‘To see real educational apartheid, look no farther than your local Gaelscoil’
October 23, 2012
A PARENT WRITES: It’s far from certain whether any move to withdraw State funding from private schools will address the problem of educational inequality, but it seems there is now the political appetite to rattle a system that has enjoyed the best of both worlds for too long.
I suspect the move, if it happens, will be a financial manoeuvre rather than an attempt to redistribute privilege in Irish society. If policymakers were genuinely interested in democratising State-funded education they would do well to take a cool look at the Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcoláistí. Irish language schools are getting away with worse levels of educational apartheid than any private schools. These schools may purport to welcome children of all nationalities, classes and intellectual abilities but the language throws up a natural forcefield that deflects students from various constituencies.
Living as I do in a middle-class area of south Dublin, I know many parents who have opted to send their children to Gaelscoileanna. Not one of these parents is a Gaelgóir – all complain that they are not equipped to help their children with homework or even to engage in the mildest level of Irish conversation at home. There is no grá for the language here – these parents are choosing these schools because their children will be educated among Irish citizens from well-to-do backgrounds.
These are well-informed people with the cop-on to get their child’s name on a list at birth. They have the comfort of knowing that their child will not have to muck in with students whose second language is English, with Travellers or with others who would simply never consider a Gaelscoil for a slew of socioeconomic reasons. This exclusivity is naturally reproduced into second-level Gaelcoláistí, which tend to give first preference to children from the Gaelscoil sector.
As for special education, I’m willing to bet that, if anyone cared to review the situation, there are fewer children with special needs in Irish-language schools than in others. Socioeconomic profiling would account for this in the large part, but there’s more to it. Why are children with learning disabilities in English language schools entitled to apply for an exemption from Irish? Because it’s very hard to learn if you have dyslexia or other learning disabilities. Another natural barrier at the gate of the Gaelscoil.
It is the right of every citizen to choose the type of education they want for their child. If a parent wants an exclusively Irish education for their child then they should have to pay for it. Like the private schools, I don’t believe the Irish taxpayer should be forced to stump up for schools that can only ever accommodate a very narrow layer of Irish society.
This column is designed to give a voice to those within the education system who wish to speak out anonymously. Contributions are welcome; email sflynn@irishtimes.com
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Teachers reaffirm opposition to Junior Cert changes
October 22, 2012
Second-level teachers have reaffirmed their opposition to the proposed changes in the Junior Cert.
The Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) is to begin “a comprehensive programme of consultation with teachers in second-level schools all over Ireland” on the new plans.
The decision follows a meeting of the ASTI standing committee or executive yesterday which reaffirmed the union’s view that junior cycle reform must be educationally sound and workable.
The consultation initiative will include meetings with teachers in schools and a national conference in April 2013. Findings will be communicated to the Minister and other stakeholders.
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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.”
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Junior Cert changes will be most radical reform of exam system
October 4, 2012
Proposals will aim to tackle the problem of male students disengaging from school during the Junior Cert cycle and lift standards in literacy
TRENCHANT CRITICISM of the Junior Cert exam has been a feature of the education debate for over a decade.
The exam – designed in 1989 to be radical and different – quickly became a mirror image of the Leaving Cert, with the same, familiar failings. It was too high stakes, too dominated by rote learning and it forced teachers to teach to the test.
The progressive new proposals tabled by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn have the potential to liberate both students and their teachers. They are arguably the most radical reform of the exam system in the history of the State.
In essence, the Junior Cert is being transformed from a high-stakes exam to essentially a “house exam’’ run by the schools themselves.
Schools and their students can mix and match from a menu of traditional subjects and new “short courses” ( in areas like digital technology and Chinese culture).
They can be chosen from a new syllabus designed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
The State Exams Commission will still set exam papers in traditional subjects but schools will be free to mix these with their own choice of short courses.
The plan is that the junior cycle will move out of the current straitjacket – schools and teachers will have the elbow room to encourage critical thinking and to provide more creative teaching.
The new Junior Cert is broadly in line with the practice in high performing education systems like Finland and New Zealand.
There is widespread agreement in education circles that the Junior Cert needs radical change.
Last year, Mr Quinn told a conference on exam reform: “It is clear that the Junior Certificate examination has a serious, negative backwash effect on students’ learning and is out of line with international practice.”
Research by the Economic and Social Research Institute indicates that high numbers of male students – particularly those from a disadvantaged background – tend to disengage from school during the Junior Cert cycle. Many teenagers, it concluded, are ill-suited to an education system built around one terminal exam.
The Department of Education hopes the new exam will also help to lift standards in literacy and numeracy.
The most recent OECD/Pisa study in 2009 reported an alarming fall in the performance of Irish 15 year olds in reading and maths. The ranking of Irish teenagers slumped from 5th to 17th since 2000, the sharpest decline among any developed country. In maths, Ireland dropped from 16th to 25th, below the average.
Junior Cert results in the past decade have failed to reflect this worrying drop in standards. Last year, an Irish Times analysis of Junior Cert results indicated persistent grade inflation in both maths and English over the past decade. It also shows grade inflation in science – even though the OECD reported no major change in overall standards.
The most controversial feature of the new exam is the proposals for teachers to assess their own pupils. This could be opposed by the ASTI, although the low-stakes nature of the new exam may soften opposition .
In a significant move last month, Clive Byrne, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals suggested teachers should be willing to correct their own students’ Junior Cert exam papers.
“If we’re in the middle of reforming it to ensure it’s not a high-stakes exam any more, why not be a bit more courageous?”
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Eagrais na Gaeilge ag iomrascáil le múnla nua maoinithe
October 3, 2012
Bí ag léamh
September 19, 2012
Young teachers take the pain
September 18, 2012
SUNDAY
School starts tomorrow.
It’s strange to think that this year I’m among the masses getting ready for “September 1st”. When I was a child I used to hear “September 1st” with dread. I hope the children I teach this year don’t feel that same anxiety going to school. Being a substitute teacher means I’ll be in and out of various classes and levels. Preparing for the new school year as a substitute teacher is very different to what it entails for other teachers. It’s tricky to know exactly what supplies are needed or what to prepare, but I’m gradually starting to gather my books and resources. I have loads of lesson plan ideas and things I want to teach. I feel like I’ve been gathering lesson plans and ideas all my life if I’m honest.
I’ve always wanted to teach and I find it very hard to pass a bookshop or anywhere where there might be school resources. I can’t imagine being anything other than a teacher. I love being at the top of a classroom and watching my pupils as they learn and work hard to understand something new. I feel very satisfied knowing that what I’m teaching them is something they will need and hopefully remember for the rest of their lives.
MONDAY
I’m subbing in a 5th class this week. Standing in front of the class today was amazing. I began with Gaeilge, a subject within my comfort zone. Not every everyone loves Gaeilge but I do and I love teaching it so it was a fantastic way to start the day. I try to bring a little drama into the subject as much as possible. I want the pupils I’m teaching to learn to love it as I do so I try to make it a fun experience. I even incorporate it into my PE lessons so that Gaeilge becomes part of the norm. The staffroom can be a little daunting, especially if you don’t know any of the other teachers. Everyone I met today was lovely. It was great to hear how other teachers work in their rooms and their many experiences. We chatted about various subjects and the ones we like to teach in comparison to the ones we feel less comfortable with. I was afraid I would be the only one who felt weaker in some subjects then others, but I was completely wrong. Every teacher finds some subjects harder to teach than others and it was very comforting to hear that. We don’t have to be experts on everything we teach. I will never be a great historian but that won’t ever stop me teaching my classes about the Famine, the Celts or the history of our locality.
TUESDAY
Today in the staffroom we had an awkward discussion about inequality between the newer, younger teachers and the older teaching staff in regards to pay and conditions. It’s not a topic I love talking about. It can be really difficult to get my point across when I know that other teachers the same age as me, but who maybe qualified a year or two before me, will be higher paid for the rest of my professional career. Teachers starting their careers now will be paid around 34 per cent less than those who started in 2010. It’s heartbreaking if I’m being honest. I’d even go as far as saying it is soul-destroying. That kind of money would make a huge difference to my life and the lives of other young teachers. It’s hard to talk about these issues and it can be difficult not to let it affect me when I go back into the classroom. Today I was pointedly asked what I thought and I felt uncomfortable explaining how the wage difference would affect my working life, that in every staffroom across the country there would be teachers who are equally qualified to do the job, but because the rates of pay are so different, they will never really be equal.
Add that to a chat about the Croke Park agreement and lunch seemed to go on a lot longer than usual. The part of the Croke Park agreement that gets to teachers the most seems to be the extra school hours. Every teacher spends additional time planning and organising lessons as well as doing extra CPD. I’m not sure the Croke Park agreement takes this into account. We’re depending on the INTO to help us fight our corner and ensure that newly- qualified teachers and young teachers aren’t taken advantage of. So far there’s so little evidence of our union supporting our plight; it’s incredibly frustrating to know that so many of our colleagues are willing to let this issue slide. I learnt a lot today just by talking about it all even though it wasn’t easy and I was glad to get back to the classroom.
WEDNESDAY
I had so much fun today teaching science. I set the class into groups of four or five and asked them to work together to design a boat. This is a part of the science curriculum that I really love. ICT in the classroom is a huge advantage to any teacher. There’s so much more I feel I can add to lessons because I have the extra resources. In college we were told to integrate subjects and I think maths and science go very well together. We had so much fun making Play-Doh boats with the maths aspect sneaked in so it didn’t feel like a maths lesson for the children. I love it when a lesson I’ve planned comes together so well. Preparing for hands-on lessons is rather time consuming, but well worth it. After today I feel like I can do anything I put my mind to and can plan it out properly. I really feel like I’m ready for this and cannot wait to get to my own class in the future.
THURSDAY
We heard today about second-level schools which had to send their first and second years home early. The cuts in the education department have been taking their toll on students for a long time but only as soon as pupils are sent home then people begin to react. Everyone seems to be going mad because first years are being sent home 40 minutes early four days a week and second years go home early twice a week. It’s not ideal, it’s not what any teacher or school wants to happen, but large class sizes, losing teachers and the loss of resource hours can be detrimental too, yet nobody made a fuss of these issues. It seems we’re more than happy to accept such cuts but not the loss of 40 minutes teaching. I don’t see what good it does to blame the teachers and schools. No matter what schools do to try to make these cuts easier to bear, it isn’t good enough. Schools and educators all over Ireland are trying their hardest despite of the issues faced. I just wish everyone could see that.
FRIDAY
Wow! A week done already and I enjoyed every moment of it. It wasn’t all smooth sailing (those Play-Doh boats) but I think I handled any issues that arose really well and my classroom management worked out the way I had planned. I used the traffic light system so it was easy to follow and very clear for the pupils as well as me to keep track of. I think as a teacher I learned a lot about myself. I can handle myself in the classroom and I’m ready for any challenges that come my way. I feel so lucky to have had work for five days straight, but already I am starting to worry when I will get work again. It could be next week but just as easily it could be next month. I could struggle to find even one day a week for the next few months. It’s not easy never knowing when I will get a call to work; it’s stressful trying to budget my income and make sure that I can survive the month.
Helen Bullock blogs at anseo-a-mhuinteoir.com and tweets on @AnseoAMuinteoir. Listening to: children’s classical music, looking for lesson plan ideas. Watching: clips from Curiosity Rover (right) on mars and RTÉ’s Back To School documentary series. Reading: blog posts from seomraranga.com and pamobriensblog.wordpress.com
Visiting: primaryscience.ie for science experiment ideas and cesi.iefor ICT techie ideas. Through twitter I’ve been following #edchatie discussions on the importance of edtech in schools.
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Small island schools facing cuts
September 12, 2012
Sir, –
Some years ago, as part of a recognition of the needs of small island primary schools which do not have an option to amalgamate with other schools nearby, the minimum school enrolment was reduced to eight pupils. It has only now come to light that the Department of Education is in the process of increasing this number back up to 17. Here in Inis Meáin the enrolment number dropped to six in 2011.
Although the enrolment number for 2012 is back at eight and we have had four births here in 18 months, the department moved immediately to remove the second teacher who has lived and worked all of her life on the island. Then, because the school board of management did not co-operate with the department’s redeployment plans, they had their extra 10 learning support hours taken away also, thereby depriving local children of a basic right that is available to pupils in every other school in the country. The second teacher was offered ridiculously unworkable redeployment options which could only be taken up if she were to relocate with her family to the mainland or to a neighbouring island.
Contrast this with the Minister’s U-turn in the case of Deis schools, when faced with the powerful lobby of Labour TDs threatening revolt. It appears that under Mr Quinn’s regime small offshore islands are now to downgrade to the status that obtained in the last century.
– Yours, etc,
TARLACH de BLÁCAM,
Inis Meáin,
Cuan na Gaillimhe.
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Quinn backs cut in teacher training colleges
September 6, 2012
TEACHER TRAINING in the State is set to be transformed, with fewer colleges, a sharper research focus and the establishment of new institutes of education in six centres.
An expert report backed by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn recommends the closure of smaller colleges and the integration of others. The report – by an international panel of experts – suggests there should be a more rigorous cap on the numbers in teacher training amid concerns over high levels of unemployment among teaching graduates.
The changes could also see both primary and second-level teachers being trained on the one campus. On teacher numbers, the report expresses dismay that the issue of teacher supply and demand has not been addressed in Ireland as it has been elsewhere. All of the main teacher training colleges have backed the proposed reforms at this early stage. But potentially controversial changes which could threaten the cherished identity and ethos of each college have still to be teased out. Under one of the recommendations, St Patrick’s College in Dublin would be merged with Dublin City University and the Mater Dei Institute in a new centre based on the St Pat’s campus. The Church of Ireland College of Education (CICE) is also involved in the process aimed at establishing a new-style institute of education in Drumcondra.
The report points to potential difficulties in this process. “It is acknowledged that there is a genuine aspiration for integration (at Drumcondra) but the management plan for its implementation was not evident to the review panel,” it reads. Education sources say special arrangements will be put in place to protect the Church of Ireland ethos in any new configuration. Chairman of the board of governors of CICE, Archbishop Michael Jackson, and the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, have welcomed the proposed changes. The key recommendation of the report is that six new institutes for education be established, replacing the existing arrangement whereby 19 State-funded coll eges of f er more t han 40 programmes in primary and postprimary teaching. Mr Quinn has asked the Higher Education Authority to submit a detailed report on how to implement the recommendations of the international review body. He will then report back to Cabinet with more f ormal proposals including the financial implications of such a plan.
The report recommends the following mergers/integrations:
Dublin City University with St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra and Mater Dei Institute of Education; a new campus is to be located at St Patrick’s. CICE is also involved in this process.
Trinity College Dublin with Marino Institute of Education, University College Dublin and the National College of Art and Design. In a boost for Marino, the new institute could be based at its Griffith Avenue campus. The National University of Ireland Maynooth with Froebel College. University of Limerick with Mary Immaculate College and Limerick Institute of Technology; the campus may be located at MIC. University College Cork with Cork Institute of Technology at UCC. The National University of Ireland Galway with St Angela’s College Sligo, to be based at NUI Galway. The report says smaller teacher training colleges in Letterfrack, Co Galway, and Thurles, Co Tipperary, should be closed, and St Angela’s College in Sligo, which trains home economics teachers, moved to NUI Galway.
It praises the high calibre of entrants to teacher education. It says a move to a Finnish-style system, in which all teachers are educated to master’s level, could be a longer-term aspiration for teacher education in Ireland.
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The empty wallet
September 3, 2012
Simon Tierney finds ways to explore the Irish language and culture on less cash
Conradh na Gaeilge (6 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2, tel: 01-475 7401) is a good spot for learning the lingo because it’s so central and easy to pop into after work. It operates Irish language classes for adults of all levels throughout the year. The next term begins at the end of September.
CnaG is offering a full term of weekly classes (worth up to €180) to the first five people to email brenda@cnag.ie. For details of times and levels, visit www.cnag.ie.
Even without realising it, we are surrounded by the cúpla focal every day, whether it’s hopping on the Luas at Na Ceithre Cúirteanna or listening to the Luas tannoy. The Church (Jervis Street/Mary Street Junction, Dublin 1, tel: 01-828 0102) hosts live traditional music from Sunday to Wednesday every week. It is offering dinner for two, with a bottle of house wine, in their Gallery Restaurant (normally up to €100), to the first three to email competitions@thechurch.ie with the answer to this question: who was married in The Church in 1761? This is a great spot to enjoy some traditional music in a location steeped in Irish history.
The Newbridge 200 Festival marks the bicentenary of the Co Kildare town, on September 6th-16th. A parade, fireworks, theatre and family activities are some of the events that will be lighting up Newbridge. There are four pairs of tickets (normally €15 for each ticket) up for grabs for the Anúna concert at St Conleth’s Church (Naas Road, Newbridge, Co Kildare) on September 15th. Email hazel@riverbank.ie
Conradh na Gaeilge has set up weekly gatherings around the country for those keen to develop Irish language conversational skills. The scheme is entitled “Is Leor Beirt”, or “It Only Takes Two”. For details see the Campaigns section of their website , www.cnag.ie.
Irish language play An Triail is being performed by Fíbín at the Hawks Well Theatre (Temple St, Sligo, Co Sligo, tel: 071-916 1518) on November 15th-16th. There are five free pairs of tickets (normally €12.50 for each ticket) available to the first readers to email info@hawkswell.com
Last but not least …
www.eumom.ie and www.ClapHandies.com are running a series of free play coffee mornings during September. Taking place in locations across Dublin, this is an opportunity to chat with other young parents in the community while the kids are entertained. To register, book and find out location details, log on to www.eumom.ie
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