Tomorrow's world: The classroom of the future [Independent.ie]
- Published: 26 May 2010
The US-based National Centre for Supercomputing Applications has offered a glimpse into the future of the modern classroom at architecture.about.com.
Learning clusters
In tomorrow's classrooms, students will no longer need to face a podium, teacher's desk, or writing board.
Learning stations are distributed along walls, in island clusters, or in zigzag patterns.
For small study groups, work spaces are triangular rather than square.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Cost of teacher absence £66m last year – report [newsletter.co.uk]
- Published: 26 May 2010
The NI Audit Office findings published today include concerns that the increased use of substitute teachers could be having a "negative impact on pupil learning and achievement," and puts the increase cost since 2000-2001 at 41 per cent in real terms.
Since 2001, the average number of days sick leave taken by permanent teaching staff has fallen from ten days to 7.8 days but the figures vary between the different authorities and school sectors.
Controlled schools have an average of 7.1 days while special needs staff have what is described as "a particularly high" rate of absence at 9.7 days. Teachers in the maintained sector have an average of 8.5 days off sick each year.
Full Story: www.newsletter.co.uk
Gove plan to cut schools red tape [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
- Published: 26 May 2010
Education Secretary Michael Gove is to outline further details of his plans to grant state schools more independence.
The newly named Department for Education says it wants to "cut red tape" and allow primary and secondary schools the same freedoms as academies.
It comes the day after two education Bills, which will pave the way for "free schools" - a key plank of the Tories plans for education reform, were announced in the Queen's Speech.
Full Story: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
All cisterns go! Rain flushes the loos at futuristic college [Independent.ie]
- Published: 26 May 2010
The toilets flush using rainwater harvested from the roof. The walls are brightly coloured to keep students awake and oxygen may even be pumped into the building.
Corridors are broad and spacious in order to prevent bullying. In some schools, passageways are being taken out completely.
Welcome to the school of the future. Some of these modern concepts are incorporated into the design of Piper's Hill college, a Kildare VEC school that is considered one of the most innovative in the country.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
What do we know about education in Ireland? [Independent.ie]
- Published: 26 May 2010
There are huge gaps in what we know about aspects of the Irish educational system. It is unfortunate, however, when professional researchers fail to acknowledge the existing research that has been accumulated in recent years.
In yesterday's Irish Independent, Professor Colm Harmon referred to "our extraordinary reluctance to building a comprehensive picture of the progression of students".
This statement ignores the enormous contribution of the Post-Primary Longitudinal Study, conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), for the last decade.
This study, funded by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the Department of Education and Skills, has followed a cohort of students from their entry to second-level education to Leaving Certificate level and beyond.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
