including accommodation in Teach Campbell
For information on events and timetable contact:
Cormac Ó Cuinn: 00353 (0) 74 9560 474
Doiminic Mac Giolla Bhríde : 00353 (87) 985 1258
or visit: www.gaelturas.com
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Impact of austerity means Junior Cert change is a big ask
December 3, 2013
The timeframe for junior-cycle reform should be changed to deliver what has been promised
The Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) recognises the huge importance of a high quality public education system. So, we believe, does the Minister for Education. We know that an ongoing process of development is essential to meet the needs of every individual student, of society at large and of the Irish economy. However, we believe that change that is rash, and for which adequate preparation has not been made, can cause lasting damage to the system and particularly to individual students.
While respecting that the curriculum should evolve, the TUI is adamant that we must not mimic the experience of England, where pendulum swings in policy have caused systemic damaged and have demoralised both teachers and students. Change must be properly planned, managed and resourced. In three bilateral meetings since mid-October, the TUI has given the Department of Education and Skills every opportunity to provide hard, practical evidence that the current proposals for change in junior cycle, which start next September, will be properly resourced to enable effective implementation. The Department has consistently failed to supply such evidence.
The Junior Cert may not be a high-stakes exam, but it is an important record of a young person’s achievement and progress at a critical developmental stage of life. A “school crest” certification process runs the real risk of debasing the value of the certificate and reducing public confidence in the assessment system. The TUI believes the retention of an appropriate form of external assessment and moderation and State certification is necessary to maintain standards, ensure consistency and support equity. In this regard, TUI has sought greater clarity in relation to assessment but regrettably, this has not been forthcoming. Teachers are concerned that they will be overwhelmed with administrative demands and diverted from their core responsibilities of teaching, resulting in a diminished student engagement and experience. Parents and teachers are rightly worried.
Scorched environment
It would be folly for anybody, the Minister included, to ignore the scorched environment that austerity has created in schools. Every parent knows that schools have been stripped bare. Teacher numbers have been slashed, class sizes have increased, senior posts have disappeared, budgets have been dramatically reduced and thousands of key pastoral resources such as guidance counsellors and year heads have been lost. Teachers, including principal and deputy principal teachers, have never been more stretched, with workloads already dramatically increased as a consequence of larger class groups, reduced staffing and a plethora of new bureaucratic demands and initiatives. Furthermore, the capacity of schools to raise any private funds has diminished significantly. Together, these factors represent a threat to the day-to-day operation of services in schools. A significant threat looms for many students in small, yet viable schools who will simply not have access to the diverse curriculum opportunities available in larger schools. Matters of curricular access and social equity have, therefore, not been addressed and we must avert a further layer of rural disadvantage or polarisation based on postcode or on a family’s relative wealth or poverty,
Whatever capacity to implement change that might have been there before the austerity cuts has long since been stripped out of the system. Every school is now considerably less well equipped to deal with radical change than five years ago. At a time when schools lack the most basic resources, how can they be expected to provide the technical expertise, access to ICT, differentiated learning opportunities and other required facilities? Connectivity is needed; not just to broadband, but to a rooted sense of realism.
Gerard Craughwell is president of the TUI
www.irishtimes.com
Major international assessment shows Ireland’s 15 year olds improve dramatically in Science
December 3, 2013
Irish students among best in OECD in reading literacy
The latest OECD PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results show that in 2012, Ireland’s 15-year-olds are among the best OECD countries in reading and are performing significantly above the OECD average in mathematics and science. These results show significant improvements in all areas when compared to the last PISA results in 2009.
Ireland has seen most improvement in science where it is now ranked 9th out of 34 OECD countries; this is up five places since 2009. Ireland is placed 4th out of 34 countries for reading and 13th of the 34 OECD countries for mathematics.
In reading, Irish students have outperformed countries like New Zealand, Australia, Northern Ireland, the UK and US and are now ranked 4th out of 34 OECD countries. Ireland is performing at a similar level to Finland in reading and ahead of all other European countries.
Irish students’ performance in mathematics is now above the OECD average and ranked 13th out of 34 countries. But, it should be noted that there has been a small decline in the average score across OECD countries between 2009 and 2012, and this contributed to Ireland’s above average position in 2012.
There had been an unexpected drop in the performance of Irish students in reading and maths in 2009 and the lost ground has now been recovered. However, mathematics and reading scores have remained relatively unchanged since Ireland first participated in PISA in 2000. In contrast, the performance of Irish students in science has improved compared to all previous cycles.
Commenting on the PISA 2012 results published by the OECD today, the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., said: “I welcome the publication of these important results from the OECD PISA tests. While these are only one set of test results at one point in time, I am delighted to see Irish students performing well in reading and science and quite well in mathematics. I want to thank especially teachers who do so much to advance the learning of their students and to the students themselves who participated in the tests.
“I am particularly delighted to see the improvement in the science scores of our students.
“However, we cannot be complacent. While we are doing well, we are not among the top performers internationally, especially in relation to mathematics, where our students are scoring just above the OECD average. We have made good progress in improving the performance of lower achieving students in mathematics and reading but our higher achieving students are underperforming relative to students in other countries.
“PISA 2012 also shows that we must continue to promote reading among boys and mathematics among girls. Indeed, we have to continue to improve all our students’ performance, if we are to achieve a world class educational system. All students need to be challenged and motivated to achieve to their full potential through better quality learning and teaching.
“PISA 2012 shows that it takes time for initiatives to impact on performance. It is only now that we are seeing the positive impact of revisions to the science curriculum at primary level in 1999 and the Junior Cycle in 2003 which focus on practical investigation by students. In the next round of PISA in 2015, we should begin to see the impact of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, and of Project Maths, which is now being experienced by all students starting Junior Cycle.”
Minister Quinn concluded, “The findings of PISA 2012 are a testament to the good practice that takes place on a daily basis in our schools in terms of implementing reform and engaging in quality teaching and learning. I congratulate our schools on these achievements. I know that we can be among the very best performing countries in the world and I urge all those in the education system to continue to work together to achieve this.”
www.education.ie
