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OPINION: The teachers' strike is knee jerk, writes one secondary school principal

The general public might not know that reform of Junior Cycle has been a dominant topic of discus...
Newstalk
Newstalk

18.23 25 Nov 2014


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OPINION: The teachers'...

OPINION: The teachers' strike is knee jerk, writes one secondary school principal

Newstalk
Newstalk

18.23 25 Nov 2014


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The general public might not know that reform of Junior Cycle has been a dominant topic of discussion in Irish education for almost 30 years. 

Many of us actually sat the same model of examination that the 3rd year pupils in our schools take today. Does that reflect the changes that have taken place in our country or the world at large? 

The last time the curriculum was changed was when the Inter Cert became the Junior Cert, but the exams and how learning is measured has hardly changed one iota. Yet the gap between the experience of our young people currently attending post-primary and the reality of the world in third level – and by extension the world of work – is growing exponentially. 

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As a principal of a progressive school, I feel that we have got to continually meet the current needs of our pupils; we strive to offer classes in ICT, careers investigation and study skills, along with a suite of other extra-curricular activities and interests to ensure that the pupils' transition to third level education is smoother and less of a shock when they leave our school after completing the Leaving Certificate. 

In our school, Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, just like in many other schools nationwide, we emphasise the reality of learning with technology - because that is what the real world expects. But our standardised curriculum doesn’t factor this in. 

The skills young people need for life, skills like communication, team-work, problem-solving and creativity, working in a technological society – these are not skills that can be tested by a written exam, and continuing with a curriculum that does not reflect this does not serve our pupils well.

Evidence has shown that an excessive focus on written exams can result in too much reliance on areas like rote-learning. We do have high quality learning and teaching in Ireland, but we cannot ignore the reality that other countries continue to make improvements to their education systems to mirror the real world young people live in.

Having a strong element of school-based assessment encourages the teaching of a broader range of skills and means that a much more rounded picture emerges of each young person’s capabilities and successes. Teachers know their pupils' aptitudes and abilities far better than an examiner who receives exam scripts written in a two-hour session at the end of a three-year cycle. Shouldn't this knowledge of a young person's development, commitment and learning in some way be acknowledged by the teachers who know the child best?

Students' learning experiences would be better and teachers would become much more aware of how they need to adjust their teaching to meet the needs of their students.

Since her very welcome appointment as Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan TD has repeatedly said that she is willing to listen to the concerns of teachers, and to reflect on how we can reach agreement to make the necessary reforms.

Having met the teachers twice, she appointed Dr Pauric Travers to chair discussions between the two sides, to reach agreement on how the objectives of reform of the Junior Cycle could best be accommodated.

Those talks took place on Friday 7th November, Monday 10th November and Wednesday 19th November. While they have not resulted in accord, it is clear that Minister O’Sullivan was willing to address the concerns which had been raised by the unions.

The previous proposals had suggested that teachers would be responsible for marking 100 percent of a student’s work throughout the learning period.

Minister O’Sullivan has now proposed that 60 percent of marks in the junior cycle should be allocated on the basis of an exam at the end of third year, which will continue to be marked by the State Examinations Commission for all subjects. Under the Minister’s proposal, the remaining 40 percent of marks will be allocated for school-based work, such as portfolios or projects - the type of assessment which is already facilitated by the majority of teachers.

The revised proposals should have been brought back to teachers for their consideration and, in my view, the proposed industrial action is 'knee-jerk'.

It is unclear what benefit a strike will be for the unions. I meet with parents every day and they are highly annoyed with this inconvenience. Parents and pupils have been affected enough with several years of austerity, negativity and general despondency with the institutions of the state. Parents and pupils look to schools to educate and guide their children – is this going to happen next Tuesday when more than 700 of those institutions are locked up?

When addressing the issue of impartiality, it is worth noting that many of the country’s second-level schools already offer Junior Cycle students an optional oral component for Irish an modern languages – worth 40 percent of the student’s final grade. Pupils in Gaelcholásite Luimnigh already avail of this, and the benefit of this extra level of assessment is tremendous in preparation for Leaving Certificate. 

This optional component, which is now offered in more than half of all schools, is entirely assessed by the school’s teachers, and monitored by the State Examination Commission. 

At Leaving Cert level, practical subjects also allow for 40% of marks to be based on a portfolio of work prepared in school – again, the marking of these elements is monitored by the SEC.

A cultural change for the whole system will be needed to create, support and develop any new assessment system.

But such a change would be timely; with the potential improvement in the national economy and the creation of more employment, it is high time we seized the opportunity to implement a programme of study that is more 'fit for purpose' than the existing model. 

If we don't change our system at Junior Cycle, we run the risk of limiting the potential and talents our young people possess, while the rest of the world continues to develop and use innovative ways to assess and support student learning. 

Donncha Ó Treasaigh is the principal of Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh in Limerick.


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