InTouch Dec 2013 - INTO - Irish National Teachers` Organisation

Transcription

Issue No 140
December 2013
ISSN 1393-4813 (Print)
ISSN 2009-6887 (Online)
Special Education
Irish Teachers’
Journal
A Primary
Christmas
Supplementary
Panel
INTO Education
Conference
Keeping in Touch
Interactive dialogue with members, and key news items
GENERAL SECRETARY’S COMMENT
Special education provision
ver the past two decades Ireland’s primary schools have become the standout part of Irish society in terms of inclusivity. During that time schools have welcomed children with special needs and teachers have done their utmost to ensure that they
are educated alongside their family members
and peers.
It has not been easy.
Over that time schools have had to battle
for resources. Often this meant tackling bureaucracy which appeared designed to prevent or delay resource allocation. Court action by parents, lobbying by support groups
and well-argued policy positions by the INTO
helped to overcome many barriers. The professional knowledge base of teachers has been
greatly expanded through CPD often at
teachers’ own expense. While far from ideal
in terms of resource allocation and suffering
significant recent cutbacks, today’s primary
education system is well ahead of where it was
20 years ago.
Current provision for special education is
under review. All INTO members must engage professionally with the current review to
O
ensure that it does not result in a rolling back
of twenty years of progress. This does not
mean opposing all change or seeking to maintain the status quo. It means examining in detail every aspect of provision, considering alternatives and possibilities and arguing our
case.
This edition of InTouch contains a focus on
special education which I hope members will
find helpful in this regard.
Schools have only been able to increase inclusivity with resources and external supports. Without these, special education provision in local primary schools will not be
maintained.
During 2013 the INTO saw off proposed
cuts to special education. We will have to be
similarly vigilant in the years ahead.
In the meantime I wish all members a very
happy Christmas season and thank members
for their support for the INTO during what
was a difficult year.
The Organisation will not be sending Christmas cards this year, instead we
will donate the costs associated with sending cards to
Féileacáin is a not for profit organisation that provides support to
anyone affected by the death of a baby during pregnancy or shortly
after. Féileacáin works in partnership with health professionals to ensure
that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care. More
information can be found on their website www.feileacain.ie
InTouch December 2013
3
Contents
Keeping InTouch
3 Editorial
• Special education
provision
• Christmas charity
donation
What you need to
know
7 • Supplementary Panel
9
Education Conference pgs 16–18
• Minor Works and
Summer Works grants
reinstated
• Chief Inspector’s Report
• Membership survey
• Droichead policy endorsed
• Deferment of Section 30
• 10 things you should
know
10 Connect
• Guidelines for motions for
Congress 2014
• Upcoming InTouch themes
Tell us what you think by
letter or text message. €50 for
best letter published. Keep upto-date via Twitter, website or
RSS feed
INTO News
In the News
13 • INTO Youth Conference
• Irish Teachers’ Journal
launched by INTO
14 • INTO/Poetry Ireland
competition for members
• Eileen Flynn honoured
• INTO President visits
Aran Island NS
15 • INTO accounts:
Oversight, reporting and
audit of INTO funds
16 Education Conference
Three pages of reports
19 In the Media
Media coverage in November.
20 INTO Learning
Drawing up your school
self evaluation report?
21 Membership Plus
Have you registered yet?
22 Solidarity
Find out about Global
Schoolroom
23 Vere Foster Medals
Recent winners
INTO/Poetry Ireland competition for members pg 14
The school
bird
garden pgs
56–57
26 Teaching Religion
What do teachers think?
Teaching religion
pg 26
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
The views expressed in this journal are those
of the individual authors and are not necessarily
endorsed by the INTO.
While every care has been taken to ensure
Photography: Moya Nolan, Shutterstock
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
Fax: 01 872 2462
4
24 Retirements
might occur.
Except where the Irish National Teachers’
LoCall: 1850 708 708
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 National
any form of recommendation. While every
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
the quality of goods and services offered.
inclusion of an advertisement does not imply
1913 commemorations pg41
INTO Advice
27 School Leadership
Newsdesk
39 • Lesson plans launched: A
Preparing for Summer
Works?
29 Financial Tips
• Are you due a refund of
Health Levy contributions?
• Life savings and loan
insurance cover provided
by Comhar Linn
Special Education
31 • Special education today
32
33
34
35
36
• Know your strengths
• IATSE: Supporting
teachers
• ILSA: Peer to peer
support
• Behaviour management
uncovered
• Proposed new model of
special education support
• NCSE: 10 years a’ growing
40
41
42
43
44
History of Ireland in 100
Objects
• Paddy Flood – changing
role within PDST
• Update from Cumann na
mBunscol
• 1913 Commemorations
• Fair Hotels/Fair Shops
• Education project
Nicaragua
• Tallaght teacher’s charity
cycle through Africa
• Stay safe online this
Christmas
• South-East Research
Conference in March
• Education Matters
Yearbook launched
Teaching Matters
45 Fís film project
winners
Update from PDST.
46 Show Racism the
Red Card
An effective anti-racism
resource for schools
47 A Primary Christmas
Kathryn Crowley prepares
pupils for the Christmas
play
48 The Ghosts of
Christmas Presents
Mary Finnegan on
cultivating a gratitude
habit
50 Lexiles in the
Classroom
Finishing Touches
61 Noticeboard
Upcoming events.
62 Comhar Linn
Crossword
plus exploring marine
resources and an Irish
language GAA club
63 Scoilnet Panel
plus book an event for
Engineers Week
• On the cover
Supplementary Panel
7
Irish Teachers’ Journal
launched
13
Education Conference 16
A scientific approach to
measuring text difficulty
and reading ability
A primary
Christmas pg 47
Competitions
Waterways Ireland ‘Experiences’
Competition: Lovely prizes to be
won. pg 8
Win a Sheraton Athlone
Hotel/Athlone Town Shop and Stay
Break. Work over €1,000: pg 11
52 A Curious Little
Incident
A short story from Dan
Daly
55 Be Present
Mindfullness as a buffer
from stress
56 Hands-on the Bird
Garden
SESE tips from Paddy
Madden
58 Irish Resources
• Cover pic
Tips from COGG.
Pictured at the launch of the Irish
Teachers’ Journal at the Education
Conference were: Brendan O’Sullivan,
INTO President (Standing), Professor
John Coolahan, Professor Emeritus of
Education, National University of
Ireland, Maynooth, and Dr Deirbhile
Nic Craith, Senior Official, INTO and
editor of the Journal. Photographer:
Moya Nolan
December 2013
59 Book Reviews
Special Education
Supplement
31
A Primary Christmas
47
Watch out for this symbol
in InTouch news sections.
It means the news item
may be of interest to
members both North
and South
• ELSTA launches
anniversary journal
• Children’s books reviewed
5
Keeping InTouch
Supplementary Panel Rights
Closing date is Friday, 13 December
The DES issued Circular 0057/2013 – Panel Access for Fixed-Term/
Temporary (this includes substitute) and Part-Time Teachers to
the Supplementary Redeployment Panel for the 2014/15 School
Year, in November.
Given the number of teachers encompassed by the circular,
the INTO is running a free online information forum on
supplementary panel rights which can be accessed from the
INTO website.
This forum has all the information needed about the supplementary panel. The forum allows teachers to ask questions of
the members of the INTO Conditions of Employment team in
relation to this circular.
Some quick reminders!
• The closing date for application for supplementary panel
rights for the 2014/15 school year is Friday, 13 December
2013. The INTO strongly advises that you do not leave the
application process to the last minute as late applications will
not be accepted.
• Full details are outlined in DES Circular 0057/2013. The
application form is an Appendix to this circular.
• The INTO panel team has prepared detailed notes and
guidance on the criteria for qualifying for panel rights. In
addition, detailed instructions on how to complete the panel
application form are also available. This information is available for all members in the information forum on the INTO
website. Members who require assistance in relation to the
supplementary panel rights must use the forum to access this
information.
Please note that the information on this forum is very accessible
and approximately only 45 minutes is required to equip yourself
with the information required to complete the process.
Chief Inspector’s report published
The report for the Chief Inspector
from 2010-2012 was launched on 4
November by Minister for Education
and Skills Ruairí Quinn. Key points in
the report include the fact that
standards of teaching and learning
were satisfactory or better in the
majority of lessons. As well as this
parental surveys show very high
levels of satisfaction with primary
schools, totalling 97%. The report also
confirms that standards of teaching
and learning were satisfactory or
better in the majority of the lessons
inspected. However, a lack of a
comprehensive Irish language
programme for English medium
primary schools was noted.
Students’ learning was found to be
less than satisfactory in almost a
quarter (24%) of Irish lessons in
primary schools. There were also good
mathematics results for Irish students
in international surveys and the report
confirms that standards in teaching
and learning in maths are generally
good at primary level.
The report acknowledges the
challenging environment in which
schools operated during those years.
Statistics in the report confirm that
student numbers grew by 5.5% at
primary level during this time, while
the number of teachers stayed
relatively static. The report also notes
the retirement of large numbers of
experienced teachers. It further notes
the loss of middle management posts
in primary schools due to the public
service moratorium. Speaking at the
launch, Minister Quinn said, “the Chief
Inspector’s report acknowledges all
the good practice that takes place on a
daily basis in our schools in terms of
quality leadership, management,
teaching and learning. Our school
system has many strengths, thanks in
large measure to the efforts of so
many dedicated teachers and school
leaders.”
The full report can be downloaded
from the ‘Publications’ section of the
DES website at www.education.ie.
INTO welcomes reinstatement of school accommodation grants
The INTO has welcomed the
reinstatement of the Minor Works
Grant and the Summer Works Scheme.
The Organisation had called for their
reinstatement since they were
suspended in 2012. In its pre-budget
submission in October, the INTO
condemned the non-payment of the
grants to schools and had called for
their immediate reinstatement.
The announcement that the minor
works grant (€28 million) was to be paid
with immediate effect was welcomed in
schools. The basic grant is €5,500 plus
an additional €18.50 per mainstream
pupil and €74 per special needs pupil.
Schools should have received this grant
by now as it was due to be paid directly
into their accounts at the end of
November.
The announcement that the Summer
Works Scheme (€40 million) would run
in 2014 and that schools now make
application to the DES for funding was
also very welcome.
The deadline for online applications
through the Esinet platform is 10
December and the DES will publish the
list of successful applicants at the end
February/early March 2014.
More details regarding the Summer
Works Scheme are available on page 27
of this issue.
7
Keeping InTouch
INTO Membership Survey
Your views matter
Have you received our Membership
Survey by email? If you were part of the
random sample of members, there is still
time to submit your views. We really want
to hear from you!
The INTO has recently launched a
significant online survey about members’
experiences of work, and the role of the
INTO in providing support to teachers.
This survey will help the INTO better
understand your experiences as a teacher,
and your priorities for the INTO, as we
seek to further enhance our support to you.
Your views will help ensure that the INTO
continues to meet the needs of members
at a time of considerable change and challenge for the teaching profession. The survey has been designed in collaboration with
Professor Howard Stevenson, Professor of
Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
at the University of Nottingham, who has
extensive research expertise in these areas.
Return deadline
The survey has been distributed to a randomly selected group of INTO members.
Teaching Council Act
Section 30 Order signed
The DES published Circular 52/2013
on 25 October last, which confirmed
that the Minister for Education and
Skills would sign the commencement order for Section 30 of the
Teaching Council Act on 1 November
2013 but it would take effect from 28
January 2014.
Under Section 30 of the Teaching
Council Act the DES will be prohibited
by law from paying any person who
is employed as a teacher in a school
unless he/she is registered with the
Teaching Council.
The move to a fully registered teaching force in schools throughout
Ireland is a significant day for the
teaching profession. It has long been
INTO policy that only registered
teachers should be allowed practice
teaching in this country.
The INTO had consistently pressed
the Minister to implement Section
30 and had secured a commitment
that this would be done. While the
issuing of the circular confirms such
implementation, the INTO expressed
disappointment that it would not
take effect until 28 January 2014.
A copy of the circular is available
under the ‘Circular’ section of the
INTO website.
If you received the survey, and have
completed it we would like to thank you
very much. Your time and co-operation is
greatly appreciated. If you received the
survey and have not yet submitted it, the
final date for submission is Wednesday 11
December 2013. The results of the survey
will be discussed by the INTO Executive
Committee early next year and will help
inform the INTO’s future planning. With
your support we can continue to effectively
reflect your views in the work we do on
your behalf.
INTO policy on
‘Droichead’ endorsed
The INTO policy proposals on the Droichead
induction project, published by the Teaching
Council, have been endorsed by members
following a series of branch meetings
throughout the country. The policy proposals,
developed by the CEC, include a demand for
alternative models to be developed, that an
external review element must be retained in
the process and that any new proposals
cannot be imposed. The INTO will now
engage with the Teaching Council and the
DES in relation to the policy proposals. A copy
of the INTO policy proposal is available in the
Members’ Area of the INTO website.
10 THINGS you should know
1
2
3
The closing date for applications for the
supplementary panel for the coming school
year is Friday 13 December 2013.
The closing date for applications for
funding under the Summer Works Scheme
is Tuesday 10 December.
As we go to print the implementation date
for revised certified sick leave arrangements
for teachers was confirmed as 1 September 2014.
Further details on the INTO website.
4
The INTO has lodged a number of claims in
relation to maternity leave with the Labour
Relations Commission following the abolition
of days in lieu for teachers in last year’s budget.
receiving the survey is encouraged to return it.
5
8
The INTO policy proposals on the Droichead
induction programme developed by the
Teaching Council have been endorsed by a
majority of INTO members at branch meetings
around the country.
6
The Minster for Education and Skills has
signed a commencement order for Section
30 of the Teaching Council Act, which will take
effect from 28 January 2014. See the item
above for further details.
7
A survey of a random sample of INTO members
has issued from Head Office and anyone
The INTO has made a submission in relation
to inclusive schools and enrolment policies,
which is available under the ‘In Focus’ section
of the INTO website.
9
The CEC has decided to contribute 10,000
from the INTO Solidarity Fund towards
relief measures following the recent typhoon
in the Philippines.
10
The webcast archive of public sessions
from the INTO Education Conference is
available from the ‘In Focus’ section of the
INTO website.
9
I dteagmháil
Guidelines for motions – Congress 2014
INTO Annual Congress 2014 will be held
in the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny, from
Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 April.
Congress is the forum for discussing
policy issues, debating strategy and
reviewing activities of the Organisation.
Any member is entitled to submit a
motion to their local branch for
discussion at the Annual General
Meeting, and, if agreed, for placement
on the agenda for Congress.
A Committee called the Standing
Orders Committee (SOC) meets in
February to decide if the motions
submitted are in accordance with Rule
and also to decide the order of debate
for the motions at Annual Congress.
Drafting of motions
• A motion is a proposition submitted
for discussion and vote.
• It must ask Congress to declare an
opinion or call for a course of action –
or both.
• Motions shall be designed to
promote the aims and objects or the
Organisation as set out in Rule 3.
• All motions must be clear and
unambiguous in meaning and
intention and must be worded
accordingly.
• All motions must be capable of
implementation.
• Each motion should be brief and concise
and should not contain argument.
• Each motion should deal with one
topic only.
Stay informed
How priority is determined for items
on the final agenda
The SOC has regard to the following
considerations, inter alia, when
determining priority for the Final
Agenda:
• The consensus among the general
membership in relation to the
priority issues in any particular year.
• The consensus among the SOC in
relation to the priority issues, and the
motions which will result in the
greatest degree of favourable and
advantageous publicity for the
Organisation.
• The degree of urgency attending to a
particular motion.
• The extent to which a particular
motion will further the objectives of
the Organisation.
Note: All motions and details of delegates
for Congress are now submitted online via
the Members’ Area of the INTO website. A
tutorial is available on the Officer Extranet.
Rules 2014
Check our website www.into.ie
Subscribe to the INTO enewsletter
into.newsweaver.ie
Get news on the move at our mobile
website m.into.ie
In accordance with Rule 11(E)(v) of the INTO Rules and Constitution 2009, any member
is entitled to submit, through their local branch, motions for Congress 2014 outlining
amendments and addenda to the INTO Rules and Constitution. Under INTO Rules
changes can be made to the Rules and Constitution every five years and 2014 is a Rules
Change Congress.
Want to write for InTouch?
Over the past few issues InTouch has
published articles covering class size,
school leadership and newly qualified
teachers. Articles on the theme of special
education are published in this issue.
The following are our planned themes
for upcoming issues:
• January/February: Educational Disadvantage (Deadline 6 January, 2014).
• March: Early Childhood Education
(deadline 10 February)
• April: Assessment and evaluation
(deadline 7 March)
10
• May: Annual
Congress.
• June: Trends in
education
(deadline 12
May)
We also welcome
non-theme articles on any subject within
the scope of the journal. Word count is
700 words for one page articles and 1400
for double page. Submit articles for consideration to [email protected]
Reminder
Teachers interested in job sharing can
avail of a Free live register provided by
INTO Head Office in the Members’ Area
of the INTO website until 28 February
2014.
Email [email protected] with the details
you would like to appear on the register.
The register is updated on a daily basis
and is FREE to members.
Please note the closing date for jobsharing applications to boards of
management is 1 March 2014.
INTO News
The Irish National Teachers Organisation … who’s who, what’s new, and what’s happening
INTO organises Youth
Conference 2014
Will you be involved?
The Central Executive Committee has decided to
organise a conference targeted at younger INTO
members, to take place in spring 2014. This event
recognises the substantial proportion of INTO
members who are in the early stages of career and
the need to examine and address the particular
challenges facing them. It follows the successful
Youth Conference of 2008. At present, half of INTO
members are aged 35 years or younger.
The 2014 Youth Conference will take place in
Castlebar on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 March 2014.
An organising committee, comprising current and
former interns at INTO Head Office together with
the Deputy General Secretary’s office, has met on a
number of occasions to make preliminary arrangements. A timetable, agenda and social programme
are being organised, and it is hoped that the
conference will touch on all aspects of the teaching
career as it affects younger members.
Delegates, attendees
Attendance at this conference is open to members
aged 35 years or younger. Most delegates will be
nominated by branches at the INTO branch meetings in January 2014. In addition, district committees will be invited to nominate delegates, some of
whom will participate in preparation for workshops at the conference.
A small number of places at the conference will
be made available to members who indicate interest directly to INTO by emailing [email protected].
The latest time for expressions of interest is 5 p.m.
on Wednesday, 12 February 2014, at which stage
places will be allocated to a small number of
persons who have not already been nominated
through the INTO branch structure. It should be
emphasised, however, that the great majority of
delegates will be nominated through their branch
January meetings.
This conference should be an exciting event
which will encourage participation among younger
members and will engage these members in discussion about conditions of employment and professional issues which relate to them. Such a forum
will also help to inform INTO policy into the future.
Launch of the
Irish Teachers’ Journal
The INTO was delighted to have Professor John Coolahan at the Education
Conference to officially launch the first
edition of the Irish Teachers’ Journal.
This publication gives a platform to teachers who have undertaken research to have
their work published. There are so many
primary teachers undertaking further
study, it is hoped that this publication will
bring the findings of some of this valuable
study to the attention of their colleagues.
The first edition of the Journal includes
a guest article by Professor Coolahan,
together with articles by six INTO
members;
• Verena Cunningham, St Clare’s NS,
Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan;
• Lorraine Duffy, SN Seamus Naofa,
Bearna, Galway;
• Collette Dunne, Firhouse Educate
Together NS, Dublin;
• Julie O’Connell, North Presentation
Primary School, Cork;
• Aoife Butler, Bilboa NS, Cappamore,
Limerick, and
• Pádraig Egan who is on career break
from Birdhill NS, Limerick.
It is hoped that the Journal will be
published every year, and all members
who have undertaken research are
encouraged to apply to have their article
considered for inclusion.
Pictured above are four of the the six
contributors to the Irish Teachers’ Journal
with Professor Coolahan.
Left to right: Lorraine Duffy, Aoife Butler,
John Coolahan, Verena Cunningham and
Collette Dunne.
Two contributors not pictured are Julie
O’Connell and Pádraig Egan.
13
Nuacht CMÉ
Tributes to Eileen and Margaret
INTO and Poetry Ireland
poetry competition in
memory of Séamus Heaney
The INTO is proud of its tradition in supporting the Arts.
We were privileged to share the company of one of our most
eminent poets Séamus Heaney at the Consultative
Conference on Education in Athlone in 2011. In honour of
his memory the INTO, in collaboration with Poetry Ireland,
is launching a poetry competition for members.
All members, North and South, are eligible to submit a poem.
Entries are limited to one poem per member, which can
be in Irish or in English. Closing date is 31 March 2014. The
decision of the judges is final. The winner will be announced
at Congress 2014. The INTO will publish the winning poem
in InTouch.
Please forward your entry accompanied with the entry form
(available on INTO website) to Poetry Competition, Áras Vere
Foster, 35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1.
Adjudication panel
The INTO and Poetry Ireland will appoint an adjudicator to
judge all applications. There will be a prize of €300 for the
best poem in English and the best poem in Irish, in addition
to an option of spending some time in the Tyrone Guthrie
centre in Annaghmakerrig.
At its meeting in November the CEC made a presentation to
Eileen Flynn, former General Secretary of CPSMA, and Margaret
O’Gorman, former Deputy General Secretary, whose contracts
had finished. Speaking on the occasion, INTO President Brendan
O’Sullivan paid tribute to the work that both Eileen and Margaret
had done with CPSMA in primary school management over the
years. He paid particular tribute to Eileen as a former member of
the INTO who had also been a principal of a neighbouring school
to Brendan for many years.
Pictured at the event are INTO Assistant General Secretaries
Billy Sheehan and Anne McElduff, INTO President Brendan
O’Sullivan, Margaret, Eileen and her husband George, together
with INTO General Secretary Sheila Nunan.
Turas go Árainn
Maureen Kennelly, Director, Poetry Ireland, Jane O’Hanlon,
Education Officer, Poetry Ireland, Brendan O’Sullivan,
INTO President and Sheila Nunan, INTO General Secretary, at the launch of the poetry competition.
INTO President Brendan O’Sullivan, Joe Killeen, CEC, Galway
Branch Secretary Michael Gallagher and Galway Cathaoirleach
Máire de Báicéir, recently paid a trip to the Aran Islands to meet
members and discuss issues of concern to them. This annual trip
brings together the teachers from the schools throughout the Aran
Islands and has both a business and social element to it. Our
picture shows Brendan and Michael with members at the event.
Correction: Frances O’Connor Tribute – November InTouch
We would like to clarify that the tribute to Frances O’Connor published in the November issue of InTouch was in fact written by
Willie John Creedon, a former colleague from St Fiachra’s SNS, Beaumont. Our sincere apologies to the family and friends of
Frances for the error.
14
INTO News
INTO accounts – information and insights: Article 3
Oversight, reporting
and audit of INTO funds
Licensed under the Trade Union Acts
(1871-1998), the INTO is registered with
the Registrar of Friendly Societies (under
the Companies Registration Office) and
with the Certification Office in Northern
Ireland.
The INTO is required to lodge reports,
including audited accounts, with the appropriate regulator annually. In both jurisdictions the final date for submission of the
annual return is 1 June. Before returns are
lodged with the Registrar or the Certification
Office, however, a rigorous process is
conducted under INTO rules and practices
(see flowchart).
Financial reporting flow chart
The flow chart with this article summarises
in eight stages the accountability process
for INTO spending and accounts. The
previous article (November InTouch page
15) set out where responsibility for expenditure lies.
Once spending is authorised and
carried out through the General Treasurer’s
office, the other reporting measures come
into place. In summary, these are:
• Examiners of accounts: As outlined in the November InTouch, the
examiners scrutinise INTO accounts
each quarter. The examiners are
appointed by the CEC, generally for a
three year period, and provide written
quarterly reports to the CEC, containing
their observations on INTO accounts.
• Central Executive Committee:
The CEC receives the accounts of the
INTO on a quarterly basis, in addition
to the reports of the Examiners of
Accounts and of the Treasurer.
• INTO Accounts Committee: The
INTO Accounts Committee comprises
representatives elected in each of the 16
districts of INTO. The Accounts Committee meets annually over a number of
days and reports formally to INTO
Congress. This report is included with
the documentation for delegates to
Congress.
• External audit: The annual accounts as presented to the Accounts
Committee and to Annual Congress
Financial Reporting
Flow Chart
have been subject to audit by an external auditor. The current INTO external
auditor is Mazars. Part of an international firm, Mazars rank among the
leading audit, tax and advisory services
in Ireland. The audit report to Congress
on the accounts is a key measure of
accountability. The auditors also
prepare the necessary reports for the
Registrar of Friendly Societies and the
Northern Ireland Certification Office.
• INTO Annual Congress receives
a report on INTO finances for the
previous year. A written report with
the auditor’s certificate, is circulated to
delegates prior to Congress and is presented at Congress by the General
Treasurer. It is a function of INTO
Congress to consider the accounts and
to appoint external auditors for the
succeeding year.
• Registrar of Friendly Societies/
Certification Office: the Registrar and Certification Office receive
annual returns from each licensed trade
union. These submissions may be
accessed through the respective
websites of these statutory bodies.
Grants and bursaries
One aspect of INTO expenditure which
directly benefits student members, INTO
members and in certain cases members’
families, is the range of grants and
bursaries with which the Organisation is
associated. Our next article will outline
these.
15
Nuacht CMÉ
Education Conference
News and reports from Education Conference 2013
The INTO annual Consultative Conference on Education took place in the Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise, on
Friday 15 and Saturday 16 November. Over 350 delegates gathered to hear presentations and participate in
discussions on the theme of ‘Numeracy in the Primary School’.
INTO President Brendan
O’Sullivan speaking at
the conference.
INTO President, Brendan
O’Sullivan, began proceedings
by welcoming the delegates and
laying out the programme for
the conference. Dympna Mulkerrins, Chairperson of the
Education Committee, then took
delegates through the work of
the Committee and how the
discussion document prepared
for the conference had been
achieved. Deirbhile Nic Craith,
Senior Official, outlined the national and international context
for the current focus on numeracy in our education system.
Presentations
Dympna Mulkerrins,
Cathaoirleach, Education
Committee.
Anne English
Anne English, who represents District 8 on the
Education Committee, reminded delegates that,
while the ability to use mathematics to solve problems
and meet the demands of day-to-day living has always
been a central focus in our primary schools, the key
attribute of numeracy has been afforded heightened
priority in our educational system of late. She pointed
out that the National Strategy to Improve Literacy
and Numeracy stresses that without the skills of
numeracy, a young person is cut off from contributing
to many aspects of the society and culture in which
they live. Anne also presented some fascinating examples of work done by pupils when they were encouraged to develop their ‘maths eyes’.
Thérèse Dooley
Thérèse Dooley, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra,
was the keynote speaker on Friday afternoon. Her
presentation on Teaching Mathematics: The Power
of Uncertainty, was a thought-provoking session,
well-received by all delegates. Thérèse emphasised
the importance of experimentation and discussion
between children and the teacher when developing
mathematical strategies. She also outlined the crucial
role of the teacher in “guiding the child to construct
meaning, to develop mathematical strategies for
solving problems and to develop self-motivation in
mathematical activities.” She also reminded delegates
of the importance of “getting comfortable with being
uncomfortable”.
Above, left and right:
Delegates participating
in discussion groups
at the conference.
Anne English, Education
Committee
Representative,
District 8.
16
INTO News
Discussion groups
The discussion groups are always lively at the
Education Conference. Delegates were split into six
discussion groups to tease out issues raised in the
discussion document and by the presenters. Set
questions were posed to stimulate debate resulting in
lively discussions. Members of the Education
Committee acted as facilitators and rapporteurs in
these groups and feedback from the groups will be
included in the final conference proceedings.
Workshops
On Saturday morning, all delegates were assigned
workshops where different aspects of numeracy in
the primary school were considered. Every delegate
had the opportunity to experience two different
workshops. Guest presenters in the workshops
included:
• John O’Shea: Teaching mathematical problem solving in the primary school: Changing behaviours.
• Patsy Stafford: Children’s understanding of place
value: Implications for teaching.
• Siún Nic Mhuirí: Maths talk.
• Tracy Curran: Keeping it Real! A fresh look at
problem solving in the primary school classroom.
• Liz Dunphy: Children thinking and talking about
mathematics in infant classes.
• Noreen O’Loughlin: Maths recovery: Moving from
intervention to innovation as a way of effecting
change in maths teaching and learning.
Developing numeracy for all children
Dr Seán Delaney is registrar and a mathematics
educator in the Marino Institute of Education. He
gave a presentation at the final session on Saturday
afternoon on Developing Numeracy for all Children:
Supporting Teachers Supporting Learning.
Seán began by stressing the importance of how
maths is taught in primary schools and the centrality
of the educator in knowing how children learn. He
referred to the ‘instructional triangle’ of teacher, pupil
and content and challenged teachers in relation to the
role of textbooks in maths and the professional need
to contribute to the shaping of resources available.
Challenges for teachers
• How might we, with the limited time at our disposal, optimally develop the problem-solving skills and
aptitudes of our pupils?
• How might we ensure that the higher-achievers remain challenged so that they will continue to develop their problem solving skills rather than just
engage in completing pages of questions based on
the same formula and drill?
• How might we ensure that the child who finds
maths particularly difficult gets to engage in a level
of problem solving that is manageable for them?
• How might we ensure that all children will have
their interest hooked by
the problems presented and will be
sufficiently – yet not excessively – challenged?
Please note that the background document produced by the Education Committee
for the Conference, in addition to all available presentations, resources from the
workshops and the answers to the hotly-contested maths quiz, are available to
download on www.into.ie.
A big míle buíochas
to the members of
the local Portlaoise
branch who set up
an information
desk which provided delegates
with local information for restaurants, sightseeing
and shopping
Seán Delaney, Registrar
and Mathematics
Educator, Marino
Institute of Education.
INTO Senior Official and
Education Officer,
Deirbhile Nic Craith
Therese Dooley, Lecturer
in Mathematics Education, St Patrick’s College.
17
Education Conference
Results of online survey
The INTO conducted an online survey
before the Education Conference with the
particular aim of establishing what practices had changed in the teaching of
mathematics since the introduction of the
Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. Nearly
300 teachers completed the survey and
some of the results are summarised here.
• 99% of respondents are familiar with
the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy.
• Three quarters of respondents said that
it impacted on the school plan for
maths and increased the time they now
spend teaching maths.
• This time is taken from discretionary
time (60%); by integrating maths with
other subjects (38%); by reducing time
spent on other subjects ( 39%).
• Most of the additional time is spent on
number which was prioritised
by 90% of respondents.
• Two thirds indicated that
they spend more time explicitly teaching the language of
maths.
• Interestingly, teachers felt
that pupils’ enjoyment of
maths had increased.
• The vast majority of teachers
(85%) are aware of the School
Self Evaluation template for
reviewing mathematics,
though less than half the
respondents have actually
used it in their own school. On the
other hand more than half the respondents have reviewed maths as part of
their self evaluation process.
• Two thirds of teachers give more
challenging work to high achieving
students, and one in six teachers give
those pupils extra work. This is a positive
finding as national and international
surveys suggest that our high achieving
pupils are not sufficiently challenged in
our system and teachers can find this
area difficult to manage.
Some other interesting findings:
• parents are rarely invited into classrooms to support children’s learning;
• four out of five teachers present a
maths rich environment;
• five in six teachers would like professional development in teaching problem-solving; and
• two thirds of teachers have discussed
maths teaching during Croke Park
hours.
See more photos from the Education
Conference at
www.flickr.com/photos/
irishnationalteachersorganisation/
18
Delegates in discussion at the Education Conference.
INTO Numeracy Survey 2013
Challenges identified
• Making maths meaningful – linking it with practical living and the environment
and extending it beyond the maths lesson… bringing it alive.
• Reducing reliance on textbooks.
• Greater focus on problem solving.
• Developing the language of maths.
INTO News
In the media
In print
With the right programme, teachers
can make learning Irish a pleasure
Not for the first time schools inspectors
recently identified some weaknesses in the
teaching of Irish in both primary and post
primary schools. Should this finding take
us by surprise? At primary level we have
had a new curriculum since 1999, so
what’s missing?
What is really needed to support the
teaching of Irish in primary schools is a
structured teaching programme to support the curriculum. We have them in
other subject areas. Programmes such
as Maths Recovery and Literacy Lift Off
are having an impact in schools in disadvantaged areas (DEIS schools) in maths
and English literacy.
A structured teaching programme in
Irish should be designed for all class levels
that would bring together all aspects of
Irish – listening, reading, writing and oral
language. Such a programme could spell
out clearly the expectations for learning at
every stage from junior infants to sixth
class. And it should be modern, colourful,
attractive and relevant to children’s lives in
the 21st century…
Deirbhile Nic Craith in the Irish
Independent, 13 November 2013
It’s time to bring them to book
How much is just enough, when it comes
to students and their homework… Is it a
bore for the kids, another layer of labour
for frazzled mums – or a crucial route to
academic success? Children’s homework
and the time it takes are problems for parents – homework is described as the
“thorniest issue” at primary school, by a
representative of the INTO. If you’re worried that your child is not doing his or her
homework or is not able for it, says Peter
Mullan, of the INTO, contact the school.
“Homework is one of the thorniest issues at
primary level – it’s added stress and can be
time-sapping. It can be resented by children
and parents, so it’s very worthwhile for
people to understand the value of it,” he
says. Research shows that children who get
maths homework three or four times a
week score higher than children who don’t…
Irish Examiner, 7 November 2013
Qualified teachers get three month
reprieve to register with body
Hundreds of qualified teachers have been
given a three month reprieve to register
with the profession’s regulatory body, but
may have to leave work for up to six
months if they do not sign up by the end
of January… The Irish National Teachers’
Organisation said the revised date will
have little credibility because Mr Quinn has
twice previously promised to commence
Section 30 within months…
Irish Examiner, 31 October 2013
Parents to be balloted on school
uniforms
…the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation
cautioned against abolition of uniforms,
noting that they can play a role in
protecting children who might otherwise
be bullied over their clothes while it also
removed pressure on parents to buy
clothes in an attempt to keep up with the
latest trends...
The Irish Times, 12 November 2013
Teachers working for 50 a week on
JobBridge
Dozens of schools are using the JobBridge
scheme to hire qualified teachers to work
for only €50 a week on top of social welfare
payments… An INTO spokesman
disagreed, saying it was impossible for
teachers to balance JobBridge with the
odd day of more lucrative substitution
work…
Irish Independent, 29 October 2013
Fast-tracking extra teachers may help
tackle class sizes
…The INTO called for a maximum class
size above which a school would be
entitled to another teacher. “The key issue
is that children do not enrol in schools in
similar numbers each year. Enrolment
varies and the Department must design a
system that is flexible enough to respond
to real needs on the ground in schools,” a
spokesperson said.
Irish Examiner, 17 October 2013
On the airwaves – Radio/TV
Discussion on parents to be balloted
on school uniforms
… Mention of the Irish National Teachers’
Organisations press release “Families of
schoolgoing children under pressure as
government racks up taxation and slashes
social welfare support”...
Drivetime – RTE Radio 1, 11 November 2013
Government restores 70m building
grant to schools
... The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) said that while there was
significant pressure to provide additional
school spaces over the coming years to
deal with the increased population, work
could not be done at the cost of leaving
existing schools to fall into disrepair.
INTO General Secretary Sheila Nunan
said it did not make economic sense to
build schools while at the same time
allowing others to deteriorate. She said:
“Much recent investment was simply
making up for years of failing to upkeep
buildings. Cutting out regular upkeep and
maintenance is a false economy....”
rte.ie, 7 November 2013
available to schools to enable them to
carry out small repairs and infrastructural
work. Interview Noreen Flynn, Principal,
St James Primary School Dublin…
RTE News at One, 7 November 2013
JobBridge
Primary school funding
Sean McMahon (INTO) discusses the
abolition of the minor works grant for
schools and the issues surrounding
schools in the Clare area.
Morning Focus – Clare FM, 8 November
2013
Drivetime – RTE Radio 1
Interview with Brendan O’Sullivan
(INTO) and Jim Daly TD (Fine Gael) who
discuss JobBridge interns.
31 October 2013
Budget 2014
Government restores 70m building
grants to schools
The Department of Education has restored two building grants worth nearly
€70m to schools that had previously been
suspended. The funds are to be made
Nuacht a hAon –
Barrscealta Raidio na
Gaeltachta
John Boyle, INTO CEC, comments on
Budget 2014. 17 October 2013
19
Nuacht CMÉ
Need support drawing up your School Self Evaluation
Report and Implementation Plan?
Schools are currently required to draw up
a School Self Evaluation report and an
Implementation Plan in either literacy or
numeracy by June 2014. This involves a
six step process:
1. Gathering evidence of teaching and
learning.
2. Analysing this evidence.
3. Making judgments about strengths and
areas for development.
4. Writing a school self evaluation report.
5. Devising a school improvement plan.
6. Implementing and monitoring this
plan.
INTO Learning has designed a series of
three online Croke Park Hour wholeschool training sessions that will support
you and your school through this process.
The first session, currently available,
explores what is meant by school self evaluation and outlines the process including
the DES requirements. It explores the
School Self Evaluation Guidelines and
how they can be used to support your
school. Particular emphasis is put on
understanding what evidence of teaching
and learning is, and on methods to gather
such evidence in your school (step one of
SSE). Gathering evidence allows for the
process of analysing where your school is
at (step two of SSE). At the end of the
session you will draw up an action plan
that will take you from where teaching
and learning in your school is at, to being
ready to sit down and analyse your evidence.
Online
training
session
You can allocate further Croke Park hours
to complete the actions in your plan.
Sessions two and three
Session two in this SSE series will focus
on analysing your evidence and drawing
up your SSE report while session three
will focus on finalising the SSE report
and drawing up the implementation
plan
Presentation
The sessions consist of voiced presentations with intermittent group/individual/whole-school activities and feedback
sessions. An in-school staff member takes
responsibility for managing the presentation and arranging the session.
INTO General Secretary Sheila Nunan discussing current issues
with branch officers at a recent training seminar in the INTO
Learning Centre.
20
Online support
An online facilitated SSE discussion will
be available to you in between sessions.
This will allow you to seek advice and
support as you progress through the
process.
Cost
The series of three sessions costs €100
and includes a SSE teacher workbook, all
relevant resources, access to the facilitated
discussion forum and a Certificate of
Whole School Professional Development
upon completion.
Further details and registration
For further details and registration see
www.intolearning.ie/CPD-packages
Want to advertise in InTouch?
Contact Mary Bird, Advertising Executive
at email: [email protected] or tel: 01 8047724
INTO News
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 650 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.
Register your card today to view all the offers
available to you, enter competitions, download the
Membership Plus Mobile App and much more.
1 Go to www.membershipplus.ie.
2 When prompted, enter your Membership Plus
card number beginning MTS.
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.
Where would you
like to save?
Your new 2013/2014 Membership Plus card was
enclosed in the September issue of InTouch. If your
card was missing, please contact the INTO office on
01 804 7700.
What our members say...
“It’s got great deals which are nice to
use and get a discount with.”
“Thank you for offering the service in
the first place, it was great to see the full
array of offers you have arranged.”
“Love the benefits this card offers and love
the chance to enter your competitions.”
Has the hottest new restaurant opened
down the road from you or maybe your
favourite place to go shopping isn’t yet in
Membership Plus? Log onto the
Membership Plus website and click on
‘Suggest a Venue’ to let the Membership
Plus team know.
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.
“I used it to get a discount on tickets for
the knitting and stitching show.”
“Am enjoying discount in my local
fashion retailer, love it!”
“I love having the card. It is very useful.”
“It’s part of my routine to check this
website daily – so keep up the good work.”
“Delighted with the discount I received
recently having bought a new TV.”
€50 gift card – congratulations to ...
Damien Stenson, Co Galway who registered his new Membership Plus
Card before 31 October and was picked at random to win a €50 gift card
from the range of discounted cards available on Membership Plus.
Visit the Membership Plus website regularly for the chance to enter
more competitions, including hotel breaks, tickets and much more!
21
Nuacht CMÉ
SOLIDARITY
Volunteering in incredible India
The land that I am about to bring you to,
fellow readers, is a fusion of emerging
modernity and time old tradition. The
vibrancy of colour is truly captivating, the
sweet waft of aromatic spices fills the hot
humid air while simple living and abject
poverty abounds. One can feel at one with
the bustling cities and towns, while surrendering as we did, to the simplicity of
villages and being touched by the spirituality
of the land. My incredible Indian trip took
place over the month of July, when I volunteered as one of 30 volunteers with the
voluntary organisation Global
Schoolroom – a teacher to teacher training initiative, supported by Cornmarket.
Global Schoolroom (globalschoolroom.
net) is a registered charity that seeks to
promote the sharing of educational experience between communities worldwide
to help eradicate poverty, promote economic development and to build sustainable communities. Founded in 2006,
Global Schoolroom sends Irish volunteer
teachers to North East India to facilitate
teacher training workshops for local
teachers who are studying for their Global
Schoolroom diploma – an internationally
recognised qualification accredited by
UCD.
Ten teams, consisting of three teachers
in each team were dispatched to poverty
stricken regions in North East India to
train teachers in western teaching
methodologies and to share ideas on
policy making, leadership, building school
communities and special educational
needs. My esteemed teammates were
Claire Kilroy and Breege McGowan, two
post primary school teachers currently
teaching in the west of Ireland. We were
hosted by the Don Bosco Catholic organisation in Silchar in the province of Assam
and their commitment to improving standards of education in the area was really
inspirational. Class sizes are astoundingly
high in India, sometimes as high as 70
students. Government schools are almost
devoid of resources and absenteeism is an
ongoing problematic reality.
It was truly enriching and a privilege to
work with the Indian teachers. They were
most grateful, cooperative, kind and
complimentary and their willingness to
embrace new ideas and methodologies
was amazing. Part of our work involved
observing the teachers teach and, with
handmade resources, temperatures soaring to 40°C and classes of 50+ students,
many were really inspirational educators.
22
Teachers awarded certificates for participating in Global Schoolroom project
The warmth and friendship that they
extended to us was most humbling and
we certainly gleaned in equal measure
from them as much as we could ever have
possibly imparted to them.
A sense of delight and enthusiasm was
palpable amongst the students, when the
ideas explored in the workshop phase
were implemented in the classroom. Many
mouths were agape and eyes twinkled in
anticipation as their teacher revealed and
displayed even the simplest of teaching
aids. While our planning sessions sometimes ran later than intended when we
battled with power cuts, cockroaches, the
odd scarpering furry friend and mosquito
battling, the smiles on the students’ faces,
made it all worthwhile! It is fair to say that
we returned to Irish soil much the wiser
and humbler as a result of our educational
and cultural exchanges!
The priests, the brothers and the
kitchen staff that we stayed with were
incredibly selfless and kind. Aware of our
weak western constitutions, they provided
us with an abundance of simple yet
wholesome and flavoursome foods. We
grew accustomed to mustard oil drenched
vegetables, rice and dhal, chappati bread,
the sweetest mangoes, pineapples and
jackfruit and lightly spiced chicken.
Potatoes also featured, tossed in turmeric,
which makes them a lot more interesting!
Outside of our work duties, we were
privileged to have many opportunities to
engage with the Indian people and to
explore their culture even further. We
were warmly invited and welcomed into
the humble yet happy homes of some of
the locals who live with their extended
families. They were intrigued with our
alabaster complexions, allowed us to
sit on their beds as couches, carefully
prepared a feast for us, performed dances
on our departure and followed us out to
wave us off. One Saturday while trekking
through the jungle we encountered
torrential monsoon rain and a poor
couple beckoned us into their home to
take shelter. The lady graced us with her
presence and apologised that she had no
food in the house to offer us as they were
poor. Her husband ran out and fetched
pineapples in the jungle for us to take
home. Such simple gestures of kindness
were most humbling.
It is no exaggeration to say that my trip
to India with Global Schoolroom was an
incredibly enriching experience. It taught
me to heed the words of Robert Brault:
“Enjoy the little things for one day you
may look back and realise they were the
big things.” It was a mutually beneficial
educational experience and I would
certainly recommend it.
I wish to acknowledge the support and
sponsorship that I received from my family,
friends, staff, parents and students at
Gaelscoil Choráin, my home community
in Knocknagoshel and the community of
Youghal, the INTO Solidarity Fund and
my two fellow volunteers Claire and
Breege for making my Global Schoolroom
experience a huge success.
Catherine Reidy, Gaelscoil Choráin,
Youghal, Co Cork. Global Schoolroom is a
teacher to teacher training initiative,
If you wish to apply to the INTO
Solidarity Fund please contact
Georgina Glackin, INTO, at (01) 804
7745 or [email protected]
INTO News
Vere Foster Medal winners
At the recent
graduation
ceremonies held at
Mary Immaculate
College, Limerick
was Sheela O’Regan,
Mallow, who was
presented with the
Bonn Vere Foster
by the INTO
President Brendan
O’Sullivan. The
medal was
awarded to the B.Ed
in Education and
Psychology Graduate
awarded first place
in Teaching Practice
and Curriculum
Education.
Vere Foster was born in
Copenhagen of an Irish-born
father. He worked in the UK
Diplomatic Corps but left to
help the victims of the Great
Famine on his brother’s
estate in Ardee, Co Louth.
Concerned by reports of
the terrible conditions for
those using emigrant ships,
Foster campaigned in the
USA and Britain for
improved conditions for
passengers. He helped to
found and became the first
President of the INTO,
travelling throughout the
country campaigning for the
maintenance and improvement of national schools.
Foster is also known for
the popular ‘Vere Foster
National School Writing
Books’.
He died in Belfast on
21 December 1900.
The INTO Congress of 1956,
held in Belfast decided to
organise a suitable memorial
as a tribute to the memory of
Vere Foster.
The memorial takes the
form of a Vere Foster medal,
and is generally awarded
by the INTO to the student
obtaining the highest mark
in Teaching Practice and/or
Curriculum areas of
Education.
Also pictured at
the graduation
ceremonies held at
Mary Immaculate
College was Aoife
Clancy, Kilrush,
who was presented
with the Bonn Vere
Foster, by the
INTO President.
This medal was
presented to the
B.Ed Graduate
awarded first place
in Teaching
Practice and
Curriculum
Education.
INTO President,
Brendan
O’Sullivan,
presenting Ian
Whitty, Hibernia
College, with the
Vere Foster Medal
awarded for
highest overall
mark for teaching
practice on the
Higher Diploma in
Arts in Primary
Education
Programme.
More photos next issue
23
Nuacht CMÉ
RETIREMENTS
Districts 8 and 9
Members of
Districts 8 and 9
are pictured at a
recent retirement
function with
INTO President
Brendan
O’Sullivan.
Droichead Nua Branch
Retirees from
Droichead Nua
Branch celebrate
with INTO Vice
President Sean
McMahon along
with branch
secretaries Aelish
Collins (Curragh
Branch), Derry
O’Connor (Craobh
Darach Branch)
and chairpersons
Tara Walsh
(Craobh Darach)
and William
Carroll (Curragh).
Edenderry Branch
At a recent retirement function in
Edenderry Branch were back row: Irene
Chambers (Branch Organiser), Kevin
Duffy (Secretary), Bryan O’Reilly (CEC),
Frank O’Meara, Seán Fitzgerald,
Josephine Byrne (Chairperson).
Sitting: Mary Finnegan, Anne Fay (former
INTO President 2012/2013), and Mary
Whelan.
24
INTO News
RETIREMENTS
Millstreet Branch
Millstreet INTO organised a superb reception at the Wallis Arms
Hotel in June to mark the retirement of Pat Breen following
wonderfully dedicated service to primary education. Excellent
speeches were delivered by Joan O’Mahony (Principal,
Presentation NS, Millstreet) and Brendan O’Sullivan, INTO
President. Pat expressed his sincere thanks to the organisers, his
wife, Mary and family who were among the large attendance
(Picture: Seán Radley)
North Clare
Branch
Members of North Clare
Branch at a retirement
function.
Back row: (l to r) Nicola Sheehan
(Branch Secretary), Carmel
Thynne (Cathaoirleach), John
Hehir, Kevin Glynn, Michael
O’Connor, John Reynolds,
Sean McMahon (INTO Vice
President).
Front row: (l to r) Aideen Malone,
Maura Clancy, Anne Fay
(former INTO President), Sr
Rosari and Eilís Blake. Missing
from the photo: Patricia Rynne.
Mountbellew Branch
At a Mountbellew Branch retirement
function in January 2013 were. Back row (l to
r): Seán O’Ceallaigh (Branch Chairperson),
Tom Flahive (Branch Secretary), Tomás
Heavey (Winfield NS), Tommy Greally
(District Secretary). Front row left to right:
Caitriona Meehan (Moylough NS), Evelyn
Clarke (Mountbellew NS), Anne Fay (former
INTO President), Antoinette Giblin
(Winfield NS), Carmel Hoade (representing
Maura Finnerty, Garbally NS).
Photo: Tomás Coppinger.
25
Nuacht CMÉ
Teaching
religion
What do primary teachers think?
When the INTO Equality Committee decided
that the area of religion and education
should be a theme of the 2013 Equality
Conference, they looked at previous INTO
research in the area, particularly a 2002
survey carried out by the Education Committee. They decided that it would be
worthwhile updating that research and
carrying out a survey of members’ views.
As well as including questions which had
been included in the 2002 survey, they also
included questions related to changes
which had occurred since then. The results
of the survey, which was coordinated by
David O’Sullivan, INTO Head Office, on
teachers’ views on the teaching of religion
were presented at the INTO Equality Conference in March 2013. The results reflect
the views of the primary teachers who are
at the interface of home, school and community in the important and ongoing
debate about the place of religion in Irish
primary schools.
The INTO survey was sent to almost
1,000 INTO members, and there was a 38%
return. The returned surveys came from a
broadly representative sample of members, both in terms of the profile of the
teachers, and the schools in which they
worked. When compared to the sample for
the 2002 survey, the changes in the patronage of primary schools were reflected, with
an increase in respondents working in
schools under the patronage of Educate
Together and An Foras Patrúnachta.
Teachers’ attitudes
Teachers’ attitudes to teaching religion
were explored by asking them to choose
which statement from a range best reflected
their attitude to the teaching of religion.
The most frequent response was “I teach
religion willingly”, with 49% choosing this
statement. This statement was chosen
more frequently by older teachers. In 2002,
26
61% of respondents chose this statement.
20% of respondents chose “I am not opposed to teaching religion.” 10% of teachers chose the response “I would teach
broad religious education programme
willingly, but would prefer not to teach
religious instruction in a particular faith”.
7% of respondents chose the statement
“I would prefer if I didn’t have to teach
religion.” 2% stated that they would like to
opt out of teaching religion, and less than
1% stated that they had opted out.
Religion in schools
Sixty percent of respondents agreed that
religion should be taught in school hours,
compared to 80% who agreed with this
statement in 2002. However, only 47%
agreed that children should be prepared for
the sacraments in primary schools, with
55% stating that the family should have the
main responsibility for these preparations.
Teachers also pointed to the additional
time (apart from allocated religion time)
spent in their schools in preparing for the
sacraments with 71% saying that additional
time was taken up. This was a huge increase
on the 18% who stated this in 2002.
Seventy one percent of teachers agreed
that Education about Religion and Beliefs
(ERB) should be part of the curriculum in
schools, with 51% stating that it should be
part of the religious education programme. The NCCA has recently begun
work on developing a curriculum and
guidelines for schools on ERB and ethics, as
proposed in the Report of the Forum on
Pluralism and Patronage.
When asked about school ethos, and
how this permeates the school, 79% of
teachers referred to the presence of religious pictures and icons in their school (up
from 69% 10 years ago), 79% referred to visits by clergy (up from 67%) and 75% to mass
or religious services in the school. These in-
creases seem to point to a more visible religious ethos in schools compared to 2002.
School type
There has been much debate on the
patronage of schools in the past few years,
in particular since the establishment by
Minister Ruairí Quinn of the Forum on
Pluralism and Patronage. In the survey,
teachers were asked to indicate what type
of school most schools should be. 28%
responded that most schools should be
denominational, while almost 49%
favoured multi-denominational schools.
Ten percent favoured non-denominational
schools, even though no such primary
schools are currently available in Ireland.
Teacher education
The role of religion in teacher education
and qualifications has also been the subject
of debate. Currently, all the state funded
primary teacher education colleges in
Ireland are denominational. Only 15% of
teachers agreed that this should be the
case, down from 36% in 2002. Almost 60%
of respondents said that a qualification for
teaching religion should be separate from
the general qualification.
The results of the survey show that
INTO members’ views on the teaching of
religion, and the patronage of schools are
changing over time, reflecting the changes
and demands of society. The results of the
survey informed the discussions at the
Equality Conference, and have informed
INTO policy in this area, which has been
the subject of so much debate over the
past few years. The Equality Committee
will continue to contribute to INTO policy
and the wider debate on this matter.
The full report of the research by the Equality
Committee can be found on the INTO website , in
the ‘Conference’ section.
INTO Advice
INTO advice for members on issues of importance
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
Preparing for summer works?
he INTO has welcomed the reinstatement of the Summer Works Scheme
for schools. Details were published on
the INTO website and in our e-newsletter.
The DES have invited applications for the
2014 scheme and full details are available
on Circular Letter 0059/2013. To streamline
the process the DES have developed an
online application system via the Esinet
platform. Paper applications will no
T
longer be accepted. The deadline for
applications is 10 December 2013.
Things you should know about the
scheme
• Applications must be made through the Esinet
platform. Schools may apply for one project only.
• An SWS helpline is available at Freephone 1800
200 955 until 10 December.
• The list of successful applicants will be published
by the DES at end February/ early March 2014.
• If the number of applications for funding is greater
than the funds available the DES will prioritise
applications according to the categories set out in
Circular 0059/2013. (It is important to note that special
needs projects are no longer funded under SWS.
These should be applied for under the Emergency
Works Scheme.)
• Successful schools will be notified in writing. The
letter will set out the amount of grant aid approved,
conditions of this approval, the scope of works
approved and the timeframe during which the
grant aid must be drawn down. It is important to
read through all the material in this letter.
• The grant aid approved is an all-in amount to
cover all costs associated with the project, including professional fees (architect, engineer etc.),
planning fees, VAT and any other costs arising.
• The school authority must confirm acceptance of
the grant offer to the DES Planning and Building
Unit within four weeks of receiving the grant
approval letter.
• Schools should notify the DES immediately if they
are not proceeding with their project. This allows
the DES to reallocate funds to another school.
• Schools should not publicise the amount of the
grant approved. To do so would risk compromising
the tender process and means that schools would
have less chance of achieving value for money.
• Technical guidance documents, are available at
www.education.ie (www.education.ie/en/School-Design).
• The DES will retain applications
from schools whose applications are unsuccessful under
SWS 2014, due to financial
constraints, for consideration
under future rounds of the
scheme.
What is the Summer Works Scheme?
The SWS has been running since 2004.
The scheme makes funds available to
schools to carry out small and medium
scale works on school buildings primarily
during summer holidays. The school authority takes on responsibility for ensur-
Tendering procedures
• Schools are obliged to tender publicly for all
contracts associated with the work. A consultant
who provided technical advice for the application process has no claim over the contract.
Guidance on the procedures for tendering for the
appointment of a consultant to oversee the
completion of projects will be issued to schools
whose applications are approved.
• Schools must tender for the appointment of an
appropriate consultant e.g. architect, civil engineer, building services engineer or surveyor to
design the works, prepare tender documents
and advise the school on engaging an appropriate building contractor.
• All eligible contractors have to have an equal
chance of bidding for the work.
• Schools are reminded that consultants/contractors engaged to work on the school premises,
even on a once off basis, must be able to display
full compliance with tax return filing and
payment obligations.
• The DES will issue guidelines to schools to
ensure appropriate tendering procedures are
implemented.
• If the bids for the work exceed the grant available, the school should work with their consult-
ing that the consultant and the building
contractor carry out the work to an acceptable standard, on time and on budget.
Almost €650m in SWS grants has been
disbursed to date and many schools have
been transformed through the
replacement of roofs, heating systems,
windows, doors, toilets, etc. These have
resulted in a substantial improvement in
the learning environment for pupils.
ant to try to tailor the scope of
works to ensure that it can be
delivered within budget. In
the current climate,
appealing to the DES for
an increase in the grant is
unlikely to be successful.
•
•
•
•
•
Managing a project
on site
• Once a project is on site and all
specified conditions have been met, the
school authority can apply to the DES for the first
tranche of funding (70).
It is the consultant’s role to certify that the work
had been carried out to the necessary standard.
The school authority must also be satisfied with
the quality of the finished project.
A close eye should be kept on timescales to
ensure works are finished before the school
reopens.
A timely completion of the works also means
that the second tranche of funding (30) can
be drawn down from the DES.
Before making any payments, schools should
check the new Revenue requirements in relation to the electronic RCT system, details of
which are available on www.revenue.ie.
Records of all expenditure and receipts should be
kept for seven years at the school as they may be
audited by the DES at any stage.
We hope that this article will be helpful and
we would like to thank our fellow public
servants in the DES Planning and
Building Unit for information supplied
on the scheme.
27
INTO Advice
Are you due a refund of Health Levy contributions?
Some teachers may have overpaid levy during years 2009-2010
From 1 January 2011 the Government
abolished the Health Levy and the
Income Levy and replaced both with
the Universal Social Charge.
However, some teachers may have
overpaid Health Levy contributions
during the years 2009-2010 and are
therefore entitled to a refund of their
overpayment. These refunds are tax
free. Overpayments may have arisen in
distinct and separate circumstances:
1. If a teacher earned €26,000 or less
(according to their P60 for the relevant year) in any of those calendar
(i.e. tax) years but earned over €500 in
some of the weeks that they worked.
Likely beneficiaries in this category
would be substitute teachers, teachers
who began teaching in any of the years
2009-2010, teachers returning from
career break, jobsharing or other leave
that kept them off salary or on reduced
salary for part of any of the years 20092010. Some of those teachers will have
€26,000 or less in earnings (as per their
P60) for the year while they would also
have earnings of over €500 for the some
or all of the weeks that they worked.
Did you work any incomplete calendar
year and earn €26,000 or less (see
your P60) in any of the years 20092010? Did you begin teaching, return
from career break, job share, work as
a substitute or otherwise earn €26,000
or less in any of those years?
If you paid the Health Levy as part
of your PRSI deductions in any pay
period then you are likely to be due a
refund.
According to the Department of Social Protection they had paid out
approximately €10,000,000 to around
26,000 claimants by 1 February 2012 –
an average of €385 per claimant.
Teachers in category 1 should write
to PRSI Refunds Section of the Department of Social Protection, Oisin House,
212/213 Pearse Street, Dublin 2, enclosing their PPS number and a copy of
their P60 to initiate their refund claim.
There is currently a backlog of claims
being processed so act soon to expedite
any refund due. Refunds of up to €1,040
tax free are available depending on
circumstances (e.g. in 2010 a teacher
who earned €26,000 and who was
charged the Health Levy at 4% would
have overpaid the Health Levy by
€1,040). Smaller amounts (up to €850)
would apply to 2009 as the rates were
lower for part of 2009.
2. Widows, widowers, Medical Card
holders and lone parents.
Teachers who are widowed and
were in receipt of the Social Welfare
Survivors’ (Widows’ or Widowers’)
pension, or teachers who are Medical
Card holders or certain lone parents
were totally exempt from the Health
Levy but may have had the Health Levy
deducted in error from their salary.
There is no upper limit on the earnings
which were exempted for qualifying
persons in these categories and up to 4%
of P60 earnings may be due in refunds.
Teachers in Category 2 should also
write to the PRSI Refunds Section of the
Department of Social Protection, Oisin
House, 212/213 Pearse Street, Dublin 2,
enclosing their PPS number, P60 showing the amount of PRSI/Health Levy
paid and details of their grounds for
exemption i.e. details of their Social
Welfare Survivors’ Pension, or Medical
Card holder or lone parent status etc.
Again, it is important to initiate the
process as soon as possible to expedite
any refund due. Significant refunds may
be due in certain circumstances and can
reach figures in excess of €4,000 tax free
in certain circumstances; (e.g. if the
refund applies to both years).
For more information
Contact PRSI Refunds Section of the
Department of Social Protection, Oisín
House, 212/213 Pearse Street, Dublin 2
at 01-6732586 or visit www.welfare.ie for
further information.
NB Refund claims for the year 2009
must be submitted by 31/12/2013.
Séamus Long, former CEC Representative
for District 13.
Life savings and loan insurance cover provided by Comhar Linn INTO Credit Union Ltd.
Life Savings and Loan Insurance
cover is provided by Comhar Linn
INTO Credit Union Ltd. at no
additional cost to members, subject
to terms and conditions.
Life savings insurance
benefits
In the event of your death while a
participating member of Comhar
Linn INTO Credit Union Ltd an
insurance payment related to the
balance in your share account will be
paid by our insurance company
(CUNA Mutual). The amount paid is
related to your age when depositing
your shares, and can be as much as
twice the amount you have saved in
your account. Your insurance
remains in force as long as you leave
your savings in the Credit Union.
Withdrawals may affect the amount
payable.
Loan protection insurance
benefits
Should a member with an
outstanding loan die, the balance is
repaid in full, subject to terms and
conditions. This means that you can
borrow from Comhar Linn INTO
Credit Union Ltd in full confidence
that your dependents will not be
obliged to repay the outstanding
loan. You will be informed at the
time of the loan application if your
loan exceeds the amount covered by
the Credit Union’s insurance policy.
Under the basic policy death cover
ceases on the member’s 70th
birthday. Comhar Linn has taken the
option of extending this age limit to
the member’s 80th birthday.
Beneficiary nomination
Once you nominate a person or
persons to become entitled, on your
death, to any property in the credit
union, such a nomination shall not
be revocable or variable by your will
or by any codicil to your will. Further
details on both insurance products
are available on
www.comhalinnintocu.ie.
Comhar Linn October
2013 draw winners
Car – Toyota Auris
Loretta Dunphy, St Gabriel’s NS,
Ballyfermot, Dublin 10.
Cash 1,500
John Gleeson, Holy Child BNS,
Larkhill, Dublin 9.
Weekend for two in Jury’s Inn
Zoe Roche, Glantane BNS, Mallow,
Co Cork.
Cian Duffy, St Michael’s and St
Patrick’s NS, Boyle, Co Roscommon.
29
Special education
Information and updates on issues relating to special education
Special education today
The Education for Persons with Special
Educational Needs Act 2004 (EPSEN) defines special educational needs as “both a
restriction in the capacity of the person to
participate in, and benefit from, education
on an account of an enduring physical,
sensory, mental health or learning disability, or any other condition which results in a
person learning differently from a person
without that condition and cognate words
shall be construed accordingly”.
In 2006, the NCSE estimated that up to
18% of the school going population may
have a special educational need, as defined
under the EPSEN Act. A more recent ESRI
study, using data from the longitudinal
study Growing up in Ireland pointed to an
overall prevalence rate of 25 per cent. In
Ireland, students with special educational
needs are served by a continuum of provision ranging from full time enrolment in
mainstream classes to full time enrolment
in special schools with a variety of options
in between. Placement options at present
include mainstream class with additional
support provided by a resource/learning
support teacher, a special class in a mainstream school, or a special school designated for a particular category or categories of
disability.
The National Council for Special Education has recently published a policy advice
paper on Supporting Students with Special
Educational Needs in Schools, which contains
a range of wide reaching recommendations
about the development of a future model
for special education. Key issues under discussion by the CEC of the INTO in relation
to the policy paper are outlined on page 35
of this issue. The following pages also contain articles from the Irish Association of
Teachers in Special Education, the Irish
Learning Support Association, and a double page spread celebrating ten years of
the National Council for Special Education.
Number of special classes for each disability category 2012-13
Designation of special schools under NCSE
Type of special class
Official Designation
Primary
classes
Hearing impaired
11
Mild GLD
60
Moderate GLD
12
Severe and profound GLD
10
EBD
5
Severe EBD
1
Physical disability
0
Specific speech and language disorders 64
Specific learning disability
13
Autism/ASD
316
Multiple disabilities
3
Total
495
Post-primary Enrolment
classes
5
89
11
686
16
136
0
28
1
34
0
5
1
8
0
434
0
123
97
2112
2
23
133
3,678
Physical disability
Hearing impairment
Visual impairment
EBD
Mild GLD
Moderate GLD
Severe and profound GLD
Autism
Specific learning disability
Multiple disabilities
Total
Number of
schools
6
3
1
12**
30
33
10
19
4
1
119
Source: NCSE November 2012
Number of
students
288
120
40
373***
2831
2255
312
507
296
72
7094
Teachers*
47. 5
51
7
62
336.5
377
62
89
33
13
1078
Notes:
* This column refers to class
teachers only; it does not
take into account principal and ex quota posts.
** One of these schools
caters for students with
mild EBD, the remaining
eleven cater for students
with severe EBD.
*** A substantial number of
these students have been
assessed as having an
autistic spectrum disorder.
Know your strengths
Strength-based approach has taken the ADHD
world by storm. Across the US, schools specialising
in educating children with emotional and behavioural problems made strength-based approach
part of their daily practice.
They teach children the language of strengths by
asking them to draw perseverance, wisdom or kindness. They read stories, stop half way through and
ask children what strengths the main character displayed. They create weeks during which one strength
a week is celebrated by children spotting and discussing strengths in others, such as modesty, creativity or fairness. Parents are involved in strength training when teachers tell them about their children’s
strengths, not only their challenges. Finally, children
learn how to manage their emotional outbursts using some of their strengths. They are asked what
strengths they want to use when completing a task.
They are also shown how to manage their attention
deficit and other challenges by using strengths such
as humour, open-mindedness and honesty.
The results of this approach can be easily spotted
on the playground. A seven-year-old boy, who has
just lost his temper and smacked another child
across the head suddenly stops, turns around and
says: I’m sorry, I need to practice my strength of
self-control. A 12 year-old boy when asked what his
signature strength is, he smiles proudly and says:
it’s authenticity. “And what does it mean?” – The
teacher enquires – it means I’m being true to myself and if I prefer to play with girls, I just do it,
without worrying what boys think about me.
Strength-based approach builds students’ confidence, enhances their well-being and gives them
tools on how to deal with challenging situations.
Developing strengths helps students see what’s
right, not wrong with them.
Jolanta Burke is a Positive Psychologist
and a PhD researcher in Trinity College
Dublin. For more information, go to
www.jolantaburke.com
31
Special Education
Supporting teachers through the years
Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education
IATSE (the Irish Association of Teachers in
Special Education) has, since its inception
in 1969, been at the forefront of special
education in Ireland, reflecting the significant changes that have taken place since
then. The organisation was established by
a group of highly committed teachers who
had been participants of the course leading to the Diploma in Special Education at
St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. The
needs identified by the founding fathers
(and mothers!) of IATSE remain the same
today – the need for teachers who work
with students with special educational
needs (SEN) to be able to access collegial
support, to have a forum through which to
network, and to have opportunities for
continuing professional development.
The SEN landscape has changed beyond
recognition in so many ways since the birth
of IATSE. Students now have an entitlement
to an appropriate education, many are
attending their local schools and we now
often work alongside other teaching
colleagues and special needs assistants
(SNAs) in the classroom. There is a common
curriculum and we have access to technologies that could not have been imagined all those years ago. IATSE is proud to
be able to link many of the major developments that have occurred regarding the
teaching of students with SEN to its past
and current members – many of whom
were, and continue to be, involved with
the development of curriculum, policy,
teacher training and other innovations.
Similarly, teachers who are members of
the organisation have been at the core of
the development of the large body of
research in SEN teaching, providing valuable
research which has informed practice in
classrooms throughout the country.
IATSE itself has changed, absorbing the
ever-changing vista of special education
and the subsequent needs of its members.
IATSE Conference
2014
Relationships
– Learning
Together
32
Our membership now encompasses all
teachers across all educational settings,
from special school teachers to teachers
working in the areas of resource and learning support to special class teachers and
class teachers at both primary and postprimary level.
IATSE events are organised by its Central
Executive Committee (CEC) which is com-
IATSE is proud to be able to
link many of the major
developments … to its past
and current members
posed of teachers representing the various
designations of schools. The CEC works on
a voluntary basis, meeting once a month
to organise IATSE’s Annual International
Conference, regional seminars and to
support the publication of the REACH journal.
The CEC also has members on various
consultative boards and committees
including the NCCA, INTO, and the NCSE.
The annual IATSE conference brings
together a broad range of presentations
and workshops over the course of two
days in June. The theme of the 2014 conference is ‘Relationships – Working Together’.
This is a critical area for teachers working
with students with SEN for many reasons –
the need for close communication with
parents that reflects the stress that having
a child with SEN can bring, the need to liaise
with clinician colleagues and external
This conference will explore the wide
range of relationships integral to
education for students with special
educational needs. It will look at the
complex interaction between members
of the school community, external
agencies and the impact this may have
on successful teaching and learning.
This conference sees the child at the
centre of these relationships and
recognises the key role of teachers in
organisations (e.g. NEWB, HSE, NCSE, NEPS)
working with other adults in the classroom, the impact of students’ complex
needs on teachers’ wellbeing, especially
regarding behaviours that challenge, and
inter-peer relationships. This conference
theme affords IATSE an opportunity to
engage and support teachers through
discussion and learning related to maintaining positive relationships. We hope you
will join us next June for this event, and
further details will be available on our website at www.iatse.ie later in the school year.
Keep an eye out for our regional seminars
which take place around the country in the
spring term. These take place on a Saturday
morning and consist of two presentations
from practicing teachers and clinicians.
REACH is the organisation’s highly
regarded journal. Anyone who has engaged
in research in the area of SEN will be familiar
with what many regard as essential ‘home
grown’ research and practitioner case
studies. It is this dual aspect that combines
the voice of the teacher with more academic perspectives that has earned the
journal its reputation.
IATSE would like to draw attention to
their ‘Annual Bursary Award for Classroom
Based Practice’. Each year we invite teachers to submit examples of good practice
with a particular emphasis on innovation,
collaboration and successful learning
experiences for students with special
educational needs. Four bursaries of up to
€500 are available, so why not share your
good practice and ideas with others?
Check our website for details.
Further information is available on
www.iatse.ie. If you are interested in becoming
a member, download the membership form
from the website and post to: IATSE, Drumcondra Education Centre, Drumcondra,
Dublin 9.
facilitating positive relationships.
We would like to invite submissions
from teachers, researchers and other
practitioners involved in the area of
special education.
June 2014
Details regarding final arrangements
on date and venue will be published
on our website www.iatse.ie in
December.
Call for papers
IATSE invites papers/presentations/workshops for Conference
2014. Please submit a short
abstract (maximum 100 words)
and presenter’s details to: IATSE
Conference Director, Drumcondra
Education Centre, Dublin 9.
Email: [email protected].
Closing date for submissions:
Friday, 17 January 2014.
Special Education
Irish Learning Support Association
(ILSA)
A self-help peer support group
The Irish Learning Support Association
(ILSA) was founded in 1974. ILSA offers
professional training and support to learning support and resource teachers at both
primary and second level.
ILSA organises at both local and
national level. At local level, ILSA is a
self-help peer support group. No matter
where you live in Ireland, you are not far
from a local (regional) group. Regional
groups operate usually, though not exclusively, out of education centres. Regional
groups are fully autonomous and arrange
their own professional development,
workshops and presentations.
ILSA conferences
At national level, ILSA organises two
conferences annually. The annual conference takes place in September in St
Patrick’s College, Dublin 9. This is a twoday conference and has over 30 presentations over the two days, delivered by
leading professional educators from the
Irish colleges of education and a number
from overseas. Topics and workshops are
carefully chosen, taking members’ evaluations and wishes into account. A smaller
regional conference is held in March,
outside Dublin. This conference, called the
Spring Conference, is held on a Friday in
March.
Benefits of membership
Members gain many benefits through
joining the Association. The most important benefit is that members can attend
conferences for 50% of the cost to nonmembers. Learn is the annual research
journal of the Irish Learning Support
Association. It is published in the autumn
and copies are distributed to each ILSA
member, to our national universities,
colleges of education and education
centres. Learn journal is also available on
loan from all education centres. Members
also get a quarterly newsletter and access
to the ILSA website at www.ilsa.ie.
Communications with members is very
important to the Executive Committee.
For that reason the website is currently
being updated. Shortly, members will be
able to renew membership or apply to
attend a conference online. There will also
be a members only section that will have
resources, hand-outs from conference
presentations and special offers by educaInTouch December 2013
tional publishers. Members will also be
able to subscribe to a free online newsletter
that will keep them updated on current,
topical and upcoming events.
Spring Conference in Galway
The next Spring Conference will take place
in the Clayton Hotel, Galway on 21 March.
As Galway is a very popular venue, early
booking is advisable. Booking forms will
shortly be available to download from the
ILSA website.
Submissions to ILSA’s journal Learn
We would welcome expressions of interest
from members or non-members in
submitting research papers for publication
in Learn. Submissions should deal with
topics or themes of interest to ILSA
members and every effort should be made
to avoid jargon. The paper should
normally not exceed 3,000 words, be well
researched and of a high literary quality.
Research papers should be submitted to
the editor of Learn as electronic word
processing files.
The author’s name and address should
appear on a covering page and a brief
biographical note on the author should be
included. The title of the research paper
should appear in capitals
and in bold font and tables,
where included, must be
self-explanatory to nonspecialist readers.
The bibliography should
list all references alphabetically by author’s surname
and works by the same
author should be arranged
chronologically, by date of
publication.
Presentations/involvment in
conferences
ILSA also welcomes expressions of interest from experienced Learning Support,
Resource teachers and lecturers from the
Colleges of Education who would like to
present or conduct a workshop at one of
our conferences. Please email your topic
together with relevant biographical and
academic details to [email protected].
Joining ILSA
If you are a learning support or resource
teacher, do consider joining ILSA. It is good
to have a support group that can offer you
advice, professional development and
support when you need it. We advise
members to ask their boards of
management to cover the costs of membership and attendance at conferences. Our
conferences have recognition by the DES, so
members are fully covered for attendance.
Contact ILSA c/o Drumcondra Education
Centre, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. Telephone:
(01) 8576499 or email: [email protected].
Left: Jean Johnston, former
ILSA Chairperson, and
above, current Chairperson
Mairin Barry
33
Special Education
Behaviour management uncovered
Handling emotions – getting the hate out!
At this stage of the year teachers are well
aware of the children in their class who
will act up when presented with a certain
subject. The ‘Friends for Life’ programme
created by Paula Barrett reminds educators that all feelings are ok. So, for the
child that can’t or won’t engage in a learning task the challenge becomes: How can
the child be helped to develop a motto of
‘it's possible’?
About 10 years ago I had an 11 year old
boy, diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD,
in my class. Paul acted up when the maths
books appeared. Every day for the first
two weeks of September I could predict
his response. It usually went something
like this: “I’m not doing it!” “You can’t
make me!” “I hate maths!” followed by a
tantrum for which he would have to
weather serious consequences.
One day I decided to have a chat with
Paul before the maths lesson appeared. “So
you hate maths,” I said. His face went red
and he said through gritted teeth “I really
hate it.” For the next few minutes we
talked about how much he hated maths.
Then I said in a light-hearted way “So Paul
you really really hate maths. That’s normal.” He looked at me in disbelief and I
continued “no one can control how they
feel about anything. That’s just the way
feelings are. So Paul, for you it’s normal to
hate maths. You can feel anyway you like
about maths but we do still need to do it.”
I also talked with him about the effect
his dyslexia had on his learning. Namely
that we were working on it but reading
was “tricky” for Paul. I explained that he
didn’t have dyscalculia so if he was helped
with any reading in maths he should be
able to fly through his number work.
From that day on Paul reluctantly engaged in the daily mathematical tasks. For
Paul, being allowed to hate maths disarmed his oppositional behaviour around
maths. And every day at break time I
would get the three minute timer and say
to Paul “Do we need to get the hate out of
the way before we start maths?” and often
he did. But, by the time Paul returned in
November, he didn’t need to engage in
this ritual any more. It turned out that he
was in fact quite good at maths.
In December I was correcting Paul’s
maths and quite out of the blue he said “I
don’t get suspended here.” I asked “Were
you suspended a lot in your last school?”
He confirmed with “Yeah, a lot.” I continued jokingly with “Oh suspension is free
here. Would you like to be suspended? I
can organise that for you, no problem.”
“No” was his immediate response. I in-
quired “So why do you think you’re not
suspended in our school?” And, with a
smile on his face, he said “Because the
adults here listen and it’s OK to hate something.” He never threw a tantrum at maths
time again. For Paul, his perspective moved
from – “no one understands me” to a motto of “It’s possible for me to do maths”.
As educators, we are learning all the
time. Teachers need to be open to the
process of taking a second look at supporting children with special needs into
the learning task After all, we are all limited by our own perspective. This is particularly relevant for students with special
needs presenting with either withdrawn
or acting out disruptive behaviours during
lessons. Sometimes, when you feel the
stress, all you can do is to take a breath
and do what you can during those challenging times. At the very least, as
Winston Churchill said; “If you’re going
through hell ... keep going.”
Adie Clarke, AMI, Hon. B.Ed.
MSc, child and adolescent
psychotherapy holds a job sharing
position at St Declan's Special
School and works privately as a
behaviour management consultant.
Contact: www.askadie.com
I asked “Were you suspended a lot
in your last school?” He confirmed
with “Yeah, a lot.”
A full length version of this article is available by using
this QR code, or from the INTO website at
www.into.ie/ROI/Publications/InTouch/FullLengthArticles/
34
Special Education
Supporting pupils with special
educational needs
The National Council for Special
Education published its policy advice on
supporting children with special educational needs in schools in May 2013. At its
launch the Minister indicated that he was
accepting the NCSE’s policy advice. The
report contains 28 recommendations. Its
first recommendation is that the EPSEN
Act should be fully implemented. Its
second recommendation is that a new
model should be developed for the allocation of additional teaching resources to
mainstream schools which is based on the
profiled need of each school, without the
need for a diagnosis of disability.
Discussions and consultations around
the report have focussed very much on
this second recommendation. The INTO
was invited to a meeting with the NCSE
as part of their consultative process. The
INTO was also invited to nominate four
teachers and two principals to attend
consultative meetings with the NCSE. The
two questions around which the consultation took place were:
1. Educational profile of a school:
• How can the educational profile of a
school be built up to ensure that all
students with special educational need
are included, without need for a
diagnosis of disability?
• What information is available in the
system to contribute to this profile?
2. Recording and measuring outcomes
for students with special educational
needs:
• What outcomes should be recorded?
• How should these be measured?
• How should they be reported?
Additional resources are currently granted
to schools under the General Allocation
model (GAM) where each school is
allocated 0.2 of a teacher for every class
teacher, with an additional allocation for
DEIS schools. This system is very clear and
transparent and offers certainty to schools.
However, it may also exacerbate inequalities. Some schools do not receive sufficient
support under this model. Additional
resource teaching hours are allocated to
schools based on the assessed need of
pupils. Given the under-resourcing of
NEPS, schools do not have equal access
to assessments. The current system for
allocating additional teaching support to
schools has many merits, but is not
perfect. Any new model must be an
improvement on the current system.
The CEC and the Education Committee
have had initial discussions around a new
model for allocating additional teaching
supports to schools to support children
with special educational needs. Discussions to date have arrived at the following
principles which should be reflected in
any new model:
• The aim of the primary school curriculum to develop the potential of all
children.
• The focus on prevention and early
intervention at the core of the Learning
Support Guidelines.
• The need for core additional teaching
support for all schools – similar to the
current GAM.
• Additional support based on need.
• An appeal system for schools who are
not satisfied with the level of additional
support that they have been allocated.
The need for a system of transferring
information regarding children with
special educational needs from pre-school
to primary and from primary to postprimary was identified. Though some children start school having been assessed as
having a disability, there are many children
whose special needs are not identified
until they start school. Under the current
system children need to be assessed in
order for the school to be granted additional hours for resource teaching.
All teachers should have access to CPD
to facilitate a deepening of knowledge and
an enhancement of skills for teaching
pupils with special educational needs.
However, there is also a need for targeted
professional development for learning
support and resource teachers and sometimes for class teachers in particular
aspects of teaching children with special
educational needs.
Educational profile of a school
Determining the educational profile of a
school is complex. The INTO is of the view
that the educational profile of a school
should take into account the profile of
incoming pupils, the social profile of the
school community, and the number of
children assessed as having a disability –
learning, physical, sensory or intellectual –
during their years in primary school and
the number of children with learning
difficulties.
The profile of incoming pupils could
include
attendance patterns, readiness to learn,
language and communication skills, social
skills, in addition to disabilities. A school’s
community profile should include level of
employment/unemployment, drugs or
substance misuse and socio-economic
status of families in the community.
Children who require additional
support include children with disabilities
(intellectual, sensory, physical disabilities,
ASD), children requiring speech and language support, behavioural intervention,
language support, children with specific
disabilities, (dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dyslexia,
children with socio-emotional difficulties
and children who require learning support in literacy and numeracy.
Given the focus on prevention and
early intervention, the number of children
in infant classes and first class should be
taken into account in determining the
educational profile of a school. Gender
must also be taken into account.
How a school’s profile would then be
used to determine the allocation of additional teaching resources has not yet been
decided.
The INTO welcomes suggestions from
members in relation to a new model.
Should a new model be based on a modified General Allocation Model, where
some special needs, currently supported
by resource teachers, could be supported
through an enhanced general allocation
model? Or do we need a more radical
alternative? Suggestions or comments
should be sent to Deirbhile Nic Craith,
Senior Official, at [email protected] by Friday
13 December.
35
Special Education
10 years a’growing…
• processed over 2,200 new applications
for school transport; and over 1,580 new
applications for assistive technology/
special equipment; and
• sanctioned 118 new special classes in
mainstream schools.
2003 was a very significant year for people
with special needs in Ireland. The opening
ceremony of the World Special Olympics
was held in Croke Park. 7,000 athletes
from 150 countries took part and everyone involved in the games – athletes,
volunteers, spectators and host families –
benefited.
2003 also marked the birth of the National Council for Special Education
when, in December, the then Minister for
Education, Noel Dempsey, signed the
order to create an independent special
educational agency.
The NCSE was given four key responsibilities; planning and coordinating educational provision for children with special
educational needs; carrying out research;
advising the Minister for Education on
special education policy; and disseminating information to parents, schools and
others. During our development we have
been intensely active in all four areas.
We have also greatly appreciated our
good working relationship with school
management bodies, principals’ organisations, teacher unions and SNA unions.
We particularly valued the input of the
INTO through Tom O’Sullivan, who was a
member of the NCSE Council from 20062012, a critical time in our development.
10 years on…
The NCSE has become an integral part of
the delivery of special education. Every
state funded school – primary, special and
post primary – is assigned a special educational needs organiser or SENO. In our
first real year of operation (2005), we reduced the average waiting time for
additional resource teaching or SNA
support from 12 months to four – six weeks.
Since then, the scale of activity has been
enormous – from 2005 to 2012, SENOs
processed over 140,000 individual applications for additional teaching and care
supports; and thousands more applica-
36
tions for assistive technology, home
tuition and special school transport
arrangements.
Investment in special education
In 2004, €468m was invested in additional
special education. This year, over €1.3bn is
being invested. This covers more than
10,000 additional teacher posts, over
10,000 SNA posts, the National Educational Psychological Service, adapted
school buildings, assistive technology,
specialist furniture, special school transport arrangements and so on.
… we take great care to
consult widely and listen to
what parents, students,
teachers and other
stakeholders tell us about
what is working well and
what needs to change
SENOs are key to getting many of these
supports into schools. SENOs also meet
with schools and parents to provide support and information. In 2013 our SENOs:
• enabled approximately 45,000 students
with special educational needs to
receive additional teaching in mainstream schools and around 22,000
children with special educational needs
with significant care needs to access
special needs assistant (SNA) support;
• processed over 14,600 new applications
for additional teaching hours in
primary and post-primary schools and
over 7,000 new applications for access
to SNA support;
In total, we now have approximately 5,700
resource teaching and 10,500 SNA posts
in 3,750 schools; and 740 special classes in
mainstream schools catering for over
5,000 children.
Our research
The NCSE has an innovative research
programme and has published 16 research
reports on our website to date. Research
is vital so that we can understand best
practice here and abroad, and how
resources can be used to best effect. We
are very grateful to the many principals
and teachers who have assisted us in our
research, especially as we know that there
are so many other calls on your time and
energy.
Our published research covers topics
from curriculum to measuring educational
progress to hearing parents’ views; as well
as international reviews of what works in
the education of children with particular
types of needs. Our annual research
conference disseminates findings and our
database of Irish special educational
research since 2000 is a valuable and well
used resource on the NCSE website.
A practical resource for schools that
grew from our research programme is the
Inclusive Education Framework. Many
schools had told us they would appreciate
guidance on inclusion. So we worked with
teachers and schools to develop and publish the framework which helps schools
support students with special educational
needs and build on good practice.
Our policy advice
Our responsibility to provide the Minister
with expert, independent, evidenceinformed policy advice on special education
is very important. We are particularly
conscious of the far reaching consequences
this role could have for the provision of
education to future generations of Irish
children with special educational needs.
Our research findings inform our policy
advice. But we also take great care to
consult widely and listen to what parents,
students, teachers and other stakeholders
Special Education
tell us about what is working well and what
needs to change. We are fortunate that we
have a built-in consultative mechanism in
place through the NCSE Consultative
Forum. This comprises 20 individuals
nominated by educational and advocacy
bodies, and allows us to access a wide
range of expertise and viewpoints. The
Consultative Forum provides valuable
guidance to inform the development of
policy advice by the NCSE.
To date we have published four policy
advice papers on supporting students
with special educational needs in schools;
managing challenging behaviour; the
education of Deaf and hard of hearing
children; and the future role of special
schools and classes. All our policy advice
papers are published on the NCSE
website.
Our information for parents
Our research among parents in 2010
showed high levels of satisfaction with the
support their children receive. However,
it also identified the need for better
information for parents.
In response, we published an Information Booklet for Parents of Children with
Special Educational Needs in 2011. The
booklet answers questions parents ask on
a daily basis about the range of supports
in schools, how a child’s educational
needs are assessed and what a child will
learn at school. This year, we published a
complementary booklet Choosing a
School: A Guide for Parents and
Did you know
• 2003 marked the birth of the National Council for Special Education.
• In 2004, €468m was invested in additional special educational supports in schools.
This year, over €1.3bn is being invested (15% of the entire education budget).
• Approximately 45,000 students receive additional resource teaching support in
schools and around 22,000 students are supported by special needs assistants.
• There are now 16 research reports published on our website with more to come.
• Research findings inform our policy advice. But we also take great care to
consult widely and listen to what parents, students, teachers and other stakeholders tell us about what is working well and what needs to change.
• Our Information Booklet for Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs
answers questions parents ask on a daily basis.
• Over 140,000 applications for resource teacher and SNA support from schools
processed since 2005.
Guardians of Children and Young People
with Special Educational Needs. Both
booklets have been widely circulated to
schools and parents and warmly
welcomed by parent organisations.
Our next steps
We will continue to process applications
from schools for additional teaching and
SNA support along with all the other
supports provided through us.
We are currently working on a proposal
to change the way additional teaching
supports are allocated to schools. We
believe that the current approach does
not always ensure that those with the
greatest need have access to the greatest
levels of support. We have already met
with INTO representatives on this process
and will continue to consult with stakeholders.
Next year, we will be developing policy
advice in the area of autism and have
commissioned two pieces of independent
research to inform this work. We look
forward to continuing to work together in
developing special education.
Teresa Griffin is the CEO of the National
Council for Special Education. For further
information see www.ncse.ie
37
Newsdesk
News from the world of education and trade unionism, at home and abroad
History lessons launched
On 13 November the Minister for
Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn and
the Minister for the Arts, Heritage and
the Gaeltacht, Jimmy Deenihan jointly
launched new history lesson plans for
primary schools. The lesson plans are
based on A history of Ireland in 100 objects,
the collaborative project involving the
National Museum of Ireland, The Irish
Times and the Royal Irish Academy (RIA).
The lesson plans focus on 14 of the 100
objects from 5,000 BC to 1926. They include the Tara Brooch, King William’s
Gauntlets, Daniel O’Connell’s ‘chariot’, an
Emigrant’s Teapot and an Eileen Gray
chair. The full list is available online at
www.100objects.ie/education and includes curriculum links, teaching ideas
and activities for primary school children.
The lesson plans are supported by a wide
range of audio and visual material.
In the October InTouch we published an
article from Pauline McNamara, Project Coordinator, Royal Irish Academy on the lesson plans. You can view this article online
at www.into.ie/ROI/Publications/InTouch
Sixth Class Central Model Senior School students Presley Ogedegbe and Caitlin
Whelan, pour some tea for Minister Jimmy Deenihan (left) author Fintan O’Toole
(centre), and Minister Ruairí Quinn at the launch. Photo: John T Ohle Photography
Best wishes to Paddy
Members of the Leadership and
Planning Programme of the
Professional Development Service
for Teachers (PDST) made a
presentation to Paddy Flood,
former head of the Leadership
Development for Schools programme, at a recent function.
Paddy is changing roles within
the PDST to act as Deputy Director with the Junior Cert reform
programme. Tributes were paid
to Paddy at the function from
members of the primary and
post primary strands of the
Leadership and Planning Programme for his innovative work leading LDS. Despite the
many challenges facing school leaders over the period, Paddy
and his team had established
support programmes including Misneach for newly appointed principals, and Forbairt for existing principals.
As well as this a postgraduate
diploma in educational leadership programme titled
Tóraíocht was developed in
partnership with NUIM.
Pictured at the function are
members of the Leadership and
Planning team Jennifer Dooley,
Pat Hanrahan (Director of
Clare Education Centre),
Elaine O’Connor, Paddy Flood, Catherine Flanagan, John
O’Donnell and Fiona Dunne.
39
Ócáidí Nuachta
New Allianz Cumann na mBunscol
initiative in Garden County
A new initiative started in primary
schools in Co Wicklow last year in conjunction with Wicklow Coaching and
Games Development and Allianz
Cumann na mBunscol, Cill Mhantáin.
The aim of the Garden County flag was to
establish firm links between schools and
their local clubs and, of course, promote
Gaelic games for children. This flag was
presented to successful schools who met
the Garden County GAA flag criteria.
Some of the criteria was to take part in
coaching sessions organised by the club/
school link coach, to hold an internal
school blitz, to complete the skills test, to
attend five Allianz Cumann na mBunscol
blitzes, to implement the ABC Nursery
programme with junior infants to first
class, to appoint a club/school liaison
officer, for a teacher to attend a Wicklow
Coaching and Games Development workshop, for the Give Respect Get Respect
programme to be implemented and a
GAA club notice board to be active and
regularly updated in schools. This meant
that the link between the school and the
local club was encouraged to flourish with
benefit to both parties.
A great evening was had in Lynhams of
Laragh where schools from around the
county gathered for the presentation of
the Garden County flags to 51 schools that
met the criteria.
Jimmy Dunne, Wicklow County Board,
welcomed everyone on the evening. Jim
O’Riordán, Cathaoirleach, Allianz
Cumann na mBunscol, Cill Mhantáin,
spoke about the huge input of teachers
into the development of gaelic games in
our primary schools and encouraged new
members to get involved. He also praised
the Garden County GAA flag initiative
and thanked the coaches and county
board for their input in schools.
Hugh Kenny then went through the
criteria required and named the successful
schools while Jim O’Riordán presented each
school with their flag and a 125 and Counting GAA book for their school library.
Jimmy Dunne finished proceedings with
a draw and some lucky schools won a set
of school jerseys, a trip to Croke Park
museum, the honour of playing at half time
in a Wicklow league match, county players
to attend their school for a coaching session and GAA equipment for their school.
The Garden County GAA flag initiative
really is a worthwhile one and hopefully
we will see the flags flying outside many
schools in the county.
Young Whistlers 2013
A number of counties across Ireland have had the
chance to have children referee in Croke Park
through the Young Whistlers Programme over the
past few years.
In 2013, Tyrone Cumann na mBunscol decided,
for the first time, to get involved with the Young
Whistlers Programme. Cathal O’Hagan, a teacher at
St Patrick’s PS, Dungannon, and Fabian McGlone
who teaches at St Patrick’s PS, Newtownstewart,
are both football referees in Tyrone and were the
obvious choices to select and train a boy and girl
40
respectively, for the All Ireland semi final to be held
in August.
Training began in the two schools in March 2013
and Cathal and Fabian carefully guided their pupils
through the various aspects of successful refereeing.
They officiated firstly at their own school matches
and as they gained experience, county board coaches began to make use of them at non-competitive
blitzes. They also attended summer camps to carry
out more refereeing duties and by the time All Ireland Semi Final Day had arrived they were more
than ready to demonstrate their skills. All in all they
had a wonderful experience during the mini games
and a memory that they will cherish forever.
As a result of their involvement in the Young
Whistlers, Tyrone Cumann na mBunscol have
decided that refereeing will be a focus for
development in their primary schools this year.
They will be inviting schools to nominate pupils for
training. and hope that this proves to be the
beginning of a new era in the development of GAA
refereeing in Tyrone.
Newsdesk
Honour 1913 with full union rights
for workers
ICTU General Secretary David Begg told Seanad
Eireann that until working people in Ireland
enjoy the right to bargain collectively with their
employers, we are failing to “honour the
memory” of the 1913 leaders and activists.
Mr Begg made the remarks in an address to
Seanad Eireann, the first occasion on which any
Congress General Secretary was been invited to
do so. Speaking on the theme of the 1913 Lockout and its relevance to modern Ireland, Mr
Begg said: “The central objective that the
women and men of 1913 fought for – the right
of workers to choose their representatives and
have them bargain collectively with employers
on their behalf – has never been secured.
“Indeed it is actively opposed by employers’
organisations, by the IDA, by the Supreme
Court, and by some legislators who fear that
granting a legal right to collective bargaining
would inhibit foreign direct investment. Why
that should be when this right is enshrined in
ILO Conventions 87 and 98, the EU Charter of
Fundamental Rights, and is the norm in virtual-
What is a
Fair
Hotel?
ly every European country (even Britain), is a
mystery to me.
“So, we can erect statues to the 1913 leaders;
we can name bridges after them; we can hold
national days of commemoration to salute their
sacrifice, but so long as their great grandchildren are deprived of the basic human right that
they set out to achieve, then we don’t really honour their memory,” Mr Begg told the Seanad.
Mr Begg said youth unemployment levels of
50% in some countries, with seven million not
in education or training and 26 million in
Europe unemployed were “as close to a social
catastrophe as you can get”.
He said it was the task of unions in Ireland
and elsewhere to make the battle for decent
work their major focus in the coming years. He
also said that the core mission of trade unionism, to organise workers to force a more just
distribution of the wealth created by the markets, remains as it has always been.
The address can be viewed on the ICTU website at www.ictu.ie.
Fair Hotels are hotels that treat
their staff fairly. Fair Hotels
understand that the hospitality
industry is a people industry and
that in order to attract and retain a
skilled and committed workforce;
staff must know that their work is
valued.
Fair Hotels pay a fair day’s pay
for a fair day's work. They accept
that hotel workers deserve to be
paid a fair wage on which to
support themselves and their
families. Fair Hotels take their
responsibilities as employers
seriously. They respect the
fundamental human right of
workers to a voice at work.
They engage in collective
bargaining with staff.
Fair Hotels realise that hotel
workers value quality jobs – jobs
that are worth protecting.
Both collectively and individually,
workers in Fair Hotels strive to
protect their livelihoods by
securing the viability of their
hotel.
See www.fairhotels.ie
1913 Lockout
exhibition at
the National
Museum
To mark the 100th anniversary
of the Dublin Lockout of 1913,
Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister
for Arts Heritage and
Gaeltacht opened ‘1913
Lockout: Impact and
Aftermath’, at the National
Museum of Ireland.
The exhibition draws on objects from the museum’s own
collections to tell the story of
the Lockout. It documents life
in Dublin in 1913, the key players and events surrounding
the Lockout and its aftermath
as well as the formation of the
Citizen Army, the women’s
suffrage movement and the
rise of trade unions. Central to
the exhibition will be the original Starry Plough flag which
made its first appearance with
the Irish Citizen Army in
April 1914 in Dublin. The flag
then flew over the Imperial
Hotel on O’Connell Street
during the 1916 Rising. It will
be displayed here for the first
time in 25 years after recent
conservation funded by the
members of the Labour Party.
The exhibition will also include the Larkin Banner, on
loan from the Irish Labour
History Society. This exhibition will run until the end of
June, 2014.
Fair Shop campaign
A key and primary objective of Fair Shop is
to support and promote quality employment in the retail sector by encouraging
trade union members, their families and
supporting organisations to make an informed choice to use Fair Shop designated
retail outlets. Fair Shop will encourage you
the consumer to use unionised shops
rather than non-unionised shops. Fair Shop
will also help reward retailers that recognise
and do business with Mandate by increasing their business and market share.
What constitutes a Fair Shop?
A company or retail outlet that recognises
Mandate for collective bargaining purposes.
Background to Fair Shop – A Message
from John Douglas, Mandate General
Secretary
The background to the Fair Shop initiative
is the ever increasing pressure on the organised retail sector by the actions of
some retailers who do not respect their
workers or their workers’ right to be collectively represented by a trade union. The
impact is the constant attack on agreed
wages and conditions resulting in a race to
the bottom. The retail sector in general is
suffering from the recession and the austerity policies of Government. The domestic economy has shrunk by over 25% in the
last few years. As you are only too well
aware, workers and consumers have less
money to spend in retail and are becoming
more conscious of where they spend their
money, many seeking out value for money
at any cost. In a shrinking market it is important that union members and their
families across Ireland support the retail
companies who support their workers –
Fair Shops. See www.fairshop.ie.
41
Ócáidí Nuachta
Education project in Nicaragua funded by INTO
Mothers and children involved in ADIC’s education programme demand
the right to live without violence.
From 27 December 2012 to 5 August 2013 a project
that benefited 120 children between the ages of six
and 13, attending both primary and secondary
school, was organised by Asociación para el Desarrollo Integral Comunitario (ADIC). Eighty five of
these were in the city of Matagalpa (48 girls and 37
boys) and 35 in the rural area of Tijerina (14 girls
and 21 boys).
The project was supported through the INTO
Solidarity Fund and assisted the remuneration of a
psychologist who worked with these children for
six months to support their education and promote
the habit of reading. The project also encompassed
the provision of before and after school clubs for
the same children. Two two hour sessions were
held (to cater for children attending the morning
and afternoon shifts in schools), every Tuesday and
Thursday. The project was possible because of the
provision of suitable reading material by the
Nicaraguan organisation Books for Children. The
books provided were designed to promote the
values of non-violence, gender equality,
environmental sustainability, children’s rights,
and cultivation of reading for enjoyment.
Many of these children were also given grants to
cover the costs of schooling – uniforms, textbooks
and stationary. The project also provided workshops for the older children on the following themes:
• Personal development.
• The environment.
• Sexual health.
• Child protection.
• A programme called Football for Peace that
promotes positive attitudes, greater social
cohesion, organisational skills and conflict
resolution.
The ADIC were very happy with the outcomes and
recorded many achievements through the project
that benefited the children involved, namely:
• Higher levels of self-esteem among the children.
• Enhanced sense of responsibility among children.
• Children are more able to offer opinions and
make proposals.
• Better academic results by children.
One of the interesting ‘by products’ of the project,
recorded by ADIC, was the higher involvement of
parents and, interestingly, a reduction in ‘adultist’
or authoritarian attitudes on the part of parents and
teachers towards children. The INTO Solidarity fund
was delighted to be associated with this project.
Join Rothar Africa’s journey through Africa!
Rothar are offering a unique opportunity
for you and your class to join their journey through Africa. They are a team of
four cycling for charity from Cairo to
Cape Town over six months. Sadhbh
McKenna, a primary teacher in Tallaght,
and her team departed in September and
hope to arrive in Cape Town by April.
They have just reached the spectacular
Ethiopian highlands. Check out their
schools’ specific blog in which they
answer questions that classrooms ask
about the countries they pass through.
Schools can check out photos of the interesting educational things that they find on
their journey, such as the pyramids in
Egypt, the local trades in Sudan and how
children fetch water in Ethiopia. They can
also keep an eye out for what Trunky
(their mascot) has been up to! As well as
all this they are running regular competitions; if children answer a simple question
they post on their website they might win
FREE ice cream for the whole class!
Why are Rothar Africa doing this?
Aside from their obvious love of travelling, they wanted to take on a challenge
that would be interesting for people to
follow in order to help them raise money
42
Sadhbh (left) pictured
with her fiancee, Kyle,
an avid photographer,
Niamh, a doctor and
keen sportsperson who
has worked all over
Africa, more recently
with MSF. Also pictured
is Isidro, a nurse with
MSF and also the group
communicator.
for causes they are passionate about. They
hope to raise €36,000, of which €18,000
will go Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
to fund emergency medical relief in the
Congo. €18,000 will go to Room to Read
to fund the publication and distribution of
9,000 copies of a local language book in
Zambia. For more information on both
charities and the projects they aim to
fund, visit rotharafrica.org.
Anything from a book swap to an Africa
day at school! They have lots more ideas
on the website. They also want to promote literacy at home as well as in the
developing world so if your school is in
need of funding for literacy, Rothar Africa
are encouraging you to split the proceeds.
Any money raised can be transferred
directly to the charities via their online
donation button on the website.
What can you do?
Rothar Africa would love your class to run
a small event to help them raise funds.
Contact
[email protected]
Website: rotharafricaschools.tumblr.com
Newsdesk
Stay safe online this Christmas
McAfee, the dedicated security company
recently released its annual 12 Scams of
Christmas list to educate the public on
the most common scams that criminals
use during the holiday season to take
advantage of consumers as they shop on
their digital devices. Cybercriminals use
these scams to steal personal information,
earn fast cash, and spread malware.
Ensure that you are taking all precautions to protect data saved on your devices.
This is especially true if you bank online.
“The potential for identity theft increases
as consumers share personal information
across multiple devices that are often
under protected,” said Michelle Dennedy,
Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer
at McAfee. “Understanding criminals’
mindsets and being aware of how they try
to take advantage of consumers can help
ensure that we use our devices the way
they were intended – to enhance our
lives, not jeopardize them.”
To help consumers stay safe, McAfee
has identified this year’s top 12 Scams of
Christmas:
1. Not-so-merry mobile apps
To avoid malicious apps that could steal
your information, stick to the official app
stores for downloads and purchases.
2. Holiday mobile SMS scams
Stay away from links in text messages that
offer to update or install an app. FakeInstaller tricks Android users into thinking
it is a legitimate installer for an application and then quickly takes advantage of
the unrestricted access to smartphones,
sending SMS messages to premium rate
numbers without the user’s consent.
3. Hot holiday gift scams
Be wary of deals on popular gadgets that
are too good to be true and double-check
prices directly with the retailer. Clever
crooks will post dangerous links, phony
contests on social media sites, and send
phishing emails to entice viewers to
reveal personal information or download
malware onto their devices.
hardware, and more. A hotel’s wi-fi may
claim that you need to install software
before using it and instead infect your
computer with malware if you ‘agree’.
5. Dangerous e-seasons greetings
Legitimate looking e-cards wishing
friends ‘Season’s Greetings’ can cause
unsuspecting users to download ‘Merry
Malware’ such as a Trojan or other virus
after clicking a link or opening an attachment. Before you open an e-card, verify
it’s from someone you know and it’s from
a trustworthy site.
6. Deceptive online games
Avoid unknown websites serving up
popular online games. Check reviews and
stick to known sites.
7. Shipping notifications scams
Phony shipping notifications can appear
to be from a mailing service alerting you
to an update on your shipment when, in
reality, they are scams carrying malware
and other harmful software designed to
infect your computer or device.
Think twice before clicking links in
notification emails and always verify the
company before giving out your information.
8. Bogus gift cards
An easy go-to gift for the holidays, gift
cards can be promoted via deceptive ads, especially on Facebook,
Twitter, or other social sites,
that claim to offer exclusive
deals on gift cards or packages of cards. Only buy gift
cards from official retailers – not third party
websites.
9. Holiday sMiShing
Be wary of text messages asking for account
verifications and never provide passwords
in text messages. Some scammers even
include the first few digits of your credit
card number in the SMS message to fool
you into a false sense of safety.
10. Fake charities
Donating to charities is common this time
of year for many looking to help the less
fortunate. Before donating, check the web
address carefully and look for fake logos
or text with altered charity names.
11. Romance scams
With so many niche dating sites now
available to Internet users, it can be difficult to know exactly who the person is
behind the screen. Many messages sent
from an online friend can include phishing scams, where the person accesses your
personal information such as usernames,
passwords, and credit card details.
12. Phony e-tailers
The convenience of online shopping does
not go unnoticed by cyber scrooges. With
so many people planning to shop online,
scammers set up phony e-commerce sites
to steal your money and personal data.
Additional resources
For more information on McAfee’s 12
Scams of Christmas list and tips on how to
stay safe while using digital devices,
check out:
www.mcafee.com/12scams
4. Seasonal travel scams
Websites offering great airfare or hotel
deals could be luring you into a trap,
double-check before you click.
Phony travel deal links and notifications
are common, as are hackers waiting to
steal your identity upon arrival. When
logging into an infected PC with an email
username and password, scammers can
install keylogging spyware, keycatching
43
Ócáidí Nuachta
South-East Educational Research Conference
Co Wexford Education Centre will host an Education Research Conference on 22 March 2014 in
the Education Centre, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford.
Researchers are invited to present papers
from their chosen field of study in education.
The keynote address will be given by
Enniscorthy native, Dr Eamonn Wall, Professor
of Irish Studies and Professor of English at the
University of Missouri – St Louis, USA, also an
author of six collections of poetry.
This one-day conference is designed to give
researchers and teachers an opportunity to
present and discuss their research in an
informal and collegial setting. It is also a
unique opportunity for researchers to share
their research findings with colleagues and
have their work published in the Annual
Conference Journal.
Applications
Application forms, available from the Centre,
must be accompanied by an abstract of 150-200
words (maximum) including a title, field of
study and your contact details.
Papers should be no more than 25 minutes
long. A further 10 minutes (max) will be
allowed for discussion.
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, 7 March 2014, and Powerpoint
presentations to be used by presenters must be
submitted not later than Friday, 21 March 2014.
Expressions of interest and queries should
be sent to conference co-ordinator, Celia Walsh
([email protected]) or Centre Secretary,
Helen Kirwan, ([email protected]).
Dr Eamonn Wall,
Professor of Irish
Studies and
Professor of English
at the University of
Missouri – St
Louis, USA,
Education Matters Yearbook launched
Minister for Research and Innovation
Seán Sherlock officially launched the
Education Matters Yearbook 2013 on
Thursday, 14 November, 2013 at the
National University of Ireland in Dublin.
In his address, the minister outlined
how the Education Matters Yearbook is
now established as a key publication in
Irish education, that provides its readers
with a critical and informative insight into
the whole of the Irish educational system
in a given year.
Acknowledging the representativeness
of the Yearbook for all sectors of the Irish
educational system, Minister Sherlock
stated: “one does not have to agree with
every opinion or point-of-view outlined
in the Yearbook but it is exactly this critical, dialogic perspective which makes
Education Matters an important and
highly valuable contribution to the
debate, discussion and reflection that are
so central to education”.
In his address at the launch, Chancellor
of the NUI, Professor Maurice Manning,
especially noted the Yearbook’s comprehensiveness in its engagement with, and
synthesis of, current key issues in Irish
education: “For many of us involved in
education, there is a natural tendency to
become very focused on our own area of
the educational system and the issues
immediately relevant to our own role.
However, the constituent parts of the
education system have a high degree of
interdependence and it is important that
we have an awareness of the issues affecting other areas within education and
44
At the launch of this year’s Education Matters Yearbook were (l-r): Dr Tony Hall, Yearbook Editor and Lecturer, School of Education, NUI Galway; Seán Sherlock, Minister for
Research and Innovation; Professor Nollaig MacCongáil, Registrar and Deputy President, NUI Galway; and Professor Maurice Manning, Chancellor of the National University of Ireland.
indeed the operation of the system as a
whole.”
Education Matters began as a
newsprint publication in 1987. Over the
years it was carried as a supplement by
various national newspapers. Contributors
included Dr Anthony Clare, Gemma
Hussey, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Vivian
Cassells, Louis O’Flaherty, Dr Eileen Doyle
and other well-known and respected
writers. The first Education Matters
Yearbook was published in 2006.
Also at the launch, NUI Galway’s
School of Education announced the
development of its new Massive Open
Online Course (MOOC): Talking about
Teaching. Though designed principally for
teachers in Ireland, this new online course
will also be freely and openly available to
all with an interest in Irish education.
Talking about Teaching will focus on key
contemporary issues in Irish education,
with input from key stakeholders. The
course can be undertaken online for free,
or the whole course and a small assessment can be completed for certification.
Teaching matters
Articles and opinions on primary teaching, with tips and ideas for the classroom
Congratulations to FÍS film project winners
The ninth FÍS Film Festival took place at
the Helix in DCU in November. Pupils,
teachers and parents attended from each
of the 24 shortlisted schools and a wonderful time was had by all. Our congratulations to all of the winners for a wonderful
celebration of creativity and for all of the
hard work that goes into making these
wonderful films.
A special word of congratulations to the
winners of this year’s Aileen McKeogh
award, St Colman’s NS, Derrinabroc,
Ballaghaderreen, Co Mayo, with the film
Schooldays Over, a vivid and moving
portrayal of school life in bygone days, as
experienced by local man, Tom Finn (94),
who also stars in the film. We were delighted to welcome Tom and his family to the
Helix for the awards ceremony, and of
course the pupils of St Colman’s NS, along
with their principal, Dermot Dillon.
A special mention also to Little Angels
Special School, who came all the way from
Donegal, to accept their award for their
film The Little Lamb. Details of all the
winners, including their films, are available
on the FÍS Film Project website.
So, what is FÍS?
FÍS is a film project for primary schools that
explores film as a medium of expression
and introduces children to aspects of the
film-making process, while also supporting
the aims and objectives of the primary
school curriculum.
FÍS and learning
FÍS enables children to learn about the
techniques involved in telling a story
through film, including: planning, scripting,
storyboarding, cameras, lighting, audio,
music, set design, post production editing,
costume and of course acting. Throughout
the process, children also develop skills in
communicating, working in a team, taking
responsibility, collaborating with others,
making decisions and problem solving.
From a curricular perspective, FÍS is a
fantastic way to mediate a particular curricular strand/strand unit, while integrating a
previous years. If you are in any doubt
about entering, why not try it out with
your class and, when you and your pupils
become more confident, consider entering. The deadline for entry is the end of
June in any school year, so there’s no need
to commit before then!
Children from St Colman’s NS,
Ballaghaderreen, Co Mayo, accept their
award for the film Schooldays Over.
variety of subject areas. Whether it is
through a re-enactment of an historical
event (integrating SESE, drama, literacy,
music, visual arts to name but a few) or
through the conveying of a social message
on the theme of bullying (integrating SPHE
as well as many of the above areas), the FÍS
methodology provides a rich, engaging
(and fun!) learning experience for pupils.
FÍS film format
Films must be five minutes or less in
duration. Some of the popular formats
from previous entrants include:
• Historical
re-enactments.
• Local history
documentaries.
• Animation
(using clay, lego and
other materials).
• Mysteries and thrillers.
• SPHE themed
productions.
• Irish legends.
• Documentaries (current
affairs, travel, sport).
• Reality TV.
• Comedies.
• Cuirfear fáilte ar leith
roimh scannáin as
Gaeilge.
Participating without entering
The Film Festival is a great celebration for
the lucky finalists. However, FÍS is rooted in
the process rather than the product, with
the objective of promoting the use of film
to support teaching and learning in the
primary classroom. It is possible to participate without ever entering the competition and some schools have done this in
Support for teachers
There are a number of supports available
to teachers wishing to engage in the
process.
To find out more about the actual
process, read Anne Moriarty’s A Teacher’s
Diary on the FÍs Film Project website
www.fisfilmproject.ie which outlines her
path to producing a FÍs film with her pupils.
Consider doing the FÍS Interactive
Online Course. This is a self-paced course
that outlines all the skills and activities involved in making a film with the emphasis
being on the children being the creators.
Approach your local education centre
and ask if any support groups are taking
place in your locality. Support groups can
be arranged (funded by PDST Technology
in Education) if sufficient numbers apply. If
you know of other teachers in your school
who are interested in getting involved, a
whole school training session can be
organised. A minimum of 10 teachers is
required.
More information
The FÍS Film Project is run by the National
Film School at the Institute of Art, Design
and Technology and PDST Technology in
Education (formerly NCTE). Log on to
www.fisfilmproject.ie for more information on all of the above.
PDST Technology in Education website
www.pdsttechnologyineducation.ie
Go n-éirí libh!
Compiled by Madeleine Murray, PDST
Technology in Education
45
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
An effective anti-racism resource
I am a primary school teacher in Scoil
Choilm Community National School in
Dublin 15. Our school prides itself on its
ethos of acceptance of all faiths and none.
Our school is committed to a spirit of
inclusion, equality and partnership in
education. We encourage the children to
respect diversity and we take every opportunity to celebrate individuality.
In Scoil Choilm, we hosted an antibullying and anti-racism week where we
tried to raise awareness of bullying and
racism in our school community and to
create positive attitudes towards diversity.
We used the Show Racism the Red Card
education pack to organise activities and
to teach lessons. We found it a very useful
tool and the children really got involved.
The awareness raised about racism has
had a huge impact on the children and the
parents and, as a result, there has been a
significant decline in racist behaviour and
bullying incidents. A fifth class pupil
states; “Show Racism the Red Card made
me realise how someone feels when they
are called nasty names”.
Show Racism the Red Card’s creative
competition gave us the idea to hold a
mini-concert where each year group
chose a song with an anti-racism theme
for example fourth class sang Michael
Jackson’s Man in the Mirror. We recorded the performance and went on to win
the video category in the Show Racism the
Red Card’s creative competition, receiving
a school laptop as our prize.
Show Racism the Red Card’s relevance
to the curriculum
Schools are now drawing up anti-bullying
policies at the request of the DES (Department of Education and Skills) and there
are many forms of bullying to consider;
verbal, physical, exclusion, racism and
homophobic bullying. Not only do policies have to outline procedures for resolving conflict but, more importantly, they
have to include preventative measures to
tackle bullying.
The DES has published an action plan
on bullying which recommends that
“schools promote a culture and climate
that is welcoming of diversity” (p.108).
Schools need to find ways to value and
respect each child, Show Racism the Red
Card endeavours to do this. Rather than
focusing on punitive measures to deal
with the perpetrator, this resource gives
many fresh and innovative ideas that help
schools to combat racism.
Show Racism the Card is an educational
resource pack which aims to inform
youths about racism. It gives children the
46
In the Aviva Stadium at the Show Racism the Red Card Creative Competition Awards Exhibition 2013 were,
from left, Philip McMahon, Dublin footballer, Indira Kaljo, Meteor Women’s Super League basketball, RTÉ
children’s TV presenter Diana Bunici, Cliodhna O’Connor, Dublin Ladies Football, Kevin Kilbane, former
Republic of Ireland international, Eoin Reddan, Leinster and Ireland Rugby, and Jason Sherlock, former
Dublin footballer, with pupils from Scoil Choilm, Clonsilla, Dublin. Photographer: Matt Browne, Sportsfile
opportunity to recognise that we are all
different and that this is something to be
respected and celebrated rather than
discriminated against.
This anti-racism resource is designed to
be taught as part of the SPHE curriculum
in the senior classes, under the strand
units of Developing Citizenship, Media
Studies and Myself and the Wider World.
The teacher and pupils are provided
with a variety of lessons which explain
racism, outline the consequences of racism
and encourage the children to challenge
racism. In addition to the lessons, themes
such as belonging and stereotyping are
explored through hands on, fun activities
like walking debates and real life scenarios
and improvisations. There is also a vocabulary section which defines key terms in
relation to racism, which is very useful for
teachers. This is clearly outlined in the
action plan on bullying from the DES;
schools need to “consistently tackle the
use of discriminatory and derogatory language in the school – this includes homophobic and racist language” (Appendix 2).
The pack also contains a DVD. Each
section of the DVD targets an area of
racism. There are questions to accompany
each section of the DVD which allow for
class discussion, thus making the resource
very teacher friendly. The DES published
guidelines in 2005 on enabling children to
respect and celebrate diversity and challenge unfair discrimination in Intercultural education in primary schools. It suggests that children are given opportunities
to become respectful individuals, “the development of positive emotional responses to diversity and an empathy with those
discriminated against plays a vital role in
intercultural education”, (p.21). The DVD
includes sports stars speaking of their
experience of racism. This gives the children the opportunity to understand how
it feels to be subject to racism and to empathise with the victim.
Practical school events are also
suggested, for example, an Equality
Audit and an Anti-Racism World Cup.
The DES’s action plan on bullying suggests that schools “display key respect
messages in the classroom, in assembly
areas and around the school”. This can be
completed by organising your class to
take part in the creative competition run
by Show Racism the Red Card, where
children create posters and anti-racism
slogans. In Scoil Choilm, the children
came up with slogans like ‘It’s not big to
make others feel small’ and ‘Be a Buddy,
not a Bully’.
The DES’s Action Plan 2013 on Bullying
also states “CPD should include awareness raising around all forms of bullying”
(p.109). The Show Racism the Red Card
initiative provides training for teachers
who wish to learn more about racism and
how to prevent it in schools.
Show Racism the Red Card is an
excellent resource for schools as it enables
young people to develop positive attitudes
towards diversity. Also it gives the children
the opportunity to create good respectful
relationships with others regardless of
ethnicity. The resource is easily integrated
into the SPHE plan and is an excellent
tool for use in schools’ anti-bullying and
anti-racism policies.
Laura Maher, Scoil Choilm, Clonsilla,
Dublin 15. Find out more about Show
Racism the Red Card at www.
theredcard.ie or email [email protected]
Teaching Matters
A primary Chriﬆmas
Unless you've been a primary teacher in
an infant classroom at some stage in your
career, you probably won’t really understand the true madness and mayhem of
mid-December. Preparing for Christmas at
home is easy in comparison to the challenges of working with 30 four and five year
olds at this time of the year. While their
excitement mounts with each passing day,
the increasingly fraught teacher tries to
teach the children some sense of the true
meaning of Christmas, while ensuring that
everyone has a home-made decoration for
their Christmas tree at home, that everyone
has a letter written to Santa and, of course,
that everyone has a part in the Nativity Play.
And there’s the challenge! With up to 30
in a class, how do you assemble a cast for
the play in a fair and equitable way? How
can you possibly have a part for every child
that showcases their many talents, that
caters for the reticent and the profoundly
shy, that takes account of the child who
stammers, that makes allowances for the
hyperactive and for the child with the
weak bladder? And how do you satisfy the
pushy parent who is convinced that their
darling should have one of the lead roles?
There can only be one Mary and one
Joseph and the three wise men is, unfortunately, a given. I have learned the hard way
that it’s difficult to have more than one
child carrying the star. There was lots of
unseemly pushing and shoving when it
was shared. There is some leeway, thankfully, with shepherds. I’ve had Christmas
plays with up to seven shepherds waving
madly to the angels. They subsequently
had to squeeze their way into a very
crowded stable to get even a glimpse of
the Baby Jesus.
Similarly, the innkeepers can vary in
number and gender, depending on how
many children are capable of learning the
line, “Sorry, we’ve no room tonight. Try next
door, they just might.” However, as our
school generally recycles the props of the
doors from the three little pigs’ houses
of straw, wood and bricks, as the front
doors of the inns, teachers generally
tried to limit it to three innkeepers if at
all possible.
As a rule, the boys usually object to
dressing up as angels, but this role does
help to use up at least six of the angelic
looking little girls. However, my experience has been that, strangely, the
more angelic they look, the less
angelic they actually behave on stage!
One of the major dilemmas for infant
teachers is to decide whether or not to
dress some children up as animals: there is
indeed scope for a donkey, a cow, several
sheep and even three camels. But, if there
is to be any semblance of adherence to the
script, the donkey and the camels have to
be ridden. This poses severe logistical
problems as Mary and the Wise Men would
have to be limited to light, agile children
who could easily dismount in the event of
a malfunctioning animal. The sheep would
have to be carried or, at worst, led along
on a lead. I recall a year when this lead
appeared to tighten on one child as the
play progressed and her vigilant mother
leapt to her rescue just as the shepherd
was about to hand her over as a gift to
Joseph and just before she
choked. The last time I had
an infant class, I opted for
sheep of the cuddly variety and a
donkey that had
miraculously
transformed
into a toy horse
that could be
pulled along by a
strong and robust
Joseph. I knew that
Mary was an accomplished Irish dancer who
could jump on and off the
horse/donkey at will without a
major risk of falling.
The narrator’s part can,
thankfully, be sub-divided into a
number of different parts for
each scene of the Nativity story
and, with each narrator dressed
in a dressing gown and a teatowel on his/her head,
they are immensely versatile. They can
substitute at short notice for either a shepherd or an innkeeper at any given time. As,
invariably, there is either an outbreak of flu
or chicken pox or scabies or impetigo or
the dreaded head-lice during the week
leading up to the Nativity play, it is always
wise to have at least some ‘sensible’ children who know the lines of a few characters and who are dressed on the day of the
play so that they are interchangeable with
any of the spoken parts.
You probably have all heard the story of
the little boy who cried because he wanted
to be Round John Virgin. But have you
heard of the wise teacher who set her
Nativity Play in a cave instead of a stable?
She needed at least two icicles to illustrate
just how freezing cold the cave really was
on that first Christmas. The children
learned all about the water cycle and how
real icicles cannot move or speak.
The two children lucky enough to be
given the parts of icicles had to stay
absolutely still to show that the
weather really was cold when the Baby
Jesus was born!
Kathryn Crowley, Principal, St
Louise de Marillac JNS, Ballyfermot,
Dublin 10.
I have learned the hard way
that it’s difficult to have
more than one child carrying
the star
47
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
The ghosts of Christmas
Ho ho ho and tiz the season. Sleigh bells
ring and cash registers jingle all the way
through the shopping days’ countdown.
Frazzled shoppers are checking their lists
and trying to keep within budgets restricted by the bailouts, job losses and spending
cuts. For many people, the seasonal
muzak creates stress and anxiety as they
yearn for the Christmases – and incomes – they used to know. For this reason many schools have put in place a No
Gifts For Teachers policy.
Quite rightly, no one
wants to overburden
families under pressure,
nor cause any discomfort to a child who has
48
no gift to bring. Furthermore, there is a
belief that teachers are paid (indeed, overpaid according to some voices in the media) for the work they do and therefore
Christmas presents are superfluous and
unnecessary. Then there is the bah-humbug-Scrooge philosophy and the DownWith-That-Sort-Of-Commercial-Materialistic-Thing viewpoint wafting on the
pine-needles-mulled-wine-mince-piescented air.
This is all valid, true and has merit, and
yet … and yet. I see the custom of
bringing gifts to the teacher as part
of the tradition of ‘Christmas
Teaching Matters
presents
Boxes’ which reaches back through
generations.The Christmas Box was an
expression of gratitude and appreciation
of service given, an acknowledgement of a
mutual relationship. In some short stories
and memoirs from rural Ireland fadó,
fadó, one reads of people going to town
“to bring the Christmas home”. This often
included a box presented by a shop regularly frequented containing food, cakes,
candles and even whiskey, as Michael J.
Murphy recalled in At Slieve Gullion’s
Foot in 1975. My own family experience
can be added to that. My parents had a
small newsagents and every year my father
organised a Christmas ‘gift’ for regular
and loyal customers. I remember calendars, pens and lighters (not just for the
smokers but also the candle-lovers!) bearing the shop’s name and logo. Yes, it was
advertising, but it was also letting customers know that they were valued and
that we appreciated their business. It was
not all one way either. My parents received many kind tokens from some of
the regulars; bottles of wine, homemade
cakes, even a voucher for a meal in a local,
rather nice hotel. Quite a treat. Had
these customers paid for everything
they had got in the shop? Of course!
These Christmas boxes were not so
much about rewarding the job my
parents did, but more acknowledging the way they did it; the cheery
banter, the customer service, the
personal touch.
For me, such gestures and
tokens are a tangible sign of internal feelings and a way we give
thanks and express appreciation.
It is a way to put into practice
‘an attitude of gratitude’ as our
American cousins might say.
Gratitude, as with the quality of
mercy, blesses those who give
and those who take. In the US,
Professor Robert Emmons conducted a
study into the effects of the practice of
gratitude and has found many positive
benefits, including feeling more alert,
having increased energy and generally
feeling better about oneself. Some years
ago the Irish Hospice Foundation brought
out The Thank You Book and, in it, clinical
psychologist Dr Marie Murray notes the
positive effects of being thankful. In the
introduction she states that our physical
wellbeing, our emotional stability and our
mental health are all enhanced by the
practice of gratitude. Hence, the book
encourages awareness of all that is worthy
of thanks in our lives and suggests a daily
practice of writing with gratitude in order
to connect with, and avail of, all the positive, life-enhancing benefits.
As someone who has been teaching for
some time (say no more!), since the days
before policies go leor, I have been the
lucky and happy recipient of many gifts
from many a pupil and I have to say that I
value and treasure them. For me, they are
symbols of the connections, the relationships, the little actions, the many ordinary
and sometimes remarkable moments that
make our learning communities. Every time
I wrap my cosy, festive red scarf around
my neck each December I gratefully think
of warm smiled Keith and remember his
ability for posing thought provoking
questions. When I am hanging decorations
on my Christmas tree there are so many
that make me pause to think of the brighteyed, excited, young children who gave
me the small, knobbly, tissue wrapped,
sticky-tape-choked packages. As the
plastic Santas and ornaments dance and
sway each year, they remind me that I am
lucky to do a job I love. When I use the
gold trimmed poinsettia splashed mug I
feel honoured and grateful to be trusted
by parents to work with their children.
When I use the gifts they bring the vision
of the child as I knew her/him to my
mind. (To borrow from Bob Dylan, they
are forever young). I also think of their
parents and families. I once heard a
Methodist minister preach: “Where we
give a thought, God can make a blessing”
so I hope that all those remembering
thoughts from me result in many positive
things and blessings for all those good
people. It really IS the thought that
counts.
If gratitude is a two way process then
we teachers can also do things to express
our gratitude to the pupils in our care,
and their families, and most of us do. The
stickers, pencils, fancy erasers, decorations etc. we give to our classes can be
seen as a ‘thanks’ from us to them (and
aren’t we all grateful for the budget shops
that help our euro go further when shopping for our class sizes!). An important
part of the learning process are the atmosphere, and the relationships of trust,
we create and maintain. We all have our
own customs, habits and ways of showing
appreciation. The important thing is to
feel it and do it.
So being grateful, and showing it, is
good for your health – yours, mine and
everyone’s. Therefore it is important for
children’s health and mental wellbeing to
develop their gracious, thankful attributes
through good manners and kindnesses. So
while we are telling families No Gifts, for
all the good reasons mentioned, the children can still cultivate a gratitude habit by
word, smile, or writing on a card. Or making one. Nothing says ‘thank you’ quite like
a card abrasive with a ton of cascading,
teeth-grating glitter and soggy with glue!
Happy Christmas to one and all ... and
thanks!
Mary Finnegan, B.Ed., M.Rel. Ed (Primary)
Hons is a teacher in St Vincent de Paul Infant
School, Griffith Ave, Dublin 9.
… it is important for children’s health and
mental wellbeing to develop their
gracious, thankful attributes through
good manners and kindnesses
49
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
Lexiles in the
Lexiles defined
The Lexile Framework for
Reading is a scientific approach
to measuring text difficulty and
reading ability, putting both
texts and readers on the same
scale to accurately match
readers to texts. A lexile
measure for either texts or
readers is a simple
number followed
by an ‘L’ (e.g.
‘850L’). The lexile
scale ranges
from
200L for a beginning reader to 1700L for
advanced texts. Both the lexile measure
and lexile scale are integral parts of The
Lexile Framework.
The lexile measure can be used both
to promote reading progress and to
assign the right level of reading
materials in other curriculum areas.
Lexiles are flexible enough to be used as
part of any type of reading program.
Manage your students’ reading
comprehension
Lexile measures allow you to manage
comprehension. Matching a reader’s
lexile measure to a text with the same
lexile measure leads to an expected 75%
comprehension rate — not too difficult
to be frustrating, but difficult
enough to be challenging and to
encourage reading progress. You
Using Lexiles in your classroom
• Develop individualised reading lists that are
tailored to provide appropriately challenging
reading.
• Enhance thematic teaching by building a bank
of titles at varying levels that not only support
the theme, but provide a way for all students to
successfully participate in the theme.
• Use as an additional organising tool when
sequencing materials. For example, you might
be choosing one book a month for use as a
read-aloud throughout the school year. In
addition to considering the topic, you could
increase the difficulty of the books throughout
the year.
This approach is also useful if you are
utilising a core program or textbook that is set
up in anthology format. (You may find that you
need to rearrange the order of the anthologies
to best meet your students’ needs.)
• Develop a reading folder that goes home with
students and comes back for weekly review.
50
The folder can contain a reading list of books
within the student’s Lexile range, reports of
recent assessments and a parent form to record
reading that occurs at home.
• Choose texts lower in the student’s lexile range
when factors make the reading situation more
challenging, threatening or unfamiliar. Select
texts at or above the student’s range to
stimulate growth when a topic is of extreme
interest to a student, or when you will be
adding additional support such as background
teaching or discussion.
• Use the free Lexile book database (at
www.Lexile.com) to support book selection
and create booklists within a student’s lexile
range to help the student make informed
choices when selecting texts.
• Use the freeLexile calculator (at
www.lexile.com) to gauge expected reading
comprehension at different lexile measures for
readers and texts.
Teaching Matters
classroom
information for homework. When
standards and scores are reported in
lexiles, families can be provided with
examples of student goals or
achievements by converting the lexile
measure into a range of familiar texts
for outside reading.
Lexiles:
matching a reader to a text.
can further adjust anticipated
comprehension simply by choosing
more or less difficult texts within a
student’s lexile range, which spans 50L
above and 100L below his/her lexile
measure.
Track progress on a day-to-day basis
Lexiles provide an authentic measure of
reading growth – because they relate to
text readability levels. ‘True’ growth
takes time – from six months to two
years before significant changes can be
seen.
Easily communicated to families
The Lexile Framework provides a clear,
non-judgmental way of communicating
a student’s reading abilities to parents.
It helps you generate
reading lists that help
parents guide their
children to
appropriately
challenging
reading
materials.
Lexiles can also
be used to
promote
summer
reading, and to
select books that
will provide more
easily understood
background
The Lexile Framework for reading
The Lexile Framework is an
indispensable part of any reading
program. Lexile measures give teachers
the confidence to choose materials that
will improve student reading skills and
take the guesswork out of matching
readers with appropriate texts. If you
know a student’s lexile measure, you
can tell with a great deal of accuracy
which books are appropriate for their
reading ability.
This text is measured at 1340L
Edmond Scannell teaches at
Catherine
McAuley
School,
Limerick and has trained with
MetaMetrics in North
Carolina in the Lexile
Framework.
Lexile measures give teachers the
confidence to choose materials that will
improve ﬆudent reading skills and take
the guesswork out of matching readers
with appropriate texts
51
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
A curious little incident
There is at least one school in Ireland which
appears to have escaped the ravages of
recession. The evidence for this assertion
came to light recently when Jim, the principal, saw what he took to be a salesman
walking from across the yard in his direction.
It was a brute of a Tuesday morning. A
grey rag of a sky was being slowly
squeezed on top of them. Jim had been
standing at the door of his prefab office
with Patrick, the hurling coach. The prefab
was called Tara, having been christened by
a member of staff with more than a hint of
irony. All the prefabs had been given names
that reflected aspects of the locality’s history
and traditions.
The principal turned to Patrick and said,
“I thought you were coming tomorrow.”
“No, we said today,” replied Patrick. It
would appear that principal Jim had
boobed again. The rugby coach was
booked for the afternoon. His September
mental haze hadn’t yet fully lifted and another fine mess had been begotten. Now
he’d have complaints about too much PE.
As the rain drizzled the pitch, they both
watched the youngish, well dressed man
with sleeked back fair hair heading for
them. All roads lead to Tara, Jim thought to
himself. Last thing he wanted this morning
was a salesman! Then he thought that he
looked like the teacher from St Joseph’s,
the school they were due to play in football
that week. For one awful moment he
feared that he had booked a football match
for that day as well.
They all exchanged pleasantries. The
visitor seemed agreeable and they continued to chat.
“The going will be soft,” said the visitor.
“No, I don’t think we’ll have too much hurling this morning,” replied Patrick. However,
the conversation took a curious turn when
“I’m here to do an incidental inspection,”
was dropped into the discourse. The visitor
was an inspector.
Patrick made his excuses, pulled up his
hood and headed off.
“Well, you’re very welcome.” said Jim,
“What’s the name again?”
“Philip.”
They chatted for a while. He related that
his boyhood dream was always to be an inspector. However the twinkle in the eye
and the smile betrayed the rogue. Jim told
him that he could never understand why
anybody wanted to be an inspector, even
of trains. At least this fellow wasn’t too stiff
52
and had some semblance of humour. The
inspector informed Jim that he would visit
three classrooms, junior middle and senior.
A few ticks in a questionnaire later and he
was on his way to senior infants.
The principal walked nonchalantly across
the yard to the photocopying room but
veered right with a Basil Fawlty-type
manoeuvre into sixth class to let teacher
know that there was an inspector in the
school. “Tá tú ag magadh.” “Fan go bhfeicfidh tú,” he told the teacher. Another seemingly relaxed trot across the yard brought
him to the second class room and he
imparted the forewarning regarding the
forthcoming visit. It’s amazing how the
news spreads. They knew already.
Jim recalled the principal of his acquaintance who used to send a sixth class child
around the classes to inform the teachers
that there was an inspector in the school. He
walked into one classroom and relayed his
message to the teacher: “Tá an cigire sa
scoil.” “Go raibh maith agat,” replied the inspector who had arrived just seconds earlier.
In his autobiography The Master, Bryan
McMahon recounted how the hotel porter
and the hackney driver formed a vital part
of the inspector alert system in many towns
including his native Listowel. The inspector
would stop off at the hotel for rest and
refreshments, the communication policy
would be invoked and news of the arrival
would be promptly delivered to the school.
The replenished and soon to be impressed
inspector would then arrive in a school
without a note or an anseo out of place. In
many parishes the bush telegraph would
swing into action when an inspector was
sighted. But not so much anymore. They
are now regarded as slightly detached
(used to be estranged) colleagues in the
business of promoting and improving
education. The children have, in a sense,
set the tone for this change for while in
many cases they don’t take a blind bit of
notice, on other occasions they resent the
change this visit makes to their schedule.
The senior infants teacher turned on the
lights and proceeded to set up the projector for class. “Now Peter, múch na soilse,”
said teacher to her lights’ man. Peter, all
five years of age walked to the switch
mumbling, “One minute you turn them off
and then you want them on, will you ever
make up your mind.” “Peter, do you want
to keep your good job,” inquired teacher.
The inspector smiled. Peter had set the
tone for another normal, wonderful day in
senior infants.
At the 11 o’clock break Jim noticed that
they had no biscuits or cake, nothing but
tea and coffee. “If you told us you were
coming we’d have made a cake or got a
few biscuits,” he said. “Apologies for my
lack of courtesy,” he joked.
Philip finished at 2 o’clock. He was impressed with what he saw and had a few
helpful suggestions. It was a change from
the time when the inspector would inform
the principal of his findings in Irish within
earshot of the class. It was like a secret
code, the presumption being that although
the children had spent up to eight years
learning the language, they possibly couldn’t
understand a word of what was being said.
He bid Jim farewell while in the
background the raindrops went drip-dripdrip down the back of the Chinese torture
prefab office. The inspector buttoned up
his coat and headed off across the yard.
Jim sat back in his chair and did a bit of
inspector inspection. He concluded that he
was good humoured, understanding, well
informed, positive, and constructive with a
few useful suggestions and would be more
than welcome whenever he chose to return.
Jim’s experiences with inspectors, thus far,
had in the main been positive and constructive. He had met some thoroughly
sound ladies and gentlemen of the profession. However, there was one occasion when
the taxman conspired to deduct more than
three quarters of his salary from his pay
cheque. The eleven o’clock break dragged
on a bit. One of his colleagues suggested
they ring the bell in case an inspector
appeared. “In view of what they paid me, if
an inspector shows up, I’ll catch him by the
seat of the pants and deposit him on the
road.” And wouldn’t you know what happened. His fighting talk was interrupted by
a knock on the door. “Cé tá I bhfeighil an
clós?” inquired an inspector glancing at his
watch. “Ó mise,” said Jim with a not very
royal sheepishness. That set the tone for
what was a testy encounter. He learned
some time later that ‘round about that time
the inspector had received bad news about
a close family member. In later encounters
he proved himself to be a gentleman.
The sewing inspector as she was rightly
or wrongly known was one woman Jim
Teaching Matters
hoped he would never meet. She was a legendary figure and her reputation had embroidered many decades. Though of indeterminate age and clad in black, she was a
picture of good health when she appeared
like a post Halloween spectre at Jim’s classroom door one November morning back in
the late 70s. The classroom art was deemed
satisfactory though her main interest was
the crafts. She wanted to see some weaving.
For the first time in his life Jim was introduced to weaving as he unravelled the
wool and proceeded to criss-cross the darn
on a piece of cardboard while the inspector, glasses perched on the tip of her nose
and plumed hat angled on her stylishly
coiffured head, took him through the process
and taught him the wonderful craft of
weaving. The class didn’t know what to make
of this new pupil-teacher relationship.
Inspectors come in all shapes and forms
and manifest every human trait: pomposity,
humility, generosity, power, wisdom, humour and empathy. Verbosity was another
attribute Jim associated with one or two of
them. He had heard about the fellow who
went on at length ventilating his ideas,
with his free flowing nouns and adjectives
being chased by the occasional verb but
rarely troubled by a subject. Though now a
rarity an occasional model with this patent
is still being produced. Along with doctors,
dentists, priests, consultants and sergeants,
inspectors were always afforded a certain
deference. The changes are welcome.
Some of the old time inspectors were a law
unto themselves. Certain cigirí had reputations that would have got them positions
in Attila the Hun’s inner circle. One inspector arrived at a school back in the 50s to
find the path to the school entrance under
water. The teachers and children had negotiated the ‘torrents’ but the inspector insisted that the principal carry him to save his
good leather shoes. If on this occasion you
can locate a little bit of Christian charity,
you’ll be glad to hear that he arrived in the
classroom dry and high.
Many years ago, Jim walked into a
classroom at lunchtime to find an inspector, previously unknown to him and a
teacher, in deep conversation or should
I say deep lecture for he, the inspector was
pontificating and she, the teacher was very
much a captive audience of one with a look
that betrayed her utter bewilderment with
the proceedings. “I have the ear of the
highest, the great and the good in
Brussels where new policies and robust
ones at that are being formulated for
implementation. We will launch a ship
of change and renewal on the world of
education.” On and on he went as the
teacher gazed up at him, open-mouthed
while he gazed into her eyes with passionate policy intensity. The laughter welled up
inside and Jim had to flee outside and let it
all out.
Now I told you earlier that there was no
recession in that school. Well next morning
as Jim stood at the top of the wheelchair
access ramp into Tara and gazed out over
the expanse of tarmacadam and the row
of prefabs, all seemed well in his kingdom.
He settled into the office for what he hoped
would be an uneventful day. There was a
welcome silence for the rain had stopped.
But the other torture device rang. It was
the secretary and I must add she was not
the torturer. “There’s another inspector
here to see you,” she informed him. “You’re
joking!” She wasn’t. Within minutes Jim
was in conversation with another dapper,
impressive young man who was outlining
his plans for the day. “This is a double
pleasure, we haven’t seen an inspector for
a few years and then we have two in two
days. Who do we thank for having these
generous resources lavished upon us?” he
told him. That put paid to his planning.
“Well there’s no recession in this school,”
replied the inspector, “I’ll have to find
someone else for the day. Any suggestions?” “Oh there are so many crying out
for you, if I recommended one I’d only
make enemies of the others. I’m sure you’ll
find someone.” He laughed and headed
off.
Bryan McMahon wouldn’t have
approved of the inactivity that governed
the following ten minutes of Jim’s career.
He never rang the neighbouring schools
to tip them off. Or maybe it was a form of
Freudian slip. Perhaps we really shouldn’t
be too bothered if they come or go!
Dan Daly, Principal, Robinstown NS,
Navan, Co Meath. This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places and incidents either
are products of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual events or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.
As the rain drizzled the pitch,
they watched the youngish,
well dressed man with
sleeked back fair hair
heading for them. All roads
lead to Tara, the principal
thought to himself. Last
thing he wanted this
morning was a salesman! 53
Teaching Matters
I have just finished teaching an eight week
mindfulness course to a group of 16 year
olds and am struck by the richness of
learning, communicating and bonding
that has taken place. The teacher pupil
relationship has been strengthened. We
have shared much, in mindful ways, over
the past number of weeks. The class
teacher and SNA have truly encouraged
and inspired me as they have added their
own wisdom and creativity to the programme. They have also given credence to
this new initiative as they too immersed
themselves in the mindfulness lessons.
Mindfulness is often described as ‘being
present’ and as I reflect I realise that being
present is the greatest gift I can offer as a
teacher. On any given session of the mindfulness course I offered in school I had to
be present to individuals and at times to
the class as a whole. I am reminded of one
of the earlier sessions when the class
teacher came to my resource room indicating that the planned mindfulness lesson
for that afternoon could prove difficult as a
number of incidents had occurred earlier
that day, leaving a heavy mood of agitation. On that occasion I veered from my
lesson plan opting to offer students a full
relaxation meditation. The class embraced
this suggestion and many of them took
mats and blankets while others stayed
seated at their desks. This lying down
meditation is a version of the ‘body scan’
for those of you familiar with the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programme or the aptly named ‘beditation’
from the .b Programme (pronounced dot b).
Lessons
My actual mindfulness lessons, like many
other lessons, often take a different path
despite my planning. Outlined is today’s
example, a lesson I had planned well as I
wanted to bring
closure to our
mindfulness
sessions.
Perhaps
you
are familiar with the unwilling pupil, the
one who opts out and tries to take the
others with him/her. I met this pupil on the
way into class today and so the battle began; the teacher versus the pupil. He didn’t
want to be there and he wanted us to disappear. However, instead of being swept
away by the pupil and his non compliance
I was able to acknowledge his difficulties
yet be present to the whole class. This is
what I call my informal mindful practice.
I took the decision to drop into stillness
and quietness at the beginning; allowing
more time for the mindful activity. During
the shortened meditation, the class were
able to choose to look after themselves or
to be distracted by the low level noise of
the aforementioned pupil. I was surprised
as the pupils assumed their postures and
reminded one another to place both feet
on the floor. One of the girls who had been
a reluctant participant in session one and
two reminded her peers to place their
hands on their laps as she shut her eyes to
embrace this time for herself. Being aware
of transformation as it happens is truly
spectacular. This is the only feedback I
need and gathering comments is unnecessary.
Wellbeing
As a teacher I have actively sought to nourish my pupils and their needs through my
reading, attendance at courses and the
application of the SPHE curriculum. However I have been lazy when it comes to
looking after me. The question of my own
wellbeing was slowly rising to the surface. I
finally had to ask myself what was I doing
to sustain myself, how could I reduce my
own levels of stress and prevent the well
documented burnout that exists within my
profession.
While acknowledging I had accumulated
a number of resources and strategies over
the years I decided to try mindfulness, a
concept I
knew little
about. Initially I
dipped
into
mindful-
ness without realising that I would return
to it again and again and again. I was a bit
annoyed when I realised mindfulness was
not a quick fix but involved home practice,
code for homework. It eventually dawned
on me that mindfulness is not a once off
course or just a good idea; it is a way of
living that helps me be a better teacher.
Armed with this knowledge I continue to
struggle with my homework and have
trained as a Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction teacher.
On ‘Mindful Mondays’ I practice with my
colleagues before the pupils arrive. Those
of us who come together give ourselves
this gift of time – a time to transition from
our weekend to our working week. In turn I
am more aware and better able to deal
with stressful events as they are happening.
I now acknowledge the emotional intensity of the job, an admission I could not have
previously made due to my continued
passion for teaching and learning. I pay
more attention to my pupils and colleagues
and am less likely to judge. I use mindfulness techniques with pupils in an effort to
deliberately cultivate positive qualities
such as empathy and compassion.
Finally a level of self-compassion is
creeping in as I consciously try not to give
emotionally charged school situations too
much space in my head. Daily challenges
will always exist but how I relate to the
bumps in the road has changed. I realise
that all teachers face challenges and that
everyone, including myself, is doing the
best we can in a system which offers little
support in addressing teacher stress and
promoting wellbeing.
“Be the educator who brings the experiences of kindness, care, joy, happiness and
calm to the fore by your presence”.
Kay Murphy, B.A., H.D.E,
MA in Leadership and Pastoral
Care. Kay teaches in Scoil
Chiaráin, Glasnevin, and has a
strong background in education
having worked abroad and
within the Irish education
system for over 25 years.
If you would like to try mindfulness as a buffer
from stressful experiences Kay will be offering
an eight week MBSR course geared for educators in the Friary on Merchants Quay, beginning
January 2014. For further course information
email: [email protected].
55
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
Mí na Nollag – Gairdín éan na scoile
Hands-on: the school bird garden
What is it?
An area or areas in the school
grounds devoted to trees,
shrubs, climbers, grasses and
other herbaceous plants, feeders and nesting sites for the
welfare of birds.
Did you know?
In the survey, Birds of Conservation Concern in Ireland 20082013 conducted by BirdWatch
Ireland and the RSPB (Northern
Ireland), alarming declines in a
number of bird populations
across the island were identiBackground information
fied. Those that had declined by
Some bird species are in serious over 70% were placed on a ‘Red
decline mainly because of loss List’. Some of these included
of habitat. Schools can remedy the barn owl, corncrake, yelthis by making the school
lowhammer (90% decline), and
grounds bird-friendly.
yellow wagtail. 25 in total have
been allocated to this list. In
1999 there were 18 on the list.
The Countryside Bird Survey
1998-2010 identified an increase
in Goldfinches and Stonechats
but a decline in skylarks,
kestrels, greenfinches, swifts
and grey wagtails. The most
notable decline was in the
goldcrest species.
Very few children recognise
the chaffinch, one of our commonest birds!
A sample of some feeders:
• Tits love caterpillars, spiders
and greenflies which they
•
•
•
•
find on trees,
bushes, annuals and
herbaceous plants.
Finches love the seeds found
in a wildflower meadow and
a sunflower forest.
Starlings and blackbirds love
a lawn area where they find
leatherjackets and worms.
Dunnocks and robins love
leaf litter where they find a
great variety of invertebrates
such as slugs and worms.
Thrushes love snails, worms
and berries.
Blackberries. Pic: Mary Twomey.
A bird survey
Are the school grounds bird friendly?
Food
Cotoneaster �
Shrubs with berries?
Pyracantha �
Honeysuckle �
Ivy �
Native shrubs with berries? Holly �
Wild privet �
Hawthorn �
Elder �
Trees with fruit and seed? Alder �
Rowan �
Holly �
Privet �
Honeysuckle �
Bird cherry �
Crab apple �
Bramble �
Viburnum opulus �
Hawthorn-149* � Blackthorn-109* �
Oak-284* �
Willow-266* �
Alder-90* �
Elm-82* �
Dog-rose-100* �
Birch-229* �
Ash-41* �
Hazel-73* �
Crab-93* �
Lime-31* �
Holly-7* �
Scots Pine-91* �
Sycamore-15* �
Flowers with seed?
Sunflowers �
Snapdragon �
Asters �
Wild grasses �
Other food sources
Rotting logs �
Heap of leaf mould � Leaf litter �
Nuts in a feeder �
Suet or lard balls � Water in container � Apples strewn on grass �
Health
Bird bath �
Hollow place with sand �
Muddy place �
Shelter
Thick hedge �
Evergreen shrubs �
Wooded area �
Nesting
Honeysuckle �
Hole in tree trunk �
Trees of different heights � Evergreen shrubs & trees �
Wide eaves for swifts, starlings & sparrows �
* The figure refers to the number of insect species found on the tree.
Dunnock. Pic: Mary Twomey.
Shrubs with insects?
Trees with insects?
Teasel �
Mistle thrush on a
Yew tree. Pic: Mary
Twomey.
Bird table with food �
Native hedgerow � Stone wall with crevices �
Nesting boxes (facing north east, east or south east) �
String bags with feathers, wool, hair & moss for nest �
Paddy Madden & Marian Rollins
Literacy/Litearthacht
•Bird habitat/Gnáthóg Éan: A place that has
food and shelter for birds. Áit a bhfuil bia
agus dídean ann d’éin.
•Bird-feeder/Beathadán Éan: A
hanging container which has food such
as nuts and seeds for birds. Soitheach
ar crochadh a bhfuil bia (cnónna agus
síolta, mar shampla) ann d’éin.
• Bird-table/Bord Éan: A moveable table
56
on which food is placed daily for birds to eat.
Bord inaistrithe ar a gcuirtear, go laethúil, bia
d’éin.
• Bird-box/Bosca Éan: Wooden box with suitable
openings to attract different species of birds to
nest. Bosca déanta as adhmad le hoscailtí
oiriúnacha ann chun speicis dhifriúla d’éin a
mhealladh chuige chun nead a thógáil ann.
• Bird-hide/Folachán Éanbhreathnóireachta: A
camouflaged viewing shelter to spot birds.
Dídean a bhfuil duaithníocht curtha air
ionas gur féidir breathnú ar éin uaidh.
• Leaf-litter/Easair Dhuillí: Rotting leaves under
trees which attract many species of vertebrates
and invertebrates for feeding and shelter.
Duilleoga lofa faoi chrainn a mheallann chun
beathaithe agus chun dídine go leor speiceas de
veirteabraigh agus d’inveirteabraigh.
Buíochas do Marie Whelton (MIE)
don aistriúchán.
Stonechat. Pic: Mary Twomey.
Paddy Madden continues his series of SESE tips
Suitable plants to attract birds to the garden
Trees
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), Crab Apple (Malus sylvestris), Birch (Betula pendula),
Oak (Quercus petraea and robur) and Willow (Salix spp)
Shrubs
Native
Hazel (Corylus avellana), Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), Holly (Ilex aquifolium),
Bird Cherry (Prunus padus)
Non-native Herring-bone plant (Cotoneaster horizontalis), Firethorn (Pyracantha
‘Orange Glow’), June Berry (Amelanchier canadensis),
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia spp),Quince (Chaenomeles japonica).
Climbers Native
Ivy (Hedera helix), Dogrose (Rosa canina), Sweet Briar (Rosa rubiginosa),
Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum), Bramble (Rubus fruticosus)
Herbaceous Native
Teazel (Dipsacus sylvestris), Common Knapweed (Centaurea nigra),
plants
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaris), Lesser Burdock (Arctium minus),
Holly
Common Bird’s-Foot-Trefoil (Lotuscorniculatus).
Non native Sunflower (Helianthus anuus), Snapdragon (Antirrhum spp), Michaelmas Daisies (Aster spp),
Honesty (Lunaria biennis), Common Evening Primrose (Oenoethera biennis)
Planting
• Plant bare-rooted trees and
shrubs to make a mini-wood
or hedgerow in any month
with an 'r' except September
and April. Include a log-habitat
in the wood.
• Sow a wildflower meadow in
April or September.
Strategies
1. Place bird-boxes with different
sizes of entrance holes and
gaps in place in mid-winter.
2. From November to March
(earlier if weather is very cold)
Resources Websites mentioned plus:
• www.futureforests.net Good source for native trees
and shrubs. They will send these to schools bare rooted.
• www.birdwatchireland.ie Good site relating to birds
in Ireland.
• www.rspb.co.uk Good site for identifying birds and
listening to their calls.
• www.naturedetectives.org.uk Good site for activities
on studying birds in school.
• www.learnnc.org/lp/media/articles/wildnb0701/
birddiagram.pdf Parts of a bird.
• www.biology.ie Submission of bird sightings.
• www.enfo.ie
provide birds with food on a
bird table or hanging feeder.
Clean bird-table regularly with
boiling water and move
regularly as well.
3. Supply fresh water daily.
4. Ensure that feeding continues
over the school breaks.
General information on birds.
• www.birdsireland.com/ Website of bird expert, Eric
Dempsey.
• www.fatbirder.com/links_geo/europe/ireland.
html Interesting facts on birds in different counties.
• The complete field-guide to Ireland’s birds, by Eric
Dempsey and Michael O’Clery (Gill & Macmillan, 2010)
• Pocket guide to the common birds of Ireland, by Eric
Dempsey and Michael O’Clery (Gill & Macmillan, 1995)
• Birdwatching in Ireland with Eric Dempsey
(Gill & Macmillan, 1995)
• Go Wild at School, Chapter 5 A Bird
Sanctuary.
Haws
Linking to the curriculum
• Make a bird hide. Find a huge cardboard box.
Paint it with colours that match its
surroundings. Cut out holes shaped like a
letterbox for viewing. Site it in an area
frequented by birds. To prevent it being
blown away tie the four corners with string to
stakes hammered into the ground. Cover with
polythene in wet weather.
• Make a string nesting bundle in the spring.
Gather materials such as straw, dry grass, dry
moss, feathers, wool, hair and cotton. Use a
forked branch c. 30 cm long as an anchor.
Place the material in the fork and then wind
the string around it. Hang it from the stump
end onto a branch. Gardeners’ World Jan.
2008.
• See www.birdwatchireland.ie for 18 school
projects on birds which include design and
make activities and surveys on birds around
the school grounds.
• See www.blackrockec.ie/
content/current-projects for
information on (a) How to
make a bird-feeder
(November); How to make a
bird-table (December); How
to make a bird-box (December);
How to make a bird-bath (December);
Birdfeeding during winter (January).
• Drawing birds using Gordon Darcy’s book
Narture: See www.gordondarcy.ie
Cotoneaster
Robin on bird
table.
Pic: Cormac
Madden.
Starling.
Pic: Mary Twomey.
Bullfinch.
Pic: Mary Twomey.
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). Mor
info on school gardens on www.schoolearthed.ie
57
Tits on a home made brid feeder. Pic: Cormac Madden.
Teaching Matters
Cúrsaí Teagaisc
Acmhainní Nollaig – www.nollaigshona.ie
Is fiú go mór leas a bhaint as an teicneolaíocht chun tacú le múineadh na Gaeilge,
chun éagsúlacht a bheith sa cheacht agus
chomh maith leis sin, chun suim na bpáistí
a spreagadh. Tá lear mór áiseanna
úsáideacha a bhaineann leis an Nollaig ar
an suíomh www.nollaigshona.ie: pictiúir,
postaeir, gearrthóga físe agus luaschártaí
ina measc. Molann Curaclam na Gaeilge
go leor prionta sa timpeallacht agus ábhar
chlóbhuailte a bheith ar chrochadh ar
bhallaí na scoile agus sa seomra ranga
chun tacú leis an léitheoireacht agus
litearthacht i gcoitinne. Cabhróidh na
háiseanna atá ar an suíomh le stór focal na
bpáistí a mhéadú ar bhealach
taitneamhach agus suimiúil.
•
•
•
•
I measc na n-áiseanna tá
• Cur i láthair Powerpoint ag insint an
scéil faoi Mhuire agus Iosaef agus breith
an linbh Íosa i mBeithil fadó.
• Cur i láthair Powerpoint le foclóir a
bhaineann le bia Nollag.
• Dánta simplí Coinneal na Nollag, An
Nollaig agus Daidí na Nollag.
• Focail don amhrán Nollag traidisiúnta
Jingle Bells.
• Cártaí lúibe (loop cards) bunaithe ar
théarmaíocht a bhaineann le bia Nollag
agus le séasúr na Nollag.
• Ballaí Focal bunaithe ar fhoclóir a
bhaineann leis an gCéad Nollaig agus le
bia Nollag ar bhileog A4 amháin.
• Luaschártaí le foclóir a bhaineann le
séasúr na Nollag.
• Na hamhráin Nollaig Shona 2012 agus
Cuireadh do Mhuire tógtha ó EP na
Nollag 2012 ó TG Lurgan. Is féidir an
ceol agus na focail a íoslódáil saor in
aisce.
• Leagan Gaeilge de Fairy Tale of New
York.
• Gearrthóg ó Youtube den charúl Nollag
Oíche Chiúin á chanadh ag Enya.
Áiseanna do scoileanna T2
Ceann des na háiseanna is fearr liom féin
ar an suíomh ná na Wordles Gaeilge. Uirlis
ilmheánach is ea Wordle is féidir a úsáid
saor in aisce agus ar go leor slite. Tá sé
fíoréasca wordle a chruthú. Ní gá ach píosa
téacs nó liosta focal a chur isteach, agus
cruthaítear scamall focal leis na focail is
minice sa téacs léirithe níos soiléire ná na
focail eile sa téacs. Is féidir an téacs a athrú
ar go leor bealaí trí chlónna éagsúla,
leagan amach agus scéim dathanna
éagsúla a roghnú.
Úsáid sa rang
• Taispeáin an Wordle a a bhaineann leis
an gCéad Nollaig i mBeithil do na páistí
agus ansin inis an scéal nó meall an
scéal ó na páistí ag déanamh tagartha
do na focail léirithe.
Déan ransú smaointe mar gheall ar
Dhaidí na Nollag leis an rang, cláraigh
na focail ar an gclár bán agus iarr ar
pháistí a Wordle féin a chruthú mar
gheall air.
Iarr ar pháistí na focail a bhaineann le
hamhrán Nollag ar nós Oíche Chiúin a
scríobh i Wordle agus ansin na focail is
coitianta a phlé.
Déan liosta de na bronntanais atá á lorg
ag na páistí ó Dhaidí na Nollag. Tabhair
deis do gach páiste cur leis an liosta ar
ríomhaire an ranga agus ansin
cruthaigh Wordle a mbeidh úinéireacht
ag an rang ar fad air.
Leigh scéal a bhaineann leis an Nollaig
don rang agus cruthaigh Wordle le
hionchur teanga a dhéanamh ar fhoclóir
nua agus léirigh ar an gclár idirghníomhach é roimh ré.
Áiseanna do scoileanna T1
Tá an dán Oíche Nollag de chuid Máire
Mhac an tSaoi tráthúil don am seo den
bhliain. Bheadh an dán seo oiriúnach do na
hardranganna i scoileanna T1 go háirithe
mar go bhfuil ardchaighdeán Gaeilge sa
dán. Tá dánta agus amhráin eile ann oiriúnach do ranganna éagsúla.
Úsáid sa rang
• Múin na focail nó na frásaí deacra do na
páistí roimh ré chun go mbeidh tuiscint
mhaith acu ar ábhar an dáin.
• Tabhair deis do na páistí tuilleadh eolais
a fháil faoi Mháire Mhac an tSaoi ar an
idirlíon.
• Pléigh mothúcháin an fhile agus an
dáin, m.sh. grá, ómós.
• Faigh eolas maidir le seantraidisiúin na
Nollag, chun an Nollaig inniu a chur i
gcomparáid le haimsir na Nollag fadó.
• Léirigh scéal an dáin i bhfoirm dhráma.
• Déan cleachtadh ar léamh an dáin ina
n-aonar, i bpéirí agus i ngrúpaí. Ansin is
féidir leis na páistí an dán a chur i
láthair an ranga. Spreagann sé seo
líofacht léitheoireachta.
• Tarraing agus péinteáil na híomhánna
atá sa dán sa rang ealaíne.
Ar fáil
Tá gach áis ar fáil saor in aisce ag
www.nollaigshona.ie.
Curtha le chéile ag Bríd
Ní Dhonnchadha
agus Máire Nic an Rí
faoi choimirce COGG.
58
Teaching Matters
Book reviews
ELSTA – Five-year Anniversary Journal
E
LSTA (English Language Support Teachers’ Association) conferences are well-known for
their thought-provoking keynotes; a richness
captured eloquently in this important publication, which features Irish and international contributors at the forefront of the field of language
education.
In 2007 ELSTA stated that “if teachers were to answer adequately the needs of immigrant students,
they would have to understand the educational,
linguistic and cultural backgrounds of those students”. This understanding of language as more
than linguistics, but as an integral part of students’
cultural and ethnic identities, is reflected in the
journal. Thus, papers such as ‘nurturing identities
of competence’ (Jim Cummins, 2009), and ‘immigration and schooling – making a difference?’ (Dympna Devine, 2010), are among the contributions.
Practical ideas for the classroom also feature.
In 2008 Virginia Rojas spoke about “frontier
teachers”, capturing the ground-breaking work
happening then as EAL teachers built specialist
knowledge and expertise in their field. This was a
rich national resource, painstakingly developed;
the reduction in language support is a severe blow
to children in this country. This timely publication
reminds us that EAL needs to remain a priority in
Irish education.
Available from Lorraine Downey:
[email protected]
Ejournal also available for €10. •
Reviewed by Dr Barbara O’Toole,
Director of the Master’s in Intercultural
Education at Marino Institute of Education.
This programme contains a module on EAL.
Further details available on www.mie.ie/
masters
Encounters in mythology
T
he Secret of the Sleeveen by Brenda Ennis, with
illustrations by Thomas Ryan, tells the story of
eleven year old Aisling who enters the world of
the Sídhe as Samhain is being celebrated. She
encounters many lios people and characters from
mythology, both from Celtic backgrounds and further afield as she travels on her quest to rescue her
grandmother who disappeared many years before.
At times Aisling’s adventures read like a pantomime script as she speeds from one adventure to
another. The glossary, along with a transcription in
the International Phonetic Alphabet, is necessary in
order to understand and appreciate this book. At
times the language is quite complex and would be
more suited to very able senior pupils, especially
those with good Gaeilge. However, some of chapters
could be used, with middle classes, perhaps as part of
cross-curricular theme during the lead up to
Halloween. You can also interact via the blog at
www.ancientorderofthesidhe.ie.
Published by Evertype, The Secret of the Sleeveen
costs €11.95 and is available on Amazon.co.uk, ISBN
978-1-78201-041-8. •
Reviewed by Ciaran Byrne, Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow
Corrections to November’s Reviews
The November review of Step Into Writing described the book as as a
“handbook for teachers”. We are happy to clarify that the handbook
is in fact intended for use by children in the classroom.The author of
Sounds Good Phonics, not credited in the November magazine, was
Marie Campion, of St Nessan’s NS, Co Limerick.
A time travelling
barge on the
Grand Canal
G
ráinne O’Shea from Co Offaly and
teaching in Rath NS, Ballybrittas, Co
Laois, has just launched a children’s
book and educational pack regarding the Grand Canal. As a primary teacher
with an environmental background she
felt the potential of the inland waterway
network as a teaching resource needed to
be explored.
Grainne decided to write a story and
design an accompanying environmental
educational resource pack to assist teachers
in inspiring senior primary school pupils to
appreciate the potential of the Grand
Canal. The Barmey Barge tells the story of
Conor, Ciara and Captain Twitter who take
a trip on a time travelling barge. During
their journey they learn the geographical
location, historical significance, leisure potential and biodiversity value of our Grand
Canal. The pack includes: 30 copies of the
storybook; a teacher’s manual which contains a series of lesson plans covering all
subjects – with the theme of the Grand
Canal central to each plan. a photocopiable nature trail and a CD-ROM containing
all of the above in digital format plus additional photos.
The Pack costs €150. For further information please call 087 6527690 or
email:[email protected] •
59
Finishing Touches
Resources for teachers, Noticeboard of Upcoming Events and the Comhar Linn Crossword
Flu Survey
Copy Date
Copy you wish to have
considered for publication in
the January/February issue of
InTouch should arrive in Head
Office by 6 January 2014. The
deadline for the March issue is 10
February 2014.
Call for Papers
IATSE invites papers/
presentations/workshops for
Conference 2014.
Please submit a short abstract
(maximum 100 words) and
presenter’s details to: (post) IATSE
Conference Director, Drumcondra
Education Centre, Dublin 9, or
email: [email protected]
Closing date for submissions:
Friday, 17 January 2014.
Flusurvey.ie, Hosted at NUI Galway,
Aims to Track the Spread of Seasonal Flu
in Ireland.
Flusurvey.ie is a new website that will map
the spread of seasonal influenza and allow
health authorities and members of the public
fight against flu.
The site is the result of a joint research
collaboration between NUI Galway, the HSE, the
Health Protection Surveillance Centre and
international partners from the EU-wide
Influenzanet project, and enlists members of the
public to help in the fight against seasonal flu.
Flusurvey will provide valuable public health
information on the demographics and
geographic location of influenza sufferers
Volunteers register online and self-report by
answering short questions relating to
demographic, medical, socio-economic and
lifestyle issues. The information received is
anonymous.
The system can also be used to support
teaching and class projects at primary level. For
example, teachers can register groups of
students, and they can track their symptoms
throughout the year, and use the data to support
the teaching of maths and science.
For further information, please logon to
http://flusurvey.ie or contact the Project Leader,
Jim Duggan, at [email protected]
Seasonal influenza
Seasonal influenza is a highly contagious viral
disease that is characterised by a sudden onset of
fever, accompanied by muscle pain or headache,
and a cough or sore throat. In Ireland, influenza
epidemics usually last 6-14 weeks, usually
occurring between October and May each season.
Appeal for Laptops
Make-a-Wish
Are you tired of getting presents you
don’t need? Make-A-Wish can help. You
can ask your students to rekindle the real
spirit of Christmas with a Wish Kindle. These
little gifts can make a big difference to MakeA-Wish. With 179 wishes on their waiting list
you will be helping to grant wishes to
children living with a life-threatening
medical condition. So this year instead of a
Kris Kindle gift, do a Wish Kindle by visiting
www.wishkindle.ie.
Camara Ireland has issued an appeal for donations of laptops for use in Irish
schools. There has been a surge in demand for Camara’s educational
technology packages and the charity has not yet sourced enough used laptops to
meet this demand.
Camara is appealing to you to consider donating end of life laptops for reuse in
the education of Irish students. The social enterprise, founded in 2010, provides
reused laptops and teacher training to disadvantaged Irish schools at 25% of the
price of a new laptop. Camara Ireland has supplied over 900 computers to schools
this year, training nearly 400 educators in the process. To donate visit www.camara.org or call 01 6522673.
Christmas Closure
INTO Head Office will close for business at 5 p.m. on Monday,
23 December 2013 and re-open at 9 a.m. on Thursday, 2 January, 2014.
School Gardens
We hope you are finding InTouch
articles on school gardens useful.
For more information and resources
regarding setting up a school garden
visit www.schoolearthed.ie
Small Ad
Primary &
Post-Primary
Teachers
Improve your qualifications
through part-time modular
courses leading to MEd degree.
Starting September, 2013.
Module 12961: Pastoral Care
in Education.
Inquiries to:
The Director
Christian Leadership in
Education Office (CLEO),
Mardyke House,
Cork
Credits allowed for
PriorCertificated Learning
Tel/fax: 021-4271729
E-mail: [email protected]
www.cleocork.com
61
Nótaí Deiridh
Two pages of resources for the classroom, from training courses to helpful hints and useful links
Exploring marine resources
Irish language GAA club
The Explorers Education Programme aims to integrate marine themes as
closely as possible with lessons already taught in national schools through
the Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE) curriculum and
other cross curricular subjects. The Explorers programme was initiated
through the Marine Institute and educators including the Galway
Education Centre, Galway Atlantaquaria,
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology,
National University of Ireland, Galway,
and the Connemara Environmental,
Educational and Cultural Centre
(CEECC) at Letterfrack to name a few.
Details of the Explorers programme
and other resources
can be found at:
www.marine.ie/home/
community/education/
Na Gaeil Óga is an Irish-language GAA club based in Dublin’s
Phoenix Park. Founded in 2010 to provide a sporting and social
outlet for the capital’s Irish language community the club has
gone from strength to strength and now boasts two male football teams, a ladies football team, a hurling team, with plans for
a camogie team and handball for next year underway. The club
has performed well on and off the pitch, winning a Dublin South
league and the Ó Broin cup last year as well as a Dublin Bus
community spirit award. The club now has over 100 members
from all over the country and a varied social calendar with trips
to Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta and elsewhere, events and
nights out throughout the year. All standards of sporting ability
and linguistic ability in Irish are catered for. Many teachers are
already playing members and more are involved in training and
support.
More info: email: [email protected]. www.nagaeiloga.ie
Facebook: Na Gaeil Óga CLG Twitter: @nagaeiloga Youtube:
www.youtube.com/user/NaGaeilOga
• Comhar Linn Crossword NO 152
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, Friday 24th January 2014
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
32
34
36
Across
Down
1. She comes from a midair debs to feature in
the wedding. (10)
6. Party animal! (4)
10. Account to Edward for how one performed.
(5)
11 & 12. Twin grills failed to recreate this work of
art. (5,4,7)
15. Coin-like object given to Mr. Doherty. (5)
17. What's gold, to a teacher, is relative. (4)
18. It's shouted as a warning, of course. (4)
19. The G.I. was confused by this number. (5)
21. After a great deed, her plume appears. (7)
23. Praise what the ox let loose. (5)
24. A grouping of powers within a superb
location. (4)
25. Finished with a headless paramour. (4)
26. Dither, making the cardinal attest. (5)
28. Gave a dirty look at a beastly female in
winter transport. (7)
33. A return journey makes the spherical
stumble. (5,4)
34. A person is no longer in bed, being a goal
ahead. (3,2)
35. To provide one's fill, one took a seat next to
the cardinal. (4)
36. Flowering plant involved in a mega-prison
breakout. (10)
1. Stoker has written a note to a sheepish
male. (4)
2. Print 'tree' in a way to make things more
understandable. (9)
3. Make a gift as the cow and sow both do. (5)
4. Mother's willing to become a stoneworker.
(5)
5. Part of the eye essential to a satirist. (4)
7. This muse has spare potassium. (5)
8. Type of fracture found on an inexperienced
twig? (10)
9. Falsely praise that one is less rotund? (7)
13. How lazy that is, to include just Donegal. (4)
14. A tiger's footy apparel. (7)
16. Subsequently, following parts of the
hospital. (10)
20. Duck the way Midas saw things? (9)
21. Ms Roche and Mr Harris turned up in the
Sunshine State. (7)
22. Find a robe in disarray in a Spanish river. (4)
27. Five get 17 across to boast. (5)
29. If there was corn behind this Italian island it
would give you the goat! (5)
30. Golf clubs used by a Tiger? (5)
31. Husks found right in the middle of
Prohibition. (4)
32. The odds are, by morning you will see
unwanted email. (4)
NAME:
ADDRESS:
Gordius - In Touch November No. 151
Bumper X Word winners and solutions will be
announced in Jan/Feb InTouch issue.
62
Winners of crossword no. 150 are
Joan Corry, Ballina, Co. Mayo and
Anne Marie Kingston, Rochestown, Co. Cork
Finishing Touches
… and your Comhar Linn Crossword!
No 39
The theme for this year’s national celebration of
engineering is ‘At the heart of our community’, to
reflect the vital role played by engineers in sustaining
our towns and cities.
Engineers Week takes place from 9 to 15 February
2014. It is an opportunity for primary and post
primary schools to learn more about engineering.
There are several ways to get involved.
These are ever popular Christmas related
links on Scoilnet:
Book an event
See what organisations are hosting events in your
area on www.engineersweek.ie
Host an event in your own school
There are plenty of activities you can run yourself in
the classroom. Activity sheets regarding events you
can run yourself can be downloaded from
www.engineers.ie
Check out fun quizzes or download posters,
stickers and other resources.
Learn about the different
types of engineering by visiting www.steps.ie
Invite an engineer in for a
visit – If you have a connection with a local engineering
company, why not invite
them to visit you during the
week? The STEPS team at
Engineers Ireland can provide volunteer engineers with
a presentation and help to
arrange and support the visit.
All schools who register an
event will be entered into a
prize draw.
Competition winners
Congratulations to Paddy O’Dea,
Scoil Mhuire, Abbeyside, Dungarvan, who was the lucky winner of a
family midterm break in either the
Galway Bay or Hodson Bay Hotels.
(Competition in the October issue
of InTouch.) We hope you enjoyed
the break.
Our congratulations also to
Orlagh Connor, Tullamore, Co
Offaly, who won a €50 iTunes
voucher from PixelSoup in the
Symmetry School competition
(also in the October issue).
Our Lady Queen of Peace,
Janesboro, Limerick
http://ourladyqueenofpeace.scoilnet.ie
This site is packed full of school information and uses a lot of images in its content
to give a great feel for how teachers interact with students and activities.
My favourite sites
Ciara Brennan, teacher in
St Peter’s Primary, Bray
Story Bird
storybird.com
Storybirds are short, art-inspired stories
you can make and share on any device.
Net Smartz Videos
netsmartz.org/NetSmartzKids
Fantastic age relevant cartoon-style
videos on online safety.
Sound Cloud
soundcloud.com
An audio platform that enables sound
creators to upload, record, promote and
share their originally-created sounds.
Great for podcasting and recording reading.
1
Scoilnet Christmas Themepage
scoilnet.ie/Christmas_theme.shtm
Great starting point for class learning and activities.
2
Why Christmas
whychristmas.com
Contains information on most Christmas topics.
3
The Nativity Story
www.topmarks.co.uk/christianity/
nativity/index.htm
Simple story with clear text.
4
An Nollaig – Cártaí Taispeántais
schoolblog8.scoilnet.ie/nollaig/
display_cards_an_nollaig
Display cards with Irish vocabulary.
5
Britannica Spotlight on Christmas
spotlight.britannica.co.uk/christmas
Links to articles from the encyclopaedia and includes
class activities.
6
Build a Snowman
highlightskids.com/games/
build-snowman
Interactive tool suitable for junior classes.
7
Christmas at Seomra Ranga
nollaigshona.ie
Lots of links, activities and videos picked by
teachers.
8
An Nollaig
http://subh.ie/nollaiglc/story.html
Great vocabulary builder. Perfect for IWB.
9
Tell your own Nativity Story
iboard.co.uk/iwb/Nativity-Story-Maker1883
Provides four background scenes for pupils to
re-tell the Christmas Story.
10
North Pole
the-north-pole.com
Still popular though it has dated. Lots of activities,
though.
63

InTouch Dec 2013 - INTO - Irish National Teachers` Organisation

Transcription

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