Single biggest outbreak of swine flu forces school closure [Independent.ie]
- Published: 06 October 2009
THE single biggest incidence of swine flu has prompted the closure of an Irish secondary school. Pupils were sent home yesterday after Colaiste Ide -- a boarding school in Dingle, Co Kerry -- was hit by the virus.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
Framework for Early Learning [NCCA]
- Published: 06 October 2009
There are a number of different curriculums/guidelines in use in Ireland. The Framework for Early Learning will complement these and help bring greater continuity and progression in children's learning and development as they move from home to various out-of-home settings and on to primary school.
What will the Framework for Early Learning do?
The Framework will help adults to support children's learning and development. It will describe the types of learning experiences that are important to enable children develop as competent and confident learners. The Framework will also provide guidelines for adults in planning, providing for and supporting these experiences.
Full Story: http://www.ncca.ie
SHOW/World [Scoilnet.ie]
- Published: 06 October 2009
What is the site about?
SHOW®/World allows you to look at the world by resizing countries on an animated map according to a series of global issues or subjects. These global issues are wide ranging and are based on datasets provided by the most authoritative sources in their fields, such as Amnesty International, UNESCO, Unicef, Oxfam etc.
Full Story: http://www.scoilnet.ie
New emphasis on classroom observation [LeaderMagazine.co.uk]
- Published: 06 October 2009
As this issue of Leader clearly indicates, the new Ofsted framework puts renewed emphasis on classroom observation as part of the inspection process. From September, the amount of time inspectors will spend in classrooms has been doubled and judgements will be based as much on first-hand evidence as on data.
This means that it is more important than ever that school leaders have in depth knowledge of the quality of teaching throughout the school and have taken steps to address weaker areas.
With a greater number of classroom observations in each inspection from September and a need for the leadership team to have a robust assessment of the quality of learning and teaching, BlueSky Education is pleased to announce the launch of the Classroom Observation Module.
Full Story: http://www.leadermagazine.co.uk
Assembly-line model of education must change [IrishTimes.com]
- Published: 06 October 2009
OPINION: INTEL'S CRAIG Barrett gave us all a wake-up call when he said at the recent economic conference at Farmleigh House that Ireland's education system was failing to equip students for the 21st century. The problem is that our world has changed, but our school system hasn't.
Irish people tend to have a nostalgic sense of pride in our education system, based on a fading memory of a time when the level of education of our population was cited by IDA-enticed companies as a reason to locate in Ireland. We have lofty aspirations to transform Ireland into a Smart Economy - a creative launchpad for high-value start-ups, with a talented and flexible workforce. There is, unfortunately, a massive gulf between reality and this aspiration, and that gulf is nowhere more evident than in our secondary school system. Budget cuts are currently forcing secondary schools around the country to cut science subjects. This is an embarrassment for a country that trumpets its investment in science through Science Foundation Ireland and the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions.
Full Story: http://www.irishtimes.com
