New funding model discussed in NI Assembly
November 6, 2013
The Committee of Culture, Arts and Leisure (CCAL) welcomed Foras na Gaeilge to the Northern Ireland Assembly recently to discuss the implication of the new funding model on the Irish language in the six counties.
A new funding model for the Irish language Voluntary Sector was announced in July 2013 when a final decision regarding the model proposed by Foras na Gaeilge was announced by the North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC).
Under the new system, 6 lead organisations operating on an all-island basis will replace the 19 current core-funded organisations and will deliver services according to 6 strategic priorities.
The timeline for the restructure of the sector was announced recently and welcomed all organisations to submit an expression of interest by 30 October 2013.
CCAL raised several questions throughout the discussion with Foras na Gaeilge regarding the concern among organisations in the north about the effect the new structure will have on the particular areas of work that have been progressed over many years relating to the promotion of Irish in the 6 counties. The committee maintained that the state of the language is completely different in both jurisdictions and described the concern that is in the community regarding the damage that the new structure could have on the sector.
There are currently seven core-funded bodies based in the six counties and it is unknown how many will remain under the new model. The committee drew attention to the important cross community work carried out by Iontaobhas Ultach over many years and the significant research done by Pobal regarding the state of the language and language rights in the jurisdiction.
The committee emphasised the importance of this experience and expertise in any progress made in the future and believed that valuable resources will be lost under the new structure. Committee members also raised the matter of the representation of northern organisations on the development forum. Members agreed that the details of the Business Case, which is with the Department of Culture, Leisure and Arts for consideration, regarding advisers and change of management should have been put in place long before now. Foras na Gaeilge informed CCAL that each lead-organisation would operate on an all-island basis which means that staff would be based in both jurisdictions.
It was stated that organisations in the south have vast experience in dealing with the promotion of the Irish language in the six counties and that the new model would have a positive effect on cross-community areas of work as there will be more emphasis placed on the work of local groups active on the ground.
While Foras na Gaeilge will not be responsible for the recruitment of lead-organisations, they will be advising that the expertise within the current sector be prioritised in any recruitment process. Every effort will be made to keep the expertise of the 19 core-funded bodies within the new sector layout and that it is hoped pay scales will remain the same for the most part.
Foras na Gaeilge stated that the new structure would not be able to accommodate all employees within the current set-up but it has been recommended that organisations amalgamate as part of the application process. It is understood that several organisations are in talks regarding amalgamations however, Foras na Gaeilge said that they are in no position to push bodies together during the process. Organisations will be permitted to amalgamate in spite of submitting an expression of interest as a single body.
CCAL emphasised the importance of the various projects carried out constantly by organisations and agreed that all projects must continue under the new model. Foras na Gaeilge have committed to facilitating the transfer of projects to new organisations in order to ensure that the important work carried out over the years will remain in place.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
Significant weaknesses in teaching of Irish
November 6, 2013
Chief Inspector’s Report shows major flaws in the learning and teaching of Irish in the education system.
The Report compiled by Chief Inspector Harold Hislop is based on the details of both announced and unannounced inspections carried out by the Department of Education and Skills between 2010 and 2012 and details the quality of learning and teaching of all subjects in Ireland’s schools.
This is the first time that the report has been published publically and while the quality of most subjects has been praised, the Chief Inspector has been critical of the approach to the teaching of Irish.
According to the report, the quality of Irish lessons is unsatisfactory in 24% of primary schools and 28% of post-primary schools. It found that 22% of students were not pupils were not provided with opportunities to learn through talk and discussion, one of the fundamental requirements of language learning. The inspection and Whole School Evaluations (WSE) found that students must be given greater opportunities to be provided to pupils to work collaboratively during Irish lessons, and for the language learning to be consolidated.
The report found that preparation and planning were of utmost importance in schools were the teaching of Irish was of a high standard. It estimates that 22% of teachers do not sufficiently prepare for lessons and as a result a significant amount of students are not being provided with the appropriate learning programme.
Inspectors noted that the assessment process was unsatisfactory in 35% of Irish lessons. The Chief Inspector’s Report found that this figure demonstrated the need of primary schools to make planned, systematic provision for assessing pupils’ learning of the main language skills in Irish.
A deficiency in resources for teaching Irish was recognised as a significant challenge in 20% of lessons and was also noted as challenge at post-primary level. The Inspectorate, in its 2007 report, Irish in the Primary School, recommended the implementation of a programme similar to Séideán Sí (currently in use in Gaeltacht and all-Irish schools) in all schools however, there has been no implementation of such a programme. It is hoped that the work of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and will have a significant impact on this inadequacy.
The report highlights the need for greater attention to phonological awareness at post-primary level, a stronger focus on the acquisition of language structures and grammar rules and the consolidation of newly-acquired aspects of language. It recommends that lessons focus more on the target language and avoid translations. Inspector reports also found that found that in a small but significant number of classrooms, teachers’ own linguistic skills were deficient.
Foilsithe ar Gaelport.com
€1.2m ar fáil do sheirbhís úr nuachta
November 6, 2013
An M. Oid. san Oideachas Lán-Ghaeilge seolta go hoifigiúil ag an gComhairle Mhúinteoireachta i gColáiste Mhuire gan Smál
November 6, 2013
Special Offer from Forever Languages
November 5, 2013
Forever Languages is a brand new Irish company with a passion for languages. Our aim is to instil a love of languages in students of all ages and abilities.
We have a number of books for Irish-medium schools available for purchase. We have a special offer for Gaelscoileanna.ie until November 30th 2013, which gives a 10% discount and free delivery for all orders. Just mention Gaelscoileanna.ie when you place your order to avail of the discount, or use coupon code GAEL when you purchase from our website www.foreverlanguages.com
Some of the books in this special offer include:
On y va! 1 – French textbook with accompanying CD for 1st year students, specifically designed for Irish-medium schools.
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…à la française – French resource book and CD for beginners level in primary school or 1st year in secondary school. Detailed lesson plans for each subject area – maths, history, geography, science, art and P.E. This is a fully photocopiable resource.
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Corn an Earagail
November 5, 2013
Gairmscoil Chú Uladh – Bliots Cispheile idirscoile
November 5, 2013
School inspectors criticise standards of teaching in maths and Irish
November 5, 2013
Teaching quality and standards in all other subjects were found to be satisfactory Report includes assessments after announced and unannounced inspections
School inspectors have highlighted unsatisfactory quality standards in the teaching of maths and Irish in schools. However, teaching in all other subject areas holds up better, with more positive assessments, a report by the chief inspector of schools has found. The report shows that a quarter of Irish lessons at primary level during inspections were unsatisfactory. In post-primary schools, about a third of Irish lessons were ranked as unsatisfactory, as were a quarter of maths lessons. And while maths learning in primary schools was satisfactory or better in 86 per cent of cases, the report showed that only half of students were involved in collaborative working, something considered essential in this subject area.
Teaching quality and standards in all other subjects were found to be satisfactory or better, according to the Chief Inspector’s Report 2010-2012 released yesterday. The highly detailed report includes assessments after announced and unannounced inspections by staff from the department. For the first time the inspector’s report includes surveys involving parents and also students, who give their assessments of teaching standards in our schools. Inspectors judged that 86 per cent of lessons inspected in unannounced inspections were satisfactory or better in primary schools, but 14 per cent were not satisfactory. The overall figures for post-primary schools were 87 per cent satisfactory or better and 13 per cent not satisfactory. This generally good performance was repeated across all lessons, the inspectors judged, except for in the areas of Irish and maths. Baseline of data Minist er f or Education and Skills Ruairí Quinn said he had read the report with interest. It now provided a baseline of data which could be used in ongoing inspection activities.
The difficulties with maths and Irish were a problem, he said. “Does it point to a need for reform? No, it screams for reform,” Mr Quinn said of the inspector’s findings. For too long people had “unwisely” accepted the notion that Ireland had the best education system in the world, something that blocked change. The report showed that generally the school system was performing well, he said, but it also revealed some weaknesses and pointed schools in the direction of improvement. The school system had been working “in a challenging context” given the fiscal restraints, said chief inspector of schools Harold Hislop. Student numbers had grown while the number of teachers has remained fairly static. The report included the details of a l mo s t 800 whole school evaluations and 1,100 incidental inspections at primary level, he said. At post-primary there had been a l mos t 190 whole school evaluations, more than 1,400 subject inspections and 430 incidental inspections, he said.
Inspection procedures had been changed considerably and this was the first such report to be issued publicly by the inspector’s office, Mr Hislop said. Also for the first time questionnaires were completed by thousands of parents and students to assess their views on the provision of education. These surveys showed there was a “communications issue” between schools and parents. While 94 per cent of primary pupils felt safe at school, only 70 per cent of parents f elt their child’s school was dealing well with bullying. Only 70 per cent of parents said their views were regularly sought by the school. Parental surveys The responses from parental surveys were very positive from the point of view of education, the report indicates. The survey of 47,000 parents of primary school pupils showed that 97 per cent of them f elt that teaching was good in their child’s school. At post-primary school level 87 per cent of the 20,000 parents surveyed were happy about the teaching standards at their child’s school. The 29,000 post-primary student surveys showed 70 per cent of students said their classes were interesting and 74 per cent agreed that their teachers explained things clearly.
www.irishtimes.com
Embedded shortcomings in the system revealed
November 5, 2013
There was good news in this report – but it will be hard to solve the problems
Parents and students are at the receiving end of the education system but their views on the services provided are only infrequently requested. So it is interesting that their views are so well represented in the chief inspector’s report on the quality and standards in teaching and learning in our primary and post-primary sectors. Previously the results of school inspection visits were kept within the Department of Education and Skills and were not issued as public documents. It was decided to revamp the inspection procedures for this latest report, changing them in the knowledge that at the end there would be a report for publication.
There was a considerable effort made to sample sentiment, given that 132,000 questionnaires were issued to parents and students at primary and post-primary level, and the results add significantly to the value of the report. It will be reassuring for the department to see relatively high percentages of “satisfactory” and “better than satisfactory” assessments across the full range of subjects. The report looked at both the teaching approaches taken but also the learning outcomes in the students. Lower performance levels were seen in maths and Irish however, evidence that our educational system needs to improve in these subject areas. The chief inspector Harold Hislop said that these results could not inform on whether the revised maths syllabus, Project Maths ,was having any impact in the classroom. There was confidence, however, that this would make a difference when the syllabus was fully implemented.
There are embedded shortcomings in the system, however, such as the fact that many teachers teaching maths are graduates of subjects other than maths or a science. This does not help when it comes to helping students with this sometimes difficult subject. Preparation It is difficult to know what to do with Irish. The report showed that far too often there was a low level of preparation for the classroom. The inspector speculated on whether having better in-class teaching materials might help bring improvements, although it is clear there are problems when almost a third of lessons at post-primary were considered unsatisfactory. The parent survey proved interesting because it revealed a communications gap between school management and parents, a point highlighted by Ruairí Quinn. At primary level only 70 per cent said their views were sought on school matters, and only 65 per cent knew about the work of the school board of management.
The gap apparently widens at post-primary where just 44 per cent of parents agreed their views were sought, with 32 per cent disagreeing and 24 per cent saying they don’t know. And the schools’ parents’ association does not seem to link with parents given only 51 per cent of parents said they were being informed, while 28 per cent disagreed and 20 per cent didn’t know.
www.irishtimes.com
10pc of lessons given in our schools are sub-standard
November 5, 2013
SERIOUS weaknesses have been found in the teaching of Irish and maths in schools.
The most comprehensive snapshot ever of quality and standards in primary and post- primary education reveals some disturbing evidence of poor practice. While it found that the majority of schools were well- managed, most teachers work effectively and the learning of students is generally satisfactory, there are significant problems in some areas. Chief schools’ inspector Harold Hislop expressed concern about the overall minimum of “10pc to 15pc of schools and lessons where less-than-satisfactory practices exist”. “Fundamentally, there are weakness in the teaching and learning of Irish in particular and, to a lesser degree, in maths, in a significant proportion of our schools,” he said.
The Chief Inspector’s Report, published for the first time, gives a detailed overview of the quality of teaching and learning, based on inspections in the majority of schools over the period 2010-12. For first time also, the report includes the views of parents and pupils on their experiences of the education system, with 65,000 students and 67,000 parents completing questionnaires. The findings on the quality of teaching and learning are based on a range of inspections carried out in half of primary schools and more than 90pc of post-primary schools. In primary schools, it found that a “very significant” 24pc of Irish lessons were less than satisfactory. In post- primary schools, teaching of Irish was “satisfactory or better” in only 72pc of classes, and in some cases teachers’ own skills in the language were deficient. Shockingly, the quality of student learning in Ireland was found to be problematic in 32pc of cases.
Moves to improve the quality of Irish teaching and learning include longer teacher training and a new strategy on numeracy and literacy in schools. Mr Hislop’s report also highlighted issues around maths teaching in post-primary schools, which have been publicised before, and which are blamed for Ireland’s disappointing showing in international student tests. Mr Hislop said it was of concern that the quality of teaching was only “satisfactory or better” in 77pc of classes and the quality of learning was less than satisfactory in 26pc of lessons.
Upskill
Efforts are under way to upskill maths teachers, where necessary, while hopes of improving national student performance are also pinned on the new Project Maths syllabus. However, inspectors also noted that the depth of mathematical understanding required to teach Project Maths was challenging for some teachers. The inspectors found a much more positive picture around the teaching and learning of English, at both primary and post-primary level. Mr Hislop said among the issues raised by the inspections are the “definite shortcomings” in approaches to planning and preparing classes, at both primary and post-primary levels. He also said there were crucial issues to be addressed about how students were assessed. “Improvements in how schools assess and monitor the learning experiences and performance of their learners and in how they use the resulting information to plan for future teaching and learning are particularly important,” he said. Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said while the report acknowledged all the good practices taking place on a daily basis in schools, it also showed a system “screaming for reform” in some areas.
www.independent.ie
