With the right programme, teachers can make learning Irish a pleasure
November 13, 2013
Not for the first time schools inspectors recently identified some weaknesses in the teaching of Irish in both primary and post- primary schools.
Should this finding take us by surprise? At primary level we have had a new curriculum since 1999, so what’s missing? What is really needed to support the teaching of Irish in primary schools is a structured teaching programme to support the curriculum. We have them in other subject areas. Programmes such as Maths Recovery and Literacy Lift Off are having an impact in schools in disadvantaged areas (DEIS schools) in maths and English literacy.
A structured teaching programme in Irish should be designed for all class levels that would bring together all aspects of Irish – listening, reading, writing and oral language. Such a programme could spell out clearly the expectations for learning at every stage from junior infants to sixth class. And it should be modern, colourful, attractive and relevant to children’s lives in the 21st century. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. There are some excellent resources available to support the teaching of Irish, but what is lacking is a coherent structure. Teachers’ time is better spent teaching instead of searching for and assessing the suitability of resources for different aspects of the Irish curriculum. A structured language teaching programme for the 21st Century will need to use the most up-to-date technology and reflect the interests of today’s children. Irish can be really cool as we saw from the success of Aifric, a TV programme for teenagers.
If the Department of Education were to free up a small team of experienced teachers to design the programme and a coordinator to oversee the project this work could be completed quickly and inexpensively. Lessons can be learnt from the design of Séideán Sí, an integrated Irish language teaching programme for Gaeltacht schools and gaelscoileanna – certainly a success story. But there is no point in having a state-of-the-art programme unless it is supported by professional development for teachers. Lessons can be learnt here too from the School Support Programme in DEIS schools. Professional development for teachers makes a difference. No matter how good a programme, without professional development, its impact will be less than optimum. If we’re serious about supporting the teaching of Irish in our primary schools, let’s give teachers the tools and the confidence to bring the pleasure of language learning to their pupils. With the right curriculum, the right programme and the right on-going support, teaching and learning Irish will be fun.
The department has failed to give this support to teachers for 30 years. It’s no wonder there’s a problem. Giving teachers the teaching programme they need is the answer.
Deirbhile NicCraith is Education Officer in the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO)
www.irishindependent.ie
Watch out Béarla, it’s the Stepaside Gaeltacht
November 13, 2013
The number of children learning through Irish has trebled in two decades.
The demand for places at Irish language schools continues to surge, but Gaelscoil- eanna hope Education Minister Ruairi Quinn will shelve plans to change their admission policies. The number of students taught through the language outside the Gaeltacht has trebled since 1990 and is set to top over 50,000 in the next five years. In 1990, there were just 15,000 children in Irish language schools. Now there are over 45,000 children who learn as Gaeilge, according to figures supplied to the Irish Independent.The language is booming in the suburbs of Dublin and in commuter counties such as Kildare, according to the school patron body An Foras Pátrúnachta.
Areas such as South Dublin, Lucan and Leixlip are now hotbeds of the language, at least in the classroom. A second Gaelscoil has just opened in the Stepaside area of South Dublin to cope with soaring demand among a new generation of Gaeilgoirs. There is also a third school in nearby Ballinteer. Conchúr O Raghallaigh, principal of tiny Gaelscoil Shliabh Rua in Stepaside, says: “Many parents grew up with a negative attitude towards the language because of the way it was taught. However, they now feel a sense of regret and really want their children to learn it. “Irish is a lot more popular because the teaching methods have improved.” A new Gaelscoil in Lucan has had 223 applications for just 56 places in 2014. Since 1990 the number of Irish medium schools has grown from 79 to 217. Patron bodies for Irish language schools now hope to take over some primary schools if they are vacated by the Catholic Church. Caoimhín Ó hEaghra, general secretary of An Foras Pátrúnachta, says: “We would hope to open a Gaelscoil in Birr (Co Offaly) if one of the schools is left vacant, as the local Catholic diocese reconfigures its schools.”
One point of controversy for Gaelscoileanna is their admission policies. Under the current arrangements they give preference to families where the children are brought up through the language, and they may select pupils by interview. This is said to discriminate against immigrant families. However, as he announced plans to revamp admissions policies earlier this year, Mr Quinn complained about restrictions. ‘We now have a large Gaelscoileanna movement across the country. We are building up a network of Gaelcholaiste to enable parents who want to continue their [children’s] education right through the second-level stream. “I would be concerned with restrictive practices for entrance into those schools just as I would be for entrances into other schools,” he says. Recent draft legislation on school admissions stopped short of blocking all-Irish schools from giving preference to children from Irish-speaking households.
However, under the draft bill they would be barred from carrying out interviews with families to check on their Irish language ability. Gaelscoileanna would also not be allowed give preference to those who attended Irish language pre-schooling. Mr Ó hEaghra denies the schools discriminate against immigrant families. “If you walk into our classrooms you will see that they reflect the diversity of our population. There are students from all kinds of background.” Mr Ó hEaghra says the schools were established to promote Irish and had a responsibility to support families raising their children through the language. “Irish-speaking families are a crucial resource for the schools, because they act as a kind of scaffolding for others hoping to learn the language.” Scoil Shliabh Rua opened with just eight pupils in a pre-fab at Palmerstown Rugby near the village of Stepaside in September. A new school is set to be built on a site at nearby Ballyogan and when it is at full capacity it will have 432 pupils.
Mr Ó Raghallaigh says: “People no longer have the fear of the language that they once had. Years ago it was all about learning poetry and grammar. “Now you have cartoons and game shows on TG4 and Des Bishop has done wonders for the language.” One of the problems for Irish is that it has so far failed to make a breakthrough beyond the classroom and the TV studio. Students may learn through the medium of Irish but when they go home they still speak English. “It is very important that parents are also speaking Irish,” said Mr Ó Raghallaigh. “That is why some Gaelscoileanna are organising Irish classes for parents.” One of the problems facing parents who send their children to Irish-speaking primary school is that there are fewer options at second-level. “We now have a lot of parents who want a second-level Gaelcholaiste, but there is none in their area,” says Mr Ó hEaghra.
www.irishindependent.ie
€1.2m ar fáil do sheirbhís úr nuachta
November 6, 2013
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
If our schools scream for reform, let’s reform them
November 5, 2013
IT is hardly news to anyone that there are “weaknesses in the teaching and learning of Irish”, as pointed out by the Chief Inspector of Schools in his report for the years 2010-2012.
This is self evident from the fact that successive generations of students emerge at the end of their primary and second-level education with only a vague idea of the language and an inability to carry out a conversation in Gaeilge. More worrying perhaps is the fact that the Chief Inspector, Harold Hislop, has identified weaknesses “to a lesser” extent than Irish, in the teaching of maths and it is hoped the newly introduced Project Maths syllabus will help to eradicate some of these problems. The Chief Inspector’s report is based on visits by inspectors to over half of primary schools, and more than nine in 10 post-primary schools over the two-year period.
While his report says that a majority of schools are well managed and most teachers work effectively there are, he declares, “dimensions of education delivery that are, to varying degrees, problematic”. What this means is that “definite shortcomings in approaches to planning and preparation for students” exist in both primary and post-primary sectors. For those with school-going children this is indeed worrying. Whatever about Irish, and for many it remains an important part of our educational system and our culture in general, it is not good enough that serious deficiencies have been identified in the teaching of mathematics. This is now a subject of fundamental importance in the digital age and the Chief Inspector’s report is not the first to point out that Irish teachers and schools need to do better.
The survey also found that communication with parents is another area where schools must do better. Parents do not believe they get enough advice when it comes to the subjects their children choose for the Leaving Certificate. There is also widespread dissatisfaction at the response to the problematic area of bullying, which has become an issue of so much importance. “The picture that emerges in this report lays down challenges for everyone who works in the educational system,” concludes Mr Hislop. It is reassuring that he believes “excellence in terms of learning experience and standards can be achieved” but that does not detract from the Education Minister Ruairi Quinn’s contention that in some areas education is “screaming for reform” and maths and Irish would seem like a good starting point.
WHEN DID OUR PUBLIC SERVICE FORGET IT EXISTS TO SERVE THE PUBLIC?
www.independent.ie
Junior Cert overhaul is to be applauded
October 29, 2013
WE HAVE known for some time about general plans to modernise and update the Junior Certificate syllabus.
But today we find out in more detail about some exciting things that will be involved. Included in a number of new short courses for students will be opportunities to get recognition for achievements in sport, computers and socially useful things like promoting community mental health. As our education editor writes in this newspaper today, these developments will for the first time ever give 15- and 16-year-olds a chance to show what they can do outside of the examination hall. The plans appear to be innovative efforts to promote practical life-skills and help advance self-reliance and the ability to think and solve problems.
The old-style examinations have for long promoted a practice in too many schools described as ‘teaching to the test’. In that culture, the most important item in a student’s schoolbag has been the ‘past papers’, which shape far too much of what happens in the classroom. The plans are being developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and other equally exciting plans are also currently being finessed. These include the prospect of Chinese, electronic media literacy, the performing arts and care for animals. The core subjects of mathematics, English and Irish will be retained. But the traditional Junior Certificate examination every June will over time become a thing of the past with a move to continuous assessment again complementing an emphasis on on-going learning rather than preparing for an examination ordeal.
We are heartened that there will be an emphasis on cultivating literacy and numeracy skills. We applaud news that there will be a focus on cultivating computer literacy as in many ways people who are deprived of such skills are becoming the new illiterates of our society. The changes will bring challenges and practical difficulties for school principals, teachers, pupils and parents. Teacher training and liaison with parents will be very important elements in a smooth transition to the new syllabus. Currently, moves to phase in the new Junior Certificate face a blockage due to industrial action by the secondary teachers’ union, ASTI. But it is to be hoped that this matter can be overcome. It will be a particular challenge for the Department of Education to oversee the management of a considerable change in thinking and practice.
www.independent.ie
Cúpla focail eile: New words take place in Irish dictionary
October 7, 2013
Rebel teachers could stall plan for new Junior Cert
September 23, 2013
PROTESTING second- level teachers may force Education Minister Ruairi Quinn to delay plans for a new- style Junior Cert next September.
A union ban on training for the new English syllabus, due to start in little over a month, is on the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) list of possible actions after it rejected the Haddington Road Agreement. It would strike at the heart of Mr Quinn’s reform agenda, causing maximum discomfort for the minister rather than for schools and students. The 17,000- member ASTI gave the green light for industrial action, up to and including a strike, as it voted against the pay and productivity deal. General secretary Pat King said they had had enough of being asked to do more with less. ASTI members, particularly younger teachers, face more painful changes in pay and conditions than members of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) or the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), both of which accepted the agreement.
Apart from lower starting pay and a permanent three-year delay on increments, those who have not signed up to the deal are vulnerable to other changes in conditions and redundancy. Action by ASTI would affect about two-thirds of the country’s 730 second-level schools. It is the only teachers’ union in voluntary secondary schools – those traditionally run by the religious – and shares representation with TUI in community and comprehensive schools. As the union leadership prepared for a meeting today to decide on its next step, Jobs Minister Richard Bruton reiterated that there would be no renegotiation of the deal.
Headaches
“We are trying to make sure we can deliver at the front line. People have agreed to make changes and we are implementing them,” he said. The ASTI move has thrown the education community into turmoil. At the very least, it will cause serious administrative headaches for schools and for the Department of Education. Today’s meeting of the 23- member ASTI Standing Committee, whose role is to implement union policy, will decide on what action to take. It is likely to instruct members to stop co-operating with the extra 33 hours a year introduced in the Croke Park Agreement, with a view to minimising the impact of events such as school planning or parentteacher meetings on class time. That will force school managers to either bring such meetings into the normal school day, eating into tuition time and perhaps causing students to be sent home early, or cancel them. Mr King said that while withdrawing co-operation with the terms of the Croke Park Agreement would cause administrative headaches, “I hope it will not affect students”. Short of work stoppages, the ASTI list of possible actions includes withdrawing from initiatives such as the new-style Junior Cert, which is a particular bugbear for ASTI members. They oppose one of its key concepts – assessment by teachers of their own students in place of the traditional state exam.
www.irishindependent.ie
Fundamental flaws must be addressed
September 17, 2013
If current proposals on school admissions are put into action, a valuable and historic opportunity will be lost.
Noel MaloneNoel Malone, Principal, Coláiste Chiaráin, Croom, Co Limerick
It seems to many of the principals to whom I have spoken that if the current proposals on school admissions are implemented a valuable and historic opportunity will be lost.
Limerick has grappled with the issue of educational inequality for years. It is the only area where a common applications system applies, arising from an intolerable situation in which children found themselves without any second-level place.
The then minister insisted that all schools in Limerick city operate a common enrolment system, administered by Limerick Education Centre, the purpose of which was to ensure that all children had a school place. All students are placed, eventually, but it has also brought about considerable anguish and uncertainty among parents and children. If children do not get their first/second preference, they may be left with their least-favoured school – and travelling up to 12 miles from home by private bus.
Participant schools are accorded a certain level of protection from any perception of perpetuating inequality. The reality is much different. Schools still operate independently in terms of their admission criteria, and can decide their selection criteria with no independent scrutiny. It is only an issue for the so-called good schools, as they invariably have a surfeit of applications over places.
Some favour children living in certain affluent parishes, so-called traditional feeder schools, brothers/sisters of current or past pupils, sons/daughters of past pupils and so on, and finally, ‘all others.’ In effect, very few places exist in this category. So, some children have right of entry although they live some distance from the school and others are refused, even if they live close by, or attend the local feeder primary.
Surely it is the right of every parent to send their child to their local school, if they so choose? By ignoring this, the proposed legislation gives free rein to schools to continue what is effectively educational apartheid.
There is no justification for giving preference to siblings of former pupils, or indeed children of past pupils.
The proposed limit of 25pc is a capitulation to vested interests. Surely proximity to a school should have a higher ranking than whether a child’s father/mother attended? This is a means to reproduce a social class and cherry-pick the best students. Who will oversee this 25pc, and where is the transparency? Some schools will continue to favour the socially advantaged, academically gifted, or those with exceptional sporting prowess.
In the context of the Limerick Area Common Application System, I believe that the minister should insist on a common admissions policy across all participant schools, with geographical location claiming first priority, after brothers/sisters of existing students. A three-mile radius of any particular school in a city location, or, perhaps, 10 miles in a rural area, would be reasonable. Where there are too many applications for that school, other priorities can be addressed.
The minister has included the right of the Department of Education and Skills to impose a similar system elsewhere. This is to be welcomed. However, unless these fundamental flaws are addressed, the current highly iniquitous system will be preserved under a veneer of fairness.
The minister praises the “value of tradition”. But tradition can be merely an excuse to maintain the status quo.
First published in The Irish Independent, 11 September 2013
www.educationmatters.ie
Girls continue to outperform boys in Junior Cert
September 13, 2013
The results repeat traditional trends and confirm the different educational experiences of male and female students.
In post-primary education, girls are more inclined to study at higher level in key subjects and are also more likely to get top grades.
Females accounted for 49pc of the 59,823 Junior Cert candidates this year, according to a gender breakdown by the State Examinations Commission (SEC).
However, they made up 58pc of those taking higher level Irish, 53pc of those taking higher level English, 50pc of those taking higher level maths and more than 50pc of higher level candidates in French, German Spanish, Italian, arts/craft/ design, business studies, music, home economics and religious education.
Childhood
The gender gap is also evident in the results achieved, with girls more likely to notch up ‘ honours’ A, B or C grades.
Girls picked up more As in all higher level papers except maths, Latin and metalwork.
Across the spectrum of the ‘ honours’ ABC grades, the girls went on to overtake the boys in maths and it was only in Latin and metalwork that the boys did better.
The roots of the differences between the sexes in academic engagement goes back to much earlier in their childhood, as illustrated in a recent report based on data gathered in the Growing Up in Ireland study.
The study findings, analysed by Denise Frawley, Selina McCoy and Maeve Thornton of the Economic and Social Research Institute ( ESRI) showed how nine-year-old girls and boys felt differently about school.
They found that girls had slightly higher reading test scores than boys, but boys scored higher in maths, especially at the top end.
This year, 13pc of boys scored an A in higher level maths, compared with 11pc of girls.
Boys are significantly less likely than girls to look forward to school, to like school and to like their teacher, the study also showed.
Boys have higher levels of school absenteeism and are less likely than girls to complete their homework on a regular basis. However, while they reported that gender was a significant predictor of school engagement, they said other factors, such as social background, were crucial in order to distinguish which types of boys and girls were most likely to be disengaged from school.
Kathleen Lynch, Professor of Equality Studies at University College Dublin (UCD), said the real issue in educational inequality was social class, not gender. She said that she had been pressing the Department of Education for years for data relating to matters such as social background and school attendance.
www.independent.ie
