Comhdháil Oideachais 2012 – Go raibh míle maith agaibh!
November 28, 2012
More cuts for Irish medium education
November 28, 2012
The Department of Education and Skills announced today that the Irish language council COGG is to merge with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
A representative of the Department made the announcement to delegates of this year’s Irish medium education conference, organised by Gaelscoileanna and by Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta, held in Glaway.
COGG provides support services to Irish medium schools and post-primary Irish medium schools as well as Irish language resources and research in the area.
The body currently only employs two staff as the Department had ruled out filling internal vacancies in the organisation.
COGG was established under Article 31 of the Education Act 1998, after a long campaign by Irish language organisations
Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge, Gaelscoileanna and Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta.
Speaking at the conference today, Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills stated: “These new arrangements will allow COGG to concentrate its resources on its core functions of providing teaching resources to support the teaching of Irish in tandem with the NCCA’s work on revising the curriculum. The general administrative functions, which are a considerable burden on a small staff, will now be provided by the NCCA,”
“In this new arrangement, COGG will retain a separate identity under the aegis of the NCCA. The move will strengthen its ability to support Irish-medium education and the teaching of Irish generally”, he said.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Seán Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills, addresses Annual Conference of Gaelscoileanna and Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta
November 27, 2012
Major changes for Irish and Irish-medium education signalled
Changes to the curriculum in Irish in Irish-medium and mainstream schools, compulsory oral Irish tests at junior cycle, the expansion of Irish-medium schooling, and improvements in Irish in teacher education are among the major developments signalled by Sean Ó Foghlú, Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills today.
In a wide-ranging speech to the joint annual conference of Gaelscoileanna and Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta in Galway, Mr Ó Foghlú said that the Department of Education and Skills was fully committed to implementing the ambitious actions in the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language.
The Department has prioritised key areas for action, including steps to increase the supply of Irish-medium schooling and the provision of better curricula for Irish in Irish-medium and mainstream schools.
Mr Ó Foghlú said, “The Department of Education and Skills will strive, over the life-time of the Strategy, to make Irish-medium education available to all students whose parents wish to avail of it.”
He cited the current process of divesting primary schools in areas of stable populations as an opportunity which could see more schools to operate as gaelscoileanna, should there be parental demand.
At post-primary level he said, “We will continue to identify areas where there is a need for a new gaelcholáiste in accordance with a threshold of demand of 400 pupils which is considerably lower than the equivalent 800 for English medium schools. We are also conscious of the need to explore the potential of other options such as Irish language units and Irish language streams.”
Mr Ó Foghlú also noted that substantial change was underway in initial teacher education. The changes are intended to strengthen the teaching of Irish in colleges and to ensure that teachers’ standards of Irish and their ability to teach the language are enhanced.
The Secretary General said that the Literacy and Numeracy strategy of the Department had recognised the need to revise the curriculum at primary and post-primary level and that this work was underway at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
“We expect that the oral language test will be a compulsory part of the new syllabus and assessment requirements for Irish, in accordance with the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle launched last month by Minister Quinn,” he said.
In parallel at junior cycle, an optional additional short course in advanced Irish would be made available to use by students in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht schools; this has been a long-standing demand of Irish-medium education interests.
“Such a short course would allow students in Irish-medium schools to study and gain credit for an ability in the language at a significantly advanced level,” he said.
Mr Ó Foghlú also announced that the Department had decided to integrate An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) under the aegis of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).
“These new arrangements will allow COGG to concentrate its resources on its core functions of providing teaching resources to support the teaching of Irish in tandem with the NCCA’s work on revising the curriculum. The general administrative functions, which are a considerable burden on a small staff, will now be provided by the NCCA,” he stated.
In this new arrangement, COGG will retain a separate identity under the aegis of the NCCA. The move will strengthen its ability to support Irish-medium education and the teaching of Irish generally.
Education Conference on November 23rd – Programme available
November 19, 2012
This year’s conference will be hosted in partnership with Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta Teo. Comhdháil Oideachais GAELSCOILEANNA TEO. agus Eagraíocht na Scoileanna Gaeltachta Teo. will be held in the Ardilaun Hotel in Galway on November 23rd 2012.
Conference Programme
Resolutions and nominations
GAELSCOILEANNA TEO. would like to encourage schools’ participation in the work of the organisation and on its board of directors, so that it is fully representative of its members. Information on how to put forward resolutions and nominations for the organisation’s AGM is available here.
- To submit a Resolution: Foirm Rúin
- To submit a nomination: Foirm Ainmniúcháin
Information on membership of GAELSCOILEANNA TEO. is available here.
Membership form: Membership Form Jan-Dec 2012
Exhibition space at the Conference
Unfortunately all of our exhibition spaces are booked out for this year’s conference. You are very welcome to contact the Development Officer if you wish to be added to a waiting list.
Accommodation
Information on the rates in the Ardilaun and on alternative accommodation is available here.
Register to attend
Schools and organisations can register delegates to attend the conference by filling out the form below. If there are more than four delegates to attend from any one school/organisation, please contact our office directly on 01 8535193 or oifig@gaelscoileanna.ie instead of registering online, as you will be eligible for a discount.
Oops! We could not locate your form.
Tacaíocht don Áisaonad
November 19, 2012
Gaelscoileanna ‘apartheid’ – Letter in the Irish Times
October 30, 2012
A chara, – The “To Be Honest” column by a parent (Education Today, October 23rd) was such a misrepresentation of Irish-medium schools that it cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. Its publication in the Education section of The Irish Times lends it an authority that is very damaging to the public perception of Irish-medium schools.
Irish-medium schools are united by their language ethos, but as diverse as any other arbitrary grouping of schools in every other way. A gaelscoil may operate under any patron body and may be denominational or not. Gaelscoileanna exist in every county in Ireland including Northern Ireland and they serve populations as diverse as their geographical locations; small towns, socially disadvantaged suburbs, rural communities, city centres or a “middle-class area of South Dublin” – wherever the local community has campaigned for a gaelscoil to be established.
Irish-medium schools are open to all pupils regardless of their linguistic and social background or their level of ability. They are as willing and well-equipped as any English-medium school to cater for all pupils’ educational needs. Communicating this to parents is made difficult when opinion pieces such as the aforementioned are published without information of substance on what an Irish-medium school is and how school enrolment policies work.
Parents and patrons alike have been calling for plurality and diversity in our education system for years. To have an inflammatory and misleading opinion piece about schools of a particular ethos published in the paper of record at a time when the Department of Education Skills has committed to providing for parental choice in the form of the surveys on diversity of patronage runs counter to everything the education community has been working towards.
The column did not recognise that many Irish-medium schools face considerable challenges. More than a third of Irish-medium schools are without a permanent school building; 39 per cent of primary and 36 per cent of post-primary Irish-medium schools. Ten per cent of Irish-medium schools are recognised as DEIS schools by the Department of Education Skills and are focused on addressing and prioritising the educational needs of young people from disadvantaged communities. That the demand for new gaelscoileanna remains high in spite of the difficulties the established schools often face speaks volumes about how parents have faith in the immersion-education model and community-led education.
While it’s true that most of the parents who choose Irish-medium education for their children do not speak Irish themselves, it does a great disservice to the parents of the 45,000 children who are attending Irish-medium schools at present to assume that their decision to enrol their child in a gaelscoil was made for elitist reasons. It does an even greater disservice to those parents who have chosen Irish-medium education for their children despite having neither Irish nor English as a first language, parents who appreciate that their children will start school on an even footing with other pupils who will also be learning through a language that is new to most of them, in a school where linguistic diversity is truly valued.
The story of how Irish-medium schools have grown and are flourishing is one rooted in community spirit and a sense of common purpose and the schools deserve to be celebrated for all they have achieved. – Is mise,
NÓRA Ní LOINGSIGH,
Acting CEO,
GAELSCOILEANNA TEO,
Institiúid Oideachais Marino,
Ascaill Uí Ghríofa,
Baile Átha Cliath 9.
www.irishtimes.com
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”.
Cumann na bhFiann Youth Clubs 2012-2013
October 2, 2012
Cumann an bhFiann Youth Clubs are up and running again across the country! Irish-medium school pupils (classes 4-6 and post-primary pupils) are always welcome to attend these clubs. It gives the pupils an opportunity to use Irish socially outside of school hours, which enriches the relevance of the language in the pupil’s life.
The list of clubs is available to view here: Cumann na bhFiann 2012-2013
Spraoi sa Seomra Ranga le Foinse Óg
September 27, 2012
www.Foinse.ie today announced the launch of a new online suite of free learning resources for Primary School teachers and students in conjunction with COGG (www.cogg.ie).
Hundreds of top-quality resources, including crosswords, posters, games, fill in the blanks and lesson plans for teachers are now available online for free at www.foinse.ie.
The resources are all based on curriculum themes allowing teachers to build entire lessons around the free resources online. The variety of resources to be found on www.foinse.ie means that there is something for all levels of Irish language.
Building on Foinse’s reputation for top class educational material, these resources have been developed by Primary School teachers for Primary School teachers. The resources are suitable for all levels of Irish language learners and can be used across many different areas of the curriculum.
The new resources include engaging colourful posters based on themes within the curriculum. These posters are designed for ease of use on interactive whiteboards and projectors but can also be printed out and used in a more traditional way.
Interactive games, crosswords, jigsaws and fill in the blank exercises are all part of the suite of resources too allowing teachers to cater for different levels of ability within one class.
Each week during the school term, there will be a lesson plan in Foinse (available with the Irish Independent every Wednesday) that links in to the resources online allowing teachers and parents the chance to keep children engaged and excited about the Irish language.
All you have to do to get started is logon to www.foinse.ie and click on our acmhainní tab to see the whole range of resources available and start having fun in the seomra ranga.
