InTouch October 2013 - INTO - Irish National Teachers` Organisation

Transcription

Issue No 138
October 2013
ISSN 1393-4813
School leadership
issues
Seamus Heaney remembered
“I have a dream”
Ireland in 100 objects
Budget 2014
Keeping in Touch
Interactive dialogue with members, and key news items
GENERAL SECRETARY’S COMMENT
Pictures from the State commemoration of the 1913
Lockout. For more pictures see INTO flickr account.
Protect primary education
T
his edition of InTouch goes to print as the
government plans yet another austerity budget. It
is, therefore, vitally important that INTO members
and their school communities continue to engage in the
campaign to protect primary education to the greatest
extent possible right up to budget day.
There can be few public representatives who by now
don’t know about the extent of overcrowding in Irish
primary school classrooms. Our classrooms are the
second most overcrowded in the EU with almost a
quarter of pupils in ‘supersized’ classes of 30 or more,
50 per cent bigger than the European average.
It is a message that has been made clear at meetings,
through emails and through the postcard campaign. We
will be competing with other budgetary issues for the
attention of politicians and the public over the coming
days. But together, we can make the campaign to protect
primary education heard loud and clear.
Members should also promote the budgetary policies
and approaches advocated by the Nevin Economic
Research Institute (NERI) which is supported by the
ICTU. These policies favour strategies of economic
InTouch October 2013
recovery based on investment and growth while
protecting the most vulnerable in our society.
This issue of the magazine has a specific focus on
school leadership. This follows on from a successful
Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Conference in Naas
last month where key issues of concern to school leaders
were discussed and a report will be prepared for the
Executive.
The policies of austerity have taken their toll on all –
school leaders are no exception – and cutbacks to school
staffing and funding have impacted significantly. At
the same time the demands on school leaders are
increasing.
The quality and resilience of Ireland’s primary school
leaders is acknowledged widely. But a system that fails
to nourish and sustain school leaders is doomed to
failure because it will ultimately burn out individuals
and lead to a systemic loss of goodwill.
3
Contents
Keeping InTouch
INTO pays tribute
to Seamus Heaney
p35
3 Editorial
Protect primary education
What you need to
know
7 • No to larger classes.
9
Watch out for this
symbol in InTouch
news sections. It means
the news item may be
of interest to members
both North and South
• INTO meeting with NCSE
re new special education
model.
• ICTU pre Budget
submission.
• Uniting for quality
education.
• District tutors attend
training in Head Office.
• Recruiting new members.
• Ready for school?
• 10 things you need to
know.
10 Connect
• Looking out for each other.
• SubSearch – helping
teachers find substitute
work.
Tell us what you think by
letter or text message. €50
for best letter published.
Keep up-to-date via
Facebook, Twitter, website
or RSS feed
Competition
Win a family mid-term break courtesy of
Galway Bay and Hodson Bay Hotels. pg 12
INTO News
In the News
13 • INTO meeting with
student union leaders.
• Packs for new members.
• Newgrange Winter
Solstice art competition.
14 • Equality news in brief.
• European conference on
early childhood education.
• Updated language
curriculum.
15 • INTO welcomes court
ruling on disciplinary
and appeal process.
• INTO Vice President
appointed to MIC.
16 • INTO expenditure
• Comhar Linn draw
winners
17 INTO Learning
Autumn programme plus
Croke Park hour CPD
packages
19 In the Media
Media coverage in September.
20 Solidarity
• Martina Delaney writes
about The Gambia.
• Irish people support
overseas aid.
21 Membership Plus
Have you registered yet?
New free mobile app.
Modern Language Teaching p54
InTouch General Editor: Sheila Nunan
circulated education magazine in Ireland.
Editor: Tom O’Sullivan
Articles published in InTouch are also available
Assistant Editor: Lori Kealy
on our website www.into.ie
Editorial Assistants: Selina Campbell, Ashling
Lynch, Cara Kirwan
Advertising: Mary Bird Smyth, Ashling Lynch
Design: David Cooke
Photography: Moya Nolan, Shutterstock
The school fruit
garden p56
4
endorsed by the INTO.
While every care has been taken to ensure
that the information contained in this
Correspondence to: The Editor, InTouch,
publication is up to date and correct, no
INTO Head Office, Vere Foster House,
responsibility will be taken by the Irish National
35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1
Teachers’ Organisation for any error which
Telephone: 01 804 7700
Register for MembershipPlus pg 21
The views expressed in this journal are those
of the individual authors and are not necessarily
Fax: 01 872 2462
LoCall: 1850 708 708
might occur.
Except where the Irish National Teachers’
Organisation has formally negotiated
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.into.ie
agreements as part of its services to members,
InTouch is published by the Irish
any form of recommendation. While every
National Teachers’ Organisation and
effort is made to ensure the reliability of
distributed to members and educational
advertisers, the INTO cannot accept liability for
institutions. InTouch is the most widely
inclusion of an advertisement does not imply
the quality of goods and services offered.
A History of Ireland in 100 Objects p43
INTO Advice
23 School Leadership
Applying for the Misneach
Programme.
Newsdesk
35 • INTO pays tribute to
36
25 Advice for NQTs
Criteria for planning.
School Leadership
27 • School leadership at the
28
29
30
31
32
33
crossroads.
• Like to be on the PDC?
• Online applications for
teaching posts.
• Teacher recruitment info.
• INTO seminars for
principals.
• New proposals on school
enrolment policies.
• School Annual Census.
• DES issues anti-bullying
procedures.
• Positive education.
• Whole School Evaluation
• Dealing with complaints.
37
38
39
40
Seamus Heaney.
• Registration with
Teaching Council required
by 1 November to get paid.
• Call for papers for
Education Research
Conference.
• LEAPing into
international educational
leadership.
• Cumann na mBunscol
news.
• Helping cancer research.
• Creative Schools Award.
• Young Environmentalist
Awards.
• Applications now open
for Fulbright grants.
October 2013
Teaching Matters
41 Arts in Education
Dorothy Morrissey gives
her perspective on the Arts
in Education Charter.
43 History of Ireland
in 100 objects.
44 Exploring Local
History
Josephine English writes
about the active
exploration of history.
Finishing Touches
61 Noticeboard
Upcoming events.
62 Comhar Linn
Crossword
Plus resources.
63 Scoilnet Panel
Plus details of Newgrange
Winter Solstice art
competition.
47 PDST Tips
Using the interactive
whiteboard to support
literacy.
48 I Have a Dream
Dr Anne Dolan provides
resources for the classroom
based on Martin Luther
King’s inspirational speech.
Get free
access to
Symmetry School for October
AND be in with a chance to
win €50 iTunes voucher p59
The Arts in Education
Charter p41
52 Education for free
and independent
thinking
Pat Keogh asks can conditioning be condoned in
schools?
54 Modern Language
Teaching
Suzanne O’Keeffe furthers
her research on a visit to
Italy.
56 SESE Tips
Paddy Madden advises on
what fruits to grow in the
school garden.
Misneach Programme p23
• On the cover
Budget 2014
7
School leadership
issues
27
Seamus Heaney
remembered
35
Ireland in 100 objects 43
“I Have a Dream”
48
58 Irish Resources
• Cover pic
Tips from COGG.
59 Book Reviews
Luke Kilcoyne (District 3), Catherine Flanagan
(District 5), Breda Fitzgerald (District 11) and
Declan Kyne (District 4) of the INTO
Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Committee.
The PDC met in September to finalise arrangements for the
INTO Biennial Conference – see page 27 for more information
Photographer: Moya Nolan
Plus get free access to Symmetry School for October.
5
Keeping InTouch
Protect primary education:
No to larger classes
INTO members throughout the country have
been involved in campaigning to protect
primary school class size
over the course of the
last month. A National
Alliance for Primary
Education, representing
teachers, parents and
school management
launched the campaign
in early September. Over
300,000 postcards have
been distributed to
schools to be sent by
parents, teachers and
other members of school
committees to local elected representatives. In
addition, thousands of
emails have been sent
through a facility on the
INTO website to government TDs.
Regional meetings
have also been taking
place in recent weeks
throughout the country to
highlight the issue and an
effective media campaign
has been run at local and
national level on the issue.
As InTouch goes to
print, a demonstration is
due to take place on
Wednesday, 2 October to
emphasise the importance
of maintaining class sizes
as part of Budget 2014.
The CEC wishes to thank
all members throughout
the country who have
actively participated in
the campaign thus far,
and is also asking members to continue to highlight this issue up to
Budget 2014, which takes
place on 15 October 2013.
INTO meets NCSE on new special education model
INTO representatives, led by INTO president Brendan O’Sullivan, recently met representatives from
the NCSE in relation to the policy paper on supporting students with special educational needs in
schools, published by the NCSE and submitted to
the Minister for Education and Skills last year. The
NCSE policy paper states that a new model should
be developed, for the allocation of additional
teaching resources to mainstream schools, which is
based on the profile need of each school without
the need for a diagnosis of disability.
In the course of the meeting, the INTO representatives said they were concerned that, while the principles underpinning the policy advice are equitable and
fair, the implementation of the new policy could reduce resources for children with special educational
needs and place additional responsibility on schools
and class teachers. The INTO emphasised that there
is widespread good practice at present in relation to
teaching provision for pupils with SEN in mainstream
schools under the inclusive education model. The
INTO is concerned, however, about overburdening
the current general allocation model under the
revised proposal without adequate resourcing.
The INTO also expressed concern that the allocation of resources on a time bound basis could be
driven by a cap on resources, rather than the needs
of individual pupils in schools. The INTO does,
however, welcome the move away from the need
to categorise children in order to receive additional
resource teaching. Further information on the INTO
response and the NCSE policy paper is available
under the ‘In Focus’ section of the INTO website.
Extract from ICTU Pre-Budget Submission
Ireland is in its sixth year of stagnation.
A change of course is required if there is
to be any hope of economic recovery.
Economic policy must become more job
focussed and growth friendly. We can
adopt this approach and still reach agreed
budgetary targets. In reality we stand a
better chance of reaching those targets if
we combine a different fiscal adjustment
with an investment/jobs stimulus.
There are three key measures that could
be adopted in the forthcoming budget to
make this happen:
1. use the proceeds of the ‘Promissory
Note’ deal to reduce the size of the
budget adjustment;
2. bring forward a capital investment
stimulus package of €4.5billion over
the next two years; and
3. target tax increases at the richest 10%
of households.
We believe this will result in the
creation of new jobs, boost economic
output and government revenue and
avoid further damage to essential public
services and social cohesion.
Focusing on growth would also help to
restore international confidence in Ireland,
while addressing infrastructural deficits
that undermine our competitiveness.
This policy mix would result in a
reduction in the government deficit to
about 3% of GDP in 2015.
Current policy has left us with one in
four out of work or under-employed,
with collapsed retail sales and flat domestic demand and with public finances
constrained by the cost of servicing the
private banking debt.
Read the full submission at http://
www.ictu.ie/download/pdf/jit16_prebudget_submission_fiscaladjustment_web.pdf
7
Keeping InTouch
Unite for quality education
Recruiting
new members
‘Unite for Quality Education – Better Education for
a Better World’ is the Education International
campaign to ensure that universal, free quality
education remains at the top of the political agenda
for a sustainable future. The purpose is to call on
inter-governmental agencies, governments and
public education authorities everywhere to put in
place the three essential elements of a quality education:
l Universal and free access to quality teachers.
l Modern teaching tools and resources.
l Supportive, safe and secure environments for
teaching and learning.
On 4 October, EI is launching a year of action, an
initiative for quality education around the world that
will culminate on a World Day of Action in October
During these
challenging times the
importance of ensuring
that primary teachers
have the protection of
union membership is of
crucial importance. The
range of queries and
cases related to
conditions of employment and legal/
industrial relations
issues continues to
grow year on year.
The vast majority of
new teachers now join
online through the INTO
website. A new facility
has also been developed
to allow staff representatives to check the
membership list for
their school through
the Members' Area of
the INTO website.
Please play your
part by asking
substitute, temporary
and permanent
teachers who join your
staff to sign up if they
have not already
done so.
2014. EI invites everybody who cares about the
education of our children to join forces with us in
our call for a ‘Better Education for a Better World’.
The website address www.unite4education.org will
host a dedicated web portal, which will be unveiled at
the launch event. On this portal (or Campaign Hub)
EI will publish stories from all over the world about
the state of education and about activities which educators are undertaking to promote quality education.
It will also provide content material and support as
well as interactive activities and will promote calls to
action from the campaign and from EI members.
Finally, it will provide tools to report and show how EI
member organisations and their individual members
are engaging with the ‘Unite for Education’ campaign.
Tutors at training
Audrey Clarke (D.15) Eavan
O’Donoghue (D.13), TJ Clare
(D.14), Deirdre Ní Mháirtín
(D.14) Emer Nelligan (D.13)
and Síofra Hogan (D.13) at a
training seminar for district
tutors in September.
Districts will be organising a
series of training sessions for
INTO staff representatives
during the next few months.
Details will be circulated locally.
School readiness among parents and educators in Ireland – Can you help?
Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, and
Dublin Institute of Technology are
commissioned by the Department of
Children and Youth Affairs through the
Irish Research Council to conduct a
research project, which examines concepts
of school readiness among parents and
educators in Ireland. In early October an
online survey will issue to a random
sample of primary schools. It is important
to respond to this survey if you are one of
the schools that has been randomly
selected as the findings of the research will
form the basis of recommendations that
will inform policy development and
ultimately practice.
See http://bit.ly/1a74itk for further
information on this research project.
10 THINGS you should know
1
2
3
4
The INTO campaign to protect class size will
run right up to Budget 2014.
The INTO has met with NCSE about a revised
model for special education needs
provision, see page 7.
Education International is launching a Unite
for Quality Education campaign. Please
support the campaign at www.unite4education.org
This issue outlines a range of current issues
related to school leadership, see pages 27-33.
5
6
7
8
9
The ICTU has made a pre-budget submission
about priorities in relation to taxation and
spending. Further information on page 7.
If you are a newly appointed principal and
would like to participate in the MISNEACH
programme, details are printed on page 23.
INTO Learning is running a wider range of
programmes for members during the
autumn. See page 17 for full details.
INTO staff representatives now have the
facility to check membership lists for their
schools through the INTO membership database.
More info on INTO website under ‘Staff Reps’.
The INTO Principals’ and Deputy Principals’
Committee is due to be elected for a
three year term from next Easter. If you are
interested in standing for election,
see page 27.
10
Following on from a series of articles last
year, further information on how your
INTO subscription is spent is published on page
16 of this issue.
9
I dteagmháil
Get involved
INTO members face many challenges in the
immediate future. In recent years there have been
unrelenting attacks on public servants and trade
unions by vested interests seeking to sow division
and destroy a sense of unity. It is now more important than ever that INTO members stand together,
exchange views and agree a common purpose to
promote the profession of teaching. A revised version of a leaflet called ‘Looking out for each other’
outlining INTO services and benefits to members,
and seeking to maximise membership among
primary teachers, is available on the INTO website.
You can play your part by ensuring full INTO
membership in your school, by attending your
October branch meeting, by contributing to
debates on policy issues, both at meetings and
online, and by playing an active part in INTO
campaigns over the coming year.
For further information, visit the ‘Join Us’
section of the INTO website.
Need a sub? Seeking work
in a primary school?
Stay informed
Check our website www.into.ie
Subscribe to the INTO enewsletter
int0.newsweaver.ie
INTO SubSearch is designed to help teachers find substitute work – whether just out
of college or seeking part-time employment.
How it works
Substitutes register their profiles and
availability on the site – while principals can
search for registered substitutes in their area.
SubSearch facilities include:
• Substitutes may register for work in up
to three locations.
• Principals can search for available qualified teachers within specified distances
of their school. Alternatively, substitute
teachers can be automatically texted or
emailed about their availability.
• A search facility is included whereby
the category of ‘substitute available’ is
returned in accordance with Circular
31/2011. Responses are categorised in
the search i.e. listing qualified primary
teachers first, followed by retired
qualified primary teachers, followed
by other teachers.
• Both substitutes and principals can
indicate a preference for work in a
Gaelscoil or Gaeltacht situation.
• Video tutorials and FAQs about using
SubSearch are available online.
• A weekly reminder is generated to
substitutes on the list to update their
details. Substitutes can update their
availability for the next two week period.
A ‘mobile’ version of SubSearch is available
and works on Android phones and tablets,
iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone 7 and modern
versions of Blackberry.
Register on subsearch.into.ie
Find the mobile version at msub.into.ie
Tell us what you think …
Have you something to say
about an article you have read in
InTouch, or is there an issue on which you want to
communicate with others? Email [email protected] or
write to the Editor, InTouch, INTO, Vere Foster
10
Get news on the move at our mobile
website m.into.ie
House, 35 Parnell Sq, Dublin 1. Mark all such
communications ‘for publication’ and give a contact
telephone number. A 50 book token will be
awarded each month for the prize letter published.
Long letters may be edited.
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INTO News
The Irish National Teachers Organisation … who’s who, what’s new, and what’s happening
INTO meets student unions
Student union representatives from the
various colleges of education met with
INTO representatives in early September
to discuss a range of common issues. Top
of the agenda was the threat to increase
class size in Budget 2014, which will have
a direct impact on employment prospects
for both recent graduates and the graduating class of 2014.
It was agreed that meetings would be
held for student bodies in Dublin,
Maynooth and Limerick to outline the
campaign underway and also to raise
awareness of the impact of class size on
graduates and primary education. The
meeting also discussed a range of current
challenges facing primary education and
teaching graduates, including induction
and probation procedures to the profession. The INTO gives support annually to
student activities in the various colleges of
education. Details of Comhar Linn, the
INTO credit union, bursary scheme and a
loan facility for students in colleges were
also outlined at the meeting.
After a wide ranging discussion it was
agreed that the INTO and the student
unions would meet again later in the term
to review matters at that point. The usual
inputs to student bodies in the colleges of
education would also take place later in
the year.
OPW launches Newgrange Winter
Solstice art competition
Information
packs for NQTs
The INTO has developed an information pack for newly qualified teachers
(NQTs) joining the Organisation.
The folder containing the information is ideal for daily use. Included in
the pack is an INTO Membership card
and a MembershipPlus card allowing
access to discounts and benefits.
The pack also contains a preloaded
memory stick/usb, kindly sponsored
by Vhi Healthcare, containing useful
information on conditions of employment and guidance for NQTs, as well
as a range of resources for the classroom. Updates for the usb will be
posted on www.into.ie in the ‘New
Teachers’ section.
Other publications such as the INTO
diary, school year planner and
InTouch magazine are also included.
The information pack is sent to new
members as application forms are
processed in Head Office. New teachers can join online on www.into.ie or
download a membership form, fill it
in and return it to their local branch
secretary.
John MacGabhann, TUI General Secretary; Pat King, ASTI General Secretary; Ruairí
Quinn, Minister for Education and Skills; Brian Hayes, Minister of State for the Office of
Public Works; Shelia Nunan, INTO General Secretary and Sally Maguire, ASTI President at the launch of the Newgrange Winter Solstice art competition 2013. See page 63
for full details of the competition.
13
Nuacht CMÉ
EQUALITY NEWS
ICTU Disability
Seminar
In brief...
INTO Equality Committee
The INTO Equality Committee met on 13
September. The Committee joined the other
national committees and the district tutors at
a session with the General Secretary which
focused on class size and succession planning
in the INTO. The Committee considered
further follow up to the Equality Conference,
with proposals in train for a poster and
information leaflet for schools and an INTO
Learning project on mental health issues.
The Committee will join with the other
national committees in October for a training
session on research skills, and also undertake
training in the area of gender in primary
education.
The Committee noted and welcomed the
recent changes to parental leave contained in
Circular 26/2013, in particular the extension of
the period of leave from 11 to 18 weeks,
as well as the provision for teachers to
request flexible working arrangements on
return from parental leave. The Committee
decided that it would be timely to reissue
the Family Leave poster which previously
issued to schools, and work is underway to
do this.
The Committee welcomed new member,
Seamus Hanna, from District 1, who was
elected to the Committee over the summer.
INTO present symposium at European
early childhood conference
Pictured are some of the delegates from
Ireland at the EECERA (European Early
Childhood Educational Research
Association) Conference in August 2013.
From left: Anne Fay, ex-president INTO,
Arlene Forster, NCCA, Maresa Duignan,
Early Years Policy Unit DES, Deirbhile
Nic Craith, Senior Official, INTO, Marion
Brennan, Early Childhood Ireland, Irene
Gunning, Early Childhood Ireland,
Marlene McCormack, Early Childhood
Ireland, Carmel Brennan, Early
Childhood Ireland, and Mary Hough,
14
Director Sligo Education Centre.
The INTO, along with the NCCA and
ATECI presented a symposium on
Aistear, the Early Years' Curriculum
Framework. The INTO outlined the
findings of the online questionnaire on
Aistear which members were invited to
complete last spring. Mary Hough, on
behalf of the ATECI, described the
Aistear Tutor Initiative and the NCCA
outlined curriculum developments for the
early years, and showed video footage of
practice in the infant classrooms.
The annual ICTU Disability
Seminar will take place in the
Clarion Hotel, Dublin Airport
on 10/11 October. INTO delegates will attend the seminar,
entitled ‘Decent Work for
Everyone’, which will be
opened by ICTU president
John Douglas, and be addressed by barrister Claire
Bruton, who is undertaking
research on employment for
people with disabilities, as well
as representatives from the
NDA and other organisations
working in this area.
Updated language
curriculum
10 things to know
The Minister for Education and Skills asked the
NCCA to revise the language curriculum as part
of the National Strategy on Literacy and
Numeracy. The INTO, through its representatives on NCCA committees, is contributing to
this process. The curriculum is also being
developed in collaboration with teachers
through a range of NCCA networks of schools.
1. Little change in overall content of curriculum, but more of a focus on skills and dispositions.
2. Fewer content objectives than current
curriculum.
3. Greater clarity around learning outcomes
for children
4. Strands are retained and strand units are
renamed elements.
5. Integrated language curriculum – English
and Gaeilge, both as Language 1 and
Language 2.
6. Integration to facilitate links between
English and Irish and to facilitate enhanced
integration across Oral language/Reading/
Writing.
7. Online presentation will facilitate rapid
access to much relevant detail as needed in
addition to highlighting linkages between
outcomes across strands.
8. Draft revision for Junior Infants – 2nd class
available for consultation by spring 2014.
9. Examples of annotated children’s work to
be available on the NCCA website to guide
teachers’ assessment.
10.More information next month.
INTO News
High Court ruling clarifies disciplinary and appeal process
INTO welcomes judgement
In September’s InTouch, we reported on
the outcome of a judicial review action
taken by INTO member Nora Kelly, a
principal teacher in Co Wicklow, which
overturned a decision of the board of
management to demote her from the position of principal. Her board had persisted
in its course despite a finding by the
Disciplinary Appeals Panel under Circular
60/2009 that the process had been unfair
and the sanction disproportionate.
The High Court judgement of Ms Justice O’Malley concentrated on the process
applied under the circular, including the
appeal. The judgement contains a number
of important findings which have relevance for disciplinary processes and fair
procedures for INTO members.
Judicial review, role of employer
The Judge examined legal precedent in
relation to the availability of judicial review
in school employment cases. Having
regard specifically to the provisions of
Circular 60/2009, as part of a statutory
regime established by the Education Act,
the Judge felt that the hiring and dismissal
of teachers could not be described as a
private contractual issue. While every
aspect of school disciplinary procedures
might not be a suitable matter for judicial
review, this public law remedy was applicable in this case.
The judgement referred to the structure
of school governance by voluntary board
representatives as ‘admirable’ but one
which places burdens on those involved.
She stated that it is incumbent on teachers to accept that boards have the job of
management and “in particular to respect
the role of the board as their employer”.
Fairness and rationality
Regarding the particular case under
review, the Judge felt that in the board’s
dealing with issues, a sense of perspective
regarding their role as an employer had
been lost. Specifically, she ruled that the
disciplinary process carried out by the
board “did not accord with the dictates of
fairness or rationality”. She was critical of
the disciplinary charges which were set out
in very general terms, and in particular of
the inclusion of evidence from people
whose connection with the school had
ceased and who had not have made formal
complaints previously.
The Judge also stated that she was
“firmly of the view that the sanction imposed was unfair and irrational in the
sense that it was disproportionate”.
Disciplinary Appeals Panel
Sanctions under Circular 60/2009 may in
certain cases be appealed to a Disciplinary
Appeals Panel, which comprises nominees
of school management and INTO, with an
independent chair from a panel
nominated by the Minister. This High
Court ruling acknowledges that the panel
is established as part of the statutory
regime and that such a panel is ‘a body of
the sort to which the courts generally
display a high level of deference on issues
within its area of expertise. Its recommendations should, accordingly, carry substantial weight with boards of management’.
In this case, the Judge viewed the
approach of the board to the Appeals
Panel as not appearing to have been
open-minded. In her view the board did
not, in fact, give proper consideration to
the Appeals Panel finding.
Implications
This judgement is welcomed by the INTO as
providing clarity in the area of due process
and fair procedure as well as endorsing the
standing of the Disciplinary Appeals Panel
as an independent and expert body. This is
an important ruling which will undoubtedly be quoted in any future court cases
which may arise in this area.
The full judgement is entitled Nora Kelly
(Applicant) and the Board of
Management of St Joseph’s National
School, Valleymount, Co Wicklow
(Respondent), High Court Judgement of
Ms Justice O’Malley delivered 6 August
2013: 2013 IEHC 392 – accessible at
www.courts.ie.
Sean appointed to MIC Governing Body
At time to going to print Sean McMahon,
INTO Vice President, had just been appointed to the Governing Body of MIC in
Limerick.
Seán is principal of Mullagh NS in Co
Clare. He attended primary school in
Coore NS and completed his secondary
education in the CBS Ennistymon, Co
Clare. Sean attended Mary Immaculate
College of Education in Limerick, graduating as a primary teacher in 1979.
Seán’s teaching career began in 1979 in
Rathdowney BNS, Co Laois. In 1980 he was
appointed to Annagh NS, Miltown Malbay,
Co Clare, teaching third to sixth class, in
what was then a two teacher school. This
marked the beginning of years of campaigning for increased understanding of
and support for the critical contribution
small rural schools make to their communities and to Irish education.
During his teaching career, Seán
attended UCG, graduating with a Masters
in Rural and Community Development in
1989. His thesis dealt with the implications
of school amalgamations for rural communities. He also completed a H. Dip. in
Education – School Planning in UCG in
2004.
In 1990 Seán was appointed as teaching
principal of Mullagh NS. He has been actively involved in the INTO since the 1980s
and has represented Clare, Tipperary and
Waterford on the CEC since 2007. Before
that he was a member of the Principals’
and Deputy Principals’ Committee. He has
also served as secretary and chairperson
to the West Clare INTO Branch.
Seán is married to Gerardine who is also
a primary teacher. They have five children.
The INTO congratulates Sean on his
appointment.
15
Nuacht CMÉ
INTO accounts – information
and insights
Article one : expenditure
Last year we published a series of articles
from the Finance and Membership
Section on INTO funds. In a new series of
articles this year, we provide information
on and analysis of INTO funds, where
income comes from and expenditure goes,
who supervises INTO spending and
accounts, and what are the grants, benefits
and services available to INTO members.
In this first article we look at INTO
expenditure.
Expenditure
for the year ended
-.
Membership activities
Administration
ICT
Buildings
Affiliations and professional fees
2.9%
2.6%
INTO expenditure
The pie chart (right) is based on one
developed for delegates at INTO Annual
Congress 2013. It covers INTO expenditure for the most recent year of audited
accounts, 2012.
7.6%
42.5%
44.4%
As is seen from the chart, almost 87% of
INTO expenditure is categorised under
the headings ‘Membership Activities’ and
‘Administration’.
Some of the specific spending under each
heading is as follows:
l Administration – this category includes
salary and pension payments in respect
of some 60 INTO employees in our
offices in Dublin and Belfast, all costs
related to the running of those offices
including, equipment, telephone, postage
and printing costs, and all INTO publications and taxation (VAT) payments.
l Membership Activities – this section
includes spending by branches and districts, expenditure related to the running of INTO’s national committees
(which comprise representatives elected from districts), the centrally-funded
costs of all INTO conferences including
Annual Congress, substitute salaries
(e.g. to cover attendees at INTO training events), legal and ballot expenses,
and grants to INTO members.
l ICT – includes all the IT services
utilised by the offices in Dublin and
Belfast as well as spending on comput-
Comhar Linn
Draw winners
August 
16
l
l
ers and on IT training for branch and
district officers.
Affiliations and Professional Fees –
accounts for spending on affiliations
and INTO involvement as delegates to
affiliate bodies, as well as all audit and
tax services to INTO.
Buildings – includes heat, light, insurance, maintenance and repairs of all
INTO buildings in Dublin and Belfast,
an amount to account for ‘spending’ on
depreciation, and loan interest payments.
INTO expenditure in our accounts as
presented to Annual Congress is detailed
under 22 headings, this pie chart
summarises those under five. Within the
22 original headings, the eight largest categories of expenditure (in order of amount
Car: Toyota Auris
Elaine Wafer, St
Michael’s GNS,
Tipperary Town.
Cash 1,500
Tríona Ní Reachtabhra,
St Colmcille’s SNS,
Dublin 16.
expended) for 2012 were: salaries and
pensions; branches and districts; seminars
and conferences; committee expenses;
telephone, printing and postage; heat/
light/insurance and maintenance; legal
expenses; and grants.
In the next article
in this series, we
will look at INTO
spending
categorised under
the funds as
specified in INTO
Rules, and at
where
responsibility for
expenditure rests.
Weekend for two in
Jury’s Inn
Catherine Mc Loone, SN
Neill Mór, Co Donegal.
Weekend for two in
Jury’s Inn
Ailish Malone, Scoil
Mhuire SNS, Dublin 15.
INTO News
INTO LEARNING
Autumn Programme 2013
The INTO Learning Autumn Programme 2013 offers a variety of online courses, Croke Park
CPD packages and two pop-up professional learning communities for members
Online Courses
Introductory Course for LearningSupport and Resource Teachers
Have you just moved from mainstream to
learning-support and resource teaching?
If so this course is for you! Over nine
modules you will be guided through all
aspects of learning support/resource
teaching and administration including
testing and assessment approaches,
timetabling and support considerations as
well as pedagogical support for teaching
children with literacy, numeracy and
behavioural difficulties. Registration closes mid November and course costs €180.
Ceol Ireland
Registration is now open for CEOL Ireland’s Junior Infant, Senior Infant, First
and Second Class programme of professional development for CEOL’s full school
year programme of 30 music lessons, all
based on the Irish Primary Curriculum.
All materials are provided online and
training is presented in video format. The
full year programme costs €100.
Supporting Literacy Development
across the Primary School
This course focuses on Oral Language
Development, Reading Development,
Writing Development and Online
Literacy Resources. The course, delivered
over four modules, will link very
strongly to the curriculum and explore
strategies and approaches for literacy
development and assessment. The
course will also include suggestions to
integrate and support literacy across a
number of curricular areas as well as
providing approaches for harnessing
ICT to support literacy development.
This course commences in November
and costs €65.
Utilise your Croke Park hours for whole school professional development with INTO CPD packages
Croke Park hour CPD Packages
Croke Park hour CPD packages are selfcontained whole-school professional
development and training packages. They
aim to support principals and teachers
who wish to use school Croke Park hours
to organise and facilitate whole-school
professional development. Each package
has three main components as follows:
• Online CPD session.
• Resource folder.
• Guiding instructions for session
facilitator (staff member).
The online CPD session is a virtual audiovisual presentation that incorporates
opportunities for group discussion of the
package theme/content and activities to
incorporate learning from the session into
school practice. The resource folder
contains a copy of the online presentation
as well as referenced materials. The
contents are downloadable for printing
and archiving purposes. A set of guiding
instructions allows for a staff member to
easily lead and facilitate the session.
CPD packages available include:
•
•
•
•
•
Child Protection
Bookmaking
Literature Circles
Comprehension
School Self Evaluation (a series of
sessions from late November)
With the exception of School Self
Professional Learning Communities
Professional learning communities
(PLCs) are discussion based forums
that allow teachers the opportunity
to discuss and share practice and
learning as well as resources and
experiences. They are facilitated by
a lead teacher to encourage participation. The facility allows for a maximum of 30 teachers to be involved in
this learning exchange over a four
Evaluation, the cost of enrolment is €25 per
school. This will facilitate access to the
online session until the end of June 2014.
The School Self Evaluation Package
will open for registration in late October.
It consists of several virtual audio-visual
presentations staggered throughout the
2013/2014 school year. These sessions will
support schools through the SSE process
from gathering and analysing teaching
and learning evidence and evaluating
it to developing a SSE Report and an
implementation plan. A facilitated discussion forum between sessions will allow
for schools to seek advice and to share
experiences. This package costs €100.
week period. Two upcoming midNovember PLCs include:
• Integrating Visual Arts and Literacy
• Putting volunteer learning into
practice in the classroom
There is no cost for this learning
facility. Please direct expressions on
interest in the above to Erin at [email protected]
For full details
and registration see
www.intolearning.ie
Follow
#intolearning
for twitter updates
17
INTO News
In the media
In print
Class sizes a ‘black mark’ on Ireland’s
record
That almost a quarter of primary school
children are in classes of 30 or more is a
“black mark” on Ireland’s education
record, according to teachers’ union, the
INTO… Peter Mullan of the Irish National
Teachers’ Organisation noted that in the
2012/13 year there were more than 8,500
students in classes of 30 or more pupils
than in the previous academic year. “Class
sizes have the biggest impact on children’s
learning – all the evidence shows that in
smaller classes of 20, which is the EU average, learning outcomes improve....”
The Irish Times, 5 September 2013
elections... Brendan O’Sullivan, President
of the Irish National Teachers’
Organisation, said more cuts in education
were being threatened in the name of a
discredited austerity regime but were not
necessary. “There is a choice being made
here to make these cuts on the backs of
children in primary school,” he said. “For
any of us that is not acceptable.”
Irish Examiner, 5 September 2013
Hundreds of teachers axed despite
surge in enrolments
The country’s 720 post-primary schools
have lost 650 teachers at a time when
student numbers rose by 3,800… INTO
president Brendan O’Sullivan said while
ministers “talked up” the importance of
education, only 9.4pc of public spending
was devoted to it...
Irish Independent, 5 September 2013
One in four children taught in classes
with more than 30 pupils
Almost one in four primary school children
are being taught in classes of 30 or more –
making Ireland’s teacher-pupil ratio the
second worst in Europe, it is claimed… The
president of the Irish National Teachers’
Organisation, Brendan O’Sullivan, yesterday described class sizes in Ireland as
“insane” and demanded that no further
budget cuts be made. “As it stands, we are
the second worst in Europe. Britain’s class
sizes are marginally higher. There,
however, they have classroom assistants in
most classes as well,” he said. “You cannot
give the attention to all 35 children that
you can give to the European average of
only 20.”
Irish Daily Mail, 5 September 2013
Primary school groups unite to fight
further cuts
Primary school education groups have
warned that educational spending could
be a huge political issue in next year’s local
Commuter-belt pupils face most
crowded classrooms
Almost one-in-three school pupils in some
parts of the country is now in a ‘supersize’
classroom of more than 30 children. The
children of commuter-belt families are
suffering the most overcrowded
classrooms, new figures confirm. As
primary-school enrolments rise, average
classes are getting bigger almost
everywhere throughout the country, with
a spike in the number of pupils in classes of
30 or more:… The INTO said that, at the
same time as class sizes were rising, nonclass teachers were being cut from the
system. “More and more responsibility is
being put on the class teacher to meet the
needs of children with little English,
special needs or disadvantaged
backgrounds,” said INTO general secretary Sheila Nunan. According to the
INTO, smaller classes are most important
when children are young…
Number of ‘supersize’ classes rising
The alarming rise in primary school class
sizes is confirmed in new figures from the
Department of Education… An INTO
spokesman described the figures as
extremely worrying, adding: “Almost a
quarter of all children are in classes of
more than 30 while the EU average is 20
per class.”
On the airwaves
Cork 103 FM
Interview with Sheila Nunan
on overcrowded classes
5 September 2013
Ireland AM – TV3
Brendan O’Sullivan (President,
INTO) discusses concern for
the impact of cuts to funding
for primary schools. Discusses
increases in class sizes
5 September 2013
The Last Word - Today FM
Interview with Brendan
O’Sullivan (INTO) who
discusses the launch of a new
campaign opposing cuts to
education. Aodhan O’Riordain
TD (Labour Party) also
discusses…
4 September 2013
Nine O’Clock News/Six One
News – RTE One
Primary school parents, teachers and school managers have
joined forces to campaign
against any further cuts to
education in next month’s
budget. Emma O’Kelly reports.
Interview with Sheila Nunan
(INTO)
4 September 2013
Drivetime – RTE Radio 1
Della Kilroy reports on the
launch of a new campaign
opposing cuts to education.
Interview with Brendan
O’Sullivan (INTO) discusses
the latest Department of
Education figures on class sizes.
4 September 2013
class sizes, funding and
uniforms. Interview with Ultan
MacMathuna principal.
2 September 2013
The 5:30 – TV3
A new lobby group of educational sector interests is
protesting against cuts affecting schools and students –
Interview: John Boyle and
Brendan O’Sullivan (INTO).
4 September 2013
Today with Sean O Rourke –
RTE Radio 1
Some concerns about aspects of
the school admission reforms.
Interview: Sheila Nunan (INTO)
2 September 2013
Morning Edition – RTE
One
Back to School
Feature from Holy
Cross NS in Dundrum on
back to school issues including
19
SOLIDARITY
GIVE-ing back while on career break
Martina
Delaney
writes
about her
experiences
in The
Gambia
I found myself sitting on a plane destined
for Africa – again. What had happened? I
had taken a career break to go on the Niall
Mellon Building Blitz in November and
then the plan was to take an ‘around the
world’ trip for the rest of my year out. But
here I was on a plane with 12 retired Irish
teachers who I didn’t even know, heading
for The Gambia.
The truth is, when I came back from the
Building Blitz I was ‘itching’ to go back. It
was an unbelievable humbling experience,
spending days on site, walking amongst
the shacks and people who we were building new homes for. Even though there was
great poverty, they were all so happy and
friendly, children with no food in their tummies, no shoes on their feet but all with inquisitive, curious smiles on their faces.
When I came back I remembered an
advertisement in InTouch for GIVE, an Irish
organisation that sends volunteer teachers
to The Gambia each year for six weeks
from January to March. The name itself,
GIVE – Gambia Ireland Volunteers in
Education – struck a cord with me. So here
I was on my way to The Gambia.
I worked alongside one of the other
volunteers in the Nursery Sector over
there. In The Gambia money is very scarce
and conditions are very poor, yet every student arrives in school in a perfect uniform
with a smile on their face. The children are
beautiful and so happy, despite the conditions and the overcrowded classrooms.
There are up to 60 children in classes with
four or five pupils sitting squashed at a
bench suitable for two.
The classrooms consist of dusty floors
and teachers have little more than a blackboard and chalk to work with. It is rare to
have enough pencils, rubbers, copies, even
paper for each child in a class! Paints and
crayons are luxuries they know little of. To
see them touch paint I had brought over
and be mesmerised by its texture was
humbling. Not to mention when they
discovered the ‘magic’ of mixing blue and
yellow to make green.
I remember in one class demonstrating a
lesson in phonics to the teacher – saying
the letter name ‘LI’, sounding it and asking
the children for names or things around the
classroom beginning with ‘LI’. I pointed up
to the ceiling to say light to discover there
was no light. In fact, there was no electricity
at all. How did I not notice this before?
We take so much for granted here.
Teaching has changed and evolved in
Ireland over the last century, and especially
over the last decade or two with technology.
As a teacher I realise how lucky I am to
teach here – even in a recession.
There is so much to do in The Gambia.
Teachers are doing their best, with little
training, overcrowded classes, and few
resources. At times, I felt my presence and
contribution was like a drop in the ocean
but with every drop comes change. Thanks
to organisations like GIVE, the people of
the aptly named ‘Smiling Coast of Africa’
will experience support in education, thus
giving them more reasons to smile. For
me, a change of plan and a spur of the
moment decision introduced me to the
happiest, friendliest people I have ever met,
an experience I will cherish and never forget.
Martina Delaney is a primary school teacher
in St John’s Junior School, Kilkenny. She is
currently on career break.
For further information on volunteering in The
Gambia please contact Joe Griffin of GIVE. Telephone:
0872255040; email: [email protected]; website:
www.giveireland.ie, www.rte.ie/doconone (Old
School New School). Charity number: CHY 20100.
Vast majority of people in Ireland continue to support overseas aid
In June, MRBI undertook a poll that confirmed once
more the immense public support in Ireland for
overseas aid.
The survey was based on interviews with people
from a representative sample of 1,000 adults, and
showed that almost four out of every five people
think that ‘even in an economic downturn, we
have an obligation to invest in overseas aid’.
What’s more, people also ‘put their money
where their mouth is’. Despite the occasional media
commentator arguing that ‘charity begins at
home’, people in Ireland continue to show that
they support overseas aid: the level of donations to
aid agencies remains consistently high – although
admittedly not at the same levels as during the
height of the Celtic Tiger era.
The data also shows that people in Ireland signifi-
20
cantly over-estimate the amount Ireland spends on
overseas aid, with 31% of respondents indicating they
think the aid budget amounts to more than 6% of national income – 12 times the correct figure of 0.48%.
In the meantime, new reports from the United
Nations show that aid is making real and lasting
differences to people in the world’s poorest countries.
In the midst of a crisis in Ireland, it is easy to
overlook one of the great untold stories of our
time: The world has witnessed greater absolute
improvements in health, wealth, and education
in the past decade than in any comparable period
in human history.
Some statistics
• In the last 15 years, 2.1 billion people have
gained access to safe drinking water.
• More than 200 million people no longer live in
slums.
• The proportion of the world’s people living in
extreme poverty has halved – meaning that
some 700 million people (100 times the population of the island of Ireland) have been lifted
out of poverty.
And this phenomenal progress should encourage us
to tackle the remaining challenges. We need to
continue to invest in overseas aid – because it is the
right thing to do, but also because it is the smart
thing to do: Small countries like Ireland need a fair
and stable world, so that we can trade and thrive.
And we now have the proof that people in Ireland
support this work.
INTO News
BENEFITS
Membership Plus
– your member benefit programme –
Membership Plus is the benefit programme available
to INTO members where you can enjoy up to 50%
discount at over 1,000 restaurants, shops, gyms, golf
clubs, days out venues and much more.
Offers are available across all areas of the country
and include names such as Jurys Inn, Stena Line,
Luigi Malones, wagamama, Travelodge, McDonald’s,
Argos and many more.
From pizza to pub grub, go-karting to golf, hairdressers to big high street names, there is something
for everyone so with only minimum usage, you
should notice significant savings in a short space of
time.
Your new 2013/2014 Membership Plus card was
enclosed in the September issue of InTouch.
If your card was missing, please contact INTO
head office on 01 804 7700.
Activate
your
card
to win
Activate your card by 31 October 2013 for a chance to win €50.
Everyone who activates their 2013/2014 Membership Plus card by
31 October 2013 will go into a draw to win a €50 shopping card of
their choice from our selection of discounted shopping cards.
To activate your new Membership Plus card and get the full
benefit of the new and improved Membership Plus website:
1. Go to www.membershipplus.ie.
2. When prompted, enter your Membership Plus card number
beginning MTS. Please note it is not necessary to use your
INTO membership number.
3. Click on the ‘Register’ button to complete the short activation
process.
You will then be able to view the full range of offers, be kept up
to date with the newest offers, enter fantastic competitions and
much more.
Download our new app to
find offers on the move …
Membership Plus are excited
to announce that you can
now download the new free
mobile app – allowing you to
see what offers are available
closest to your current
location, browse by
category, save your favourite
offers and much more.
Whether you are out and
about and need to see where
you can save with
Membership Plus or want to
see what offers are close to
home, the Membership Plus
App brings over 650 offers to
your fingertips.
The Membership Plus app
is free to download from the
App Store for iPhone users
or Google Play for Android
users.
Suggest a venue
By suggesting a venue, you help Membership Plus grow in the way which benefits
you the most. Once received, our venue team will contact the suggested company
and once we secure an offer we will add it to Membership Plus. So whether the
hottest new restaurant has opened down the road or your favourite place to go
shopping isn’t yet in Membership Plus – send a venue suggestion to our venues
team by going to www.membershipplus.ie and click on ‘Suggest a Venue’.
21
INTO Advice
INTO advice for members on issues of importance
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
Applying for
the Misneach
Programme
If you are a first-time principal or
acting principal you are eligible to
apply for the Misneach programme.
This programme focuses on the
learning and development needs of the
principal during his/her first two years
following appointment.
Key constituent elements of the
programme include:
1 Four residential meetings over two
school years interrogating a series of
modules.
2 An additional four Misneach local
support sessions in Year 1, facilitated
by an experienced principal.
The cost of accommodation and
travel to the residentials is funded by
the DES. Teaching principals may also
claim for substitute cover through the
use of admin days and PDST support.
Application should be made via the
application form, or by visiting
www.pdst.ie, or by contacting Linda
Hogan at Clare Education Centre,
Govt Buildings, Kilrush Rd, Ennis,
Co Clare. Phone 065 6845520 or email
[email protected].
Please send in the application form
as soon as the appointment is secured.
Modules for Misneach primary
• The Principal and the Board
of Management.
• Leading learning.
• Communication.
• Conflict Management.
• Managing Self.
• Leadership Curriculum Change.
• Leading Literacy and Numeracy.
• Stress Management.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Interviewing.
Time Management.
Team Building.
Managing Special Needs.
Finance.
Record Keeping.
Leading People.
Assessment and Evaluation.
The Extended School Community.
Application Form for Misneach Programme
Name:
Number of Teachers:
Position:
Roll Number:
Date of appointment to position:
School Tel:
Mobile:
School Email:
Email:
Signed:
School Name:
School Address:
Office use only
Date received:
Signed:
23
INTO Advice
From college to classroom
Criteria for planning
A frequently asked question by newly
qualified teachers (NQTs) is “What are
the criteria used in the inspection of the
work of teachers for probationary and
registration purposes in primary
schools?” Appendix 4 in the Procedures
for Induction and Procedures and Criteria
for Probation 2013/2014 (The Teaching
Council, August 2013, page 44) outlines
the criteria (Source: Inspectorate,
Department of Education and Skills).
There are four key areas to consider
• Planning, preparation and recording
of progress.
• Classroom management and
organisation.
• Quality of teaching across the
curriculum areas.
• Quality of pupils’ learning in curriculum areas.
In this article we will explore the criteria
for planning, preparation and recording
of progress and in next month’s article
we will look at the criteria for:
• Classroom management and
organisation.
• Quality of teaching across curriculum
areas.
• Quality of pupils’ learning in curriculum areas.
Planning, preparation and recording
of progress
The NQT demonstrates engagement
with long and short-term planning in
line with school policies (e.g. assessment and other relevant teaching and
learning policies) and the primary
school curriculum under the following
criteria:
• Develops an adequate class
timetable referenced to the specified minimum weekly time framework in the Primary School Curriculum and the recommendations
included in Circular 56/2011: It is
important to link with the School Plan
when drawing up your timetable. Discuss with the principal and/or mentor
how the school is facilitating the additional time for literacy and numeracy.
• Provides clear and suitable teaching
and learning objectives with due
regard to the Primary School Curriculum and the School Plan: Keep
your learning objectives specific, realistic, attainable, measurable and relevant to the class you are teaching. The
key words here are clear and suitable –
if the learning objectives are clear and
suitable then your teaching and the
children’s learning will be focused.
• Prepares an appropriate range of
resources: This does not mean
making resources for every lesson
but rather being efficient in sourcing
effective resources in the school or
from other teachers or making appropriate, sustainable resources which can
be used throughout the year. The key
word here is appropriate – only have
the resources which are essential and
which will enhance the teaching and
learning in the context of your class.
• Plans for differences in pupil abilities,
backgrounds and learning styles:
this refers to differentiating your
teaching to cater for the pupils’ learning needs in your class. See Appendix
F: Differentiation strategies across the
curriculum in the Long-term Planning
Guidelines, in the planning section of
www.teacherinduction.ie The illustrated table includes a menu of differentiation strategies adapted from the
Guidelines for Teachers of Students
with General Learning Disabilities
(NCCA, 2007) and from the Draft
Guidelines for Teachers of Exceptionally
Able Students (NCCA, 2007). The
examples included are for illustrative
purposes only and should be replaced
with examples relevant to the children in your own class.
• Maintains good quality progress
records: “Assessment is the process
of gathering, recording,
interpreting, using,
and reporting
information
about a child’s
progress and achievement in developing knowledge, skills and attitudes.”
(Assessment in the Primary School
Curriculum: Guidelines for Schools,
NCCA, 2007, p7). The Planning and
Assessment workshops will explore
this area in more detail but a good
reference is Appendix E: Assessment
methods across the curriculum in the
Long-Term Planning Guidelines, in
the planning section of
www.teacherinduction.ie The illustrated table includes a menu of
assessment methods adapted from
the Primary School Curriculum (DES,
1999) and Assessment in the Primary
School Curriculum: Guidelines for
Schools, (NCCA 2007). The examples
included are for illustrative purposes
only and should be replaced with
examples relevant to the pupils in
your own class.
For further information on Procedures
for Induction and Procedures and
Criteria for Probation 2013/2014 visit
www.teachingcouncil.ie
For information on planning visit
www.teacherinduction.ie
The NQT demonstrates engagement with long and
short-term planning 25
School Leadership
Information and updates on issues relating to primary school leadership
School leadership at the crossroads
The vast majority of Irish primary school leaders report being happy in their job despite a
significant degree of occupational stress. The
relationship between job satisfaction and stress
is complex. Both are influenced by a variety of
factors including the adequacy of resources,
administrative support, the extent to which
teachers are open to new developments and
challenges, school facilities and being a teaching
principal or administrative principal.
Increasingly the key issue for school leaders,
not just in Ireland but across the world, is the
volume and multiplicity of demands. These
include instructional leadership, pastoral care,
human resource management, school administration and management and the financial
management of ever diminishing resources. In
most cases it is an injudicious mixture of all of
these major roles fuelled in part by a policy of
devolving responsibility to school level. As a
result, increasing numbers of principals report
feelings of workload pressure.
This is obviously unfair to the individuals
placed in this position and is a risk to personal
wellbeing and health and safety. Equally, given
the recognised importance of school leadership
and the centrality of the principal teacher to the
education system, the effective administration
of the education system is compromised by this
overload of key individuals.
At the core of this problem is a lack of role
definition for the principal teacher, a lack of
support/resources to enable the job of leadership to be effectively undertaken and fair remuneration for the role. The recent PDP conference gave an opportunity for school leaders to
examine those and other issues, to share good
practice and to pursue possibilities in other key
areas such as staffing, management, administration and instructional leadership.
The policies of austerity have taken their toll
on all – school leaders are no exception – and
cutbacks to school staffing and funding have
impacted significantly. School leadership is at a
crossroads. Waiting for others to provide solutions is not an option. The challenge for us is to
chart a direction and ensure the rebuilding of
key aspects of school leadership.
Facts and figures
2012/2013
Number of primary pupils 526,422
Number of primary
teachers
32,175
Number of primary
schools on mainstream
3,152
Number of special schools
141
Size of schools –
Primary
Fewer than 50 pupils
50 – 99
100 – 199
200 –299
300 –499
500+
Total
598
783
805
573
351
102
3,152
Like to be on the PDC?
Pictured on left is the current
INTO Principals’ and Deputy
Principals’ Committee which
completes its three year term at
INTO Annual Congress 2014.
The Committee considers issues
related to school leadership and
advises the CEC on same. It
meets five times a year. If you
are interested in being on the
Committee you must be nominated by an INTO Principals’
and Deputy Principals’ Forum
in your district. These are
scheduled to meet in November.
Further details are available
under the ‘School Leadership’
section on the INTO website.
As InTouch goes to print the biennial INTO Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Conference is taking place in the Killashee
House Hotel, Naas, Co Kildare. A report on the conference will be published in the November issue of InTouch.
27
School Leadership
Online applications for teaching posts
Online applications for teaching posts are
efficient and cost-effective when it comes
to sending and receiving applications.
Benefits
For the cash-strapped student or the
teacher applying for jobs the cost is minimal as it saves on endless photocopying,
addressing envelopes and postal costs.
For the principal teacher it avoids
opening envelopes, trips to the post office
to collect mail during the summer, keeps
a record of applications received, provides
for straightforward and immediate
responses to applicants and does not
require return of documents or shredding.
Current position
Many adverts for teaching posts look for
some or all of the following to be sent by
post:
• Letter of application.
• References.
• Copies of certificates, diplomas, degrees.
• CV (unbound/slide binder).
• Teaching Council registration.
• Standard application form for teaching
posts.
Many require multiple copies of documentation for use by the interview panel
which greatly increases postage costs for
applicants. In contrast, principal posts
require just the standard application form.
Proposal
A school advertising a vacancy sets up a
dedicated or separate email account
which is used for teaching posts applications only. An example of such an account would be
[email protected]
This account should be password
protected and available to the assessment
board only. Applications on the standard
application form are invited which can be
submitted as an attachment. No other
documentation is sought at this stage of
the process.
An automatic receipt can be issued
indicating application has been received.
The assessment board can then, as part
of the normal selection process, assess the
applications and sort candidates into
‘called to interview’ and not called to
interview’ categories. Each assessor can
view documents on screen at the same
time and there is no need to print off
documents.
All correspondence regarding calling to
interview is by email. Candidates can be
told to forward any additional documentation required prior to interview or told
to bring it to interview.
The outcome of interviews can be sent
to all applicants by email. This necessitates
only two emails – one for those called
to interview and who were unsuccessful
and another to those not selected for
interview.
The email address can be kept for a
set period of time for record keeping
purposes and then deleted or alternatively
it can be kept for future applications.
Added bonus
The email address can be used to compile
lists of substitute teachers available for
work at short notice from which a group
email can be prepared and sent out in the
event of a sudden vacancy.
The INTO Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Committee recommends such an
approach to job applications and asks
fellow principals who have not already
introduced such a system to do so.
One teacher's tale
Dear Editor,
There are very few teaching jobs this year. In fact,
many teachers who have completed two years in
a temporary capacity are walking from school to
school fully probated looking for casual
subbing! Some schools exclude them by requesting probated only for temporary mainstream
positions!
Our principals could help them a little though
by accepting applications for teaching positions
by email only.
Many adverts on educationposts.ie request
letters of application, copies of diplomas,
degrees, passport sized photos, proof of Garda
vetting etc. Some even request three copies to
make things easier for the interview board! Ok so
the applicant must really really prove that they
wish to be considered for the position as do three
or four hundred others! Teaching Council registration proves that this applicant/ teacher is indeed
qualified to teach in this country and that he /she
has Garda vetting. Perhaps those shortlisted for
interview could be asked to bring along documentation to prove registration with the Teaching Council. Could we stop this exploitation immediately please. Perhaps educationposts could
refuse to run such demanding advertisements.
Sort this for our new graduates please and take
the misery and huge cost out of the extraordinarily difficult job hunt!
Name and address with editor.
Teacher recruitment – Qualifications, registration and probation
The following table shows the qualifications, registration and probationary status
necessary for appointment to particular
posts in schools. Under the terms of
Circular 40/2010 appointments of new
teachers to posts for which they are not
fully qualified may have implications for
salary. Appointing an unprobated teacher
to a post in which they cannot be probated and are not eligible may have implications for that teacher's ability to complete
probation within the given time.
28
Post
Full
recognition
including
probation
Principal (subject to Circular 02/02)
Mainstream
Special school/class
GAM EAL
Resource post (SEN)
HSCL
Early start class
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
TC recognition TC Provisional/
TC Restricted
with
Conditional
Recognition
probation
Recognition
including
conditions (ILR/other shortfalls) Montessori
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
School Leadership
Comments from some of last year’s participants at principals’ seminars
… excellent and comprehensive
presentations which will be hugely
beneficial Very clear with lots of facts and
guidelines Good interaction with participants
throughout seminar INTO seminars for principals
Leadership in challenging times
Following on from the very successful
seminars for principal teachers during
the last school year, and given the huge
volume of demand for more such seminars, INTO Learning is hosting further
principals’ seminars this term. The aims
of the seminars are:
• To provide up to date and relevant
information to principals on topical
school issues.
• To enable principals to communicate
more effectively with the school
community, particularly in respect
of difficult issues
• To discuss the prevention and management of bullying amongst pupils.
• To facilitate query and answer
sessions with our Legal, Industrial
Relations and Equality and our
Conditions of Employment teams.
• To provide a forum for principals to
share information.
Topics to be covered include the
following:
• Effective communication.
• Areas in which effective communication is important, for example in
managing parental complaints or
staff relations issues.
• Key skills in managing difficult
conversations.
• Prevention and dealing with bullying
amongst pupils.
• The new anti-bullying procedures
issued by the DES in 2013.
• Best practice in dealing with bullying
at school level, including interaction
with parents.
• The provision of advice on best practice for principals on engagement
with staff with regard to sick leave.
• Updates on issues including roll
books/registers and enrolment/
admissions policies.
INTO Learning is now offering four
seminars on this topic
1. Wednesday 16 October, City North
Hotel, Gormanstown.
2. Wednesday 23 October, Hodson Bay
Hotel, Athlone.
3. Wednesday 20 November, Radisson
Hotel, Sligo.
4. Wednesday 27 November, Kilkenny
Ormonde Hotel.
The DES has authorised the release of
teachers to attend these seminars but
unfortunately substitute cover
is not provided for such release. These seminars are provided free of
charge. However, a fully refundable
booking deposit of €40 will be charged
with each application and is refundable
on attendance. Those that do not attend
and do not cancel within 48 hours will
not be refunded. The seminars will be
presented by INTO officials and run
from 9.30am - 3.30pm. Lunch and
refreshments will also be provided.
Please Note***
Applications can only be made online
and payment can only be made using
debit/credit card. Places will be allocated strictly on a first come first served
basis. To apply for a place on either
seminar log onto: www.intolearning.ie
For any further queries email:
[email protected]
Participants at a previous principals’ seminar.
29
School Leadership
Minister Quinn issues proposals in relation
to school enrolment policies
On 2 September, Minister Ruairí Quinn
issued the draft general scheme of a bill
and regulations in relation to school admissions. This followed a consultation
process in 2011. The current legislative
programme indicates that legislation will
be published in 2014. As outlined, the
proposed legislation and regulations
would make significant changes to the
current system of school admissions. The
proposed changes to legislation would
include:
• An explicit requirement on schools to
state that the school will not discriminate (on any of the nine grounds set out
in equality legislation) in its admissions
policy, except in relation to specific
exemptions for religious and single sex
schools which are currently permitted.
The draft scheme outlines that this is
to reinforce the principle of maximum
accessibility to and inclusiveness in
schools.
• A repeal of Section 29(1)(c) of the
Education Act 1998, which provides for
appeals to the Secretary General of the
Department where admission has been
refused. The notes on the draft scheme
state that this is to “provide for appeal
structures that are less burdensome,
less adversarial and more cost effective”
than the existing S29 appeals. S29
appeals would still be provided in the
case of expulsion or suspension.
• Making it a function of the principal to
be responsible for the implementation
of the school’s admissions policy, as
part of his/ her day to day management
of the school.
• Providing that appeals against decisions
to refuse enrolment would be heard by
the board of management of the school.
• Giving power to the NEWB and NCSE
to designate a school for a child to
attend.
• Giving power to the minister to direct
two or more schools to cooperate in
relation to their practices or procedures
for the admission of students.
The draft regulations set out further details of the proposals. They outline the
proposed content of an admissions policy,
including a provision that enrolment may
be refused, where a parent does not agree
to the school’s code of behaviour, or
where the Garda/ HSE has provided its
opinion that the admission of the student
would be seriously detrimental to the
safety of staff or students.
The proposed regulations further set
out criteria which may or may not be
used by schools in cases of oversubscription. The draft regulations
would prohibit priority being given
to applicants on the basis of
financial contributions, any
relationship with the school
(other than siblings of pupils, or
children of staff, and a specific
derogation in relation to past pupils),
order of application or attendance at
an interview or open day. Derogations are proposed to facilitate
schools to transition to the new
arrangements.
The INTO noted the publication
of the draft legislation, but has expressed
concerns, in particular about the devolving of the functions of enrolment to the
principal teacher, and the absence of an
independent appeal where admission has
been refused. The draft General Scheme
and draft regulations was issued to the
Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education
and Social Protection, to allow a full public discussion, including inputs from parents and the education partners. The
INTO will respond to the draft legislation
and regulations as appropriate.
The DES recently issued new Anti-Bullying Procedures for Schools. These guidelines replace the 1993 guidelines for
National School Annual Census
New error check – consistency check against enrolment last year
A new error check has been included in
this year’s National School Annual Census form. Previously this error check has
been performed after the schools return
the forms. It is anticipated that this
addition will make things clearer and
more efficient for principal teachers to
have the error check on the form.
The total number of mainstream
pupils enrolled last year is automatically
in the census form linked to the school
roll number. The number of new en-
30
trants to the school between 29 September 2012 and 30 September 2013 is added
to that number. The number of leavers
from the school between those dates is
then subtracted. This figure should correspond to this year’s mainstream enrolment. If it shows up as an error please
check Tables 1 and 2 to ensure the correct
number of entrants and leavers have been
entered. Please ensure that the error
message displays ‘ok’ in green before
returning the form to Statistics Section.
Optional question – software
package
Also in this year’s National School Annual Census is a new optional question,
asking whether schools use a software
package to complete the census return
and, if so, which provider to they use.
The DES asks principals to complete
this optional question as the results will
help to inform the development of the
new Primary Online Database.
School Leadership
DES issues anti- bullying procedures
schools, as recommended in the Action
Plan on Bullying (2013).
The key elements of the new procedures are
• A requirement on boards to adopt and
implement revised Anti-Bullying Procedures. A template policy is available in
the procedures, and schools are advised
to use this in revising their policy, to
ensure consistency with the guidance
and direction set out in the document.
Schools are required to have their re-
vised policy in place before Easter 2014.
• A requirement on schools to communicate their policy to the school community,
through their website or other appropriate means. A copy must be given to
the parents’ association.
• A revised definition of bullying,
encompassing cyber-bullying and identity based bullying is included. The definition emphasises that bullying, by its
nature, is repeated over time, and that
once off incidents of inappropriate behaviour should be dealt with through
the school’s code of behaviour. The
importance of a shared understanding of bullying among the
whole school community is also
highlighted.
• A noting of the increasing
prevalence and evolving
nature of cyber bullying,
and that the impact of this
may be felt in school. The
role of parents in prevention
of cyberbullying is referred to
explicitly.
• Identity based bullying, including homophobic bullying is
specifically referred to, as is the
importance of the prevention of
harassment under any of the nine
grounds referred to in legislation.
• An emphasis on prevention of
bullying through the develop-
ment of positive school culture which is
welcoming of diversity and difference
and is based on inclusivity and respect.
• A requirement to set out the school’s
procedures for investigating and dealing with bullying, consistent with the
DES Procedures, emphasising that the
primary aim is to resolve the issues,
and if possible restore relationships
between the parties involved.
• New provisions for recording bullying,
generally where bullying behaviour has
not been appropriately addressed within 20 school days.
• A requirement on principals to report
on recorded incidents of bullying to the
board of management.
The Procedures also include a template
policy for schools and a template for
recording incidents.
The INTO welcomed the publication
of the Procedures, which were drawn up
following consultation with the partners
in education, pointing out that the Procedures reflect much of the good practice
already in place in primary schools. However,
concern has been expressed that no
budget has been allocated for upskilling
teachers in this vital area. The INTO will
include a module on the new procedures
in the upcoming ‘Leadership in Challenging Times’ seminars for principal teachers.
See www.into.ie or page 29 of this InTouch.
Positive education: the way forward
If you were to ask parents what they want
for their children, the first thing they
would say is happiness. Yet, learning about
what makes people happy and strategies
on enhancing well-being is not yet part of
the Irish curriculum.
The Geelong Grammar School in Melbourne made history by creating the first
Positive Education School in the world.
Their purpose is to use positive psychology, which is a science of wellbeing, to help
their 1,500 students flourish. The principal
recognised that the journey needs to
begin with his faculty members. A year
before the change began, he trained all his
teachers on how to enhance their own
wellbeing, reduce their depressive symptoms, develop resilience in the face of
adversity, enhance their positive emotions,
physical health and prepare themselves to
help their students flourish.
A Positive Education department was
created, the aim of which was to manage
the change. It incorporated teaching children stand-alone courses on their character strengths, positive relationships, meaning in life, engagement and more. It used
the latest science to enhance students’
creativity, problem solving skills, critical
thinking and teach them optimism. It also
encouraged teachers to incorporate the
science of wellbeing in their daily classes.
Geography teachers began talking about
measuring wellbeing of nations; English
teachers discussed King Lear’s character
strengths and Gregor Samsa’s resilience;
while PE teachers were introducing ‘letting
go of grudges’ activities.
To ensure the whole-school approach,
parents were given regular talks about evidence-based exercises and activities they
can use with their children to improve their
mood, wellbeing and school performance.
The outcomes of Positive Education
changes in the Geelong Grammar School
continues with their record breaking
results and improved students’ wellbeing.
What changes can we bring into Irish
school today to create Positive Education?
Jolanta Burke is a positive psychologist
and a PhD researcher in Trinity College
Dublin, School of Education. For further
information about how to use positive
psychology in education go to www.jumpp.ie.
Jolanta will be writing regular columns on
this subject for InTouch.
31
School Leadership
Whole School Evaluation – Management,
Leadership and Learning (Primary)
The DES has introduced, from this September, a new model of Whole-School
Evaluation called Management, Leadership and Learning (WSE–MLL) to run
alongside the other form of WSE. It
focuses on whole-school issues relating
to management, leadership, and learning.
Key features include:
l Two weeks advance written notice of
the evaluation.
l Most of the time will be in classrooms.
l Inspectors will visit a selection of
lessons.
l Teachers are informed on morning of
each day which lessons are to be visited.
l Meetings/interviews/questionnaires to
gather information.
l It takes place over five days.
l There is a reduced emphasis on the
school plan – the focus is on self-
l
l
l
l
l
l
evaluation where this is underway.
Key documents to be viewed are the
school information form, child protection policy, school self-evaluation
reports, school improvement plans or
action plans, behaviour and anti-bullying
policy, individual teachers’ plans/ records/
timetables, assessment records, rolls/
registers and BOM minutes.
It may include relevant evaluative data
gathered through incidental inspection.
It takes account of progress on recommendations in previous inspections.
The completion of parent/pupil and
teacher questionnaires.
Teacher questionnaires will seek their
perspectives on their own work,
management, leadership and learning
in the school.
In larger schools, it will include visits to
a sample of teachers.
Teaching and learning in a setting may
be observed more than once.
l Visits normally last between one and
one and a half hours or two/three visits
of approximately 30-45 minutes.
l A meeting with principal, BOM chairperson and parents’ association chairperson during school hours.
l The inspector(s) may request selected
sections of the School Plan.
l There will be a meeting for principal,
teachers, the chairperson BOM and the
chairperson parents’ association.
A published report will focus on:
1. How good are the learning achievements of pupils?
2. How good is the teaching?
3. How well are pupils cared for and
supported?
4. How effective are leadership and management?
5. How effective is school self-evaluation?
l
The Department’s rationale is that this
allows greater flexibility, and takes
account of differences in school size and
context. It focuses on the quality of learning and teaching, management and leadership. It also aligns with National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and Programme for Government.
A full guide to the process has been
published on the DES website and selected
schools will be contacted shortly.
Ní hé lá na gaoithe lá na scolb!!
Margaret Flanagan, principal of Kilmeedy NS reflects on her experience of WSE-MLL
Following the recent publication of A
Guide to Whole-School Evaluation,
Management, Leadership and Learning – the following recounts my recent
experience of this alternative to the
standard format of the WSE that many
are familiar with.
As this WSE-MLL was a pilot programme in our school, we were initially
apprehensive about the entire ordeal
that awaited us just after the Easter
holidays.
However, after initial contact confirming that our name had been drawn,
32
at all stages the Inspectorate guided us
through the entire process, from the
initial shock to the presentation of the
report of the inhouse visitation.
We were afforded all the information
that is now published in the recent publication, reflecting on our school under
the headings of Management, Leadership and Learning taking into account
context factors such as our school size
and the number of teaching staff.
It focused on quality assuring our
work and confirmed our best practice
with helpful and realistic advice for
minor adjustments, where noted.
The inspector afforded the class the
time to settle down and, within minutes
of her arrival, the class continued as
normal but, in truth, I imagined that
there was more than 60 minutes in an
hour. I now reflect on the WSE-MLL as
a positive encounter but be aware that
the evaluation is not confined to specific
curriculum areas and teaching and
learning may be evaluated across a
range of curriculum areas and with only
two weeks notice – ní hé lá na gaoithe lá
na scolb!
School Leadership
Complaints in schools
Agreed procedures for dealing with complaints in schools
School leaders often have a key role to
play in dealing with complaints against
teachers or schools in general. The following article has been prepared by the
INTO Principals’ and Deputy Principals’
Committee in order to help school leaders
with the task of ensuring that complaints
are dealt with in a fair manner.
The INTO and primary management
have an agreed procedure for dealing
with such complaints. The full procedure
is set out on www.into.ie or in the
Management Board Members’ Handbook.
INTO advice is that parents and staff
should be made aware of this procedure
as it can help to resolve a complaint at an
early and informal stage. The INTO advises that every effort should be made to
resolve a complaint at the earliest possible stage.
This agreement provides for a staged
approach, the first two of which are
informal.
The five stages of agreed procedure
Stage 1
A parent/guardian should firstly raise
the matter with class teacher with a
view to resolving it and, if unresolved,
with the principal teacher. If still unresolved it should be raised with the board
of management (BOM) chairperson.
The school should ensure that parents
are informed periodically of the policy,
particularly in relation to making an
appointment to see the teacher. If the
complaint is against the school principal, it should be raised firstly with the
principal and, if unresolved, with the
BOM chairperson.
This stage should be attempted with
any complaint, either verbal or written.
Stage 2
If the complaint is unresolved at Stage 1,
the complainant should raise the matter
in writing with the BOM chairperson
who should try and resolve the matter
informally within five days.
A note should be kept of any meeting
and its outcomes which should be
agreed with the parties. The INTO
advises that a teacher should be given a
copy of any written complaint.
Stage 3
If the complaint cannot be resolved
informally, the chairperson should give
the teacher a copy of the written complaint and arrange a meeting within ten
days with the teacher and, where applicable, the principal teacher with a view
to resolving the complaint.
Stages 1-3 should be completed in
advance of the BOM having sight of the
details of the complaint.
Stage 4
If unresolved, the chairperson should,
within a further 10 days, make a formal
report to the BOM. If the BOM decides
the complaint to be unsubstantiated the
teacher and the complaint are informed
within three days of the BOM meeting.
If the BOM considers the complaint
substantiated or warranting further
investigation the teacher is informed,
supplied with a copy of any written
evidence in support of the complaint
and asked to supply a written statement
to the BOM. The teacher should be
given an opportunity to make a presentation to the BOM within ten days and
is entitled to be accompanied/assisted
by a friend at this meeting, as is the
complainant.
The INTO advises that any member
who is asked to supply a written response
or attend a BOM meeting should contact their CEC representative or INTO
Head Office for advice and assistance.
Stage 5
When the BOM has completed its
investigation, the teacher and the
complainant should, within five days of
the meeting, be informed of the final
decision of the BOM including any
outcomes and proposed action.
The DES is now advising that a complainant unhappy with the investigation/ handling of the complaint by a
BOM may bring the matter to the attention of the school patron or refer the
matter to the Office of the Ombudsman
for Children.
The underlying principles of this procedure are that all parties are entitled to
a fair and impartial determination of
any outcomes. Anyone with a connection to one of the parties that would
raise concerns regarding impartiality
should not investigate or decide a case.
BOM members should be reminded of
obligations in respect of confidentiality.
33
Newsdesk
News from the world of education and trade unionism, at home and abroad
INTO pays tribute to Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney
is pictured at
INTO Education
Conference 2011
with past
graduates of
Carysfort
College.
In a tribute to Nobel Laureate Seamus
Heaney, who died on 30 August, INTO
general secretary Sheila Nunan said:
“I extend the sympathy of the INTO to
the family and friends of Seamus Heaney
in particular to his wife Marie and his
children and would like to acknowledge
his immense contribution to Irish education as well as literature.”
Ms Nunan said Seamus Heaney had
made an indelible mark on the world of
literature for which he was rightly honoured at home and throughout the world.
“He will be fondly remembered not only
as a poet and a scholar but as a great
teacher and teacher educator.” She
described him as one of nature’s gentlemen and said he was a national treasure.
Seamus Heaney first worked as a
teacher and was a member of the INTO
before becoming a lecturer in Carysfort
College of Education in Dublin where he
taught English to trainee primary teachers. He taught in Ballymurphy in Belfast
before moving to St Joseph’s Training
College and Queens University. His aunt
Sally, a primary teacher, was a formative
influence on the young poet and he later
married into a family of teachers.
Sheila said Seamus Heaney regularly
spoke fondly of his time in Carysfort
College and retained his links with teachers
and the teaching profession. The poem
Valedictory Verses was written for the
graduation ceremony in Carysfort in 1988.
At an INTO function in 2011 to honour
Heaney’s lifetime contribution to educa-
tion he spoke proudly of the sense of
vocation, purpose and energy in teaching.
He said there had been many good days in
his life but described that day as “one of
the best days yet”.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.
The Singing Classes was originally written by Seamus Heaney for the closure of
Carysfort and was revised for Education Today (Spring 1993).
The Song of the Bullets: In December 1986 Seamus Heaney spoke at the launch
of the INTO journal An Múinteoir – the Irish Teachers' Journal. The launch was
held in a national school, St Pius X in Templeogue in Dublin, where Mr Heaney
read some of his poetry to senior pupils and guests, including a new poem which
was published for the first time in the journal. (Note: To read the poems
mentioned visit the Seamus Heaney tribute page on www.into.ie )
35
Ócáidí Nuachta
Registration with Teaching Council required by
1 November in order to get paid
Commencement of Section 30 of the
Teaching Council Act on 1 November 2013
– advice for teachers applying for registration or those awaiting the outcome of an
application already submitted.
The Minister for Education and Skills
announced last Easter that the Department
will commence Section 30 of the Teaching
Council Act 2001 on 1 November 2013.
From that date, all teachers working in
recognised schools must be registered
with the Teaching Council. Otherwise,
under the provisions of the legislation,
they will not be paid from monies voted by
the Oireachtas.
All teachers who are registered should
confirm their registration status and their
renewal date through their log-in on
www.teachingcouncil.ie. During this
process, teachers are strongly advised to
make sure that their contact details are up
to date. Including your email address,
mobile/contact telephone number and
home address for written correspondence
will enable the Council to make every
effort to notify you in plenty of time before
your registration is due for renewal. If your
renewal date is anytime between now and
1 November, please remember to renew,
preferably online well in advance.
If you are not registered, and have not
yet submitted an application, you should
do so as a matter of urgency. The application form can be downloaded for completion from www.teachingcouncil.ie website.
The Garda Vetting form must also be submitted and can only be requested in hard
copy only for security reasons. A request
can be submitted via the website. It is of
utmost importance that this vetting form
be completed first as it can take some time
for the vetting process to be completed.
If you are not registered, and have submitted an application, please check your
most recent correspondence from the
Council and ensure that you have submitted all outstanding documentation. This
may include the Garda Vetting form. If any
documentation is still outstanding, this
should be submitted immediately.
Please note that the Council will prioritise applications from teachers who are in
employment at the time of application.
Clear evidence to this effect – current
payslip or a letter from the school principal
including the school roll number – must be
submitted with the application in order to
receive this prioritisation.
In the interest of ensuring the best
possible service to those in greatest need,
the Council asks that you contact the office
via phone or email only if you are unsure
as to the status of your outstanding
documentation (if applicable), and have
read the relevant FAQs on the website.
If you wish to check the status of your
application, and are satisfied that all
outstanding documentation has been
submitted, please submit your request by
email quoting your Application Reference
Number or PPS number to
[email protected].
Clare and Limerick Education Centres second
Education Research Conference 2014
Call for papers on current issues in
education research and practice
Clare and Limerick Education Centres
invite expressions of interest from education researchers to present papers on current issues in education at the 2014 conference to be held in Clare Education
Centre, Government Offices, Kilrush
Road, Ennis, Co Clare. Researchers are invited to present papers from their field of
study in education.
This one-day conference is designed to
give education researchers an opportunity
to showcase their work in an intellectually
stimulating setting.
Once again this is a unique opportunity
for researchers to present their research
findings and have them published in the
annual conference journal. The 2001, 2012
and 2013 journals are available from
[email protected]
The date for the conference is Saturday,
1 March 2014
Submitting an abstract for consideration
Abstracts of 150-200 words (maximum)
should include a title, field of study and
your contact details.
36
Organisers and
Professor Blair
pictured at
Research
Conference in 2012.
Papers should be no more than 30
minutes long. A further 10 minutes
(maximum) will be allowed for discussion.
The day will end with a plenary.
Applications will be accepted on a first
come basis. The closing date for submission of the fully completed research paper
for the conference journal is Friday, 14
February 2014 and Powerpoint presentations to be used by presenters must be
submitted not later than Friday, 28 February 2014. Unfortunately, failure to meet
the submissions criteria will incur auto-
matic exclusion from presenting at the
conference. Download application forms
from www.clareed.ie/newsDetail.php?
Clare-and-Limerick-Education-CentresSecond-Education-Research-Conference2014-31
Enquiries by email only to
Pat Hanrahan email, [email protected]; Dr
Joe O’Connell (PhD) email, [email protected] or
to the conference co-ordinator Dr Kevin
Haugh (PhD) email,
[email protected]
Newsdesk
Every year is a LEAP year
LEAPing into international educational leadership via the Leading Educators Around the Planet (LEAP) program
All professions are increasingly exposed to
international and global trends; both
through increased mobility and advancing
technology. Education is no exception.
Emeritus Professor Hedley Beare,
poignantly recommended in 2010 that
educational leaders now needed to be
looking outside “boundaries and borders –
both geographically and metaphorically”.
Through this comment, Beare was foreshadowing the need for educational leaders
to adopt a more global and international
perspective. Effective educational leaders
in the 21st century need to become part of
an international community which is
sharing and learning through direct and
personal international interaction.
Paige and Mestenhauser (1999) accurately
predicted that the internationalisation of
educational leadership would not just be
about acquiring or sharing knowledge
from other countries but would also be
about how educational leaders act and
interact both globally and internationally
at a personal and professional level.
Set against this backdrop of international
and global trends there would seem to be a
new challenge for educational leaders: the
provision of internationalised professional
development for principals that translates
into practice at the school level.
The internationalisation of schooling
and education is not just about acquiring
or sharing knowledge from other countries, it is also about what we do with that
knowledge – what we have learnt from
the experience (Paige and Mestenhauser,
1999). The field of educational leadership
is now very much an international one,
with policies, values and expectations being shared globally between world leaders,
researchers, authors and educators. This
interconnectedness at the international
level, it might be observed, however, often
does not translate to the practising principal or to their professional development.
The Leading Educators Around the
Planet programme (LEAP), developed in
2009, offers principals the opportunity to
participate in professional development,
both within an international and a local
context. LEAP’s academic partners
(University of Western Sydney and
Macquarie University) offer workshops
on shadowing plus action research, to
further enhance the LEAP experience
while at the same time allowing LEAP
participants the opportunity to hone their
research skills. Participants select their
own area of enquiry for their action research.
LEAP provides participating principals
with the opportunity to engage in internationalised professional development that
is embedded in an international shadowing experience. Through a combination of
hosting and billeting, both in Australia
and overseas, principals constantly reflect
on their practice while simultaneously
being challenged by their international
colleague. The ensuing professional dialogue, allows for each participant to gain a
deeper knowledge and understanding of
current practice; to investigate system
practice globally; to critically analyse local
practice and develop initiatives applicable
to their local context.
After taking part in LEAP, principals
responded that there had definitely been
an impact on their school and staff; there
had been significant validation of current
practice; significant opportunities for reflection and articulation of educational
theory and philosophy; significant impact
on their understanding of global educational issues; significant impact on their
principalship; and significant opportunities to explore different leadership styles.
Early indicators are that schools that have
been involved in the programme have
opened their minds to new ideas from
other nations and developed them contextually. Some principals are reporting
change in practice that they believe will
lead to improved outcomes for students.
Comments made by primary and secondary principals who have participated in
LEAP include: “LEAP has been one of the
best professional learning opportunities I
have ever undertaken – I would recommend it to any educator”; “it was a remarkable experience”; “gave me a greater insight
into leadership in other systems”; “keeping
up with what is working globally”; “it has
given me a taste of what is out there and I
want to explore more”; “very powerful way
to gain knowledge”; “the most powerful
professional development of my career”;
“gave me a wealth of information around
learning and best practice in schools and
systems”; and “gave me opportunities for
deep and authentic educational discussions
with other professionals”.
Participation in the LEAP programme
is one professional development activity
for practising principals that challenges
insularity and offers the opportunity to
develop a new mindset in an international
context.
References
AITSL: Australian Institute for Teaching and School
Leadership (2011). National Professional.
Standard for Principals. Victoria, Australia:
MCEECDYA
Beare, H. (2010). Six Decades of Continuous School
Restructuring. Australian Council for Educational
Leaders, Monograph 46. ISSN 0 813 5335 Crowther, F.
(2011).
Paige, R. M. and Mestenhauser, J. A. (1999).
Internationalising Educational Administration,
Educational Administration Quarterly, Volume 35,
500 – 517. DOI: 10.1177/0013161x99354005
LEAP contact - www.aleap4principals.com.au
This article is based on the Doctorial studies
(Macquarie University) of Suzanne
Lazenby, co-director of LEAP.
John Walters, a LEAP Fellow and newly retired
Australian school principal addressed the
Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Conference this
year. John discussed the many opportunities LEAP
can offer, along with sharing his experience of the
Australian education system. John was a school
principal in Australia for 17 years, a curriculum
consultant with the Department of Education
(NSW), a lecturer at the University of NSW and
the creator/author of the Reading Box series
(Australia’s most widely used reading comprehension resource). John is currently pursuing projects
as an educational writer, children’s author and
playwright. John’s email contact:
[email protected].
37
Ócáidí Nuachta
Cumann na mBunscol
GAA/INTO Respect Exhibition Go Games
have experienced the thrill of playing on
the hallowed ground with at least one
child from every county playing on All
Ireland Hurling and Football Final Sunday. In many counties a skills system has
been used to select these players and
Cumann na mBunscol strongly encourages this.
These exhibition games are small sided
in line with the Go Games philosophy
and are in line with the GAA’s policy on a
balanced approach to competition at this
age. The benefits of these small sided
games include greater participation by all
players, improved fitness levels and games
appropriate to the age of the children. It
also highlights the tremendous effort and
work that is going on in the promotion of
Gaelic games in our primary schools
throughout Ireland.
Pictures: Daire Brennan, SPORTSFILE
Congratulations to all the children who
played in Mini Games throughout this
year’s Football and Hurling Championships. Throughout the Provincial
Championships, over 1,000 children have
participated in the Cumann na mBunscol
GAA/INTO Respect Exhibition Go
Games.
Over the six Sundays of the All Ireland
Hurling and Football series, 240 children
Liam O’Neill, Uachtarain Chumann Luthchleas Gael, and Brendan O’Sullivan, INTO President, with the Mayo boys team, at
the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Final
between Mayo and Tyrone. Croke Park, Dublin.
Liam O’Neill, Uachtarain Chumann Luthchleas Gael, and
Brendan O’Sullivan, INTO President, with the Tyrone girls team,
at the All-Ireland Football Semi-Final
Launch of St Dallan’s Primary
School Gaa Handball Wall
Pictured at the launch of St Dallan’s GAA Handball Wall along with
P.4 participants in the coaching programme are: left to right: Peter
McSherry (Down GAA Handball), Cormac Venny (Down GAA Community Coach), Helen Lever (Chairperson, Friends of St Dallan’s),
Mrs Philomena Quinn (Principal, St Dallan’s Primary School), Lorraine Havern (All Ireland One Wall Handball Champion), Sean McNally (Chairman, Down GAA Handball), Anne McCormack (CumannPheadairNaofa, Club School Liaison Officer) and Brendan Rice
(GAA Co-ordinator, St Dallan’s Primary School).
38
The launch of St. Dallan’s Primary
School, Warrenpoint GAA Handball
Wall, jointly sponsored by St Peter’s
GAA Club, Friends of St Dallan’s and
St Dallan’s Primary School took
place recently. The building of a
handball wall at St Dallan’s Primary
School was as a result of the interest
in the sport generated after taster
handball sessions were delivered
by Darragh Daly, GAA Handball
National Development Officer and
Lorraine Havern at the annual GAA
Health and Wellbeing Day in partnership with St Peter’s GAA Club.
During the third term, P.4 pupils
from St Dallan’s participated in
handball coaching delivered by
Cormac Venny, Community Coach
and Brendan Rice, GAA Co-ordinator, St Dallan’s Primary School.
To mark the occasion, Sean McNally, Chairman, Down GAA Handball, and Lorraine Havern, All Ireland
One Wall Handball Champion, gave
the pupils an exhibition of the highest standards of handball skills. The
pupils thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition and over the past few weeks
have made significant progress in
their handballing skills. Anne McCormack, St Peter’s GAA Club
School Liaison Officer said that
CumannPheadairNaofa were
delighted to sponsor the GAA
Handball wall along with Friends of
St Dallan’s. The building of the
handball wall is viewed as a legacy
project with handball being played
both at St Dallan’s Primary School
and St Peter’s GAA Club in the near
future.
Newsdesk
Supporting the Cancer Clinical Research Trust
On 25 March 2013 Caroline Dwyer-Hickey,
wife, daughter, and sister, passed away
aged 35 after a nine year battle with
cancer. Caroline’s passing left all those
who loved her with a huge sense of loss –
not least we, her school community, of St
Brigid’s School, Glasnevin, Dublin 11.
Those who knew and loved Caroline
would be adamant that she not be defined
by her illness but by the full and exciting
life she enjoyed during her short time
with us. She loved her chosen profession
as a primary school teacher, was an
intrepid traveller, flourished as an actor
with the Dalkey Players and was known
particularly for her faithfulness to family,
friends and colleagues.
Caroline grew up in Greystones in Co
Wicklow, and was a graduate of University
College Dublin and Marino Institute of
Education. She taught in St Brigid’s for
the whole of her teaching career which
began in September 2001.
As a teacher Caroline was exceptional.
Her wicked sense of fun and ready smile
endeared her to pupils and she showed
immense commitment and dedication to
her job. Her meticulous lesson planning
was the stuff of legend, as were the games
she created to make learning fun. Caroline loved coming to work, continuing to
teach right up to last October when she
finally had to take time out. Her classroom was always buzzing and she had the
special gift of giving the children a great
belief in themselves. She also gave much
to the school outside of the classroom
through the Green Schools Committee,
school productions and the talent shows
she organised. Her love of drama and her
creativity were gifts which she shared
constantly with us.
As a member of staff Caroline was
much more than just a colleague, she was
a true friend. She shared our good times
and our bad, was always the one to offer
help when needed and would never forget
special occasions or birthdays – her texts
were always guaranteed to arrive! CaroInTouch October 2013
line was one of those people about whom
you could truly say that she made people’s
lives better – and in doing so looked for
no praise and enjoyed every minute of it.
She was the one who remembered our
children’s names and little details about
them. She was kind, patient, caring,
funny, and exceptionally smart – without
needing anyone to know it. Her thoughtfulness and faithfulness to friends along
with her smile and ready laugh are always
remembered when staff past and present
get together.
We, her colleagues, wish to pay tribute
to the enormous contribution Caroline
made to our school. Her absence leaves a
great void but we continue to be inspired
by her. We feel very privileged to have known
and worked with such a special person.
Caroline was predeceased by her mum,
Fidelma, and is survived by her husband
Rónán, her parents Dermod and Helen,
her brother Denis and a wide circle of
family and friends who miss her greatly
every day. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam
dílis.
The Caroline Foundation
The Caroline Foundation has been established in memory of Caroline to support
the work of Professor John Crown and the
Cancer Clinical Research Trust (CCRT –
see www.ccrt.ie for more information).
Based in St Vincent’s Hospital Dublin, but
also operating from Dublin City University
and University College Dublin, the CCRT
is devoted to furthering the development
of new treatments for cancer. It supports
research both in the lab, and at the cancer
patient’s bed-side, an integrated programme of investigation.
Such lifesaving work comes at a high
financial cost and The Caroline Foundation is hoping to help by fully funding an
additional research scientist to work within the CCRT team. Having benefited from
clinical trials in both Ireland and the US,
Caroline was a public advocate for cancer
research, firmly believing that research
will one day find a cure. The Caroline
Foundation is built on, and is testimony
to that advocacy, that hope and faith in
the work of the CCRT.
If you, or your school, would like to
support The Caroline Foundation in any
way we would be delighted to hear from
you. For any further information please
visit www.thecarolinefoundation.com or
contact Helen O’Sullivan-Dwyer at
[email protected]
DONATE TO THE CAROLINE FOUNDATION BY TEXT
A special appeal to all teachers
During the month of October a Text-a-Donation campaign is in progress to raise
funds for The Caroline Foundation and they are asking their colleagues in the
teaching profession to make this cause their own.
If you would like to donate €4 to The Caroline Foundation, please text the word
RESEARCH to 50300.
Every donation makes a difference.
Texts cost €4 with 100% of donations going toward The Caroline Foundation for
the Cancer Clinical Research Trust (CCRT). The text-a-donation service is provided
by LikeCharity (01 4433890).
39
Ócáidí Nuachta
Creative Schools Award 2013/14
The Association for Creativity and
Arts in Education, ACAE, is currently accepting applications for
participation in the Creative
Schools Award 2013/14.
Last year 12 schools received
national recognition for creative
teaching and learning in their classrooms at an award ceremony held
in the Ark Cultural Centre, Temple
Bar. Senator David Norris presented
the awards and spoke warmly about
the importance of nurturing teachers’ and students’ creativity and
praised the diversity of the projects
submitted.
The Creative Schools Award
celebrates process-based exploration
of the Curriculum, especially in the
arts.
Teachers who wish to participate
will be invited to develop their own
creative project. The core requirements to achieve the Award are:
– Evidence of the creative process
– Evidence of the children’s voice
being central
– Evidence of teacher reflection
How to become involved
For further information on the
Creative Schools Award or to
register interest in participating
please see www.acae.ie
ECO-UNESCO – Supporting teachers to bring ECO-Action into education
Now in its 15th year, ECOUNESCO is calling on all
primary schools to get involved
in an environmental action
project and take part in their
Young Environmentalist
Awards (YEA) 2014! The YEA
is Ireland’s biggest celebration
of eco-action and participation in the programme is a
great way to engage students
in learning about environmental issues which link into the
school curriculum, as well as
developing key personal skills
such as confidence, assertiveness and communication.
Free training to get groups
up and running is being
offered by ECO-UNESCO
throughout October and can
be delivered in the classroom
upon request. Participants
to the programme are fully
supported by ECO-UNESCO
throughout the year with a
hotline, manual and toolkit
available to all registered
groups.
To register, book training
and for full details on the
programme visit
www.ecounesco.ie, phone
016625491.
Closing date for registration:
29 November 2013.
Super Junior Winners of the YEA 2013 Planet Pals from Scoil
Mhuire gan Smal in Carlow, receiving their award from President
Higgins and Elaine Nevin (National Director ECO-UNESCO)
Fulbright Awards now open for applications
The Fulbright Commission of Ireland has
opened its application period for the 20142015 Fulbright Awards, which are grants for
Irish or EU citizens to study, research, or
teach in the US. The awards include a
monetary grant, plus accident and
emergency insurance, cultural and
professional programming, and visa
administration.
Applications are due by Wednesday,
13 November 2013 and more information
can be found on the newly redesigned
website, www.fulbright.ie.
New this year are the InFACT Awards
(Innovative Fulbright Awards in Communications Technology). These awards are
aimed at students and scholars who are
exploring the transformative power of
communications technology in the new
40
digital landscape. All disciplines are
welcome to apply but applicants in the
areas of Education, Digital Arts and
Culture, and Diaspora Studies are
particularly encouraged.
In addition, there are a number of
general awards; potential applicants must
apply in one of the following categories:
Fulbright Irish Student Award
Grants for Irish citizens or EU citizens
resident in Ireland for three or more years
to complete postgraduate research or
study over the course of one year in the
US. Students are eligible for a number of
sponsored awards, including CRH,
Enterprise Ireland, Environmental
Protection Agency, University of Notre
Dame, and Teagasc.
Fulbright Irish Scholar Award
Grants for Irish citizens or EU citizens resident in Ireland for three or more years to
complete postdoctoral or professional
research or lecturing over the course of
one year in the US. Recent PhD graduates
(postdoctoral studies) are eligible for sponsored awards from Enterprise Ireland, Environmental Protection Agency and Teagasc.
Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching
Assistantship (FLTA)
Grants for Irish citizens or EU citizens resident in Ireland for three or more years to
teach Irish and take courses at a US college
over the course of ten months in the US.
Applications are encouraged in all
disciplines, including the arts. Please see
www.fulbright.ie for further details.
Teaching matters
Articles and opinions on primary teaching, with tips and ideas for the classroom
The Arts in Education Charter
and its implementation
The implementation process for the Arts in Education
Charter launched by Ministers Quinn and Deenihan
in December of last year is currently underway.
There is much to welcome in the Charter which
advocates for placing creativity “at the heart of our
future as a society and a country” and the “arts,
alongside other subjects, at the core of our education system” (Charter pp.3-4). I welcome many of
the commitments expressed in the charter; among
them commitments to dialogue and partnership, to
identifying and sustaining good practice and to the
sharing of resources. I also welcome the Charter’s
proposed Arts Rich Schools (ARIS) scheme to “incentivise and recognise” schools that “make the arts a
key part of school life” (p.17). Indeed, there is strong
consonance between ARIS and ACAE’s existing
Creative Schools Award; an evidence-based award
promoting process based approaches to fostering
creativity, the imagination and the arts. And, in
my view, ARIS needs further elaboration,
and the input of practising teachers, to
ensure focus on the processes of arts
education as well as its products.
I welcome too, the suggestion
that the high-level implementation group – chaired by
Professor John Coolahan –
charged with overseeing
“developments arising from the Charter”
may also “advise the
ministers on updating
and improving the Charter” (Charter p. 20).
However, I consider the distinction
made in the Charter between arts
education and
arts-in education to be an
unnecessary
one. For me, arts-in-education – described in the
Charter as involving “skilled, professional artists of
all disciplines working for and with schools in the
making, receiving and interpreting of a wide range
of arts experiences” (p.10) – is an integral component of arts education and not, as appears to be
suggested in the Charter, something added on to,
or separate from it. Indeed, one of the aims of the
primary school arts education curriculum (as outlined in the curriculum statements for visual arts,
music and drama) is to “foster a sense of excellence
in and appreciation of the arts in local, regional,
national and global contexts, both past and present”.
Furthermore, in primary schools, it is the teacher
who has frontline responsibility for providing a
broad and balanced arts education for the children
in her/his care. The primacy of this role, however, is
not acknowledged in the Charter. And, given the
lack of input from practising teachers
into the implementation process
thus far, it would appear that
this situation is not being
redressed in the implementation process.
In my view, the success, or otherwise, of
the Charter will hinge
on the development and
maintenance of collaborative working relationships
between teachers and
artists. And, I am concerned
that there is insufficient emphasis
in the Charter on the importance of
high quality teacher-artist
partnerships.
The Artist-Schools
Guidelines (2006) developed by the DES and
the Arts Council, while containing many useful
guidelines for artist-school partnerships (as the title
indicates), does not acknowledge the central role
played by the teacher in the primary school classroom. And, when it comes to the nitty-gritty of working artist-teacher partnerships, it does not provide
guidance around the (albeit negotiable and flexible)
roles and responsibilities of each of the partners.
I believe, however, that the expertise of both
teachers and artists is essential for planning, implementing and evaluating an ‘arts in schools’ experience that will enhance children’s aesthetic, artistic
and cultural learning. Teachers bring their teaching
skills and their knowledge of the children and the
curriculum to the process while artists bring their
artistic expertise. Furthermore, successful collaborations enable teachers to develop their artistic skills
and artists to develop their teaching skills. And,
since all partners in the process (artists, teachers
and children) stand to benefit from such collaboration, it increases the likelihood of sustainability.
Partnerships, however, do not evolve overnight.
They take time to initiate, nurture and grow. But,
since the teacher is the one with primary responsibility for the arts education of the children s/he
teaches, the teacher’s role in the development and
maintenance of the teacher-artist partnership is
pivotal. Yet, in the implementation process to date,
as is the case all too often in the artist-schools
debate, the teacher has been silent and invisible.
Given the primacy of the teacher’s role, however,
it might be worth remembering that artists are
invited by teachers into their classrooms to add
another dimension/perspective to the classroom
conversations and explorations in which teachers
and children are already engaged.
Dorothy Morrissey lectures in drama education in MIC,
Limerick. She is also course leader for the department’s MA in Education and the Arts (META), and a member of the Steering Committee of the Association for Creativity and Arts in Education (ACAE).
41
Teaching Matters
A History
of Ireland
in 100 Objects
Lesson plans for 5th and 6th classes free at www.100objects.ie
A History of Ireland in 100
Objects has been a hugely successful project that started out as a series of articles by
Fintan O’Toole in The Irish Times, which
was supported by The National Museum of
Ireland. It has since turned into a stunningly illustrated hardback, published by the
Royal Irish Academy. An app was also developed in partnership with the EU Presidency, the Department of Foreign Affairs
and Trade and Adobe. The app was gifted
from the people of Ireland to the people of
the world around St Patrick’s Day, to mark
Ireland’s presidency of the EU.
At an early stage, it was decided that educational resources should be included in
the project, and the Royal Irish Academy
opted for web-based lessons with related
multi-media material, for both primary
(5th/6th) and second-level (Transition Year
and Leaving Cert.). This stage of the project was supported by the Department of
Education and Skills.
Given that the development of one
hundred lessons for both primary and
second-level was more than a tad
ambitious, with the
limited time and resources available, the
final figure was set at 14 for primary and
five for second level. The number of
lessons for second level is reflective of the
fact that they were commissioned and
developed much later in the process.
And that was the easy part.
Fintan O’Toole’s 100 objects span prehistory to modern times – 7000 BC to 2005.
From the primary perspective, where to
begin?
Well, a number of criteria very quickly
came to the fore. If one of the aims of the
initiative was to encourage visits to the
local museum, then all of the objects
couldn’t be based in Dublin.
And even the broadest of chronology
would have to kick in: the Stone Age, the
Vikings, Christianity, the Normans, the
Famine and Emigration. Personal choices
inevitably and unashamedly came to the
fore. The Eileen Gray object was added to
the list because we think her furniture
designs are brilliant, wonderful and
radical and challenge the very way we
look at the world!
It was decided that lessons would begin
with the story of the object, adapted for
class use, with an accompanying photograph. They were to be unapologetically
user-friendly. Activities and/or worksheets
would be included, curriculum links and
learning objectives highlighted, discussion
topics explored, extension exercises suggested. Teachers could use or not use,
adapt or change as they saw fit. But a 40
minute lesson would be made available for
each object.
A section entitled ‘Did you know?’ was
also developed for each object with short
and, where appropriate, fun, quirky facts
highlighted. Extra multi-media resources
were sourced from museums, libraries and
various organisations. With thanks to all
for their co-operation and generosity.
All material is now available FREE at:
www.100objects.ie
Pauline McNamara, Project Co-ordinator, Royal Irish Academy, 19 Dawson
Street, Dublin 2
Mesolithic fish trap, c.5000BC
(Early peoples and ancient societies:
Stone Age peoples)
Flint macehead, 3300– 2800BC
Stone Age peoples)
Tara torc, c.1200BC
Bronze Age peoples)
Tara brooch, eighth century
early Christian Ireland)
All of above in: National Museum of
Ireland: Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin
Tall cross, Monasterboice, late-ninth
century
(Early peoples and ancient societies: early
Christian Ireland) Monasterboice, Co Louth
Viking slave chain, late-ninth or
early-tenth century
(Early peoples and ancient societies: early
Christian Ireland) National Museum of
Ireland: Archaeology, Kildare Street,
Dublin
Waterford charter roll, 1373
(Life, society, work and culture in the past:
life in Norman Ireland) Medieval Museum,
Waterford Museum of Treasures,
Waterford
Salamander pendant, c.1588
(Politics, conflict and society: 16th and
17th century Ireland) National
Museums Northern Ireland
– Ulster Museum, Belfast
King William's gauntlets, c.1690
(Politics, conflict and society:
life in 16th and 17th century Ireland)
National Museum of Ireland: Decorative
Arts and History, Collins Barracks, Dublin
Daniel O’Connell’s ‘chariot’, 1844
(Politics, conflict and society: O'Connell
and Catholic Emancipation) Derrynane
House, Caherdaniel, Co Kerry
Empty cooking pot, 19th century
(Eras of change and conflict: the Great
Famine) National Museum of Ireland:
Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar,
Co Mayo
Emigrant's teapot,
late-nineteenth to
mid-twentieth
century
(Eras of change
and conflict: the
Great Famine; 19th
century Ireland; modern
Ireland) National Museum of Ireland:
Country Life, Turlough Park,Castlebar,
Co Mayo
Reclining Buddha, late-19th century
(Life, society, work and culture in the past:
life in the 19th century) National Museum
of Ireland: Decorative Arts and History,
Collins Barracks, Dublin
Eileen Gray chair,1926
(Continuity and change over time:
literature; art; crafts
and culture)
National
Museum of
Ireland:
Decorative
Arts and
History, Collins
Barracks,
Dublin
43
Images of the Flint Macehead, Emigrant’s Teapot and Eileen
Gray Chair courtesy of the National Museum of Ireland
 objects for primary level
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
Exploring
Local
History
“Miss, this is so last century!” This was the excited, if slightly inaccurate, reaction of one of my students, on first seeing the ancient stone circle at Grange,
near Lough Gur, Co Limerick, almost ten years ago. Their enthusiasm illustrated very clearly how active exploration of history in the environment could
capture the imagination of students. Seeing, touching, walking in the footsteps of their distant forbears and observing the visible remains of the past
made history come to life. Furthermore, students could critically engage with
their local environment, develop skills of observation, research and evaluation of sources, – in short, become historians.
However, recent years have brought a renewed focus on literacy and
numeracy. The document Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life,
summarises very neatly some of the most important aims of the Irish education system. “Literacy and numeracy are among the most important lifeskills
that our schools teach. No child should leave school without having mastered
these skills to the best of their abilities. Literacy and numeracy skills are crucial
to a person’s ability to develop fully as an individual, to live a satisfying and
rewarding life and to participate fully in our society.” (p5)
The strategy document has further elaborated on the central importance of
literacy in its various forms; “Literacy includes the capacity to read, understand and critically appreciate various forms of communication including
RESOURCES
The study of the local environment provides an immediate and relevant context
within which these skills may be developed
and perfected. Indeed, the importance of a
rounded education, working hand in hand
with the increased emphasis on literacy
and numeracy, has been discussed in the
same document. “We must ensure that
children and young people have a rounded
and fulfilling educational experience. All
learners should have an opportunity to
engage in a broad, balanced and fulfilling
curricular experience that supports all
aspects of their development – not just
the academic dimension but the social,
emotional, imaginative, aesthetic, and
physical dimensions as well.” (p43)
Local history allows for the appreciation of
the aesthetic, provides opportunities for
emotional and imaginative responses and
allows the learners to actively engage with
the topics, applying the literacy skills
which have been developed. We all engage
in exploring local history, simply, from an
early stage, with discussions on family
history, old birthday cards, mementoes
such as first shoes or picture timelines, e.g.
christening photo, first day at school, or
First Holy Communion photos. Junior pupils
may also enjoy listening to local myths and
legends, topics which link very well with
the history curriculum strand units; Myself
and Story.
History trails, information sheets
and booklets can be developed and
retained from year to year, to
provide a resource bank of materials
within a school
44
Local lore and béaloideas may still be
heard “i mbéal an phobail” and senior
students might collect and record some of
this valuable information before it is lost
forever. Perhaps it might be an interesting
school and community undertaking to look
up the records of the Irish Folklore Commission for a particular school or area.
The research topics included local history
and monuments, holy wells in the area,
folk cures, folktales and legends, riddles
and proverbs, songs, customs and beliefs,
games and pastimes, traditional work
practices and crafts, etc. The Schools’
Manuscript Collection comprises more than
half a million manuscript pages of valuable
material. These collections are available in
digital form or on microfilm in many local
libraries. Comparisons could be made with
today’s customs. Songs, poems and riddles
of the past could be revived and the games
and skipping rhymes of bygone days could
form the basis of a number of PE classes.
Depending on the age of the school, the
classroom and school grounds may also
provide opportunities for early historical
exploration. Date plaques, class photographs, old roll books, registers, old attendance boards and desks can act as a tangible
connection with the past. History trails can
be developed for the middle and senior
classes, who, in turn, may design simple
trails for younger pupils.
In most communities there may be people
willing to speak to the class about their
experience of school in the past. With careful planning and preparation, this can be a
very fruitful way of engaging the children
in a discussion of the changes which have
taken place in the lives of the ordinary
people of the locality. Old photographs of
an area can also help to develop an understanding of cause and effect as well as
continuity and change over time. Useful
sources of old photographs are published
collections and the archives of the local
library or local newspaper. Some buildings
may be still recognisable, in these photos,
although their function may have changed.
Teaching Matters
spoken language, printed text, broadcast
media, and digital media.” (p8)
Integration across curriculum
One of the many benefits of teaching local
history is the ease with which it can be
integrated with so many other curricular
areas. As well as the creative writing, measuring and recording of data mentioned
already, there are many opportunities for
linkage across the curriculum. Virtually
every community has its store of poetry,
songs and ballads commemorating local
events. As well as being an important part
of the children’s cultural heritage, these
ballads act as valuable social documents
offering a useful insight into the feelings of
those ordinary people closest to the
events. If the victors wrote the history
books, truly, it is to the ordinary folk we
Different styles of dress and modes of transport
can form the basis of a study of how these aspects
of our lives have evolved over time. Different
views of the same street may be compared or
placed in chronological order. At a more senior
level, this may lead to a study of the development
of the village or town in that particular area, all
these activities providing opportunities for oral
language development.
A study of housing can help children in middle
and senior classes to begin to develop a sense of
appreciation of the different styles of architecture
evident in their area. In rural areas, these may
include cottages, farmhouses, ‘big houses’ belonging to the landowners of centuries past, while in
urban areas, patterns of development of cities
may be discerned from the different types of
housing and the eras to which they belong,
e.g., medieval buildings, Georgian, Victorian,
Edwardian. Local libraries provide excellent
information on these buildings.
This may be further developed by using articles
from old newspapers, which are available in the
archives of local libraries. These can be a valuable
resource in studying in greater depth, topics of
national importance such as the War of Independence or the Land War and examining their impact
at local level.
Another possibility is to take, each year, the
events which were reported in local papers 10, 25,
50, 75 and 100 years before and from the evidence
try to construct a picture of the life of local people
of that particular era – their food, style of dress,
social lives, transport, and events which shaped
their lives. Integrating this with literacy, students
could take on the persona of a person from one of
these eras, draw pictures and produce a diary for a
week in his/her life.
Local logainmneacha or place names, could give
valuable indications of the location of geographical
owe our ballads. Furthermore, there is an
opportunity to explore the role of bias in
these historical sources, reading between
the lines and recognising where sentiment
may have blurred the lines of fact. Events
in local ballads can also be taken as a
stimulus for creative composition in visual
arts, music and drama. Indeed, it is possible
to make local history the focus of the
entire history programme, capitalising on
the children’s natural curiosity.
As primary teachers, we are well placed
to assist students in discovering their local
heritage and connecting with the rich vein
of history which exists in every urban and
rural community. We have a unique opportunity to encourage in them a pride in their
own locality and a sense of community.
Above all, we have a chance to engage in a
worthwhile and enjoyable educational
features which may have since disappeared. In
rural areas, fields often have names which give an
interesting insight into their uses on estates in the
past, e.g., the Lawn, the Clover or the Kitchen
Garden. In urban areas, street names often reveal
the most interesting stories behind their names.
An excellent resource in studying local place
names is the website www.logainm.ie.
A very interesting study which is easily accessible
without leaving the classroom involves examining
the census records of 1901 and 1911. These records
are available at www.census.nationalarchives.ie
and allow pupils to find out about the inhabitants
of their own townland or street, their names and
occupations and to compare this with the present
situation.
With due attention to safety and pre-planning,
educational visits to sites of historical interest are
an important aspect of finding out about the past.
Observation is a key skill and a number of
strategies may be employed to encourage it,
perhaps, a simple quiz, based on the local area,
with questions such as; What date is written on
the plaque above the school door? What inscription is written on the Celtic cross in the village
square? Another possibility is a visual quiz, where
the children are asked to identify features of their
locality which have been photographed. The level
of difficulty of these activities can be adjusted to
suit the age and ability of the pupils.
History trails, information sheets and booklets
can be developed and retained from year to year,
to provide a resource bank of materials within a
school. These teacher-designed worksheets can
involve the children in a treasure hunt, searching
for clues, observing, measuring and recording
data, as well as processing this data and trying to
draw conclusions from it. Instructions might
require pupils to retrieve information, sketch a
feature, compare and contrast features of a building
or suggest reasons for the existence of a particular
process. Exploring local history is fun! “The
use of the everyday environment not only
serves to vivify learning…. Learning becomes more than sitting still and being
drenched with words. It becomes an
activity in which listening is enriched with
touching, smelling, seeing and perhaps
even tasting. Inevitably such emersion of
the senses evokes a personal response,
heightening sensitivity and deepening understanding and awareness.” (Seen Locally,
Pluckrose, Henry. Routledge, London 1989)
Josephine English M.Ed, teacher in
Nicker NS, Pallasgrean Co Limerick. Josephine
has designed and delivered the summer school
course Exploring Local History in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick since 2004 and
recently published a book on local history;
Come Stroll With Me in Limerick
feature. Suitable sites in the local area might
include a church, an old monastery, a graveyard, a
castle, museum or field monument, or a collection
of old farm implements.
Visiting an old church or monastery can,
depending on the religious ethos of the school, be
an opportunity to link local history with religious
education. Many churches provide a leaflet giving
a description of the features and history of the
church. If not, perhaps the senior classes could
engage in research and, in co-operation with the
local parish, compile such a leaflet.
Features of interest may include paintings in
the churches, stained glass windows, statues,
sculptures and plaques, the patron saint, burials in
the church grounds. In visiting a graveyard,
children can be directed to features of interest,
e.g. inscriptions on headstones, interesting family
names, possible cause of death. The gravestones
may be photographed or rubbings made of them.
Perhaps an older person may have particular
memories of attending that church and could be
interviewed by the pupils. In the case of a
monastery, perhaps there are still recognisable
remains of features such as cloisters, a guesthouse
or even a round tower.
This type of visit can bring home to pupils that
the main events in history did not just affect
important characters, somewhere else, but
touched the lives of ordinary people, even in their
own area.
Local libraries are an invaluable resource to
teachers who are not familiar with the history of
the area in which they are teaching. Many such
libraries have collections of parish journals, books
of local history, collections of old newspapers and
old photographs, old maps of the locality and most
importantly, a knowledgeable and helpful local
librarian! Most areas also have some local person
or group with a love and knowledge of history who
would be only too glad to share their knowledge
with the next generation.
45
Help Team Hope give a very special shoebox
gift to a child this Christmas
The TEAM HOPE Christmas Shoebox
Appeal is returning this year. Team
Hope is calling on schools, teachers,
parents and families to help turn just
another day in a child’s life into
something special.
band, but don’t seal it with tape as each
box is carefully checked for customs and
safety requirements by Team Hope
volunteers. Our network of local
volunteer teams all over Ireland make it
an easy project for teachers to organise.”
and the pupils collect rainwater from
the school roof for washing. For
Mutunga and other recipients of giftfilled shoeboxes, the generosity of those
who take part in the appeal, ensures that
they feel special and appreciated.
Team Hope is aiming to deliver 200,000
shoeboxes from the island of Ireland
into the hands of needy children in
Africa, the former Soviet Union and
Eastern Europe, whose families typically
live on less than €1 per day. For many, it
is the only Christmas present they will
receive.
The Christmas Shoebox Appeal has
delivered Irish gift-filled shoeboxes to
more than 2.7 million deprived children
in twenty-one countries over the last 14
years. For example, children like 12year-old Mutungu from Kenya, whose
box contained clothing and school
items, lives in a small rural village with
nine family members in a home that is
comprised of two one-roomed huts. His
father left the family when he was
young and his brother, Ndongu, has
stomach problems because of unclean
water. They have no running water
or electricity and Mutunga walks
barefoot to school, which is located
1km away. There are 560 pupils in his
school (68 pupils in his class). The
school has 12 outside toilets
According to teacher Kate Hogan of
Springdale National School Raheny,
Dublin, the shoebox appeal also benefits
the Irish children who get involved:
“When children put the shoeboxes
together, it makes them think about the
items they own that they can put into it,
and makes them weigh their own needs
to someone else’s.”
Niall Barry, Team Hope
Executive Director, explains
how easy it is to help:
“Simply find an old
shoebox, wrap it up with
Christmas paper and fill
it with gifts for a child.
We would recommend gifts
such as writing items like
copies, colours and
pens; small
washing items
like, soap or
wash cloths;
small clothing
items like hats
or gloves and
treats like a
small toy.
Then attach €4
to cover
transport costs
and close the box
with an elastic
The closing date for receipt of
Shoeboxes this year is 11 November.
Over 300 drop-off points are located
around the country. Visit
www.teamhope.ie to find your nearest
location or to download school
resources. Follow Team Hope on
Facebook and Twitter, or call the Team
Hope Dublin office on (01) 294 0222.
Members of the Khulula Swaziland
Children’s Choir who have benefited from the
appeal in the past.
46
Teaching Matters
Using the interactive
whiteboard to support literacy
Ní neart go cur le chéile – the truth of this
well known proverb has seldom been more
clearly illustrated than during last summer’s
TeacherCPD.ie online course, where over
1,150 teachers shared ideas on using the
interactive whiteboard (IWB) to support
literacy. The following includes some of the
ideas gathered by their e-Tutors, with thanks
to the contributing teachers.
Using the IWB Reveal tool
“A great stimulus for oral language and creative
writing is to show half a picture of someone looking
at something with a particular facial expression.
Children discuss and write about what is happening
on the other (hidden) half. The teacher then reveals
the full picture at the end of the lesson.”
The Spotlight tool
“When introducing a new sound in a junior infant
phonics lesson, for example ‘/p/’, I upload a large
picture on the IWB. Using the spotlight tool, I explore the picture, getting the children to identify
things in the picture that begin with the sound /p/.”
Locking and layering
“We are using the Oxford Reading Tree programme
in our school. The locking and layering tool is used
to create a word wall to teach relevant vocabulary,
including characters’ names and high frequency
words.
“Then, locking and layering, grouping and the
camera are used to make character profiles for each
character. We sequence the characters’ stories and
the things that they like. As a form of assessment,
the children match the characters to the things
that they like – initially using pictures, then
words.”
Combining tools to good effect
“The class take pictures of different stages of an outing.
Then, I develop the children’s oral language skills by asking
questions about the pictures using the spotlight and reveal
tools. Using the camera/jigsaw tool, children sequence the
events of the day themselves. Older children write a descriptive paragraph about it or use the pen and eraser tools to
create a related cloze activity.”
Special educational needs
“I teach a few children with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism,
some of whom have speech and language delays and fine
motor issues. As they benefit from visual learning opportunities, the camera tool is used to allow new pupils to become
familiar with faces of staff or classmates and their location
within the school. After discussion and naming, this oral
language activity is presented as a matching game e.g.,
pupils match Secretary Mary’s photo to a photo of her office.
Senior classes
“When studying a novel, I create an introductory game by
using the camera tool and jumbled up jigsaw images of the
story’s main characters. The children work in teams to order
the pieces to complete each character.
“Once this is finished, I ‘send/bring to front’ the complete
image of one of the characters on a new flipchart and lock it
in place. Surrounding this character's image, I have many
adjectives to describe the character, including incorrect
adjectives which are also ‘sent to front’. The children discuss
and justify which of these words correctly describe the
character, then drag the word over the character’s image
and, if correct, it disappears.”
These ideas represent just a few ways to use the
IWB. See the Good Practice videos on the PDST
Technology in Education website for more ideas.
W: pdsttechnologyineducation.ie
Compiled by Anne Phelan,
PDST Technology in Education
CPD – options to consider from PDST Technology in Education
Halloween themed ICT courses
Many education centres are running short
(2.5 hour) courses on creating ICT
resources for Halloween. These courses
are free of charge, being fully funded by
PDST Technology in Education (formerly
NCTE). Contact your local education
centre for their course schedule or see the
link below for all centres’ schedules.
Centres respond to local demand, so
please contact them if you don’t see
something of interest.
TeacherCPD.ie
Following huge demand for last summer’s
online course on ‘Using your Interactive
Whiteboard to Support Literacy’, a
shorter version of the course will be
offered on TeacherCPD.ie this autumn.
This course covers skills common to most
brands of IWBs. Other short courses will
also be offered, such as Wikis and More
for Learning. A Scoilnet Account is
needed for enrolment in TeacherCPD.ie
courses.
Scoilnet account
The Scoilnet, TeacherCPD.ie and Service
Desk teams of PDST Technology in
Education work together to provide an
easy course enrolment service for
TeacherCPD.ie online courses. If you
haven’t already got a Scoilnet Account,
why not register now? You will be granted
free access to a range of online services,
such as Scoilnet Maps, and will be
prepared for quick enrolment in
TeacherCPD.ie courses.
W: pdsttechnologyineducation.ie/courseschedule
W: teacherCPD.ie
W: accounts.scoilnet.ie/registration
47
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
I have a dre
I say to you today, my friends, though even though
we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still
have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the
American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up,
live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these
truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave
owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering
with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they
will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream … I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists,
with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and
nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will
be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today… I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made
plain, and the crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith
we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this
faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together,
to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to
sing with new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I
sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” And if America is to be a great nation this must become
true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the
heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped
Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill
and molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside. Let freedom ring…
When we allow freedom to ring – when we let it ring from every village and
every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day
when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Great God a-mighty, we are free at last!”
Extract from Martin Luther King’s Speech: I have a Dream (Reprinted by arrangement with The Heirs to the Estate of Martin
Luther King Jr., c/o Writers House as agent for the proprietor New York, NY.)
T
his year marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s I
Have a Dream speech.
On the afternoon of 28 August 1963,
Martin Luther King Jr. stepped up to the
microphone at the March for Jobs and
Freedom in Washington, DC and delivered his I Have a Dream speech, now one
of the most famous orations in US histo48
ry. He delivered his speech to more than a
quarter of a million people in front of the
Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
While stressing nonviolence, Dr King
made it clear that, “Now is the time to rise
from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.
Now is the time to lift our nation from
the quicksands of racial injustice to the
solid rock of brotherhood.” In the speech,
Dr King outlined his dream for a better
America. While the speech, which was interrupted by cheers and applause from
the enthusiastic audience, only lasted
about 15 minutes, it and the integrated
march had a profound impact on the Civil
Rights Movement.
This moment was commemorated in
America this year as US President Barack
Obama and other dignitaries addressed
the celebrations which took place on the
steps of Washington’s Lincoln Memorial.
The life of Martin Luther King Jr. and his
speech provide food for thought for primary classrooms in Ireland. Several picturebooks communicate his story in a
child friendly manner.
In I have a dream (2012) Kadir Nelson’s
illustrates his words with magnificent
paintings. The themes of equality and freedom for all are relevant 50 years later, and
introduce young readers to experiences of
oppression, slavery and a vision for
change. Included with the book is an audio
CD of the speech. This is a picturebook to
be enjoyed by children and adults.
Martin Luther King’s sister Christine
King Farris has written two books about
her brother’s life. My brother Martin: A
sister remembers growing up with the Rev
Dr Martin Luther King (2003) deals with
his childhood experiences. March on! The
day my brother Martin changed the world!
(2008) is an account of how her brother
wrote the landmark I Have a Dream
speech which changed civil rights history.
Another more contemporary family perspective is provided by her daughter and
Martin Luther King’s niece Angela Farris
Watkins in her books My Uncle Martin’s
Words for America (2011) and My Uncle
Martin's Big Heart (2010). The author
emphasises that Uncle Martin Luther’s
King’s big heart was full of love. In an author’s note, she writes:
“I wrote this book so that children
could get to know Martin Luther King Jr.
the way I knew him when I was a child,
through his love… I want them to see
how much love he really had – enough to
share with his family and his friends,
enough to encourage his church, enough
to strengthen his community, and enough
to change the world.”
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. (Rappaport, 2007) tells
the life story of Dr King in simple words
and beautiful pictures which incorporate
Teaching Matters
am
50th Anniversary of
Martin Luther King’s speech
He delivered his
speech to more than a
quarter of a million
people in front of the
Lincoln Memorial in
Washington, DC
Rena Schild
Shutterstock.com
words from his teachings. It also introduces children to Dr King’s teachings
about nonviolence. It begins with young
Martin reading a ‘Whites Only’ sign in his
hometown. Martin grows up, becomes a
preacher and studies the writing of Mahatma Gandhi. He puts his ideas into
practice at the Montgomery bus boycott
and other civil rights demonstrations. He
speaks to the nation, and more and more
people listen to him. The book ends with
some of the ‘big words’ for which Dr King
is remembered: peace, love, freedom, and
dream. For younger children The Story of
Martin Luther King, Jr. (2001) by Johnny
Ray Moore provides an accessible introduction to Martin Luther King Jr.
The site for this speech, the Lincoln Memorial may be the most iconic place in the
United States. Climbing Lincoln’s Steps:
The African American Journey (Slade,
2010), outlines the history of the civil
rights struggle and details its leaders. The
story begins with Lincoln’s signing of the
Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and
the building of the marble statue which
was unveiled in
his honour,
Schoolchildren participate in the 50th
anniversary of the March on Washington
August 28, 2013 in Washington DC
in 1922. The marble steps of Washington,
DC’s Lincoln Memorial have seen key moments in African American history. Denied a place in Constitution Hall because
she was black, Marian Anderson sang instead at the Memorial in 1939. In 2009, the
first African American president and his
family made a pilgrimage to this spot
where Dr Martin Luther King Junior delivered his powerful I Have a Dream speech.
There has been much progress since Dr
King delivered his speech but there is
much left to be achieved by our politicians,
our leaders and by ourselves as citizens.
We must remember that Martin Luther
King’s speech was about achieving equality
for all people including black people. His
speech is significant for our multicultural
society in Ireland today. This is a good
time for teachers and children to compose
their own visions for our future and to
write their own ‘I have a dream’ speech.
References
Farris, C. K., & Soentpiet, C. (2009). My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers
Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: Baker & Taylor.
Farris, C. K., & Ladd, L. (2008). March On!: The Day My Brother Martin
Changed the World: Scholastic Press.
King, M. L., & Nelson, K. (2012). I Have a Dream: Random House
Moore, J. R., & Wummer, A. (2001). The Story of Martin Luther King Jr:
Candy Cane Press.
Rappaport, D., Collier, B., & Duncan, M. C. (2002). Martin’s big words: Weston Woods Studios.
Slade, S. (2010). Climbing Lincoln’s Steps: The African American Journey:
Albert Whitman and Company.
Watkins, A. F., & Velasquez, E. (2011). My Uncle Martin’s Words for America: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Niece Tells How He Made a Difference: Harry N.
Abrams.
Watkins, A. F., & Velasquez, E. (2010). My Uncle Martin’s Big Heart: Harry
N. Abrams.
Dr Anne Dolan is a lecturer in primary
geography in Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. She is author of the forthcoming book
You, Me and Diversity: the potential of picturebooks for teaching development and intercultural education (Trentham Books and
DICE).
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
Educate to produce free and
Conditioning pertains to behaviour. Conditioning may be required when teaching
methods are not possible. Infants and
young children need to be trained to behave in a certain manner, how to use the
toilet, to wash their hands, brush their
hair and teeth. Conditioning is required in
order to train young children during their
first years of life and in the early years of
schooling. Adults with brain damage, resulting from a stroke or another injury, may need to
be retrained or conditioned to behave in a
socially acceptable
way.
Indoctrination involves beliefs and is not
concerned with behaviour.
Indoctrination occurs when
a person deliberately implants an unfounded belief in
another without allowing that person an
opportunity to use his/her reason to establish a foundation for that belief. If beliefs are forced on a person, and that individual subsequently accepts them in such
a way that those beliefs are not open to
rational evaluation, that is indoctrination.
A large amount of our beliefs are
formed by the religious and commonly
accepted beliefs and practices of the society into which we are born. Many people’s
views are formed without the aid of reasoned analysis but are emotional reflections on the beliefs of their society.
Children are expected to
hold certain beliefs.
This is how society develops and operates.
In certain circumstances and for some
people this may limit their freedom.
One of the objectives of education must
be to get students to establish reasons for
their beliefs. The aim of education is not
to dispose of accepted beliefs and customs, dilute cultural pursuits or abandon
traditions, but, to establish a rationale for
accepting them.
The indoctrinated person holds beliefs
that are often irrational and unfounded.
The one who is conditioned performs actions without recourse to reason. The educated person holds beliefs and is conditioned in certain ways of behaving but
s/he is aware of this and accepts them following reasoned analysis. An educated
person is capable of forming clear
judgements deduced from
premises that are based
C
cond an
or in ition
doct ing
be co rinat
i
o
n
n
d
o
in sc ned
hool
s?
52
Teaching Matters
independent thinkers
on evidence, or, on assumptions that have
a logically reasoned basis. An educated
person understands the necessity to justify beliefs. That person believes something
because there is good reason to believe it.
Education and indoctrination are not
opposing concepts. Indoctrination simply
belongs to a different category, the category of beliefs. Education is concerned
with the acquisition, analysis, retention
and utilisation of knowledge. Education
involves physical and spiritual development. It also involves learning to form objective, unbiased judgements using rational analysis and acquired experience.
Education includes learning the cultural
and spiritual values of the race or society
into which one is born. This is recognised
by both traditional and progressive education. One of the objectives of education
should be to transmit cultural and spiritual values to the succeeding generation.
Music and art are essentially spiritual.
Each child has a right to inherit the cultural and spiritual heritage developed by
his/her ancestors. A person has a right to
scientific, literary, aesthetic and cultural
inheritance and to religious inheritance too. All of these disciplines help to
make the individual a balanced, cultured
and sociable person. If a person, in virtue
of being human, is entitled to such inheritance, then that person is entitled to an
objective analysis of that inheritance too.
This entitlement must be offered through
a medium that is unbiased. That medium
is not confined to a totally objective, uncommitted presenter of facts. It may be a
person who possesses a passion and enthusiasm for his/her subject-matter, a
person who will transmit sincerity, conviction and honesty, but who will also expose presented material to objective
analysis, in so far as that is possible.
The purpose of education, according to
the renowned American progressive and
pragmatic educationist, John Dewey, is to
guide experience in directions that are
more beneficial than if left unguided. Progressive education, taken to the extreme,
does not want to interrupt one’s natural
experiencing. It aims to facilitate experiencing but not to change, direct, redirect
or halt a person’s propensities.
Refusing to teach something that may
be of value to a child is wrong. Attempting to make the world better according to
my standards but within my limited
knowledge, experience, and ability is
not my role as a teacher. A teacher
who refuses to teach a subject on
the curriculum that a child can
understand and cope with is
indicating that his/her beliefs and opinions are
preferable to the ideas,
opinions and expressed
beliefs in that subject. If
we refuse to teach or
critically analyse a controversial issue we may be
guilty of accepting it as
valid without question, or, it
may be that we are rejecting it
without critical analysis. This
type of teaching is unacceptable for
it allows children to develop and grow
into adulthood with an uncritical or
unquestioning attitude.
Teachers must respect the children
in their care. Many systems of education produced by political regimes,
under a global capitalist influence,
endeavour to mould children as objects.
They want to steer and coral them into
a particular way of thinking and behaving.
They aim to condition or programme
them in such a way that they may develop
and display the characteristics sought at a
particular time. Materialistic gravitation
draws society towards conforming to a
unified way of thinking. Because of this,
many parents are reluctant and unwilling
to give direction or advice to their children. They fear that they may hinder the
production of the desired product.
Education muﬆ be
concerned with
teaching ﬆudents to
think critically.
Students should not
accept blindly and
unqueﬆioningly what
they see, hear or read
in the media
Knowledge acquisition and the application of that knowledge in order to improve
the life of the person spiritually and materially ought to be the goal of education.
Education also includes the teaching and
learning of methods of reasoning, particularly inductive and deductive reasoning
and of course information analysis. Education, incorporating critical analysis
leads to the light at the end of the tunnel.
It awards to each individual the uniqueness and personal worth s/he deserves
and is entitled to. Education, with critical
analysis, sets the person free and gives
him/her respect and independence.
Having completed teacher-training,
a BA degree and H. Dip in Education by night Pat Keogh went on
to acquire a Masters degree in
Philosophy from UCD. Then
combining his experience as a teacher and
educator with his knowledge of Philosophy he
did research work on ‘Thinking Critically’.
This study saw him conferred with a Ph.D.
Pat is the author of a book called DEFINING
INTELLIGENCE in an educational context.
(Available in O’Mahony’s Booksellers, Limerick – www.omahonys.ie ) For further info
visit: www.drpatkeogh.com
53
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
‘We must be hopeful’
When I heard about the Léargas initiative outlining a study visit to Italy entitled ‘Language Teaching Skills as a Key to Promote Professional Skills and Improve Cultural Integration’ I immediately set about preparing my submission. Prior to this I had been aware of the excellent work carried out by Léargas and I viewed this study visit as an opportunity not to be missed. I saw
this visit as the ideal forum for me to outline the Irish education system to
my European counterparts and to learn from them about theirs. Having undertaken the week long study visit to Reggio di Calabria, Italy I would have
The visit in June 2013 was chosen to further my research on modern language
learning in Europe with particular reference to primary schools in Ireland. Now
that Ireland is an integral part of the European Community modern language
learning needs to be introduced and
structured in Irish primary schools. Modern language learning in Irish primary
schools needs to be afforded the due
recognition it long deserves.
What was learnt on the visit? ‘We must
be hopeful’ – this was the overriding
theme of the study visit held in Università
per Stranieri ‘Dante Alighieri’, Reggio di
Calabria, Italy. Southern Italy has faced
many issues regarding emigration over
the years and now it faces the challenge of
immigration. The central theme of this
week-long study visit was the issue of immigration and integration in Calabrian
society and its impact on education in the region. Along
with this theme are the
54
no hesitation in concluding that this exchange of ideas and culture was a resounding success from an educational viewpoint. Similar views of the course
have been expressed by the other participants. As a result a network for the
exchange of best practices on the teaching of modern languages in primary
schools has been established and is being further advanced. I would now invite you to refer to my case study below and to the relevant websites in the
hope of generating interest and the resulting benefits in teaching modern
languages in an already time-challenged primary school curriculum.
various subthemes of motivation to learn
the Italian language; language support in
schools; the language barrier and the culture barrier. During the study visit we
learnt that there are three universities for
foreign students in Italy and we attended
the only one in the south. We were introduced to the university system in place in
Reggio di Calabria as well as the pre-primary, primary and secondary education
system. This was a valuable educational
and cultural experience. In addition, we
viewed many secondary schools and listened and conversed with many Italian
teachers, principals and faculty members.
These educators informed us that education in the south has improved greatly
over the past generation. However, the
positive contributions immigrants can
bring to the educational system of the region have yet to be
fully realised. It is believed that young
people are like a bridge between their
communities and the Italian community,
a fact that must be explored in more detail going forward. There are ample opportunities to harvest learning, to compare cultures and to share ideas between
these two communities. Furthermore,
learning a foreign language opens the
mind, improves social and democratic
processes, fosters cultural awareness and
multicultural respect and supports mobility and coexistence. Most importantly, the
voice of all stakeholders must be heard.
Indeed, the issue of migration was one
that resonated with all participants of this
study visit.
Another finding of this study visit was
the emphasis placed on modern language
learning at primary and post-primary level. In the course of
round-table discussions and presentations we observed a wide
variety of interesting and
effective
pedagogical ap-
Teaching Matters
Examples of good practice
• The Swedish education system provides a teacher
for a particular mother-tongue provided five or
more participants are involved. Furthermore, they
are entitled to linguistic support in their mother
tongue in the teaching of all subject areas.
• In Austria, since 2003/04, children must study a
first foreign language in primary school, which
invariably is English. During the first two years
children study the first foreign language for 32
hours per year, while in their third and fourth
year the study is 1 hour per week. The study of a
second foreign language is compulsory in upper
secondary general school. The choice of language
is usually Latin, French, Spanish or Italian. The
choice depends on where one lives in the country
proaches to modern language learning. Of
significance we discovered that the modern language taught in a particular country can sometimes be linked back to that
country’s history and that modern language teaching is not taught with the
same importance in all EU member states.
For example, modern language teaching
no longer takes place in Irish primary
schools. It is apparent that in countries
where the mother tongue is English, there
has been little emphasis on modern language learning in the primary curriculum
(Eurydice, 2000: 61).
We discovered that emphasis is placed
on the importance of native speakers in
teaching modern languages to students in
Italy. Interestingly the majority of language teachers that we spoke to did not
have an educational background but were
working in high-schools based on their
language proficiency as native speakers.
What I did on the visit
The study visit took the form of morning
presentations and round-table discussions
on the topic of modern language learning
in each of our countries followed by a
break for lunch and concluding with afternoon excursions.
The afternoon excursions were both educational and cultural. During the course
of the study visit we visited three different
types of secondary schools. For example,
one afternoon we visited a school that
specialises in science from the age of 14 to
18 years of age. During our visit pupils exTeaching resources for
the classroom
and on the student’s preference.
• In France, immigrant children are withdrawn
from the classroom and provided with extra language tuition. Pupils are integrated in CLIN classes (for primary education) and in CLA classes (for
secondary education) to learn French as a second
language. The aim is for the ‘newcomers’ to integrate with their new class as soon as possible.
This practice is unequally adhered to throughout
France.
• In Germany the appreciation of the native German language goes beyond the school hours and
addresses the parents of the community. Afterschool classes exist where parents of children engage in language classes. Furthermore, a network of teachers with a migration background
has been founded in order to exchange ideas on
best practice.
• In Lithuania, foreign language use is widely advertised, appreciated and encouraged. Additionally, two foreign languages are compulsory in
the secondary education. The study of only one
or two foreign languages is then selected along
with intensity levels for the last two years of secondary education.
• In Slovakia, the study of two foreign languages is
compulsory in secondary education.
• In Poland, it is compulsory to learn a second language at six years of age. In fourth class the children learn a second foreign language.
• In Ireland, it is a requirement for all children to
learn Irish or Gaeilge from the age of five years
until they leave secondary education at 18 years
of age. Limited exceptions to this rule exist.
Benefits of the programme
migrant issues in the region.
• A network was created by the participants of
the study visit to facilitate future interaction
and dialogue.
• Exchange programmes are in the process of being created between teachers, students and
staff of the relevant institutions of the participating countries.
• The establishment of an Italian internship between the university in Reggio di Calabria and
one of the participating countries.
• Close interaction with each participant of the
study visit including sharing of best practices
and upcoming conferences being held in each
represented country.
• Daily visits to local secondary schools.
• Study of best practice at the Università per
Stranieri ‘Dante Alighieri’.
• Cultural excursions detailing local history, which
in turn provided a better understanding of im-
plained and carried out the experiments
for us in English. As a group we realised
that a similar approach is in existence in
most other European countries. Although
there are many similarities present in the
EU countries represented on the study
visit, there are also many significant differences. Firstly, pupils learn foreign languages at different stages of their primary
education. For example, some pupils begin learning a foreign language in kindergarten, while others learn at year three of
their primary education. In year three of
their primary education learning a foreign
language is compulsory for pupils.
Regarding our cultural excursions the
group visited the Bronzi di Riace, the
town of Pentedattilo and tasted local cuisine. The Bronzi di Riace are two famous
full-size Greek bronzes of nude bearded
warriors, cast about 460–450 BC. The
ghost town of Pentedattilo or ‘five fingers’
is located 250 m above the sea level, on
1. Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative: http://www.mlpsi.ie/
2. BBC Kids Modern Language Learning: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/
the Monte Calvario, a mountain
whose shapes once resembled that
of five fingers. We also attended an exhibition of the bergamot plant (specific to
the Calabrian region and used widely by
both French perfumeries and by the Earl
Grey tea-house). Additionally, we visited
Gallicianò, a village in southern Calabria
inhabited by the Calabrian Griko people.
These inhabitants traditionally speak a dialect of the Greek language and are a
small remnant of a once larger Greek
community of southern Italy.
Suzanne O’Keefe teaches in Askeaton
Senior School in Co Limerick. Modern language learning has always been a subject of
value and importance in her classroom.
Suzanne would welcome any questions and
queries that readers may have regarding the
teaching of modern languages in primary
schools
via
her
email:
[email protected]
websites/4_11/topic/languages.shtml
3. Léargas, insight through exchange: http://www.leargas.ie/
55
Bergamot
Suzanne O’Keeffe discusses modern language teaching
following a study visit to Italy
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
Meán Fómhair – Gairdín Torthaí ar Scoil – Cur Chuige Teagmhálach
Paddy Madden continues his series of SESE tips
Cavan
Sugarcane –
Seedsavers
Hands-on – the school fruit garden
What is it?
A garden which teaches
children about fruit which can
be grown and eaten in their
school.
Background
information
It's important to grow fruit that
can be harvested during the
school year. There's no point in
planting blackcurrants for
example which fruit during the
summer holidays.
Why have a fruit garden
in the school?
1. It integrates well with a
healthy-eating policy in the
school.
2. It will enable children to
differentiate between
imported fruit and homegrown fruit.
3. It will also enable them to
differentiate between the
taste of home-grown and
imported varieties.
4. It will enable children to
learn about the importance
of pollinators for fruit
production.
5. It will increase seasonal
awareness.
Suitable fruits to grow
Strawberry
LATIN / IRISH
POSITION SOIL
& SPACING
PLANTING
FRUITING
AFTER-CARE
NOTES
LATIN / IRISH
POSITION SOIL
AND SPACING
Rubus idaeus Sú craobh
Sunny; dig shallow trench
c. 30cm wide; add plenty of
well-rotted manure or organic
compost to soil. 45cm between
each cane and 1.5m between rows.
PLANTING
Plant autumn-fruiting ones from November to March.
Try 'Autumn Bliss'. Soak root-ball for about an hour before planting. Keep old soil-mark on stems level with
soil.
Late August until October. This only applies to Autumnfruiting varieties.
Prune in February. Cut canes back to 5cm from ground.
Remove any new unwanted ones to prevent them becoming invasive.
Feed in spring with fertiliser high in potassium. Lightly
rake it into the soil around plant and then water.
FRUITING
NOTES
Other possibilities
If space permits plant a Victoria plum. Also, if the
school is planting a native hedgerow include
blackthorns for sloes.
Did you know?
• The word ‘straw’ in ‘strawberry’ could derive
from straw which is used to protect the fruit
from getting wet and dirty or from the word
‘strew’ which means to spread wide.
56
Fragaria ananassa Sú talún
Sunny; add well-rotted manure or
compost to soil. Plant 35 cm apart; 75 cm between rows.
September or Mid-April. Don't allow latter to fruit in first
year. Add general fertilizer before planting. Crown level
with soil.
June. Cut back to 7.5 cm above ground after fruiting. Cut
off dead leaves. Remove straw.
Plants are productive for about 3 years. Mulch in early
spring with well-rotted compost. Propagate new ones
from runners.
Water well when fruit is forming. Remove runners in
May. Feed with fertilizer high in potash when fruits begin to form. From late May place straw under fruits.
Hardy during winter. Not hardy when new growth starts
in spring.
Apple
LATIN / IRISH
POSITION SOIL
AND SPACING
PLANTING
FRUITING
AFTER-CARE
NOTES
Raspberry
AFTER-CARE
Sloe fruit
of the
blackthorn
Aherne beauty –
Seedsavers
• Strawberries help the body fight cancer,
whiten teeth and reduce cholesterol.
• Raspberries can be either red, purple, black or
gold.
• Blackberries are high in antioxidants.
• Apples have been eaten by humans since 6500
B.C.
• Fresh apples float in water because a quarter
of their volume is air.
Pupillam Úll
Sunny aspect. Well-drained.
Dig in plenty of well-rotted compost before planting from October to December.
Plant 2 or 3 different varieties. Have graft
union between apple rootstock and upper part at least 10cm above soil. Apply
balanced fertiliser when planting. Place
layers of damp newspaper around base
and cover with bark mulch.
Sept/Oct.
Prune in winter. Remove dead or
diseased branches. Maintain a pyramid
shape with an open centre.
Soil must be rich in organic matter.
When planting mix this with topsoil
and general fertiliser. Plant heritage
apple trees if possible with M26 rootstock. Produces a small tree that children can reach. Apple trees are often
damaged by lawnmowersand ties left
on too long. Mrs Perry Keegans crab (not
actually a crab). Kilkenny Pearmain, Cavan Rose and Bloody Butcher are loved
by children.
Blackberry
Rubus fruticosus
Sméar Dubh
POSITION SOIL Sunny, sheltered spot.
LATIN / IRISH
AND SPACING
PLANTING
FRUITING
AFTER-CARE
NOTES
Dig in plenty of well-rotted
compost before planting. Put 2
fence-posts into the ground
2.4-3m apart. Tie wires between posts at c.30 cm intervals and tie the stems onto
these. Choose 'Oregon Thornless' or 'Loch Ness'. Soak rootball for an hour before planting. Spread out roots.
Mid-August to September.
They fruit on one year old
stems. Cut these back to
ground level after fruiting.
Place layers of wet newspaper
around plants. Cover this with
bark-mulch to retain moisture.
These thornless blackberries
are not invasive.
LoughTree
of Wexfor
Seedsaver
Teaching Matters
Literacy/Litearthacht
• Rootstock/Fréamhstoc: The part of a grafted plant
from which the roots grow. Apple varieties are often
grafted on to less vigorous rootstocks to control
their size. An chuid sin de phlanda beangaithe óna
bhfásann na fréamhacha. Déantar cineálacha úll a
bheangú go fréamhstoic nach bhfuil chomh tréan
chun a méid a shrianadh.
• Crown/Coróin: The plant crown is where the stem
of the plant meets the roots. Usually this is level
with the soil. An áit a dtagann gas an phlanda agus
na fréamhacha le chéile, is í sin an choróin. De gh-
náth, bíonn sí ar aon leibhéal leis an ithir.
• Sloe/Airne: The fruit of the blackthorn. Toradh an
draighin.
• Pruning/Ag Prúnáil: The practice of cutting away
dead or crossing branches to increase flowers and
fruiting. An cleachtas ina ngearrtar craobhacha (atá
marbh nó atá ag trasnú ar a chéile) chun líon na
mbláthanna agus na dtorthaí a mhéadú.
Buíochas do Marie Whelton (MIE) don aistriúchán. Also
thanks to Aine Ní Fhlatharta from www.irishseedsavers.ie for her advice on apples.
Glenstal
Cooker Seedsavers
Resources
• www.irishseedsavers.ie/ Based in Scariff,
Co Clare, Seedsavers grow and sell over 50 heritage
varieties of apple tree.
• www.gardenorganic.org.uk
Growing fruit in the school garden.
• http://scoilmhuiregnslucan.scoilnet.ie/
Growing fruit in a Dublin school.
• http://gardening.about.com/sitesearch.
htm?q=Strawberries&SUName=gardening
Growing strawberries.
• www.paulamee.com/paulamee/main/
Video-Jan2.htm Videos on fruit and nutrition.
• www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-YourOwn/Fruit-A-to-Z/Strawberries
Growing strawberries.
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=56j_3cYjpwY
Thinning apples in June.
• www.videojug.com/search?keywords=
Pruning+apple%20trees%20in%20uk
Pruning apple trees.
Not all these fruits are suitable for the school garden
e
rd rs
The first
Irish School
Gardening Conference
will be held in MIE
on 5 October. See
www.schoolearthed.ie
for application form
and details.
Paddy Madden lectures on
SESE in the Marino Institute of Education. He also gives short courses
to whole staffs on school gardening.
His book Go Wild At School, has recently
been reprinted. Available for €18 from
[email protected] (Includes p&p).
Photos of applies: Eoin Keane.
57
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
Acmhainní Gaeilge ó Thuaisceart Éireann
Ceol
l
In eagrán na míosa seo caithfimid
súil ar an gceol sa seomra ranga:
úsáid an cheoil i dteagasc na Gaeilge i
scoileanna T2, agus teagasc an cheoil i
scoileanna T1.
Feadogonline.com agus ceolta.net
Tá sé mar aidhm ag an dá shuíomh idirlín
www.feadogonline.com agus
www.ceolta.net cuidiú le múinteoirí an
fheadóg stáin a mhúineadh do pháistí sa
seomra ranga.
Ar www.feadogonline.com tá
l Trí chúrsa a dhíríonn ar thrí léibhéal
(tosaitheoirí, feabhsaitheoirí agus
meánchúrsa) le deich gceacht i ngach
ceann.
l I ngach ceacht tá teoiric cheoil,
nodaireacht cheoil, gearrthóga físe,
gearrthóga éisteachta, agus fuaimrianta
tionlacain.
l Tá meascán fonn ann, ina measc
Fáinne Geal an Lae agus Ar Éirinn ní
Neosfainn Cé hÍ.
l Tá na cláir grádaithe go cúramach agus
úsáideann said snáitheanna éagsúla de
Churaclam na Bunscoile.
Anam an amhráin
Tugtar beatha nua do dhá cheann déag
d'amhráin aitheanta Ghaeilge le ceol
agus beochan sa DVD Anam An Amhráin
atá bunaithe ar shraith a bhí ar TG4
roinnt blianta ó shin. Tá na hamhráin á
gcanadh ag raon amhránaithe ó chúlraí
éagsúla faoi threoir ceoil Iarla Uí Lionáird.
Cuideoidh na beochana seo le tuiscint na
bpáistí ar liricí agus ar scéalta na namhrán. Tá cruthaitheacht iontach
léirithe sa bhailiúchán seo a thaithneoidh
le páistí agus daoine fásta araon.
Ar an DVD
I measc na n-amhrán tá An Damhán Alla,
Dún do Shúil, An Seanduine, Cad é Sin
don Té Sin, Óró ‘Sé do Bheatha ‘Bhaile,
An Poc ar Buile, Bean Pháidín, An Gréasaí
Bróg (Beidh Aonach Amárach), Tá Dhá
Ghabhairín Bhuí Agam, Cailleach an Airgid agus leagan greannmhar d’Amhrán
na Bó le Tomás Mac Eoin. Fuair Anam an
Amhráin ainmniúchán IFTA don
bheochan is fearr sa bhliain 2011. Tá
amhrán breise ar an DVD ‘Cúilín Dualach’
a bhuaigh go leor gradam náisiúnta agus
58
l
l
Úsáid sa rang
l Múin an teoiric atá i réamhrá an chúrsa
do thosaitheoirí ionas go mbeidh sé ar
chumas na bpáistí ceol a léamh. Tugtar
eolas atá leagtha amach go soiléir maidir le cliathnodaireacht, ainmneacha
agus luachanna na nótaí,
barralínte/amchomharthaí agus
gléaschomharthaí.Téigh siar ar an
teoiric go rialta.
l Téigh trí gach ceacht go mall ar an gclár
bán idirghníomhach. Léigh agus mínigh
an teoiric a théann le gach píosa ceoil.
l Bain triail as an bhfonn a sheinm leis an
taifeadadh feadóige, agus ansin déan
iarracht é a sheinm leis an tionlacan
piano amháin.
l Cliceáil ar an nasc físe agus éist leis an
bhfonn.
I bpacáiste ceolta.net tá
l Tá ceithre chéim ghrádaithe le hocht
gceacht i ngach ceann.
idirnáisiúnta, le gradam IFTA ina measc
don bheochan is fearr.
Cuireann an amhránaíocht ar chumas
na bpáistí bealaí eile a iniúchadh chun
cumarsáid a dhéanamh le daoine eile,
chun a smaointe agus mothúcháin a chur
in iúl agus chun iniúchadh a dhéanamh
ar an saol mórthimpeall orthu.
Úsáid sa rang
• Múin liricí na n-amhrán trí na
beochana a úsáid chun ionchur teanga
a dhéanamh.
• Déan na hamhráin a chanadh ó
chuimhne leis na páistí ag spreagadh
smacht gutha, muiníne agus mothaithe.
• Spreag páistí le freagairt d’amhrán ar
leith trí mhaisíochtaí fuaime le
cnaguirlisí a dhéanamh.
• Iarr ar pháistí idirdhealú a dhéanamh
idir na príomhuirlisí a chloistear mar
thionlacan sna hamhráin.
• Úsáid bogábhar ar nós Photostory nó
Animoto agus iarr ar pháistí a scéal
digiteach féin a chruthú bunaithe ar
amhrán ón DVD nó amhrán eile atá ar
eolas acu.
l
Tá Céim 1 dírithe ar pháistí gan aon
chur amach ar an bhfeadóg stáin, céim
2 ar fheabhsaitheoirí agus mar sin de.
Tá nótaí, cliathnodaireacht, fonn simplí
agus fuaimrianta cd ag dul le gach ceacht.
Tá meascán fonn ar ceolta.net ina
measc tá Racáil ar fud an Domhain
agus Amhrán na bhFiann. I gCéim 5 tá
foinn bhreise saor in aisce chomh
maith.
Ceol don fheadóg stáin “D” le fáil ar
chipín cuimhne ar phraghas €20.
Úsáid sa rang
l Taispeáin na nótaí nó an chliathnodaireacht nó an méarú ar an gclár
bán idirghníomhach, nó déan iad a
phriontáil de réir mar is gá.
l Cuir an fonn atá le múineadh ar siúl
arís is arís eile ag am oiriúnach ionas go
gcuirfidh na daltaí eolas ar an gceol.
l Lig do na páistí tabhairt faoin
gcumadóireacht trí uasghrádú a
dhéanamh saor in aisce chuig an modúl
cumadóireachta. Tá moltaí agus treoir
ag dul leis an modúl seo.
Ar fáil
www.feadogonline.com; www.ceolta.net.
Gach eolas faoi ceolta.net ó
[email protected].
Ar fáil
www.cartoonsaloon.ie.
Curtha le chéile ag
Bríd Ní Dhonnchadha
agus Máire Nic an Rí
faoi choimirce COGG.
Teaching Matters
Book reviews
Numeracy Toolkit
Numeracy Toolkit from Áiseanna
Software is a CD-ROM that aims to
help pupils with their learning of
number from 1 to 100. It is a very
simple piece of software with a
number of activities to consolidate
number facts and knowledge
through games such as Dice, Reken-
rek, Missing Numbers and Number
Names. Users have a choice of
working at different levels, i.e. numbers 1 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 50 and 51
to 100. The games might be suitable
to a learning support environment
or perhaps as a whole class starter.
The software would benefit from a
better navigation system, as you
must complete an activity before
being transported back to the home
page, as hitting the escape button
exits the game. Numeracy Toolkit
costs €95 for a site licence with an
extra €3 for postage and packaging,
and can be ordered from
www.aiseanna.com •
Reviewed by Simon Lewis, Principal,
Carlow Educate Together NS, and coeditor of anseo.net
An alternative approach to
behaviour management
Positive Psychology in the Elementary School Classroom by Patty
O’Grady delineates the fundamentals of positive psychology and equips
the teacher with a wide variety of
resources to implement them. A
vast range of research is presented
which reminds readers how feelings
and emotions can affect the neuroscience of the child, which in turn
affects how they behave and how
much they achieve and learn in
the classroom. With this in mind,
O’Grady outlines how important it
is to enable children to create their
own intrinsic set of ideals and values
which they will live by, rather than
trying to enforce a strict code of discipline which they may not accept.
It calls on teachers to teach children
how to self motivate and self assess
so that they work towards self satisfaction instead of judging themselves in terms of their grades.
A wide variety of resources and
methods are presented that enable
educators to do this, which would
be easy to implement in any classroom. I would recommend this
book to anyone who is looking to try
Get free access to
Symmetry School
for month of
October
Chance to win €50 iTunes voucher
InTouch readers may recall we ran an article on
Spraoi School last year, in which Eileen Ward
reviewed Symmetry School, the first whiteboard
application in the series and gave it a resounding
thumbs-up. Since then, PixelSoup have been
busy further developing the Spraoi School series,
with the release of Symmetry School: Learning
Geometry for the iPad. They are now working on
the next offering in the series, Fractions School.
The launch of Symmetry School on iTunes has
been a resounding success, with international
sales sky-rocketing. The Guardian named it one
of the “50 best apps that parents can trust for
2013”. European schools are utilising Apple’s
Volume Purchasing Plan, some buying over 30
copies of Symmetry School in one go!
To celebrate this, PixelSoup are offering all
InTouch readers full access to the whiteboard
version of Symmetry School for FREE during
the month of October. Simply go to
www.spraoischool.com and register using the
code INTOUCH2013. Also, all new users during
the month of October will automatically be
entered into a competition to win a €50 iTunes
voucher! •
an alternative approach to behaviour management or who strives to
create an atmosphere of teamwork
and cooperation in their class.
Positive Psychology in the Elementary School Classroom by Patty
O’Grady is published by W.W.
Norton & Company, RRP €32.50,
ISBN 9780-39370-7588. •
Reviewed by Fiona Ward, St Brendan’s Primary School, Birr, Co Offaly
59
Finishing Touches
Resources for teachers, Noticeboard of Upcoming Events and the Comhar Linn Crossword
Copy Date
Copy you wish to have
considered for publication in
the November issue of InTouch
should arrive in Head Office by 7
October 2013. The deadline for the
December issue is 11 November.
Competition winners
Congratulations to:
Sinéad Crilly, Eimear Sheahan
and Gerard Gallery who were the
lucky winners of the SOS Lusitania
competition (September issue).
Copies of the book are on the way
courtesy of The O’Brien Press.
Two competitions this month. See
pages 12 and 59 of this issue for
details of how you could be in with a
chance to win a mid term family
break or a €50 iTunes voucher.
INTO Solidarity Fund
Reunion
The INTO Solidarity Fund supports the
development of educational facilities
in some of the world’s poorest countries.
St Pat’s Classes of 1998
Date: 9 November 2013
Venue: Club na Múinteoirí
If you are volunteering with a recognised
charity, development agency, missionary
society or trade union and would like to apply
for funding, please download the ‘INTO
Solidarity Grant Application form’ from the
INTO website, contact Georgina at (01) 804
7745 or email [email protected]
A reunion of B.Ed and B.A graduates, who attended St Patrick's College between 1995 and 1998 will be
held in Club na Múinteoirí, Parnell
Square, Dublin 1 on 9 November 2013
at 8pm. Cover charge €15 to include
food, DJ and plenty of craic. For further info or confirm attendance email
[email protected]
or check out the event on Facebook.
A sub-committee of the CEC assess each application at their monthly meetings and are responsible for disbursement of grants from this
fund.
Cork Teachers’ Golf Society
Next outing to Muskerry Golf
Club is on Thursday 31 October.
New members most welcome. Contact
Aidan Buckley (Secretary) for further
information. Tel: 021 4364678
40th Anniversary – Mini-Sport
Mini Basketball Association of
Ireland
Venue: Red Cow Moran’s Hotel,
Naas Road, Dublin 22 (01 4593650)
Date: 23 November 2013
Time: 7.30 p.m.
Dinner/drinks/chat/memories.
Contact Joan Fogarty 087 2755768 or
email [email protected]
INTO honorary membership and retirement gifts
Honorary membership of the INTO may
be conferred by branches
under Rule 76D which
provides that teachers
who have been members
of a branch may be
elected as honorary
members after retirement with the right
to attend and speak at the branch subsequently. The current rate charged to
branches for honorary membership is €48
per member per year. A decision
was taken by the CEC to commission a special gift to mark an
award of honorary membership.
There are now honorary membership certificates and engraved
InTouch October
vases available from Head Office. The vase
engraved ‘INTO Honorary Member’
costs €70, price
includes delivery.
Retirement gifts and
certificates
There is a vase available engraved ‘INTO’
(costs €70), engraved Cross pens (€40),
brooches (€31) and tie pins (€24) available
for sale as retirement emblems. To order
a retirement gift,
please contact Linda Johnston or
Elaine Daly at 01
8047700, certificates are free of
charge and can be ordered from the
Membership Section of the INTO.
61
Nótaí Deiridh
Two pages of resources for the classroom, from training courses to helpful hints and useful links
Sightsavers launch 2013 art competition
Sightsavers will launch the 5th year of
their national art competition – The Junior Painter Awards – in October. This
year’s theme is ‘I would love to see…’.
The competition gives teachers the
opportunity to encourage creativity in the
classroom and is a fun and age-appropriate way for children to learn about the
importance and value of their eyesight.
Entry packs will be sent to schools nationwide and will include new lesson plans
and activities that highlight how the competition can also tie in with the curriculum. Cash prizes for schools have been
donated by The Irish Times with Art &
Hobby and Star School Supplies supplying fantastic prizes for regional and national winners! Every student who enters
will receive a Certificate of Participation.
The judging panel this year will include
Tomm Moore, the Oscar-nominated Director of The Secret Book of Kells as well as
artist and blind activist, Padraig
Naughton. For more details visit:
www.sightsavers.ie/juniorpainter
Free online courses
and resources from
Academic Earth
Since 2008, Academic Earth has
worked to compile an ever-growing
collection of online college courses,
made available free of charge, from
some of the most respected universities. AcademicEarth.org has also
recently added a comprehensive resource for education students. In addition to their database of free online
courses, they now feature an extensive
list of blogs and open access journals,
all focused on the field of education.
Find at: www.academicearth.org
• Comhar Linn Crossword NO 150
A draw for 2 x 100 will be made from all correct entries.
Simply complete the crossword and send it to InTouch, 35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, before Friday 1st November, 2013
2
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
13
12
14
16
15
17
19
18
21
20
22
23
24
25
26
27
28 29
30
31
33
35
NAME:
ADDRESS:
32
34
36
Across
Down
1. Furious to be using one foot? Crazy. (7,3)
6. As snooty as Mrs Beckham? (4)
10. One is unable to love this piece of poetry, by
the look of it. (5)
11 & 31d. In teapots, tannin can show one's ability
to keep concentrating. (9,4)
12. Many girls are taught in these. (7)
15. Espy gym class returning to Swords. (5)
17. Was the Russian ruler a sleepy character in
the automobile? (4)
18. Post redirected from Lima. (4)
19. More secure, now that fear's been
dispelled. (5)
21. Put it down to a writer. (7)
23. Sticky stuff that makes one misbehave
again? (5)
24. Scrutinise Central Tuscany. (4)
25. Where peas might be spilled in a church. (4)
26. Hurt to see some of the worst ungentlemanly
behaviour. (5)
28. Cut yarn strangely to report a lack of
attendance. (7)
33. As rolled out for communist V.I.P's? (3,6)
34. Might one's leg be broken on religious
grounds? (5)
35. They are instrumental in causing rows. (4)
36. Being from a neighbouring isle, he may
malign hens, literally. (10)
1. Pawn off with some wine. (4)
2. Might the pint lease out some valuable
frees? (9)
3. Golf clubs used by actor Jeremy? (5)
4. Was Ms. O'Malley encountered before and
after meals? (5)
5. Insects take an article to South Riding. (4)
7. Surmise that there is no conifer. (5)
8. Get hot, and season an acrobatic move. (10)
9. The opposite of how the poet writes. (7)
13. Cries (upsetting the boss). (4)
14. It seems the wound is allowed to get red. (7)
16. Promise air will be distributed by a theatrical
producer. (10)
20. Look towards dairy produce to find a
cosmetic. (4,5)
21. A horse-sheep mixture - literally! (7)
22. Could what makes him attractive be
gold? (4)
27. Below part of a blunderbuss. (5)
29. Alter - alter an animal. (5)
30. While distributing sugar, with his hundred
eyes, he'd have been useful for yard
supervision! (5)
31. See 11 across.
32. Plant iron above Roscommon.
Gordius - In Touch September No. 149 solutions
Across 1. Dresden china 7. Bag 9. Deem 10. Bed-sit 11.
Teal 14. Nepal 15. Trunk 16. Ache 18. Bombs 21. Rabat 22.
Chaff 23. Egypt 24. Euro 25. Apple 26. Slope 29. Yale 33.
Fringe 34. Wove 36. Lea 37. Redeployment panel
Down 1. Doe 2. Elms 3. Dubs 4. Nudge 5. Haifa 6. Able 8.
Golden fleece 9. Doctor Jekyll 12. Lumber 13. Skate 14.
Nobly 17. Clamps 19. Metre 20. Scram 27. Large 30. Lear 31.
Deny 32. Twee 35. Vat
Winners of crossword no. 149 are
Maria Mulligan, Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon and
Nóirín Caulfield, Gorey, Co. Wexf ord.
62
Finishing Touches
… and your Comhar Linn Crossword!
No 37
Newgrange Winter
Solstice Art Competition
The Office of Public Works (OPW) has announced that it will be
running an Art Competition for primary and post-primary school
children, with the winning entrants being present for the Winter
Solstice at Newgrange on 21 December 2013.
To enter, students must be enrolled in one of the following
primary or post-primary classes in September 2013. There are
three categories and two winners will be chosen from each of
these categories:
• 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Class – Primary
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd Year – Post-Primary
• 4th/Transition, 5th and 6th Year - Post-Primary
This year we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the
inscription of Brú na Bóinne on the World Heritage Sites list and
it is hoped this will inspire entrants to create an artwork on the
following theme:
Newgrange – The Winter Solstice
The annual Winter Solstice sun show at Newgrange is a world
famous event. Five thousand years ago the Neolithic builders
engineered the monument so that sunlight could enter the
vaulted chamber at dawn on the shortest days of the year. On
clear Solstice mornings, the chamber at the end of the passage
is illuminated and bathed in a wonderful golden glow.
Entry is Free – full details and rules of the competition are
available on www.heritageireland.ie. Winners will be present in
the chamber with a parent/guardian on the morning of 21 December for one of the most important events in the heritage calendar.
Closing date for receipt of entries is Friday 15 November 2013.
All entries (clearly marked Art Competition) should be posted/delivered to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, Donore, Co
Meath.Queries should be directed to: [email protected]
Anti-bullying campaign
tools for teachers
Now available for primary schools!
See the question-and-answer-format
website introduction. Read the simplified handbook in the ‘Primary
Awareness’ page. Check video links
page for anti-bullying resources. Over
2,000 second level teachers registered
For generations bullying has been a problem in
schools and a worry for teachers. Could your school
implement an Anti-Bullying Campaign?
Register on : www.antibullyingcampaign.ie
Further information from Seán Fallon at 01-4513314 or
086-8496460
The most viewed links for one specific week
in mid September
1
2
St Benedict’s and St Mary’s NS,
Raheny, Dublin 5
www.stbenedictsandstmarys.com
Simple navigation leads to clear content.
Useful Tips for Parents section. At the time
of reviewing there was an excellent video
from the school around maths station
teaching
Rounding – Maths
bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/rounding-andestimating
Various levels available to choose.
4
Bia agus Spraoi
resources.teachnet.ie/mmorrin/2004/
Printable interactive resources associated with
food.
5
Aimsir
tobar.ie/cluichi/dushlan-aimsir.htm
A spelling practice exercise.
6
Improv Encyclopaedia
http://improvencyclopedia.org
Huge collection of resources for
improvisation drama. Children will
love some of them.
Scoilnet Gaeilge Learning
Units
scoilnet.ie/Gaeilge_Learning_Units.shtm
Deep within the Scoilnet site is a whole
section with flashcards, PDFs and other
documents supporting basic Irish.
ICT Games
www.ictgames.com
English-curriculum focused but some
really nice interactive learning games.
Rainn agus Amhrain
resources.teachnet.ie/clane/2008/
index.html
Songs and rhymes based on the Irish curriculum.
3
My favourite sites
Caoimhe Ní Cofaigh, Parttime teacher and parent
Uimhreacha – Luaschártaí
schoolblog8.scoilnet.ie/numbers/
flashcards_uimhreacha
Printable number flashcards.
7
8
9
10
The Spelling Quiz
scoilnet.ie/Quiz.aspx?id=576
Eight sentences are given. Select the correct
spelling for the blank word.
Home School Spelling Course
splashesfromtheriver.com/spelling/
courseoutline.htm
Thirty lessons with suggested activities.
Shapes – Maths
bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic-group/shapes
Various activities around shapes. Multiple levels.
Ffoto:Story
hwb.wales.gov.uk/cms/hwbcontent/_
layouts/NGFLSolution/MaterialDescription.
aspx?LearningMaterialld=23517&lang=en
Activities linking pictures and sounds.
Sticks and Stones
test.scoilnet.ie/Res/annirwinoleary85991142
20pm_2.html
Flat page with activities around the issue of bullying.
63

InTouch October 2013 - INTO - Irish National Teachers` Organisation

Transcription

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