Principals call for whole-school teaching plans [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 26 January 2011
PRINCIPALS should get more time to plan how schools teach reading and maths as a result of the Croke Park agreement, primary schools heads hope.
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN) believes a key to improving falling standards in these areas is better school policies to ensure consistent approaches to teaching methodology.A recent OECD report showed scores for Ireland’s 15-year-olds have fallen to average at literacy and significantly below average in maths when compared to dozens of other countries.
"Different teachers have different ways to teach spelling, writing, phonics and other aspects of literacy and a lot of principals believe new teachers aren’t as skilled in the teaching of literacy and numeracy," said IPPN director Sean Cottrell.
He said these differences start when teachers are on training courses and continue through their teaching practice, probation and induction as new teachers, their classroom practice and professional development.
Mr Cottrell said principals should be allowed to co-ordinate a whole-school plan in maths, such as saying that teachers change from one method to another at a set time. For example, it might be agreed that one way of subtracting be taught to pupils up to the middle of third class and all teachers follow this pattern, to avoid pupils moving class in autumn and their next teacher using a different method.
"Teachers have huge autonomy, which is great in one respect, but there should be no room for variation on how maths and reading are taught. Part of the problem is the big turnover in teachers in recent years and one-third of principals retired in the last two years," he said. "The other thing is that there isn’t enough time available to meet staff on issues like this but hopefully Croke Park will help change that."
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
Principal hopeful for school build as project list unveiled [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 26 January 2011
A KERRY principal is hoping his school’s inclusion on the latest list of building projects to make progress this year will prove fruitful.
St Brendan’s National School in Blennerville, Co Kerry, was told before the 2007 general election that a design team would be appointed that year, only for funding to fall through after applications were sought.But principal Michael O’Connor has his fingers crossed that things get off the ground this time around as St Brendan’s is one of 103 schools told this week by Education Minister Mary Coughlan that work will begin on appointing a design team during 2011.
"I’m looking every day at the site the department bought in 2005 and wondering will the school ever be built, but we were confident after pressure last year from [Fianna Fáil TD and former Ceann Comhairle] John O’Donoghue," he said in response to Monday night’s announcement.
"It’s fantastic to be on the list but I’ll really only know things are moving along when I see the design team appointed," he said.
More than 70 other schools which have previously not been progressed were also told they would begin the first stage in the building programme this year.
Although opposition parties have described the announcement of more than 400 schools which are expected to move to the next stage in the process as a political stunt, Ms Coughlan has insisted the annual programme is unveiled around this time every year.
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
‘Web Aware’ helps students get internet savvy [siliconrepublic.com]
- Published: 26 January 2011
Waterford Institute of Technology and Co Kilkenny-based Coláiste Pobal Osraí have launched an online awareness project to help the younger internet generation understand risks, such as cyber bullying, when socialising online.
Funded by Campus Engage, the Web Aware project will promote self-awareness among young people when online. It's specifically aimed at transition-year students.
Laura Widger, eLearning co-ordinator, Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), says Web Aware consists of a series of online lessons to promote a better understanding of how the internet works and the potential threats that people face when gaming, shopping or socialising online.
This is WIT’s first collaboration with students at second level to design and create an online learning programme.
Diary of a schoolteacher: When brutalising children was the order of the day [Independent.ie]
- Published: 26 January 2011
The other day I was flicking through the local newspaper when my attention was caught by a photo of an old man standing beside a group of boys in uniform at a prize-giving ceremony. The school is not far from where I attended primary school.
Back in the late 1970s this man, I'll call him Mr Jones, had taught my class and me for two consecutive years. He wasn't a great teacher, he was really only learning the ropes. Before the European Community directive of 1982, Mr Jones was entitled to control all 50 of us with what the grown-ups called corporal punishment and we 10-year-olds called smacking.
He had the latest wooden ruler with a steel insert for regular transgressions such as not doing your homework and he had his fists for the spontaneous stuff like talking behind his back or that dreadful threat to civilisation -- laughing.
One day he took a swing at a perfectly harmless, hard-working and decent boy, put too much effort behind the downward thrust and the boy's head made an excess of contact (more than the usual amount) with the desk and he came back up with his nose pouring blood.
Cue shock and regret written all over Mr Jones' face and embarrassment on that of the boy. The poor kid was mortified because of all the fuss that would surely follow.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Can restaurateurs return to school to boost their profits? [Independent.ie]
- Published: 26 January 2011
Blathnaid Bergin says there is more to running a successful food outlet than good cooking
January 2011 is proving to be one of the toughest months ever for the Irish restaurant trade.
Blathnaid Bergin, who set up a School of Restaurant and Kitchen Management last year, said owners have to improve in order to survive.
Establishments are going out of business every day while others face a bleak future.
Blathnaid Bergin has for a long time worked as a sort of restaurant doctor. When things go wrong, businesses call on her advice as a consultant.
As a restaurant adviser she analyses every aspect of the business, from menus to kitchen management and customer service, and informs owners about where they can improve.
Having diagnosed the problems in dozens of food outlets up and down the country, she took the logical step of starting her own restaurant school in Abbeyleix, Co Laois, last year.
Her 12-week course is aimed at owners or managers of anything from a small tea shop to a five-star restaurant. Other students are just starting out.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
