'We must be hopeful' (pp.54-55)

Issue No 138October 2013ISSN 1393-4813

School leadershipissues

Seamus Heaney remembered“I have a dream”Ireland in 100 objects

Budget 2014

InTouch October 2013 3

his edition of InTouch goes to print as thegovernment plans yet another austerity budget. It is, therefore, vitally important that INTO members

and their school communities continue to engage in thecampaign to protect primary education to the greatestextent possible right up to budget day.

There can be few public representatives who by nowdon’t know about the extent of overcrowding in Irishprimary school classrooms. Our classrooms are thesecond most overcrowded in the EU with almost aquarter of pupils in ‘supersized’ classes of 30 or more,50 per cent bigger than the European average.

It is a message that has been made clear at meetings,through emails and through the postcard campaign. Wewill be competing with other budgetary issues for theattention of politicians and the public over the comingdays. But together, we can make the campaign to protectprimary education heard loud and clear.

Members should also promote the budgetary policiesand approaches advocated by the Nevin EconomicResearch Institute (NERI) which is supported by theICTU. These policies favour strategies of economic

recovery based on investment and growth while protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

This issue of the magazine has a specific focus onschool leadership. This follows on from a successfulPrincipals’ and Deputy Principals’ Conference in Naaslast month where key issues of concern to school leaderswere discussed and a report will be prepared for the Executive.

The policies of austerity have taken their toll on all –school leaders are no exception – and cutbacks to schoolstaffing and funding have impacted significantly. At the same time the demands on school leaders are increasing.

The quality and resilience of Ireland’s primary schoolleaders is acknowledged widely. But a system that failsto nourish and sustain school leaders is doomed to failure because it will ultimately burn out individualsand lead to a systemic loss of goodwill.

GENERAL SECRETARY’S COMMENT

Keeping in TouchInteractive dialogue with members, and key news items

Protect primary education

Pictures from the State commemoration of the 1913Lockout. For more pictures see INTO flickr account.

T

Register for Membership-Plus pg 21

3 EditorialProtect primary education

What you need toknow

7 • No to larger classes. • INTO meeting with NCSE

re new special education model.

• ICTU pre Budget submission.

9 • Uniting for quality education.

• District tutors attend training in Head Office.

• Recruiting new members.• Ready for school? • 10 things you need to

know.

10 Connect• Looking out for each other.• SubSearch – helping

teachers find substitute work.

Tell us what you think byletter or text message. €50for best letter published.Keep up-to-date viaFacebook, Twitter, websiteor RSS feed

In the News13 • INTO meeting with

student union leaders.• Packs for new members.• Newgrange Winter

Solstice art competition.14 • Equality news in brief.

• European conference on early childhood education.

• Updated language curriculum.

15 • INTO welcomes court ruling on disciplinary and appeal process.

• INTO Vice President appointed to MIC.

16 • INTO expenditure • Comhar Linn draw

winners

17 INTO LearningAutumn programme plusCroke Park hour CPDpackages

19 In the MediaMedia coverage in September.

20 Solidarity • Martina Delaney writes

about The Gambia.• Irish people support

overseas aid.

21 Membership PlusHave you registered yet?New free mobile app.

Keeping InTouch INTO News

InTouch General Editor: Sheila Nunan

Editor: Tom O’Sullivan

Assistant Editor: Lori Kealy

Editorial Assistants: Selina Campbell, Ashling

Lynch, Cara Kirwan

Advertising: Mary Bird Smyth, Ashling Lynch

Design: David Cooke

Photography: Moya Nolan, Shutterstock

Correspondence to: The Editor, InTouch,

INTO Head Office, Vere Foster House,

35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1

Telephone: 01 804 7700

Fax: 01 872 2462

LoCall: 1850 708 708

Email: [email protected]

Website: http://www.into.ie

InTouch is published by the Irish

National Teachers’ Organisation and

distributed to members and educational

institutions. InTouch is the most widely

circulated education magazine in Ireland.

Articles published in InTouch are also available

on our website www.into.ie

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

that the information contained in this

publication is up to date and correct, no

responsibility will be taken by the Irish National

Teachers’ Organisation for any error which

might occur.

Except where the Irish National Teachers’

Organisation has formally negotiated

agreements as part of its services to members,

inclusion of an advertisement does not imply

any form of recommendation. While every

effort is made to ensure the reliability of

advertisers, the INTO cannot accept liability for

the quality of goods and services offered.

Contents

INTO pays tributeto Seamus Heaneyp35

The school fruitgarden p56

Watch out for thissymbol in InTouchnews sections. It meansthe news item may beof interest to membersboth North and South

Modern Language Teaching p54

4 InTouch October 2013

CompetitionWin a family mid-term break courtesy of

Galway Bay and Hodson Bay Hotels. pg 12

23 School LeadershipApplying for the MisneachProgramme.

25 Advice for NQTsCriteria for planning.

27 • School leadership at the crossroads.

• Like to be on the PDC?28 • Online applications for

teaching posts.• Teacher recruitment info.

29 • INTO seminars for principals.

30 • New proposals on school enrolment policies.

• School Annual Census.31 • DES issues anti-bullying

procedures.• Positive education.

32 • Whole School Evaluation33 • Dealing with complaints.

35 • INTO pays tribute to Seamus Heaney.

36 • Registration with Teaching Council requiredby 1 November to get paid.

• Call for papers for Education Research Conference.

37 • LEAPing into international educational leadership.

38 • Cumann na mBunscol news.

39 • Helping cancer research.40 • Creative Schools Award.

• Young Environmentalist Awards.

• Applications now open for Fulbright grants.

41 Arts in EducationDorothy Morrissey givesher perspective on the Artsin Education Charter.

43 History of Irelandin 100 objects.

44 Exploring LocalHistoryJosephine English writesabout the activeexploration of history.

47 PDST TipsUsing the interactivewhiteboard to supportliteracy.

48 I Have a DreamDr Anne Dolan providesresources for the classroombased on Martin LutherKing’s inspirational speech.

52 Education for freeand independentthinking Pat Keogh asks can condi-tioning be condoned inschools?

54 Modern LanguageTeachingSuzanne O’Keeffe furthersher research on a visit toItaly.

56 SESE TipsPaddy Madden advises onwhat fruits to grow in theschool garden.

58 Irish ResourcesTips from COGG.

59 Book ReviewsPlus get free access to Sym-metry School for October.

61 NoticeboardUpcoming events.

62 Comhar LinnCrosswordPlus resources.

63 Scoilnet PanelPlus details of NewgrangeWinter Solstice artcompetition.

INTO Advice Finishing TouchesTeaching Matters


October 2013

Newsdesk

School Leadership

Luke Kilcoyne (District 3), Catherine Flanagan(District 5), Breda Fitzgerald (District 11) andDeclan Kyne (District 4) of the INTOPrincipals’ and Deputy Principals’ Committee.

The PDC met in September to finalise arrangements for theINTO Biennial Conference – see page 27 for more information Photographer: Moya Nolan

• Cover pic

A History of Ireland in 100 Objects p43

Budget 2014 7

School leadership issues 27

Seamus Heaneyremembered 35

Ireland in 100 objects 43

“I Have a Dream” 48

• On the cover

The Arts in EducationCharter p41

Get freeaccess to

Symmetry School for OctoberAND be in with a chance towin €50 iTunes voucher p59

Misneach Programme p23

Ireland is in its sixth year of stagnation. A change of course is required if there isto be any hope of economic recovery.Economic policy must become more jobfocussed and growth friendly. We canadopt this approach and still reach agreedbudgetary targets. In reality we stand abetter chance of reaching those targets ifwe combine a different fiscal adjustmentwith an investment/jobs stimulus.

There are three key measures that couldbe adopted in the forthcoming budget tomake this happen:1. use the proceeds of the ‘Promissory

Note’ deal to reduce the size of thebudget adjustment;

2. bring forward a capital investmentstimulus package of €4.5billion overthe next two years; and

3. target tax increases at the richest 10%of households.

We believe this will result in the creation of new jobs, boost economic output and government revenue andavoid further damage to essential publicservices and social cohesion.

Focusing on growth would also help torestore international confidence in Ireland,while addressing infrastructural deficitsthat undermine our competitiveness.

This policy mix would result in a reduction in the government deficit toabout 3% of GDP in 2015.

Current policy has left us with one infour out of work or under-employed, with collapsed retail sales and flat domes-tic demand and with public finances constrained by the cost of servicing theprivate banking debt.

Read the full submission at http://www.ictu.ie/download/pdf/jit16_prebud-get_submission_fiscaladjustment_web.pdf


Keeping InTouch

Extract from ICTU Pre-Budget Submission

Protect primary education:No to larger classes

INTO meets NCSE on new special education modelINTO representatives, led by INTO president Bren-dan O’Sullivan, recently met representatives fromthe NCSE in relation to the policy paper on support-ing students with special educational needs inschools, published by the NCSE and submitted tothe Minister for Education and Skills last year. TheNCSE policy paper states that a new model shouldbe developed, for the allocation of additionalteaching resources to mainstream schools, which isbased on the profile need of each school withoutthe need for a diagnosis of disability.

In the course of the meeting, the INTO representa-tives said they were concerned that, while the princi-ples underpinning the policy advice are equitable andfair, the implementation of the new policy could re-duce resources for children with special educationalneeds and place additional responsibility on schoolsand class teachers. The INTO emphasised that thereis widespread good practice at present in relation toteaching provision for pupils with SEN in mainstreamschools under the inclusive education model. TheINTO is concerned, however, about overburdening

the current general allocation model under the revised proposal without adequate resourcing.

The INTO also expressed concern that the alloca-tion of resources on a time bound basis could bedriven by a cap on resources, rather than the needsof individual pupils in schools. The INTO does, however, welcome the move away from the needto categorise children in order to receive additionalresource teaching. Further information on the INTOresponse and the NCSE policy paper is available under the ‘In Focus’ section of the INTO website.

INTO members through-out the country havebeen involved in cam-paigning to protect primary school class sizeover the course of thelast month. A National Alliance for Primary Education, representingteachers, parents andschool managementlaunched the campaignin early September. Over300,000 postcards havebeen distributed toschools to be sent by parents, teachers andother members of schoolcommittees to local elect-ed representatives. In addition, thousands ofemails have been sentthrough a facility on theINTO website to govern-ment TDs.

Regional meetingshave also been takingplace in recent weeksthroughout the country tohighlight the issue and aneffective media campaignhas been run at local andnational level on the issue.

As InTouch goes toprint, a demonstration isdue to take place onWednesday, 2 October toemphasise the importanceof maintaining class sizesas part of Budget 2014.The CEC wishes to thankall members throughoutthe country who have actively participated inthe campaign thus far,and is also asking mem-bers to continue to high-light this issue up toBudget 2014, which takesplace on 15 October 2013.


Keeping InTouch

Unite for quality education

1The INTO campaign to protect class size willrun right up to Budget 2014.

2 The INTO has met with NCSE about a revisedmodel for special education needs

provision, see page 7.

3 Education International is launching a Unitefor Quality Education campaign. Please

support the campaign at www.unite4education.org

4This issue outlines a range of current issuesrelated to school leadership, see pages 27-33.

5The ICTU has made a pre-budget submissionabout priorities in relation to taxation and

spending. Further information on page 7.

6 INTO Learning is running a wider range ofprogrammes for members during the

autumn. See page 17 for full details.

7The INTO Principals’ and Deputy Principals’Committee is due to be elected for a

three year term from next Easter. If you areinterested in standing for election,see page 27.

8If you are a newly appointed principal andwould like to participate in the MISNEACH

programme, details are printed on page 23.

9 INTO staff representatives now have thefacility to check membership lists for their

schools through the INTO membership database.More info on INTO website under ‘Staff Reps’.

10 Following on from a series of articles lastyear, further information on how your

INTO subscription is spent is published on page16 of this issue.

10 THINGS you should know

Tutors at training

Audrey Clarke (D.15) EavanO’Donoghue (D.13), TJ Clare(D.14), Deirdre Ní Mháirtín(D.14) Emer Nelligan (D.13)and Síofra Hogan (D.13) at atraining seminar for districttutors in September.

Districts will be organising aseries of training sessions forINTO staff representativesduring the next few months.Details will be circulated locally.

School readiness among parents and educators in Ireland – Can you help?Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, andDublin Institute of Technology arecommissioned by the Department ofChildren and Youth Affairs through theIrish Research Council to conduct aresearch project, which examines concepts

of school readiness among parents andeducators in Ireland. In early October anonline survey will issue to a randomsample of primary schools. It is importantto respond to this survey if you are one ofthe schools that has been randomly

selected as the findings of the research willform the basis of recommendations thatwill inform policy development andultimately practice.

See http://bit.ly/1a74itk for furtherinformation on this research project.

Recruitingnew members

During thesechallenging times theimportance of ensuringthat primary teachershave the protection ofunion membership is ofcrucial importance. Therange of queries andcases related toconditions of employ-ment and legal/industrial relationsissues continues togrow year on year.

The vast majority ofnew teachers now joinonline through the INTOwebsite. A new facilityhas also been developedto allow staff repres-entatives to check themembership list fortheir school throughthe Members' Area ofthe INTO website.

Please play yourpart by askingsubstitute, temporaryand permanentteachers who join yourstaff to sign up if theyhave not alreadydone so.

‘Unite for Quality Education – Better Education for a Better World’ is the Education International campaign to ensure that universal, free quality education remains at the top of the political agendafor a sustainable future. The purpose is to call on inter-governmental agencies, governments and public education authorities everywhere to put inplace the three essential elements of a quality education:l Universal and free access to quality teachers.l Modern teaching tools and resources.l Supportive, safe and secure environments for

teaching and learning.On 4 October, EI is launching a year of action, an

initiative for quality education around the world thatwill culminate on a World Day of Action in October

2014. EI invites everybody who cares about the education of our children to join forces with us in our call for a ‘Better Education for a Better World’.

The website address www.unite4education.org willhost a dedicated web portal, which will be unveiled atthe launch event. On this portal (or Campaign Hub)EI will publish stories from all over the world aboutthe state of education and about activities which edu-cators are undertaking to promote quality education.It will also provide content material and support aswell as interactive activities and will promote calls toaction from the campaign and from EI members. Finally, it will provide tools to report and show how EImember organisations and their individual membersare engaging with the ‘Unite for Education’ campaign.


I dteagmháil

Have you something to sayabout an article you have read in

InTouch, or is there an issue on which you want tocommunicate with others? Email [email protected] orwrite to the Editor, InTouch, INTO, Vere Foster

House, 35 Parnell Sq, Dublin 1. Mark all suchcommunications ‘for publication’ and give a contacttelephone number. A 50 book token will beawarded each month for the prize letter published.Long letters may be edited.

Tell us what you think …

Stay informed

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twitter.com/INTOnews

Get news on the move at our mobilewebsite m.into.ie

Check our website www.into.ie

Subscribe to the INTO enewsletterint0.newsweaver.ie

Follow INTO conferences via ourConference App. Download from iTunes

and play.google.com

INTO SubSearch is designed to help teach-ers find substitute work – whether just outof college or seeking part-time employ-ment.

How it worksSubstitutes register their profiles and availability on the site – while principals cansearch for registered substitutes in their area.

SubSearch facilities include:• Substitutes may register for work in up

to three locations.• Principals can search for available quali-

fied teachers within specified distancesof their school. Alternatively, substituteteachers can be automatically texted oremailed about their availability.

• A search facility is included wherebythe category of ‘substitute available’ isreturned in accordance with Circular31/2011. Responses are categorised inthe search i.e. listing qualified primaryteachers first, followed by retired

qualified primary teachers, followedby other teachers.

• Both substitutes and principals can indicate a preference for work in aGaelscoil or Gaeltacht situation.

• Video tutorials and FAQs about usingSubSearch are available online.

• A weekly reminder is generated to substitutes on the list to update their details. Substitutes can update theiravailability for the next two week period.

A ‘mobile’ version of SubSearch is availableand works on Android phones and tablets,iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone 7 and modernversions of Blackberry.

Register on subsearch.into.ie Find the mobile version at msub.into.ie

Need a sub? Seeking workin a primary school?

Get involvedINTO members face many challenges in the immediate future. In recent years there have beenunrelenting attacks on public servants and tradeunions by vested interests seeking to sow divisionand destroy a sense of unity. It is now more impor-tant than ever that INTO members stand together,exchange views and agree a common purpose topromote the profession of teaching. A revised ver-sion of a leaflet called ‘Looking out for each other’outlining INTO services and benefits to members,and seeking to maximise membership among primary teachers, is available on the INTO website.

You can play your part by ensuring full INTOmembership in your school, by attending yourOctober branch meeting, by contributing to debates on policy issues, both at meetings and online, and by playing an active part in INTOcampaigns over the coming year.

For further information, visit the ‘Join Us’ section of the INTO website.

Student union representatives from thevarious colleges of education met withINTO representatives in early Septemberto discuss a range of common issues. Topof the agenda was the threat to increaseclass size in Budget 2014, which will havea direct impact on employment prospectsfor both recent graduates and the gradu-ating class of 2014.

It was agreed that meetings would beheld for student bodies in Dublin,Maynooth and Limerick to outline thecampaign underway and also to raiseawareness of the impact of class size ongraduates and primary education. Themeeting also discussed a range of current

challenges facing primary education andteaching graduates, including inductionand probation procedures to the profes-sion. The INTO gives support annually tostudent activities in the various colleges ofeducation. Details of Comhar Linn, theINTO credit union, bursary scheme and aloan facility for students in colleges werealso outlined at the meeting.

After a wide ranging discussion it wasagreed that the INTO and the studentunions would meet again later in the termto review matters at that point. The usualinputs to student bodies in the colleges ofeducation would also take place later inthe year.

INTO NewsThe Irish National Teachers Organisation … who’s who, what’s new, and what’s happening


INTO meets student unions

John MacGabhann, TUI General Secretary; Pat King, ASTI General Secretary; RuairíQuinn, Minister for Education and Skills; Brian Hayes, Minister of State for the Office ofPublic Works; Shelia Nunan, INTO General Secretary and Sally Maguire, ASTI Presi-dent at the launch of the Newgrange Winter Solstice art competition 2013. See page 63for full details of the competition.

Informationpacks for NQTs

The INTO has developed an informa-tion pack for newly qualified teachers(NQTs) joining the Organisation.

The folder containing the informa-tion is ideal for daily use. Included inthe pack is an INTO Membership cardand a MembershipPlus card allowingaccess to discounts and benefits.

The pack also contains a preloadedmemory stick/usb, kindly sponsoredby Vhi Healthcare, containing usefulinformation on conditions of employ-ment and guidance for NQTs, as wellas a range of resources for the class-room. Updates for the usb will beposted on www.into.ie in the ‘NewTeachers’ section.

Other publications such as the INTOdiary, school year planner and InTouch magazine are also included.The information pack is sent to newmembers as application forms areprocessed in Head Office. New teach-ers can join online on www.into.ie ordownload a membership form, fill itin and return it to their local branchsecretary.

OPW launches Newgrange WinterSolstice art competition

INTO Equality Committee

The INTO Equality Committee met on 13September. The Committee joined the othernational committees and the district tutors ata session with the General Secretary whichfocused on class size and succession planningin the INTO. The Committee consideredfurther follow up to the Equality Conference,with proposals in train for a poster andinformation leaflet for schools and an INTOLearning project on mental health issues.

The Committee will join with the othernational committees in October for a trainingsession on research skills, and also undertake

training in the area of gender in primaryeducation.

The Committee noted and welcomed therecent changes to parental leave contained inCircular 26/2013, in particular the extension ofthe period of leave from 11 to 18 weeks,as well as the provision for teachers torequest flexible working arrangements onreturn from parental leave. The Committeedecided that it would be timely to reissuethe Family Leave poster which previouslyissued to schools, and work is underway todo this.

The Committee welcomed new member,Seamus Hanna, from District 1, who waselected to the Committee over the summer.

Pictured are some of the delegates fromIreland at the EECERA (European EarlyChildhood Educational ResearchAssociation) Conference in August 2013.From left: Anne Fay, ex-president INTO,Arlene Forster, NCCA, Maresa Duignan,Early Years Policy Unit DES, DeirbhileNic Craith, Senior Official, INTO, MarionBrennan, Early Childhood Ireland, IreneGunning, Early Childhood Ireland,Marlene McCormack, Early ChildhoodIreland, Carmel Brennan, EarlyChildhood Ireland, and Mary Hough,

Director Sligo Education Centre. The INTO, along with the NCCA and

ATECI presented a symposium onAistear, the Early Years' CurriculumFramework. The INTO outlined thefindings of the online questionnaire onAistear which members were invited tocomplete last spring. Mary Hough, onbehalf of the ATECI, described theAistear Tutor Initiative and the NCCAoutlined curriculum developments for theearly years, and showed video footage ofpractice in the infant classrooms.

Nuacht CMÉ


EQUALITY NEWS

In brief...

INTO present symposium at Europeanearly childhood conference

Updated languagecurriculum10 things to knowThe Minister for Education and Skills asked theNCCA to revise the language curriculum as partof the National Strategy on Literacy and Numeracy. The INTO, through its representa-tives on NCCA committees, is contributing tothis process. The curriculum is also being developed in collaboration with teachersthrough a range of NCCA networks of schools.1. Little change in overall content of curricu-

lum, but more of a focus on skills and dispo-sitions.

2. Fewer content objectives than current curriculum.

3. Greater clarity around learning outcomesfor children

4. Strands are retained and strand units are renamed elements.

5. Integrated language curriculum – Englishand Gaeilge, both as Language 1 and Language 2.

6. Integration to facilitate links between English and Irish and to facilitate enhancedintegration across Oral language/Reading/Writing.

7. Online presentation will facilitate rapid access to much relevant detail as needed inaddition to highlighting linkages betweenoutcomes across strands.

8. Draft revision for Junior Infants – 2nd classavailable for consultation by spring 2014.

9. Examples of annotated children’s work tobe available on the NCCA website to guideteachers’ assessment.

10.More information next month.

ICTU DisabilitySeminar

The annual ICTU DisabilitySeminar will take place in theClarion Hotel, Dublin Airporton 10/11 October. INTO dele-gates will attend the seminar,entitled ‘Decent Work forEveryone’, which will beopened by ICTU presidentJohn Douglas, and be ad-dressed by barrister ClaireBruton, who is undertakingresearch on employment forpeople with disabilities, as wellas representatives from theNDA and other organisationsworking in this area.

At time to going to print Sean McMahon,INTO Vice President, had just been ap-pointed to the Governing Body of MIC inLimerick.

Seán is principal of Mullagh NS in CoClare. He attended primary school inCoore NS and completed his secondaryeducation in the CBS Ennistymon, CoClare. Sean attended Mary Immaculate College of Education in Limerick, graduat-ing as a primary teacher in 1979.

Seán’s teaching career began in 1979 inRathdowney BNS, Co Laois. In 1980 he wasappointed to Annagh NS, Miltown Malbay,Co Clare, teaching third to sixth class, inwhat was then a two teacher school. Thismarked the beginning of years of cam-paigning for increased understanding ofand support for the critical contributionsmall rural schools make to their commu-nities and to Irish education.

During his teaching career, Seán attended UCG, graduating with a Mastersin Rural and Community Development in1989. His thesis dealt with the implicationsof school amalgamations for rural com-munities. He also completed a H. Dip. inEducation – School Planning in UCG in2004.

In 1990 Seán was appointed as teachingprincipal of Mullagh NS. He has been ac-tively involved in the INTO since the 1980sand has represented Clare, Tipperary andWaterford on the CEC since 2007. Beforethat he was a member of the Principals’and Deputy Principals’ Committee. He hasalso served as secretary and chairpersonto the West Clare INTO Branch.

Seán is married to Gerardine who is alsoa primary teacher. They have five children.

The INTO congratulates Sean on his appointment.

INTO News


High Court ruling clarifies disciplinary and appeal processINTO welcomes judgement

In September’s InTouch, we reported onthe outcome of a judicial review actiontaken by INTO member Nora Kelly, aprincipal teacher in Co Wicklow, whichoverturned a decision of the board ofmanagement to demote her from the posi-tion of principal. Her board had persistedin its course despite a finding by theDisciplinary Appeals Panel under Circular60/2009 that the process had been unfairand the sanction disproportionate.

The High Court judgement of Ms Jus-tice O’Malley concentrated on the processapplied under the circular, including theappeal. The judgement contains a numberof important findings which have rele-vance for disciplinary processes and fairprocedures for INTO members.

Judicial review, role of employerThe Judge examined legal precedent inrelation to the availability of judicial reviewin school employment cases. Havingregard specifically to the provisions ofCircular 60/2009, as part of a statutoryregime established by the Education Act,the Judge felt that the hiring and dismissalof teachers could not be described as aprivate contractual issue. While everyaspect of school disciplinary proceduresmight not be a suitable matter for judicialreview, this public law remedy was appli-cable in this case.

The judgement referred to the structure

of school governance by voluntary boardrepresentatives as ‘admirable’ but onewhich places burdens on those involved.She stated that it is incumbent on teach-ers to accept that boards have the job ofmanagement and “in particular to respectthe role of the board as their employer”.

Fairness and rationalityRegarding the particular case underreview, the Judge felt that in the board’sdealing with issues, a sense of perspectiveregarding their role as an employer hadbeen lost. Specifically, she ruled that thedisciplinary process carried out by theboard “did not accord with the dictates offairness or rationality”. She was critical ofthe disciplinary charges which were set outin very general terms, and in particular ofthe inclusion of evidence from peoplewhose connection with the school hadceased and who had not have made formalcomplaints previously.

The Judge also stated that she was“firmly of the view that the sanction im-posed was unfair and irrational in thesense that it was disproportionate”.

Disciplinary Appeals PanelSanctions under Circular 60/2009 may incertain cases be appealed to a DisciplinaryAppeals Panel, which comprises nomineesof school management and INTO, with anindependent chair from a panel

nominated by the Minister. This HighCourt ruling acknowledges that the panelis established as part of the statutoryregime and that such a panel is ‘a body ofthe sort to which the courts generallydisplay a high level of deference on issueswithin its area of expertise. Its recommen-dations should, accordingly, carry substan-tial weight with boards of management’.

In this case, the Judge viewed the approach of the board to the AppealsPanel as not appearing to have been open-minded. In her view the board didnot, in fact, give proper consideration tothe Appeals Panel finding.

Implications This judgement is welcomed by the INTO asproviding clarity in the area of due processand fair procedure as well as endorsing thestanding of the Disciplinary Appeals Panelas an independent and expert body. This isan important ruling which will undoubt-edly be quoted in any future court caseswhich may arise in this area.

The full judgement is entitled Nora Kelly(Applicant) and the Board ofManagement of St Joseph’s NationalSchool, Valleymount, Co Wicklow(Respondent), High Court Judgement ofMs Justice O’Malley delivered 6 August2013: 2013 IEHC 392 – accessible atwww.courts.ie.

Sean appointed to MIC Governing Body

Nuacht CMÉ


INTO accounts – informationand insightsArticle one : expenditure

Last year we published a series of articlesfrom the Finance and MembershipSection on INTO funds. In a new series ofarticles this year, we provide informationon and analysis of INTO funds, whereincome comes from and expenditure goes,who supervises INTO spending andaccounts, and what are the grants, benefitsand services available to INTO members.

In this first article we look at INTO expenditure.

INTO expenditureThe pie chart (right) is based on one developed for delegates at INTO AnnualCongress 2013. It covers INTO expendi-ture for the most recent year of auditedaccounts, 2012.

As is seen from the chart, almost 87% ofINTO expenditure is categorised underthe headings ‘Membership Activities’ and‘Administration’.

Some of the specific spending under eachheading is as follows: l Administration – this category includes

salary and pension payments in respectof some 60 INTO employees in our offices in Dublin and Belfast, all costsrelated to the running of those officesincluding, equipment, telephone, postageand printing costs, and all INTO publi-cations and taxation (VAT) payments.

l Membership Activities – this sectionincludes spending by branches and dis-tricts, expenditure related to the run-ning of INTO’s national committees(which comprise representatives elect-ed from districts), the centrally-fundedcosts of all INTO conferences includingAnnual Congress, substitute salaries(e.g. to cover attendees at INTO train-ing events), legal and ballot expenses,and grants to INTO members.

l ICT – includes all the IT servicesutilised by the offices in Dublin andBelfast as well as spending on comput-

ers and on IT training for branch anddistrict officers.

l Affiliations and Professional Fees –accounts for spending on affiliationsand INTO involvement as delegates toaffiliate bodies, as well as all audit andtax services to INTO.

l Buildings – includes heat, light, insur-ance, maintenance and repairs of allINTO buildings in Dublin and Belfast,an amount to account for ‘spending’ ondepreciation, and loan interest payments.

INTO expenditure in our accounts aspresented to Annual Congress is detailedunder 22 headings, this pie chartsummarises those under five. Within the22 original headings, the eight largest cate-gories of expenditure (in order of amount

expended) for 2012 were: salaries andpensions; branches and districts; seminarsand conferences; committee expenses;telephone, printing and postage; heat/light/insurance and maintenance; legalexpenses; and grants.

In the next articlein this series, wewill look at INTOspendingcategorised underthe funds asspecified in INTORules, and atwhereresponsibility forexpenditure rests.

Comhar LinnDraw winnersAugust

Car: Toyota AurisElaine Wafer, StMichael’s GNS,Tipperary Town.

Cash 1,500Tríona Ní Reachtabhra,St Colmcille’s SNS,Dublin 16.

Weekend for two inJury’s InnCatherine Mc Loone, SNNeill Mór, Co Donegal.

Weekend for two inJury’s InnAilish Malone, ScoilMhuire SNS, Dublin 15.

Expenditurefor the year ended

-.

42.5%

2.9%

7.6%2.6%

44.4%

Membership activitiesAdministrationICTBuildingsAffiliations and professional fees

INTO LEARNING

Autumn Programme 2013The INTO Learning Autumn Programme 2013 offers a variety of online courses, Croke ParkCPD packages and two pop-up professional learning communities for members

Introductory Course for Learning-Support and Resource TeachersHave you just moved from mainstream tolearning-support and resource teaching?If so this course is for you! Over ninemodules you will be guided through allaspects of learning support/resourceteaching and administration includingtesting and assessment approaches,timetabling and support considerations aswell as pedagogical support for teachingchildren with literacy, numeracy and behavioural difficulties. Registration clos-es mid November and course costs €180.

Ceol IrelandRegistration is now open for CEOL Ire-land’s Junior Infant, Senior Infant, Firstand Second Class programme of profes-sional development for CEOL’s full schoolyear programme of 30 music lessons, allbased on the Irish Primary Curriculum.All materials are provided online andtraining is presented in video format. Thefull year programme costs €100.

Supporting Literacy Developmentacross the Primary SchoolThis course focuses on Oral Language

Development, Reading Development,Writing Development and OnlineLiteracy Resources. The course, deliveredover four modules, will link verystrongly to the curriculum and explorestrategies and approaches for literacydevelopment and assessment. The course will also include suggestions tointegrate and support literacy across anumber of curricular areas as well asproviding approaches for harnessing ICT to support literacy development. This course commences in November and costs €65.

Croke Park hour CPD Packages

Online Courses

Croke Park hour CPD packages are self-contained whole-school professionaldevelopment and training packages. Theyaim to support principals and teacherswho wish to use school Croke Park hoursto organise and facilitate whole-schoolprofessional development. Each packagehas three main components as follows:

• Online CPD session.• Resource folder.• Guiding instructions for session

facilitator (staff member).

The online CPD session is a virtual audio-visual presentation that incorporatesopportunities for group discussion of thepackage theme/content and activities to

incorporate learning from the session intoschool practice. The resource foldercontains a copy of the online presentationas well as referenced materials. Thecontents are downloadable for printingand archiving purposes. A set of guidinginstructions allows for a staff member toeasily lead and facilitate the session.

CPD packages available include:

• Child Protection• Bookmaking• Literature Circles• Comprehension• School Self Evaluation (a series of

sessions from late November)

With the exception of School Self

Evaluation, the cost of enrolment is €25 perschool. This will facilitate access to theonline session until the end of June 2014.

The School Self Evaluation Packagewill open for registration in late October. It consists of several virtual audio-visualpresentations staggered throughout the2013/2014 school year. These sessions willsupport schools through the SSE processfrom gathering and analysing teachingand learning evidence and evaluating it to developing a SSE Report and an implementation plan. A facilitated discus-sion forum between sessions will allow for schools to seek advice and to share experiences. This package costs €100.

Professional Learning Communities

Professional learning communities(PLCs) are discussion based forumsthat allow teachers the opportunityto discuss and share practice andlearning as well as resources and experiences. They are facilitated by a lead teacher to encourage partici-pation. The facility allows for a maxi-mum of 30 teachers to be involved inthis learning exchange over a four

week period. Two upcoming mid-November PLCs include:• Integrating Visual Arts and Literacy• Putting volunteer learning into

practice in the classroom

There is no cost for this learning facility. Please direct expressions oninterest in the above to Erin at [email protected]

For full detailsand registration see

www.intolearning.ie

Follow#intolearningfor twitter updates

INTO News


Utilise your Croke Park hours for whole school professional development with INTO CPD packages

Cork 103 FMInterview with Sheila Nunanon overcrowded classes5 September 2013

Ireland AM – TV3Brendan O’Sullivan (President,INTO) discusses concern forthe impact of cuts to fundingfor primary schools. Discussesincreases in class sizes5 September 2013

The Last Word - Today FMInterview with BrendanO’Sullivan (INTO) whodiscusses the launch of a newcampaign opposing cuts toeducation. Aodhan O’RiordainTD (Labour Party) also

discusses…4 September 2013

Nine O’Clock News/Six OneNews – RTE OnePrimary school parents, teach-ers and school managers havejoined forces to campaignagainst any further cuts toeducation in next month’sbudget. Emma O’Kelly reports.Interview with Sheila Nunan(INTO)4 September 2013

Drivetime – RTE Radio 1Della Kilroy reports on thelaunch of a new campaignopposing cuts to education.Interview with Brendan

O’Sullivan (INTO) discussesthe latest Department ofEducation figures on class sizes.4 September 2013

The 5:30 – TV3A new lobby group of educa-tional sector interests isprotesting against cuts affect-ing schools and students –Interview: John Boyle andBrendan O’Sullivan (INTO).4 September 2013

Morning Edition – RTEOneBack to SchoolFeature from HolyCross NS in Dundrum onback to school issues including

class sizes, funding anduniforms. Interview with UltanMacMathuna principal.2 September 2013

Today with Sean O Rourke –RTE Radio 1Some concerns about aspects ofthe school admission reforms.Interview: Sheila Nunan (INTO)2 September 2013

In printClass sizes a ‘black mark’ on Ireland’srecordThat almost a quarter of primary schoolchildren are in classes of 30 or more is a“black mark” on Ireland’s educationrecord, according to teachers’ union, theINTO… Peter Mullan of the Irish NationalTeachers’ Organisation noted that in the2012/13 year there were more than 8,500students in classes of 30 or more pupilsthan in the previous academic year. “Classsizes have the biggest impact on children’slearning – all the evidence shows that insmaller classes of 20, which is the EU aver-age, learning outcomes improve....”The Irish Times, 5 September 2013

Hundreds of teachers axed despitesurge in enrolmentsThe country’s 720 post-primary schoolshave lost 650 teachers at a time whenstudent numbers rose by 3,800… INTOpresident Brendan O’Sullivan said whileministers “talked up” the importance ofeducation, only 9.4pc of public spendingwas devoted to it...Irish Independent, 5 September 2013

Primary school groups unite to fightfurther cutsPrimary school education groups havewarned that educational spending couldbe a huge political issue in next year’s local

elections... Brendan O’Sullivan, Presidentof the Irish National Teachers’Organisation, said more cuts in educationwere being threatened in the name of adiscredited austerity regime but were notnecessary. “There is a choice being madehere to make these cuts on the backs ofchildren in primary school,” he said. “Forany of us that is not acceptable.”Irish Examiner, 5 September 2013

One in four children taught in classeswith more than 30 pupilsAlmost one in four primary school childrenare being taught in classes of 30 or more –making Ireland’s teacher-pupil ratio thesecond worst in Europe, it is claimed… Thepresident of the Irish National Teachers’Organisation, Brendan O’Sullivan, yester-day described class sizes in Ireland as“insane” and demanded that no furtherbudget cuts be made. “As it stands, we arethe second worst in Europe. Britain’s classsizes are marginally higher. There,however, they have classroom assistants inmost classes as well,” he said. “You cannotgive the attention to all 35 children thatyou can give to the European average ofonly 20.”Irish Daily Mail, 5 September 2013

Commuter-belt pupils face mostcrowded classroomsAlmost one-in-three school pupils in someparts of the country is now in a ‘supersize’classroom of more than 30 children. The

children of commuter-belt families aresuffering the most overcrowdedclassrooms, new figures confirm. Asprimary-school enrolments rise, averageclasses are getting bigger almosteverywhere throughout the country, witha spike in the number of pupils in classes of30 or more:… The INTO said that, at thesame time as class sizes were rising, non-class teachers were being cut from thesystem. “More and more responsibility isbeing put on the class teacher to meet theneeds of children with little English,special needs or disadvantagedbackgrounds,” said INTO general secre-tary Sheila Nunan. According to theINTO, smaller classes are most importantwhen children are young…Irish Independent, 4 September 2013

Number of ‘supersize’ classes rising The alarming rise in primary school classsizes is confirmed in new figures from theDepartment of Education… An INTOspokesman described the figures asextremely worrying, adding: “Almost aquarter of all children are in classes ofmore than 30 while the EU average is 20per class.”Irish Independent, 3 September 2013

INTO News

In the media

On the airwaves



SOLIDARITY

Vast majority of people in Ireland continue to support overseas aidIn June, MRBI undertook a poll that confirmed oncemore the immense public support in Ireland foroverseas aid.

The survey was based on interviews with peoplefrom a representative sample of 1,000 adults, andshowed that almost four out of every five peoplethink that ‘even in an economic downturn, we have an obligation to invest in overseas aid’.

What’s more, people also ‘put their moneywhere their mouth is’. Despite the occasional mediacommentator arguing that ‘charity begins athome’, people in Ireland continue to show thatthey support overseas aid: the level of donations toaid agencies remains consistently high – althoughadmittedly not at the same levels as during theheight of the Celtic Tiger era.

The data also shows that people in Ireland signifi-

cantly over-estimate the amount Ireland spends onoverseas aid, with 31% of respondents indicating theythink the aid budget amounts to more than 6% of na-tional income – 12 times the correct figure of 0.48%.

In the meantime, new reports from the UnitedNations show that aid is making real and lastingdifferences to people in the world’s poorest coun-tries.

In the midst of a crisis in Ireland, it is easy tooverlook one of the great untold stories of ourtime: The world has witnessed greater absolute improvements in health, wealth, and education in the past decade than in any comparable periodin human history.

Some statistics • In the last 15 years, 2.1 billion people have

gained access to safe drinking water.• More than 200 million people no longer live in

slums.• The proportion of the world’s people living in

extreme poverty has halved – meaning thatsome 700 million people (100 times the popula-tion of the island of Ireland) have been lifted out of poverty.

And this phenomenal progress should encourage usto tackle the remaining challenges. We need tocontinue to invest in overseas aid – because it is theright thing to do, but also because it is the smartthing to do: Small countries like Ireland need a fairand stable world, so that we can trade and thrive.And we now have the proof that people in Irelandsupport this work.

GIVE-ing back while on career break

I found myself sitting on a plane destinedfor Africa – again. What had happened? Ihad taken a career break to go on the NiallMellon Building Blitz in November andthen the plan was to take an ‘around theworld’ trip for the rest of my year out. Buthere I was on a plane with 12 retired Irishteachers who I didn’t even know, headingfor The Gambia.

The truth is, when I came back from theBuilding Blitz I was ‘itching’ to go back. Itwas an unbelievable humbling experience,spending days on site, walking amongstthe shacks and people who we were build-ing new homes for. Even though there wasgreat poverty, they were all so happy andfriendly, children with no food in their tum-mies, no shoes on their feet but all with in-quisitive, curious smiles on their faces.

When I came back I remembered an advertisement in InTouch for GIVE, an Irishorganisation that sends volunteer teachersto The Gambia each year for six weeksfrom January to March. The name itself,

GIVE – Gambia Ireland Volunteers in Education – struck a cord with me. So hereI was on my way to The Gambia.

I worked alongside one of the other volunteers in the Nursery Sector overthere. In The Gambia money is very scarceand conditions are very poor, yet every stu-dent arrives in school in a perfect uniformwith a smile on their face. The children arebeautiful and so happy, despite the condi-tions and the overcrowded classrooms.There are up to 60 children in classes withfour or five pupils sitting squashed at abench suitable for two.

The classrooms consist of dusty floorsand teachers have little more than a black-board and chalk to work with. It is rare tohave enough pencils, rubbers, copies, evenpaper for each child in a class! Paints andcrayons are luxuries they know little of. Tosee them touch paint I had brought overand be mesmerised by its texture washumbling. Not to mention when they discovered the ‘magic’ of mixing blue and

yellow to make green. I remember in one class demonstrating a

lesson in phonics to the teacher – sayingthe letter name ‘LI’, sounding it and askingthe children for names or things around theclassroom beginning with ‘LI’. I pointed upto the ceiling to say light to discover therewas no light. In fact, there was no electricityat all. How did I not notice this before?

We take so much for granted here.Teaching has changed and evolved in Ireland over the last century, and especiallyover the last decade or two with technology.As a teacher I realise how lucky I am toteach here – even in a recession.

There is so much to do in The Gambia.Teachers are doing their best, with littletraining, overcrowded classes, and few resources. At times, I felt my presence andcontribution was like a drop in the oceanbut with every drop comes change. Thanksto organisations like GIVE, the people ofthe aptly named ‘Smiling Coast of Africa’will experience support in education, thusgiving them more reasons to smile. Forme, a change of plan and a spur of the moment decision introduced me to thehappiest, friendliest people I have ever met,an experience I will cherish and never forget.

Martina Delaney is a primary school teacherin St John’s Junior School, Kilkenny. She iscurrently on career break.

For further information on volunteering in The Gambia please contact Joe Griffin of GIVE. Telephone:0872255040; email: [email protected]; website:www.giveireland.ie, www.rte.ie/doconone (OldSchool New School). Charity number: CHY 20100.

MartinaDelaneywritesabout herexperiencesin TheGambia

Activateyourcardto win

Suggest a venueBy suggesting a venue, you help Membership Plus grow in the way which benefitsyou the most. Once received, our venue team will contact the suggested companyand once we secure an offer we will add it to Membership Plus. So whether thehottest new restaurant has opened down the road or your favourite place to goshopping isn’t yet in Membership Plus – send a venue suggestion to our venuesteam by going to www.membershipplus.ie and click on ‘Suggest a Venue’.

INTO News


BENEFITS

Membership Plus– your member benefit programme –

Membership Plus is the benefit programme availableto INTO members where you can enjoy up to 50%discount at over 1,000 restaurants, shops, gyms, golfclubs, days out venues and much more.

Offers are available across all areas of the countryand 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, hair-dressers to big high street names, there is somethingfor everyone so with only minimum usage, youshould notice significant savings in a short space oftime.

Your new 2013/2014 Membership Plus card wasenclosed in the September issue of InTouch.

If your card was missing, please contact INTOhead office on 01 804 7700.

Activate your card by 31 October 2013 for a chance to win €50.

Everyone who activates their 2013/2014 Membership Plus card by31 October 2013 will go into a draw to win a €50 shopping card oftheir choice from our selection of discounted shopping cards.

To activate your new Membership Plus card and get the fullbenefit of the new and improved Membership Plus website:1. Go to www.membershipplus.ie.2. When prompted, enter your Membership Plus card number

beginning MTS. Please note it is not necessary to use yourINTO membership number.

3. Click on the ‘Register’ button to complete the short activationprocess.

You will then be able to view the full range of offers, be kept upto date with the newest offers, enter fantastic competitions andmuch more.

Membership Plus are excitedto announce that you cannow download the new freemobile app – allowing you tosee what offers are availableclosest to your currentlocation, browse bycategory, save your favouriteoffers and much more.

Whether you are out andabout and need to see whereyou can save withMembership Plus or want tosee what offers are close tohome, the Membership PlusApp brings over 650 offers toyour fingertips.

The Membership Plus appis free to download from theApp Store for iPhone usersor Google Play for Androidusers.

Download our new app tofind offers on the move …


SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Applying forthe MisneachProgramme

If you are a first-time principal or acting principal you are eligible to apply for the Misneach programme.

This programme focuses on thelearning and development needs of theprincipal during his/her first two yearsfollowing appointment.

Key constituent elements of the programme include:

1 Four residential meetings over twoschool years interrogating a series ofmodules.

2 An additional four Misneach localsupport sessions in Year 1, facilitatedby an experienced principal.The cost of accommodation and

travel to the residentials is funded bythe DES. Teaching principals may alsoclaim for substitute cover through theuse of admin days and PDST support.

Application should be made via theapplication form, or by visitingwww.pdst.ie, or by contacting LindaHogan at Clare Education Centre, Govt Buildings, Kilrush Rd, Ennis, Co Clare. Phone 065 6845520 or [email protected].

Please send in the application formas soon as the appointment is secured.

Modules for Misneach primary

• The Principal and the Boardof Management.

• Leading learning.• Communication.• Conflict Management.• Managing Self.• Leadership Curriculum Change.• Leading Literacy and Numeracy.• Stress Management.

• Interviewing.• Time Management.• Team Building.• Managing Special Needs.• Finance.• Record Keeping.• Leading People.• Assessment and Evaluation.• The Extended School Community.

Application Form for Misneach ProgrammeName:

Position:

Date of appointment to position:

Mobile:

Email:

School Name:

School Address:

Number of Teachers:

Roll Number:

School Tel:

School Email:

Signed:

Office use only

Date received:

Signed:

INTO AdviceINTO advice for members on issues of importance

A frequently asked question by newlyqualified teachers (NQTs) is “What arethe criteria used in the inspection of thework of teachers for probationary andregistration purposes in primaryschools?” Appendix 4 in the Proceduresfor Induction and Procedures and Criteriafor Probation 2013/2014 (The TeachingCouncil, August 2013, page 44) outlinesthe criteria (Source: Inspectorate, Department of Education and Skills).

There are four key areas to consider• Planning, preparation and recording

of progress.• Classroom management and

organisation.• Quality of teaching across the

curriculum areas.• Quality of pupils’ learning in curricu-

lum areas.In this article we will explore the criteriafor planning, preparation and recordingof progress and in next month’s articlewe will look at the criteria for:• Classroom management and

organisation.• Quality of teaching across curriculum

areas.• Quality of pupils’ learning in curricu-

lum areas.

Planning, preparation and recordingof progressThe NQT demonstrates engagementwith long and short-term planning inline with school policies (e.g. assess-ment and other relevant teaching andlearning policies) and the primaryschool curriculum under the followingcriteria:• Develops an adequate class

timetable referenced to the speci-fied minimum weekly time frame-work in the Primary School Cur-riculum and the recommendationsincluded in Circular 56/2011: It isimportant to link with the School Planwhen drawing up your timetable. Dis-cuss with the principal and/or mentorhow the school is facilitating the addi-tional time for literacy and numeracy.

• Provides clear and suitable teachingand learning objectives with due regard to the Primary School Cur-riculum and the School Plan: Keepyour learning objectives specific, real-istic, attainable, measurable and rele-vant to the class you are teaching. The

key words here are clear and suitable –if the learning objectives are clear andsuitable then your teaching and thechildren’s learning will be focused.

• Prepares an appropriate range ofresources: This does not mean making resources for every lesson but rather being efficient in sourcingeffective resources in the school orfrom other teachers or making appro-priate, sustainable resources which canbe used throughout the year. The keyword here is appropriate – only havethe resources which are essential andwhich will enhance the teaching andlearning in the context of your class.

• Plans for differences in pupil abilities,backgrounds and learning styles:this refers to differentiating yourteaching to cater for the pupils’ learn-ing needs in your class. See AppendixF: Differentiation strategies across thecurriculum in the Long-term PlanningGuidelines, in the planning section ofwww.teacherinduction.ie The illus-trated table includes a menu of differ-entiation strategies adapted from theGuidelines for Teachers of Studentswith General Learning Disabilities(NCCA, 2007) and from the DraftGuidelines for Teachers of ExceptionallyAble Students (NCCA, 2007). The examples included are for illustrativepurposes only and should be replacedwith examples relevant to the chil-dren in your own class.

• Maintains good quality progressrecords: “Assessment is the processof gathering, recording,interpreting, using,and reportinginformation

about a child’sprogress and achievement in develop-ing knowledge, skills and attitudes.” (Assessment in the Primary SchoolCurriculum: Guidelines for Schools,NCCA, 2007, p7). The Planning andAssessment workshops will explorethis area in more detail but a goodreference is Appendix E: Assessmentmethods across the curriculum in theLong-Term Planning Guidelines, inthe planning section ofwww.teacherinduction.ie The illus-trated table includes a menu of assessment methods adapted fromthe Primary School Curriculum (DES,1999) and Assessment in the PrimarySchool Curriculum: Guidelines forSchools, (NCCA 2007). The examplesincluded are for illustrative purposesonly and should be replaced with examples relevant to the pupils inyour own class.

For further information on Proceduresfor Induction and Procedures and Criteria for Probation 2013/2014 visitwww.teachingcouncil.ie

For information on planning visitwww.teacherinduction.ie

From college to classroom

Criteria for planning

INTO Advice


�The NQT demonstrates engagement with long andshort-term planning �

As InTouch goes to print the biennial INTO Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Conference is taking place in the KillasheeHouse Hotel, Naas, Co Kildare. A report on the conference will be published in the November issue of InTouch.


School LeadershipInformation and updates on issues relating to primary school leadership

Pictured on left is the currentINTO Principals’ and DeputyPrincipals’ Committee whichcompletes its three year term atINTO Annual Congress 2014.The Committee considers issuesrelated to school leadership andadvises the CEC on same. Itmeets five times a year. If youare interested in being on theCommittee you must be nomi-nated by an INTO Principals’and Deputy Principals’ Forumin your district. These arescheduled to meet in November.Further details are availableunder the ‘School Leadership’section on the INTO website.

School leadership at the crossroads

Like to be on the PDC?

The vast majority of Irish primary school lead-ers report being happy in their job despite a significant degree of occupational stress. Therelationship between job satisfaction and stressis complex. Both are influenced by a variety offactors including the adequacy of resources, administrative support, the extent to whichteachers are open to new developments andchallenges, school facilities and being a teachingprincipal or administrative principal.

Increasingly the key issue for school leaders,not just in Ireland but across the world, is thevolume and multiplicity of demands. These include instructional leadership, pastoral care,human resource management, school adminis-tration and management and the financialmanagement of ever diminishing resources. Inmost cases it is an injudicious mixture of all ofthese major roles fuelled in part by a policy ofdevolving responsibility to school level. As a result, increasing numbers of principals reportfeelings of workload pressure.

This is obviously unfair to the individualsplaced in this position and is a risk to personal

wellbeing and health and safety. Equally, giventhe recognised importance of school leadershipand the centrality of the principal teacher to theeducation system, the effective administrationof the education system is compromised by thisoverload of key individuals.

At the core of this problem is a lack of roledefinition for the principal teacher, a lack ofsupport/resources to enable the job of leader-ship to be effectively undertaken and fair remu-neration for the role. The recent PDP confer-ence gave an opportunity for school leaders toexamine those and other issues, to share goodpractice and to pursue possibilities in other keyareas such as staffing, management, administra-tion and instructional leadership.

The policies of austerity have taken their tollon all – school leaders are no exception – andcutbacks to school staffing and funding haveimpacted significantly. School leadership is at acrossroads. Waiting for others to provide solu-tions is not an option. The challenge for us is tochart a direction and ensure the rebuilding ofkey aspects of school leadership.

Facts and figures2012/2013

Number of primary pupils 526,422Number of primary

teachers 32,175Number of primary

schools on mainstream 3,152Number of special schools 141

Size of schools –Primary

Fewer than 50 pupils 59850 – 99 783100 – 199 805200 –299 573300 –499 351500+ 102Total 3,152

The following table shows the qualifica-tions, registration and probationary statusnecessary for appointment to particularposts in schools. Under the terms of Circular 40/2010 appointments of newteachers to posts for which they are notfully qualified may have implications forsalary. Appointing an unprobated teacherto a post in which they cannot be probat-ed and are not eligible may have implica-tions for that teacher's ability to completeprobation within the given time.

Online applications for teaching posts

Online applications for teaching posts areefficient and cost-effective when it comesto sending and receiving applications.

BenefitsFor the cash-strapped student or theteacher applying for jobs the cost is mini-mal as it saves on endless photocopying,addressing envelopes and postal costs.

For the principal teacher it avoidsopening envelopes, trips to the post officeto collect mail during the summer, keepsa record of applications received, providesfor straightforward and immediate responses to applicants and does not require return of documents or shredding.

Current positionMany adverts for teaching posts look forsome or all of the following to be sent bypost:• Letter of application.• References.• Copies of certificates, diplomas, degrees.• CV (unbound/slide binder).• Teaching Council registration.• Standard application form for teaching

posts.Many require multiple copies of docu-

mentation for use by the interview panelwhich greatly increases postage costs forapplicants. In contrast, principal posts require just the standard application form.

ProposalA school advertising a vacancy sets up adedicated or separate email accountwhich is used for teaching posts applica-tions only. An example of such an ac-count would [email protected]

This account should be password protected and available to the assessment

board only. Applications on the standardapplication form are invited which can besubmitted as an attachment. No otherdocumentation is sought at this stage ofthe process.

An automatic receipt can be issued indicating application has been received.

The assessment board can then, as partof the normal selection process, assess theapplications and sort candidates into‘called to interview’ and not called to interview’ categories. Each assessor canview documents on screen at the sametime and there is no need to print off documents.

All correspondence regarding calling tointerview is by email. Candidates can betold to forward any additional documen-tation required prior to interview or toldto bring it to interview.

The outcome of interviews can be sentto all applicants by email. This necessitatesonly two emails – one for those called to interview and who were unsuccessfuland another to those not selected for interview.

The email address can be kept for a set period of time for record keeping purposes and then deleted or alternativelyit can be kept for future applications.

Added bonusThe email address can be used to compilelists of substitute teachers available forwork at short notice from which a groupemail can be prepared and sent out in theevent of a sudden vacancy.

The INTO Principals’ and Deputy Prin-cipals’ Committee recommends such anapproach to job applications and asks fellow principals who have not already introduced such a system to do so.

Post Full TC recognition TC Provisional/ TC Restrictedrecognition with Conditional Recognition

including probation Recognition including probation conditions (ILR/other shortfalls) Montessori

Principal (subject to Circular 02/02) YesMainstream Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes YesYesYes Yes Yes YesYes

Special school/classGAM EAL Resource post (SEN) HSCLEarly start class Yes

Teacher recruitment – Qualifications, registration and probation

One teacher's tale

Dear Editor,There are very few teaching jobs this year. In fact,many teachers who have completed two years ina temporary capacity are walking from school toschool fully probated looking for casual subbing! Some schools exclude them by request-ing probated only for temporary mainstream positions!

Our principals could help them a little thoughby accepting applications for teaching positionsby email only.

Many adverts on educationposts.ie request letters of application, copies of diplomas, degrees, passport sized photos, proof of Gardavetting etc. Some even request three copies tomake things easier for the interview board! Ok sothe applicant must really really prove that theywish to be considered for the position as do threeor four hundred others! Teaching Council registra-tion proves that this applicant/ teacher is indeedqualified to teach in this country and that he /shehas Garda vetting. Perhaps those shortlisted forinterview could be asked to bring along docu-mentation to prove registration with the Teach-ing Council. Could we stop this exploitation im-mediately please. Perhaps educationposts couldrefuse to run such demanding advertisements.Sort this for our new graduates please and takethe misery and huge cost out of the extraordinar-ily difficult job hunt!

Name and address with editor.


School Leadership

Following on from the very successfulseminars for principal teachers duringthe last school year, and given the hugevolume of demand for more such semi-nars, INTO Learning is hosting furtherprincipals’ seminars this term. The aimsof the seminars are:• To provide up to date and relevant

information to principals on topicalschool issues.

• To enable principals to communicatemore effectively with the school community, particularly in respect of difficult issues

• To discuss the prevention and man-agement of bullying amongst pupils.

• To facilitate query and answer sessions with our Legal, Industrial Relations and Equality and our Conditions of Employment teams.

• To provide a forum for principals toshare information.

Topics to be covered include the following:• Effective communication.• Areas in which effective communica-

tion is important, for example inmanaging parental complaints or staff relations issues.

• Key skills in managing difficult conversations.

• Prevention and dealing with bullyingamongst pupils.

• The new anti-bullying procedures issued by the DES in 2013.

• Best practice in dealing with bullyingat school level, including interaction

with parents.• The provision of advice on best prac-

tice for principals on engagementwith staff with regard to sick leave.

• Updates on issues including rollbooks/registers and enrolment/admissions policies.

INTO Learning is now offering fourseminars on this topic1. Wednesday 16 October, City North

Hotel, Gormanstown.2. Wednesday 23 October, Hodson Bay

Hotel, Athlone.3. Wednesday 20 November, Radisson

Hotel, Sligo.4. Wednesday 27 November, Kilkenny

Ormonde Hotel.The DES has authorised the release ofteachers to attend these seminars butunfortunately substitute cover

is not provided for such release. These seminars are provided free of

charge. However, a fully refundablebooking deposit of €40 will be chargedwith each application and is refundableon attendance. Those that do not attendand do not cancel within 48 hours willnot be refunded. The seminars will bepresented by INTO officials and runfrom 9.30am - 3.30pm. Lunch and refreshments will also be provided.

Please Note***Applications can only be made onlineand payment can only be made usingdebit/credit card. Places will be allocat-ed strictly on a first come first servedbasis. To apply for a place on eitherseminar log onto: www.intolearning.ie

For any further queries email:[email protected]

Participants at a previous principals’ seminar.


School Leadership

INTO seminars for principalsLeadership in challenging times

Comments from some of last year’s participants at principals’ seminars

�… excellent and comprehensivepresentations which will be hugelybeneficial �

�Very clear with lots of facts andguidelines �

�Good interaction with participantsthroughout seminar �


School Leadership

Minister Quinn issues proposals in relationto school enrolment policies

On 2 September, Minister Ruairí Quinnissued the draft general scheme of a billand regulations in relation to school ad-missions. This followed a consultationprocess in 2011. The current legislativeprogramme indicates that legislation willbe published in 2014. As outlined, theproposed legislation and regulationswould make significant changes to thecurrent system of school admissions. Theproposed changes to legislation would include:• An explicit requirement on schools to

state that the school will not discrimi-nate (on any of the nine grounds set outin equality legislation) in its admissionspolicy, except in relation to specific exemptions for religious and single sexschools which are currently permitted.The draft scheme outlines that this is to reinforce the principle of maximumaccessibility to and inclusiveness inschools.

• A repeal of Section 29(1)(c) of the Education Act 1998, which provides forappeals to the Secretary General of theDepartment where admission has beenrefused. The notes on the draft schemestate that this is to “provide for appealstructures that are less burdensome,less adversarial and more cost effective”than the existing S29 appeals. S29 appeals would still be provided in thecase of expulsion or suspension.

• Making it a function of the principal tobe responsible for the implementationof the school’s admissions policy, aspart of his/ her day to day management

of the school. • Providing that appeals against decisions

to refuse enrolment would be heard bythe board of management of the school.

• Giving power to the NEWB and NCSEto designate a school for a child to attend.

• Giving power to the minister to directtwo or more schools to cooperate in relation to their practices or proceduresfor the admission of students. The draft regulations set out further de-

tails of the proposals. They outline theproposed content of an admissions policy,including a provision that enrolment maybe refused, where a parent does not agreeto the school’s code of behaviour, orwhere the Garda/ HSE has provided itsopinion that the admission of the studentwould be seriously detrimental to thesafety of staff or students.

The proposed regulations further setout criteria which may or may not beused by schools in cases of oversub-scription. The draft regulationswould prohibit priority being givento applicants on the basis of financial contributions, any relationship with the school(other than siblings of pupils, orchildren of staff, and a specificderogation in relation to past pupils),order of application or attendance atan interview or open day. Deroga-tions are proposed to facilitateschools to transition to the newarrangements.

The INTO noted the publication

of the draft legislation, but has expressedconcerns, in particular about the devolv-ing of the functions of enrolment to theprincipal teacher, and the absence of anindependent appeal where admission hasbeen refused. The draft General Schemeand draft regulations was issued to theOireachtas Joint Committee on Educationand Social Protection, to allow a full pub-lic discussion, including inputs from par-ents and the education partners. TheINTO will respond to the draft legislationand regulations as appropriate.

The DES recently issued new Anti-Bul-lying Procedures for Schools. These guide-lines replace the 1993 guidelines for

A new error check has been included inthis year’s National School Annual Cen-sus form. Previously this error check hasbeen performed after the schools returnthe forms. It is anticipated that this addition will make things clearer andmore efficient for principal teachers tohave the error check on the form.

The total number of mainstreampupils enrolled last year is automaticallyin the census form linked to the schoolroll number. The number of new en-

trants to the school between 29 Septem-ber 2012 and 30 September 2013 is addedto that number. The number of leaversfrom the school between those dates isthen subtracted. This figure should cor-respond to this year’s mainstream enrol-ment. If it shows up as an error pleasecheck Tables 1 and 2 to ensure the correctnumber of entrants and leavers have beenentered. Please ensure that the errormessage displays ‘ok’ in green before returning the form to Statistics Section.

Optional question – softwarepackageAlso in this year’s National School An-nual Census is a new optional question,asking whether schools use a softwarepackage to complete the census returnand, if so, which provider to they use.

The DES asks principals to completethis optional question as the results willhelp to inform the development of thenew Primary Online Database.

National School Annual CensusNew error check – consistency check against enrolment last year

If you were to ask parents what they wantfor their children, the first thing theywould say is happiness. Yet, learning aboutwhat makes people happy and strategieson enhancing well-being is not yet part ofthe Irish curriculum.

The Geelong Grammar School in Mel-bourne made history by creating the firstPositive Education School in the world.Their purpose is to use positive psycholo-gy, which is a science of wellbeing, to helptheir 1,500 students flourish. The principalrecognised that the journey needs to begin with his faculty members. A year before the change began, he trained all histeachers on how to enhance their ownwellbeing, reduce their depressive symp-toms, develop resilience in the face of adversity, enhance their positive emotions,

physical health and prepare themselves tohelp their students flourish.

A Positive Education department wascreated, the aim of which was to managethe change. It incorporated teaching chil-dren stand-alone courses on their charac-ter strengths, positive relationships, mean-ing in life, engagement and more. It usedthe latest science to enhance students’creativity, problem solving skills, criticalthinking and teach them optimism. It alsoencouraged teachers to incorporate thescience of wellbeing in their daily classes.Geography teachers began talking aboutmeasuring wellbeing of nations; Englishteachers discussed King Lear’s characterstrengths and Gregor Samsa’s resilience;while PE teachers were introducing ‘lettinggo of grudges’ activities.

To ensure the whole-school approach,parents were given regular talks about evi-dence-based exercises and activities theycan use with their children to improve theirmood, wellbeing and school performance.

The outcomes of Positive Educationchanges in the Geelong Grammar Schoolcontinues with their record breaking results and improved students’ wellbeing.What changes can we bring into Irishschool today to create Positive Education?

Jolanta Burke is a positive psychologistand a PhD researcher in Trinity CollegeDublin, School of Education. For further information about how to use positive psychology in education go to www.jumpp.ie.Jolanta will be writing regular columns onthis subject for InTouch.


School Leadership

DES issues anti- bullying procedures

schools, as recommended in the ActionPlan on Bullying (2013).

The key elements of the new proce-dures are• A requirement on boards to adopt and

implement revised Anti-Bullying Proce-dures. A template policy is available inthe procedures, and schools are advisedto use this in revising their policy, toensure consistency with the guidanceand direction set out in the document.Schools are required to have their re-

vised policy in place before Easter 2014. • A requirement on schools to communi-

cate their policy to the school community,through their website or other appro-priate means. A copy must be given tothe parents’ association.

• A revised definition of bullying,encompassing cyber-bullying and identi-ty based bullying is included. The defi-nition emphasises that bullying, by itsnature, is repeated over time, and thatonce off incidents of inappropriate be-haviour should be dealt with through

the school’s code of behaviour. Theimportance of a shared under-standing of bullying among thewhole school community is alsohighlighted.

• A noting of the increasingprevalence and evolving

nature of cyber bullying,and that the impact of this

may be felt in school. Therole of parents in prevention

of cyberbullying is referred toexplicitly.• Identity based bullying, in-

cluding homophobic bullying isspecifically referred to, as is the

importance of the prevention ofharassment under any of the ninegrounds referred to in legislation. • An emphasis on prevention ofbullying through the develop-

ment of positive school culture which iswelcoming of diversity and differenceand is based on inclusivity and respect.

• A requirement to set out the school’sprocedures for investigating and deal-ing with bullying, consistent with theDES Procedures, emphasising that theprimary aim is to resolve the issues, and if possible restore relationships between the parties involved.

• New provisions for recording bullying,generally where bullying behaviour hasnot been appropriately addressed with-in 20 school days.

• A requirement on principals to reporton recorded incidents of bullying to theboard of management.

The Procedures also include a templatepolicy for schools and a template forrecording incidents.

The INTO welcomed the publication of the Procedures, which were drawn upfollowing consultation with the partnersin education, pointing out that the Proce-dures reflect much of the good practice already in place in primary schools. However,concern has been expressed that nobudget has been allocated for upskillingteachers in this vital area. The INTO willinclude a module on the new proceduresin the upcoming ‘Leadership in Challeng-ing Times’ seminars for principal teachers.See www.into.ie or page 29 of this InTouch.

Positive education: the way forward


School Leadership

Whole School Evaluation – Management,Leadership and Learning (Primary)

The DES has introduced, from this Sep-tember, a new model of Whole-SchoolEvaluation called Management, Leader-ship and Learning (WSE–MLL) to runalongside the other form of WSE. It focuses on whole-school issues relating to management, leadership, and learning.

Key features include:l Two weeks advance written notice of

the evaluation.l Most of the time will be in classrooms.l Inspectors will visit a selection of

lessons.l Teachers are informed on morning of

each day which lessons are to be visited.l Meetings/interviews/questionnaires to

gather information.l It takes place over five days.l There is a reduced emphasis on the

school plan – the focus is on self-

evaluation where this is underway.l Key documents to be viewed are the

school information form, child protec-tion policy, school self-evaluation reports, school improvement plans oraction plans, behaviour and anti-bullyingpolicy, individual teachers’ plans/ records/timetables, assessment records, rolls/registers and BOM minutes.

l It may include relevant evaluative datagathered through incidental inspection.

l It takes account of progress on recom-mendations in previous inspections.

l The completion of parent/pupil andteacher questionnaires.

l Teacher questionnaires will seek theirperspectives on their own work, management, leadership and learningin the school.

l In larger schools, it will include visits to

a sample of teachers.l Teaching and learning in a setting may

be observed more than once.l Visits normally last between one and

one and a half hours or two/three visitsof approximately 30-45 minutes.

l A meeting with principal, BOM chair-person and parents’ association chair-person during school hours.

l The inspector(s) may request selectedsections of the School Plan.

l There will be a meeting for principal,teachers, the chairperson BOM and thechairperson parents’ association.

A published report will focus on:1. How good are the learning achieve-

ments of pupils?2. How good is the teaching?3. How well are pupils cared for and

supported?4. How effective are leadership and man-

agement?5. How effective is school self-evaluation?

The Department’s rationale is that this allows greater flexibility, and takes account of differences in school size andcontext. It focuses on the quality of learn-ing and teaching, management and lead-ership. It also aligns with National Litera-cy and Numeracy Strategy and Pro-gramme for Government.

A full guide to the process has beenpublished on the DES website and selectedschools will be contacted shortly.

Following the recent publication of AGuide to Whole-School Evaluation,Management, Leadership and Learn-ing – the following recounts my recentexperience of this alternative to thestandard format of the WSE that manyare familiar with.

As this WSE-MLL was a pilot pro-gramme in our school, we were initiallyapprehensive about the entire ordealthat awaited us just after the Easter holidays.

However, after initial contact con-firming that our name had been drawn,

at all stages the Inspectorate guided usthrough the entire process, from the initial shock to the presentation of thereport of the inhouse visitation.

We were afforded all the informationthat is now published in the recent pub-lication, reflecting on our school underthe headings of Management, Leader-ship and Learning taking into accountcontext factors such as our school sizeand the number of teaching staff.

It focused on quality assuring ourwork and confirmed our best practicewith helpful and realistic advice for

minor adjustments, where noted.The inspector afforded the class the

time to settle down and, within minutesof her arrival, the class continued asnormal but, in truth, I imagined thatthere was more than 60 minutes in anhour. I now reflect on the WSE-MLL asa positive encounter but be aware thatthe evaluation is not confined to specificcurriculum areas and teaching andlearning may be evaluated across arange of curriculum areas and with onlytwo weeks notice – ní hé lá na gaoithe lána scolb!

Ní hé lá na gaoithe lá na scolb!!Margaret Flanagan, principal of Kilmeedy NS reflects on her experience of WSE-MLL


School Leadership

Complaints in schoolsAgreed procedures for dealing with complaints in schools

School leaders often have a key role toplay in dealing with complaints againstteachers or schools in general. The follow-ing article has been prepared by the INTO Principals’ and Deputy Principals’Committee in order to help school leaderswith the task of ensuring that complaintsare dealt with in a fair manner.

The INTO and primary managementhave an agreed procedure for dealingwith such complaints. The full procedureis set out on www.into.ie or in the Management Board Members’ Handbook.

INTO advice is that parents and staffshould be made aware of this procedureas it can help to resolve a complaint at anearly and informal stage. The INTO advis-es that every effort should be made to resolve a complaint at the earliest possi-ble stage.

This agreement provides for a stagedapproach, the first two of which are informal.

Stage 1A parent/guardian should firstly raisethe matter with class teacher with aview to resolving it and, if unresolved,with the principal teacher. If still unre-solved it should be raised with the boardof management (BOM) chairperson.

The school should ensure that parentsare informed periodically of the policy,particularly in relation to making an appointment to see the teacher. If thecomplaint is against the school princi-pal, it should be raised firstly with theprincipal and, if unresolved, with theBOM chairperson.

This stage should be attempted withany complaint, either verbal or written.

Stage 2If the complaint is unresolved at Stage 1,the complainant should raise the matterin writing with the BOM chairpersonwho should try and resolve the matterinformally within five days.

A note should be kept of any meetingand its outcomes which should beagreed with the parties. The INTO advises that a teacher should be given acopy of any written complaint.

Stage 3If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, the chairperson should givethe teacher a copy of the written com-plaint and arrange a meeting within tendays with the teacher and, where appli-cable, the principal teacher with a viewto resolving the complaint.

Stages 1-3 should be completed in advance of the BOM having sight of thedetails of the complaint.

Stage 4If unresolved, the chairperson should,within a further 10 days, make a formalreport to the BOM. If the BOM decidesthe complaint to be unsubstantiated theteacher and the complaint are informedwithin three days of the BOM meeting.

If the BOM considers the complaintsubstantiated or warranting further investigation the teacher is informed,supplied with a copy of any written evidence in support of the complaintand asked to supply a written statementto the BOM. The teacher should be given an opportunity to make a presen-tation to the BOM within ten days andis entitled to be accompanied/assistedby a friend at this meeting, as is the

complainant. The INTO advises that any member

who is asked to supply a written responseor attend a BOM meeting should con-tact their CEC representative or INTOHead Office for advice and assistance.

Stage 5When the BOM has completed its investigation, the teacher and the complainant should, within five days ofthe meeting, be informed of the final decision of the BOM including any outcomes and proposed action.

The DES is now advising that a com-plainant unhappy with the investiga-tion/ handling of the complaint by aBOM may bring the matter to the atten-tion of the school patron or refer thematter to the Office of the Ombudsmanfor Children.

The underlying principles of this pro-cedure are that all parties are entitled toa fair and impartial determination ofany outcomes. Anyone with a connec-tion to one of the parties that wouldraise concerns regarding impartialityshould not investigate or decide a case.BOM members should be reminded ofobligations in respect of confidentiality.

The five stages of agreed procedure


NewsdeskNews from the world of education and trade unionism, at home and abroad

INTO pays tribute to Seamus Heaney

In a tribute to Nobel Laureate SeamusHeaney, who died on 30 August, INTOgeneral secretary Sheila Nunan said:

“I extend the sympathy of the INTO tothe family and friends of Seamus Heaneyin particular to his wife Marie and hischildren and would like to acknowledgehis immense contribution to Irish educa-tion as well as literature.”

Ms Nunan said Seamus Heaney hadmade an indelible mark on the world ofliterature for which he was rightly hon-oured at home and throughout the world.“He will be fondly remembered not onlyas a poet and a scholar but as a greatteacher and teacher educator.” She described him as one of nature’s gentle-men and said he was a national treasure.

Seamus Heaney first worked as ateacher and was a member of the INTObefore becoming a lecturer in CarysfortCollege of Education in Dublin where hetaught English to trainee primary teach-ers. He taught in Ballymurphy in Belfastbefore moving to St Joseph’s TrainingCollege and Queens University. His auntSally, a primary teacher, was a formativeinfluence on the young poet and he latermarried into a family of teachers.

Sheila said Seamus Heaney regularlyspoke fondly of his time in Carysfort

College and retained his links with teachersand the teaching profession. The poemValedictory Verses was written for thegraduation ceremony in Carysfort in 1988.

At an INTO function in 2011 to honourHeaney’s lifetime contribution to educa-

tion he spoke proudly of the sense of vocation, purpose and energy in teaching.He said there had been many good days inhis life but described that day as “one ofthe best days yet”.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.

Seamus Heaneyis pictured atINTO EducationConference 2011with pastgraduates ofCarysfortCollege.

The Singing Classes was originally written by Seamus Heaney for the closure ofCarysfort and was revised for Education Today (Spring 1993).The Song of the Bullets: In December 1986 Seamus Heaney spoke at the launchof the INTO journal An Múinteoir – the Irish Teachers' Journal. The launch washeld in a national school, St Pius X in Templeogue in Dublin, where Mr Heaneyread some of his poetry to senior pupils and guests, including a new poem whichwas published for the first time in the journal. (Note: To read the poems mentioned visit the Seamus Heaney tribute page on www.into.ie )


Ócáidí Nuachta

Registration with Teaching Council required by1 November in order to get paid

Commencement of Section 30 of theTeaching Council Act on 1 November 2013– advice for teachers applying for registra-tion or those awaiting the outcome of anapplication already submitted.

The Minister for Education and Skills announced last Easter that the Departmentwill commence Section 30 of the TeachingCouncil Act 2001 on 1 November 2013.From that date, all teachers working inrecognised schools must be registeredwith the Teaching Council. Otherwise, under the provisions of the legislation,they will not be paid from monies voted bythe Oireachtas.

All teachers who are registered shouldconfirm their registration status and theirrenewal date through their log-in onwww.teachingcouncil.ie. During thisprocess, teachers are strongly advised tomake sure that their contact details are upto date. Including your email address, mobile/contact telephone number andhome address for written correspondence

will enable the Council to make every effort to notify you in plenty of time beforeyour registration is due for renewal. If yourrenewal date is anytime between now and1 November, please remember to renew,preferably online well in advance.

If you are not registered, and have notyet submitted an application, you shoulddo so as a matter of urgency. The applica-tion form can be downloaded for comple-tion from www.teachingcouncil.ie website.The Garda Vetting form must also be sub-mitted and can only be requested in hardcopy only for security reasons. A requestcan be submitted via the website. It is ofutmost importance that this vetting formbe completed first as it can take some timefor the vetting process to be completed.

If you are not registered, and have sub-mitted an application, please check yourmost recent correspondence from theCouncil and ensure that you have submit-ted all outstanding documentation. Thismay include the Garda Vetting form. If any

documentation is still outstanding, thisshould be submitted immediately.

Please note that the Council will priori-tise applications from teachers who are inemployment at the time of application.Clear evidence to this effect – currentpayslip or a letter from the school principalincluding the school roll number – must besubmitted with the application in order toreceive this prioritisation.

In the interest of ensuring the bestpossible service to those in greatest need,the Council asks that you contact the officevia phone or email only if you are unsureas to the status of your outstandingdocumentation (if applicable), and haveread the relevant FAQs on the website.If you wish to check the status of yourapplication, and are satisfied that alloutstanding documentation has beensubmitted, please submit your request byemail quoting your Application ReferenceNumber or PPS number [email protected].

Clare and Limerick Education Centres secondEducation Research Conference 2014

Call for papers on current issues in education research and practiceClare and Limerick Education Centres invite expressions of interest from educa-tion researchers to present papers on cur-rent issues in education at the 2014 con-ference to be held in Clare EducationCentre, Government Offices, KilrushRoad, Ennis, Co Clare. Researchers are in-vited to present papers from their field ofstudy in education.

This one-day conference is designed togive education researchers an opportunityto showcase their work in an intellectuallystimulating setting.

Once again this is a unique opportunityfor researchers to present their researchfindings and have them published in theannual conference journal. The 2001, 2012and 2013 journals are available [email protected]

The date for the conference is Saturday,1 March 2014

Submitting an abstract for considera-tionAbstracts of 150-200 words (maximum)should include a title, field of study andyour contact details.

Papers should be no more than 30 minutes long. A further 10 minutes (maximum) will be allowed for discussion.The day will end with a plenary.

Applications will be accepted on a firstcome basis. The closing date for submis-sion of the fully completed research paperfor the conference journal is Friday, 14February 2014 and Powerpoint presenta-tions to be used by presenters must besubmitted not later than Friday, 28 Febru-ary 2014. Unfortunately, failure to meetthe submissions criteria will incur auto-

matic exclusion from presenting at theconference. Download application formsfrom www.clareed.ie/newsDetail.php?Clare-and-Limerick-Education-Centres-Second-Education-Research-Conference-2014-31

Enquiries by email only toPat Hanrahan email, [email protected]; DrJoe O’Connell (PhD) email, [email protected] orto the conference co-ordinator Dr KevinHaugh (PhD) email,[email protected]

Organisers andProfessor Blairpictured atResearchConference in 2012.


Every year is a LEAP year

All professions are increasingly exposed tointernational and global trends; boththrough increased mobility and advancingtechnology. Education is no exception.Emeritus Professor Hedley Beare,poignantly recommended in 2010 thateducational leaders now needed to belooking outside “boundaries and borders –both geographically and metaphorically”.

Through this comment, Beare was fore-shadowing the need for educational leadersto adopt a more global and internationalperspective. Effective educational leadersin the 21st century need to become part ofan international community which is sharing and learning through direct andpersonal international interaction.

Paige and Mestenhauser (1999) accuratelypredicted that the internationalisation ofeducational leadership would not just beabout acquiring or sharing knowledgefrom other countries but would also beabout how educational leaders act and interact both globally and internationallyat a personal and professional level.

Set against this backdrop of internationaland global trends there would seem to be anew challenge for educational leaders: theprovision of internationalised professionaldevelopment for principals that translatesinto practice at the school level.

The internationalisation of schoolingand education is not just about acquiringor sharing knowledge from other coun-tries, it is also about what we do with thatknowledge – what we have learnt fromthe experience (Paige and Mestenhauser,1999). The field of educational leadershipis now very much an international one,with policies, values and expectations be-ing shared globally between world leaders,researchers, authors and educators. Thisinterconnectedness at the internationallevel, it might be observed, however, oftendoes not translate to the practising princi-pal or to their professional development.

The Leading Educators Around thePlanet programme (LEAP), developed in2009, offers principals the opportunity toparticipate in professional development,both within an international and a local

context. LEAP’s academic partners (University of Western Sydney and Macquarie University) offer workshopson shadowing plus action research, to further enhance the LEAP experiencewhile at the same time allowing LEAPparticipants the opportunity to hone theirresearch skills. Participants select theirown area of enquiry for their action research.

LEAP provides participating principalswith the opportunity to engage in interna-tionalised professional development thatis embedded in an international shadow-ing experience. Through a combination ofhosting and billeting, both in Australiaand overseas, principals constantly reflecton their practice while simultaneously being challenged by their internationalcolleague. The ensuing professional dia-logue, allows for each participant to gain adeeper knowledge and understanding ofcurrent practice; to investigate systempractice globally; to critically analyse localpractice and develop initiatives applicableto their local context.

After taking part in LEAP, principals responded that there had definitely beenan impact on their school and staff; therehad been significant validation of currentpractice; significant opportunities for re-flection and articulation of educationaltheory and philosophy; significant impacton their understanding of global educa-tional issues; significant impact on theirprincipalship; and significant opportuni-ties to explore different leadership styles.Early indicators are that schools that havebeen involved in the programme haveopened their minds to new ideas fromother nations and developed them con-textually. Some principals are reportingchange in practice that they believe willlead to improved outcomes for students.

Comments made by primary and sec-ondary principals who have participated inLEAP include: “LEAP has been one of thebest professional learning opportunities Ihave ever undertaken – I would recom-mend it to any educator”; “it was a remark-able experience”; “gave me a greater insightinto leadership in other systems”; “keeping

up with what is working globally”; “it hasgiven me a taste of what is out there and Iwant to explore more”; “very powerful wayto gain knowledge”; “the most powerfulprofessional development of my career”;“gave me a wealth of information aroundlearning and best practice in schools andsystems”; and “gave me opportunities fordeep and authentic educational discussionswith other professionals”.

Participation in the LEAP programmeis one professional development activityfor practising principals that challengesinsularity and offers the opportunity todevelop a new mindset in an internationalcontext.

References

AITSL: Australian Institute for Teaching and SchoolLeadership (2011). National Professional.Standard for Principals. Victoria, Australia:MCEECDYA Beare, H. (2010). Six Decades of Continuous SchoolRestructuring. Australian Council for EducationalLeaders, Monograph 46. ISSN 0 813 5335 Crowther, F.(2011). Paige, R. M. and Mestenhauser, J. A. (1999).Internationalising Educational Administration,Educational Administration Quarterly, Volume 35,500 – 517. DOI: 10.1177/0013161x99354005LEAP contact - www.aleap4principals.com.au

This article is based on the Doctorial studies(Macquarie University) of SuzanneLazenby, co-director of LEAP.

John Walters, a LEAP Fellow and newly retired Australian school principal addressed the Principals’ and Deputy Principals’ Conference thisyear. John discussed the many opportunities LEAPcan offer, along with sharing his experience of theAustralian education system. John was a schoolprincipal in Australia for 17 years, a curriculum consultant with the Department of Education(NSW), a lecturer at the University of NSW and the creator/author of the Reading Box series (Australia’s most widely used reading comprehen-sion resource). John is currently pursuing projectsas an educational writer, children’s author andplaywright. John’s email contact:[email protected].

LEAPing into international educational leadership via the Leading Educators Around the Planet (LEAP) program

Newsdesk

Ócáidí Nuachta


Launch of St Dallan’s PrimarySchool Gaa Handball Wall

Cumann na mBunscolGAA/INTO Respect Exhibition Go Games

Congratulations to all the children whoplayed in Mini Games throughout thisyear’s Football and Hurling Champi-onships. Throughout the ProvincialChampionships, over 1,000 children haveparticipated in the Cumann na mBunscolGAA/INTO Respect Exhibition GoGames.

Over the six Sundays of the All IrelandHurling and Football series, 240 children

have experienced the thrill of playing onthe hallowed ground with at least onechild from every county playing on AllIreland Hurling and Football Final Sun-day. In many counties a skills system hasbeen used to select these players andCumann na mBunscol strongly encour-ages this.

These exhibition games are small sidedin line with the Go Games philosophy

and are in line with the GAA’s policy on abalanced approach to competition at thisage. The benefits of these small sidedgames include greater participation by allplayers, improved fitness levels and gamesappropriate to the age of the children. Italso highlights the tremendous effort andwork that is going on in the promotion ofGaelic games in our primary schoolsthroughout Ireland.

Liam O’Neill, Uachtarain Chumann Luthchleas Gael, and Brendan O’Sullivan, INTO President, with the Tyrone girls team,

at the All-Ireland Football Semi-Final

Liam O’Neill, Uachtarain Chumann Luthchleas Gael, and Bren-dan O’Sullivan, INTO President, with the Mayo boys team, at

the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Semi-Finalbetween Mayo and Tyrone. Croke Park, Dublin.

Pictured at the launch of St Dallan’s GAA Handball Wall along withP.4 participants in the coaching programme are: left to right: PeterMcSherry (Down GAA Handball), Cormac Venny (Down GAA Com-munity Coach), Helen Lever (Chairperson, Friends of St Dallan’s),Mrs Philomena Quinn (Principal, St Dallan’s Primary School), Lor-raine Havern (All Ireland One Wall Handball Champion), Sean Mc-Nally (Chairman, Down GAA Handball), Anne McCormack (Cuman-nPheadairNaofa, Club School Liaison Officer) and Brendan Rice(GAA Co-ordinator, St Dallan’s Primary School).

The launch of St. Dallan’s PrimarySchool, Warrenpoint GAA HandballWall, jointly sponsored by St Peter’sGAA Club, Friends of St Dallan’s andSt Dallan’s Primary School tookplace recently. The building of ahandball wall at St Dallan’s PrimarySchool was as a result of the interestin the sport generated after tasterhandball sessions were delivered by Darragh Daly, GAA Handball National Development Officer andLorraine Havern at the annual GAAHealth and Wellbeing Day in part-nership with St Peter’s GAA Club.During the third term, P.4 pupilsfrom St Dallan’s participated inhandball coaching delivered by Cormac Venny, Community Coachand Brendan Rice, GAA Co-ordina-tor, St Dallan’s Primary School.

To mark the occasion, Sean Mc-Nally, Chairman, Down GAA Hand-ball, and Lorraine Havern, All IrelandOne Wall Handball Champion, gavethe pupils an exhibition of the high-est standards of handball skills. Thepupils thoroughly enjoyed the exhi-bition and over the past few weekshave made significant progress intheir handballing skills. Anne Mc-Cormack, St Peter’s GAA ClubSchool Liaison Officer said thatCumannPheadairNaofa were delighted to sponsor the GAAHandball wall along with Friends ofSt Dallan’s. The building of thehandball wall is viewed as a legacyproject with handball being playedboth at St Dallan’s Primary Schooland St Peter’s GAA Club in the nearfuture.

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FILE

On 25 March 2013 Caroline Dwyer-Hickey,wife, daughter, and sister, passed awayaged 35 after a nine year battle with cancer. Caroline’s passing left all thosewho loved her with a huge sense of loss –not least we, her school community, of StBrigid’s School, Glasnevin, Dublin 11.

Those who knew and loved Carolinewould be adamant that she not be definedby her illness but by the full and excitinglife she enjoyed during her short timewith us. She loved her chosen professionas a primary school teacher, was an intrepid traveller, flourished as an actorwith the Dalkey Players and was knownparticularly for her faithfulness to family,friends and colleagues.

Caroline grew up in Greystones in CoWicklow, and was a graduate of UniversityCollege Dublin and Marino Institute ofEducation. She taught in St Brigid’s forthe whole of her teaching career whichbegan in September 2001.

As a teacher Caroline was exceptional.Her wicked sense of fun and ready smileendeared her to pupils and she showedimmense commitment and dedication toher job. Her meticulous lesson planningwas the stuff of legend, as were the gamesshe created to make learning fun. Caro-line loved coming to work, continuing toteach right up to last October when she finally had to take time out. Her class-room was always buzzing and she had thespecial gift of giving the children a greatbelief in themselves. She also gave muchto the school outside of the classroomthrough the Green Schools Committee,school productions and the talent showsshe organised. Her love of drama and hercreativity were gifts which she sharedconstantly with us.

As a member of staff Caroline wasmuch more than just a colleague, she wasa true friend. She shared our good timesand our bad, was always the one to offerhelp when needed and would never forgetspecial occasions or birthdays – her textswere always guaranteed to arrive! Caro-

line was one of those people about whomyou could truly say that she made people’slives better – and in doing so looked forno praise and enjoyed every minute of it.She was the one who remembered ourchildren’s names and little details aboutthem. She was kind, patient, caring, funny, and exceptionally smart – withoutneeding anyone to know it. Her thought-fulness and faithfulness to friends alongwith her smile and ready laugh are alwaysremembered when staff past and presentget together.

We, her colleagues, wish to pay tributeto the enormous contribution Carolinemade to our school. Her absence leaves agreat void but we continue to be inspiredby her. We feel very privileged to have knownand worked with such a special person.

Caroline was predeceased by her mum,Fidelma, and is survived by her husbandRónán, her parents Dermod and Helen,her brother Denis and a wide circle offamily and friends who miss her greatlyevery day. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanamdílis.

The Caroline FoundationThe Caroline Foundation has been estab-lished in memory of Caroline to support

the work of Professor John Crown and theCancer Clinical Research Trust (CCRT –see www.ccrt.ie for more information).Based in St Vincent’s Hospital Dublin, butalso operating from Dublin City Universityand University College Dublin, the CCRTis devoted to furthering the developmentof new treatments for cancer. It supportsresearch both in the lab, and at the cancerpatient’s bed-side, an integrated pro-gramme of investigation.

Such lifesaving work comes at a high financial cost and The Caroline Founda-tion is hoping to help by fully funding anadditional research scientist to work with-in the CCRT team. Having benefited fromclinical trials in both Ireland and the US,Caroline was a public advocate for cancerresearch, firmly believing that researchwill one day find a cure. The CarolineFoundation is built on, and is testimonyto that advocacy, that hope and faith inthe work of the CCRT.

If you, or your school, would like tosupport The Caroline Foundation in anyway we would be delighted to hear fromyou. For any further information pleasevisit www.thecarolinefoundation.com orcontact Helen O’Sullivan-Dwyer at [email protected]

Newsdesk


During the month of October a Text-a-Donation campaign is in progress to raisefunds for The Caroline Foundation and they are asking their colleagues in the

teaching profession to make this cause their own. If you would like to donate €4 to The Caroline Foundation, please text the word

RESEARCH to 50300.

Every donation makes a difference.Texts cost €4 with 100% of donations going toward The Caroline Foundation for

the Cancer Clinical Research Trust (CCRT). The text-a-donation service is providedby LikeCharity (01 4433890).

Supporting the Cancer Clinical Research Trust

DONATE TO THE CAROLINE FOUNDATION BY TEXT

A special appeal to all teachers


Ócáidí Nuachta

Now in its 15th year, ECO-UNESCO is calling on all primary schools to get involvedin an environmental actionproject and take part in theirYoung EnvironmentalistAwards (YEA) 2014! The YEAis Ireland’s biggest celebrationof eco-action and participa-tion in the programme is agreat way to engage studentsin learning about environmen-tal issues which link into theschool curriculum, as well asdeveloping key personal skillssuch as confidence, assertive-ness and communication.

Free training to get groups

up and running is being offered by ECO-UNESCOthroughout October and canbe delivered in the classroomupon request. Participants to the programme are fullysupported by ECO-UNESCOthroughout the year with ahotline, manual and toolkitavailable to all registeredgroups.

To register, book trainingand for full details on the programme visitwww.ecounesco.ie, phone016625491. Closing date for registration:29 November 2013.

Super Junior Winners of the YEA 2013 Planet Pals from ScoilMhuire gan Smal in Carlow, receiving their award from PresidentHiggins and Elaine Nevin (National Director ECO-UNESCO)

The Association for Creativity andArts in Education, ACAE, is cur-rently accepting applications forparticipation in the CreativeSchools Award 2013/14.

Last year 12 schools received national recognition for creativeteaching and learning in their class-rooms at an award ceremony heldin the Ark Cultural Centre, TempleBar. Senator David Norris presentedthe awards and spoke warmly aboutthe importance of nurturing teach-ers’ and students’ creativity andpraised the diversity of the projectssubmitted.

The Creative Schools Award

celebrates process-based explorationof the Curriculum, especially in thearts.

Teachers who wish to participatewill be invited to develop their owncreative project. The core require-ments to achieve the Award are: – Evidence of the creative process– Evidence of the children’s voice

being central – Evidence of teacher reflection

How to become involvedFor further information on theCreative Schools Award or toregister interest in participatingplease see www.acae.ie

Creative Schools Award 2013/14

Fulbright Awards now open for applications

The Fulbright Commission of Ireland hasopened its application period for the 2014-2015 Fulbright Awards, which are grants forIrish or EU citizens to study, research, orteach in the US. The awards include a monetary grant, plus accident andemergency insurance, cultural andprofessional programming, and visaadministration.

Applications are due by Wednesday,13 November 2013 and more informationcan be found on the newly redesignedwebsite, www.fulbright.ie.

New this year are the InFACT Awards (Innovative Fulbright Awards in Communi-cations Technology). These awards areaimed at students and scholars who areexploring the transformative power ofcommunications technology in the new

digital landscape. All disciplines are welcome to apply but applicants in the areas of Education, Digital Arts and Culture, and Diaspora Studies areparticularly encouraged.

In addition, there are a number of general awards; potential applicants mustapply in one of the following categories:

Fulbright Irish Student AwardGrants for Irish citizens or EU citizens resident in Ireland for three or more yearsto complete postgraduate research orstudy over the course of one year in theUS. Students are eligible for a number ofsponsored awards, including CRH,Enterprise Ireland, EnvironmentalProtection Agency, University of NotreDame, and Teagasc.

Fulbright Irish Scholar AwardGrants for Irish citizens or EU citizens resi-dent in Ireland for three or more years tocomplete postdoctoral or professional research or lecturing over the course ofone year in the US. Recent PhD graduates(postdoctoral studies) are eligible for spon-sored awards from Enterprise Ireland, Envi-ronmental Protection Agency and Teagasc.

Fulbright Foreign Language TeachingAssistantship (FLTA)Grants for Irish citizens or EU citizens resi-dent in Ireland for three or more years toteach Irish and take courses at a US collegeover the course of ten months in the US.

Applications are encouraged in all disciplines, including the arts. Please seewww.fulbright.ie for further details.

ECO-UNESCO – Supporting teachers to bring ECO-Action into education

Teaching mattersArticles and opinions on primary teaching, with tips and ideas for the classroom

The Arts in Education Charterand its implementationThe implementation process for the Arts in EducationCharter launched by Ministers Quinn and Deenihanin December of last year is currently underway.

There is much to welcome in the Charter whichadvocates for placing creativity “at the heart of ourfuture as a society and a country” and the “arts,alongside other subjects, at the core of our educa-tion system” (Charter pp.3-4). I welcome many ofthe commitments expressed in the charter; amongthem commitments to dialogue and partnership, toidentifying and sustaining good practice and to thesharing of resources. I also welcome the Charter’sproposed Arts Rich Schools (ARIS) scheme to “incen-tivise and recognise” schools that “make the arts akey part of school life” (p.17). Indeed, there is strongconsonance between ARIS and ACAE’s existing Creative Schools Award; an evidence-based awardpromoting process based approaches to fosteringcreativity, the imagination and the arts. And, inmy view, ARIS needs further elaboration,and the input of practising teachers, toensure focus on the processes of artseducation as well as its products.

I welcome too, the suggestionthat the high-level implemen-tation group – chaired by Professor John Coolahan –charged with overseeing“developments aris-ing from the Charter”may also “advise theministers on updatingand improving the Char-ter” (Charter p. 20).

However, I consid-er the distinctionmade in the Char-ter between artseducation andarts-in educa-tion to be anunnecessary

one. For me, arts-in-education – described in theCharter as involving “skilled, professional artists ofall disciplines working for and with schools in themaking, receiving and interpreting of a wide rangeof arts experiences” (p.10) – is an integral compo-nent of arts education and not, as appears to be suggested in the Charter, something added on to, or separate from it. Indeed, one of the aims of theprimary school arts education curriculum (as out-lined in the curriculum statements for visual arts,music and drama) is to “foster a sense of excellencein and appreciation of the arts in local, regional, national and global contexts, both past and present”.

Furthermore, in primary schools, it is the teacherwho has frontline responsibility for providing abroad and balanced arts education for the childrenin her/his care. The primacy of this role, however, isnot acknowledged in the Charter. And, given the

lack of input from practising teachersinto the implementation process

thus far, it would appear thatthis situation is not being

redressed in the imple-mentation process.

In my view, the suc-cess, or otherwise, ofthe Charter will hinge

on the development andmaintenance of collabora-

tive working relationshipsbetween teachers and

artists. And, I am concernedthat there is insufficient emphasis

in the Charter on the importance ofhigh quality teacher-artist

partnerships.

The Artist-SchoolsGuidelines (2006) developed by the DES andthe Arts Council, while containing many usefulguidelines for artist-school partnerships (as the titleindicates), does not acknowledge the central roleplayed by the teacher in the primary school class-room. And, when it comes to the nitty-gritty of work-ing artist-teacher partnerships, it does not provideguidance around the (albeit negotiable and flexible)roles and responsibilities of each of the partners.

I believe, however, that the expertise of bothteachers and artists is essential for planning, imple-menting and evaluating an ‘arts in schools’ experi-ence that will enhance children’s aesthetic, artisticand cultural learning. Teachers bring their teachingskills and their knowledge of the children and thecurriculum to the process while artists bring theirartistic expertise. Furthermore, successful collabora-tions enable teachers to develop their artistic skillsand artists to develop their teaching skills. And,since all partners in the process (artists, teachersand children) stand to benefit from such collabora-tion, it increases the likelihood of sustainability.

Partnerships, however, do not evolve overnight.They take time to initiate, nurture and grow. But,since the teacher is the one with primary responsi-bility for the arts education of the children s/heteaches, the teacher’s role in the development andmaintenance of the teacher-artist partnership ispivotal. Yet, in the implementation process to date,as is the case all too often in the artist-schools debate, the teacher has been silent and invisible.

Given the primacy of the teacher’s role, however,it might be worth remembering that artists are invited by teachers into their classrooms to add another dimension/perspective to the classroomconversations and explorations in which teachers

and children are already engaged.


Dorothy Morrissey lectures in drama education in MIC,Limerick. She is also course leader for the department’s MA in Edu-cation and the Arts (META), and a member of the Steering Com-mittee of the Association for Creativity and Arts in Education (ACAE).

objects for primary level

Teaching Matters


A Historyof Irelandin 100 Objects Lesson plans for 5th and 6th classes free at www.100objects.ie

A History of Ireland in 100Objects has been a hugely successful proj-ect that started out as a series of articles byFintan O’Toole in The Irish Times, whichwas supported by The National Museum ofIreland. It has since turned into a stunning-ly illustrated hardback, published by theRoyal Irish Academy. An app was also de-veloped in partnership with the EU Presi-dency, the Department of Foreign Affairsand Trade and Adobe. The app was giftedfrom the people of Ireland to the people ofthe world around St Patrick’s Day, to markIreland’s presidency of the EU.

At an early stage, it was decided that ed-ucational resources should be included inthe project, and the Royal Irish Academyopted for web-based lessons with relatedmulti-media material, for both primary(5th/6th) and second-level (Transition Yearand Leaving Cert.). This stage of the proj-ect was supported by the Department ofEducation and Skills.

Given that the development of onehundred lessons for both primary andsecond-level was more than a tad

ambitious, with thelimited time and resources available, thefinal figure was set at 14 for primary andfive for second level. The number oflessons for second level is reflective of thefact that they were commissioned anddeveloped much later in the process.

And that was the easy part. Fintan O’Toole’s 100 objects span prehis-

tory to modern times – 7000 BC to 2005.From the primary perspective, where tobegin?

Well, a number of criteria very quicklycame to the fore. If one of the aims of theinitiative was to encourage visits to thelocal museum, then all of the objectscouldn’t be based in Dublin.

And even the broadest of chronologywould have to kick in: the Stone Age, theVikings, Christianity, the Normans, theFamine and Emigration. Personal choicesinevitably and unashamedly came to thefore. The Eileen Gray object was added tothe list because we think her furnituredesigns are brilliant, wonderful andradical and challenge the very way we

look at the world!It was decided that lessons would begin

with the story of the object, adapted forclass use, with an accompanying photo-graph. They were to be unapologeticallyuser-friendly. Activities and/or worksheetswould be included, curriculum links andlearning objectives highlighted, discussiontopics explored, extension exercises sug-gested. Teachers could use or not use,adapt or change as they saw fit. But a 40minute lesson would be made available foreach object.

A section entitled ‘Did you know?’ wasalso developed for each object with shortand, where appropriate, fun, quirky factshighlighted. Extra multi-media resourceswere sourced from museums, libraries andvarious organisations. With thanks to allfor their co-operation and generosity.

All material is now available FREE at:www.100objects.ie

Pauline McNamara, Project Co-ordi-nator, Royal Irish Academy, 19 DawsonStreet, Dublin 2

Mesolithic fish trap, c.5000BC(Early peoples and ancient societies: Stone Age peoples)

Flint macehead, 3300– 2800BC(Early peoples and ancient societies: Stone Age peoples)

Tara torc, c.1200BC(Early peoples and ancient societies:Bronze Age peoples)

Tara brooch, eighth century(Early peoples and ancient societies: early Christian Ireland)

All of above in: National Museum ofIreland: Archaeology, Kildare Street, Dublin

Tall cross, Monasterboice, late-ninthcentury(Early peoples and ancient societies: earlyChristian Ireland) Monasterboice, Co Louth

Viking slave chain, late-ninth orearly-tenth century(Early peoples and ancient societies: earlyChristian Ireland) National Museum ofIreland: Archaeology, Kildare Street,Dublin

Waterford charter roll, 1373(Life, society, work and culture in the past:life in Norman Ireland) Medieval Museum,Waterford Museum of Treasures,Waterford

Salamander pendant, c.1588(Politics, conflict and society: 16th and17th century Ireland) NationalMuseums Northern Ireland – Ulster Museum, Belfast

King William's gauntlets, c.1690(Politics, conflict and society:life in 16th and 17th century Ireland)

National Museum of Ireland: DecorativeArts and History, Collins Barracks, Dublin

Daniel O’Connell’s ‘chariot’, 1844(Politics, conflict and society: O'Connelland Catholic Emancipation) DerrynaneHouse, Caherdaniel, Co Kerry

Empty cooking pot, 19th century(Eras of change and conflict: the GreatFamine) National Museum of Ireland:Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar,Co Mayo

Emigrant's teapot,late-nineteenth to

mid-twentiethcentury(Eras of change

and conflict: theGreat Famine; 19thcentury Ireland; modern

Ireland) National Museum of Ireland:Country Life, Turlough Park,Castlebar, Co Mayo

Reclining Buddha, late-19th century(Life, society, work and culture in the past:life in the 19th century) National Museumof Ireland: Decorative Arts and History,Collins Barracks, Dublin

Eileen Gray chair,1926(Continuity and change over time:literature; art; craftsand culture)NationalMuseum ofIreland:DecorativeArts andHistory, CollinsBarracks,Dublin

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R E S O U R C E SThe study of the local environment pro-vides an immediate and relevant contextwithin which these skills may be developedand perfected. Indeed, the importance of arounded education, working hand in handwith the increased emphasis on literacyand numeracy, has been discussed in thesame document. “We must ensure thatchildren and young people have a roundedand fulfilling educational experience. Alllearners should have an opportunity to engage in a broad, balanced and fulfillingcurricular experience that supports all aspects of their development – not just the academic dimension but the social,emotional, imaginative, aesthetic, andphysical dimensions as well.” (p43)

Local history allows for the appreciation ofthe aesthetic, provides opportunities foremotional and imaginative responses andallows the learners to actively engage withthe topics, applying the literacy skillswhich have been developed. We all engagein exploring local history, simply, from anearly stage, with discussions on family history, old birthday cards, mementoessuch as first shoes or picture timelines, e.g.christening photo, first day at school, orFirst Holy Communion photos. Junior pupilsmay also enjoy listening to local myths andlegends, topics which link very well withthe history curriculum strand units; Myselfand Story.

Local lore and béaloideas may still beheard “i mbéal an phobail” and senior students might collect and record some ofthis valuable information before it is lostforever. Perhaps it might be an interestingschool and community undertaking to lookup the records of the Irish Folklore Commis-sion for a particular school or area.

The research topics included local historyand monuments, holy wells in the area,folk cures, folktales and legends, riddlesand proverbs, songs, customs and beliefs,games and pastimes, traditional work practices and crafts, etc. The Schools’ Manuscript Collection comprises more thanhalf a million manuscript pages of valuable material. These collections are available indigital form or on microfilm in many locallibraries. Comparisons could be made withtoday’s customs. Songs, poems and riddlesof the past could be revived and the gamesand skipping rhymes of bygone days couldform the basis of a number of PE classes.

Depending on the age of the school, theclassroom and school grounds may alsoprovide opportunities for early historicalexploration. Date plaques, class photo-graphs, old roll books, registers, old atten-dance boards and desks can act as a tangibleconnection with the past. History trails canbe developed for the middle and seniorclasses, who, in turn, may design simpletrails for younger pupils.

In most communities there may be peoplewilling to speak to the class about their experience of school in the past. With care-ful planning and preparation, this can be avery fruitful way of engaging the childrenin a discussion of the changes which havetaken place in the lives of the ordinary people of the locality. Old photographs ofan area can also help to develop an under-standing of cause and effect as well as continuity and change over time. Usefulsources of old photographs are publishedcollections and the archives of the local library or local newspaper. Some buildingsmay be still recognisable, in these photos,although their function may have changed.

“Miss, this is so last century!” This was the excited, if slightly inaccurate, reac-tion of one of my students, on first seeing the ancient stone circle at Grange,near Lough Gur, Co Limerick, almost ten years ago. Their enthusiasm illustrat-ed very clearly how active exploration of history in the environment couldcapture the imagination of students. Seeing, touching, walking in the foot-steps of their distant forbears and observing the visible remains of the pastmade history come to life. Furthermore, students could critically engage withtheir local environment, develop skills of observation, research and evalua-tion of sources, – in short, become historians.

However, recent years have brought a renewed focus on literacy and numeracy. The document Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life, summarises very neatly some of the most important aims of the Irish educa-tion system. “Literacy and numeracy are among the most important lifeskillsthat our schools teach. No child should leave school without having masteredthese skills to the best of their abilities. Literacy and numeracy skills are crucialto a person’s ability to develop fully as an individual, to live a satisfying andrewarding life and to participate fully in our society.” (p5)

The strategy document has further elaborated on the central importance ofliteracy in its various forms; “Literacy includes the capacity to read, under-stand and critically appreciate various forms of communication including

Cúrsaí Teagaisc


ExploringLocal

History

� History trails, information sheetsand booklets can be developed andretained from year to year, toprovide a resource bank of materialswithin a school �

Different styles of dress and modes of transportcan form the basis of a study of how these aspectsof our lives have evolved over time. Differentviews of the same street may be compared orplaced in chronological order. At a more senior level, this may lead to a study of the developmentof the village or town in that particular area, allthese activities providing opportunities for orallanguage development.

A study of housing can help children in middleand senior classes to begin to develop a sense ofappreciation of the different styles of architectureevident in their area. In rural areas, these may include cottages, farmhouses, ‘big houses’ belong-ing to the landowners of centuries past, while inurban areas, patterns of development of citiesmay be discerned from the different types of housing and the eras to which they belong, e.g., medieval buildings, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian. Local libraries provide excellent information on these buildings.

This may be further developed by using articlesfrom old newspapers, which are available in thearchives of local libraries. These can be a valuableresource in studying in greater depth, topics of national importance such as the War of Independ-ence or the Land War and examining their impactat local level.

Another possibility is to take, each year, theevents which were reported in local papers 10, 25,50, 75 and 100 years before and from the evidencetry to construct a picture of the life of local peopleof that particular era – their food, style of dress,social lives, transport, and events which shapedtheir lives. Integrating this with literacy, studentscould take on the persona of a person from one ofthese eras, draw pictures and produce a diary for aweek in his/her life.

Local logainmneacha or place names, could givevaluable indications of the location of geographical

features which may have since disappeared. In rural areas, fields often have names which give aninteresting insight into their uses on estates in thepast, e.g., the Lawn, the Clover or the Kitchen Garden. In urban areas, street names often revealthe most interesting stories behind their names.An excellent resource in studying local placenames is the website www.logainm.ie.

A very interesting study which is easily accessiblewithout leaving the classroom involves examiningthe census records of 1901 and 1911. These recordsare available at www.census.nationalarchives.ieand allow pupils to find out about the inhabitantsof their own townland or street, their names andoccupations and to compare this with the presentsituation.

With due attention to safety and pre-planning, educational visits to sites of historical interest arean important aspect of finding out about the past.

Observation is a key skill and a number ofstrategies may be employed to encourage it, perhaps, a simple quiz, based on the local area,with questions such as; What date is written onthe plaque above the school door? What inscrip-tion is written on the Celtic cross in the villagesquare? Another possibility is a visual quiz, wherethe children are asked to identify features of theirlocality which have been photographed. The levelof difficulty of these activities can be adjusted tosuit the age and ability of the pupils.

History trails, information sheets and bookletscan be developed and retained from year to year,to provide a resource bank of materials within aschool. These teacher-designed worksheets can involve the children in a treasure hunt, searchingfor clues, observing, measuring and recordingdata, as well as processing this data and trying todraw conclusions from it. Instructions might require pupils to retrieve information, sketch afeature, compare and contrast features of a buildingor suggest reasons for the existence of a particular

feature. Suitable sites in the local area might include a church, an old monastery, a graveyard, acastle, museum or field monument, or a collectionof old farm implements.

Visiting an old church or monastery can, depending on the religious ethos of the school, bean opportunity to link local history with religiouseducation. Many churches provide a leaflet givinga description of the features and history of thechurch. If not, perhaps the senior classes could engage in research and, in co-operation with thelocal parish, compile such a leaflet.

Features of interest may include paintings inthe churches, stained glass windows, statues,sculptures and plaques, the patron saint, burials inthe church grounds. In visiting a graveyard, children can be directed to features of interest,e.g. inscriptions on headstones, interesting familynames, possible cause of death. The gravestonesmay be photographed or rubbings made of them.Perhaps an older person may have particular memories of attending that church and could beinterviewed by the pupils. In the case of amonastery, perhaps there are still recognisable remains of features such as cloisters, a guesthouseor even a round tower.

This type of visit can bring home to pupils thatthe main events in history did not just affect important characters, somewhere else, buttouched the lives of ordinary people, even in theirown area.

Local libraries are an invaluable resource to teachers who are not familiar with the history ofthe area in which they are teaching. Many such libraries have collections of parish journals, booksof local history, collections of old newspapers andold photographs, old maps of the locality and mostimportantly, a knowledgeable and helpful local librarian! Most areas also have some local personor group with a love and knowledge of history whowould be only too glad to share their knowledgewith the next generation.

spoken language, printed text, broadcastmedia, and digital media.” (p8)

Integration across curriculumOne of the many benefits of teaching localhistory is the ease with which it can be integrated with so many other curricularareas. As well as the creative writing, meas-uring and recording of data mentioned already, there are many opportunities forlinkage across the curriculum. Virtuallyevery community has its store of poetry,songs and ballads commemorating localevents. As well as being an important partof the children’s cultural heritage, theseballads act as valuable social documentsoffering a useful insight into the feelings ofthose ordinary people closest to theevents. If the victors wrote the historybooks, truly, it is to the ordinary folk we

owe our ballads. Furthermore, there is anopportunity to explore the role of bias inthese historical sources, reading betweenthe lines and recognising where sentimentmay have blurred the lines of fact. Eventsin local ballads can also be taken as a stimulus for creative composition in visualarts, music and drama. Indeed, it is possibleto make local history the focus of the entire history programme, capitalising onthe children’s natural curiosity.

As primary teachers, we are well placedto assist students in discovering their localheritage and connecting with the rich veinof history which exists in every urban andrural community. We have a unique oppor-tunity to encourage in them a pride in theirown locality and a sense of community.Above all, we have a chance to engage in aworthwhile and enjoyable educational

process. Exploring local history is fun! “Theuse of the everyday environment not onlyserves to vivify learning…. Learning be-comes more than sitting still and beingdrenched with words. It becomes an activity in which listening is enriched withtouching, smelling, seeing and perhapseven tasting. Inevitably such emersion ofthe senses evokes a personal response,heightening sensitivity and deepening un-derstanding and awareness.” (Seen Locally,Pluckrose, Henry. Routledge, London 1989)

Josephine English M.Ed, teacher inNicker NS, Pallasgrean Co Limerick. Josephinehas designed and delivered the summer schoolcourse Exploring Local History in Mary Im-maculate College, Limerick since 2004 andrecently published a book on local history;Come Stroll With Me in Limerick

Teaching Matters



Help Team Hope give a very special shoeboxgift to a child this Christmas

The TEAM HOPE Christmas ShoeboxAppeal is returning this year. TeamHope is calling on schools, teachers,parents and families to help turn justanother day in a child’s life intosomething special.

Team Hope is aiming to deliver 200,000shoeboxes from the island of Irelandinto the hands of needy children inAfrica, the former Soviet Union andEastern Europe, whose families typicallylive on less than €1 per day. For many, itis the only Christmas present they willreceive.

Niall Barry, Team HopeExecutive Director, explainshow easy it is to help:“Simply find an oldshoebox, wrap it up withChristmas paper and fillit with gifts for a child.We would recommend giftssuch as writing items likecopies, colours andpens; smallwashing itemslike, soap orwash cloths;small clothingitems like hatsor gloves andtreats like asmall toy.Then attach €4to covertransport costsand close the boxwith an elastic

band, but don’t seal it with tape as eachbox is carefully checked for customs andsafety requirements by Team Hopevolunteers. Our network of localvolunteer teams all over Ireland make itan easy project for teachers to organise.”

The Christmas Shoebox Appeal hasdelivered Irish gift-filled shoeboxes tomore than 2.7 million deprived childrenin twenty-one countries over the last 14years. For example, children like 12-year-old Mutungu from Kenya, whosebox contained clothing and schoolitems, lives in a small rural village withnine family members in a home that iscomprised of two one-roomed huts. Hisfather left the family when he was

young and his brother, Ndongu, hasstomach problems because of uncleanwater. They have no running wateror electricity and Mutunga walksbarefoot to school, which is located

1km away. There are 560 pupils in hisschool (68 pupils in his class). The

school has 12 outside toilets

and the pupils collect rainwater fromthe school roof for washing. ForMutunga and other recipients of gift-filled shoeboxes, the generosity of thosewho take part in the appeal, ensures thatthey feel special and appreciated.

According to teacher Kate Hogan ofSpringdale National School Raheny,Dublin, the shoebox appeal also benefitsthe Irish children who get involved:“When children put the shoeboxestogether, it makes them think about theitems they own that they can put into it,and makes them weigh their own needsto someone else’s.”

The closing date for receipt ofShoeboxes this year is 11 November.Over 300 drop-off points are locatedaround the country. Visitwww.teamhope.ie to find your nearestlocation or to download schoolresources. Follow Team Hope onFacebook and Twitter, or call the TeamHope Dublin office on (01) 294 0222.

Members of the Khulula SwazilandChildren’s Choir who have benefited from theappeal in the past.

Ní neart go cur le chéile – the truth of thiswell known proverb has seldom been moreclearly illustrated than during last summer’sTeacherCPD.ie online course, where over1,150 teachers shared ideas on using the interactive whiteboard (IWB) to support literacy. The following includes some of theideas gathered by their e-Tutors, with thanksto the contributing teachers.

Using the IWB Reveal tool

“A great stimulus for oral language and creative writing is to show half a picture of someone lookingat something with a particular facial expression. Children discuss and write about what is happeningon the other (hidden) half. The teacher then revealsthe full picture at the end of the lesson.”

The Spotlight tool

“When introducing a new sound in a junior infantphonics lesson, for example ‘/p/’, I upload a largepicture on the IWB. Using the spotlight tool, I ex-plore the picture, getting the children to identifythings in the picture that begin with the sound /p/.”

Locking and layering“We are using the Oxford Reading Tree programmein our school. The locking and layering tool is usedto create a word wall to teach relevant vocabulary,including characters’ names and high frequencywords.

“Then, locking and layering, grouping and thecamera are used to make character profiles for eachcharacter. We sequence the characters’ stories andthe things that they like. As a form of assessment,the children match the characters to the thingsthat they like – initially using pictures, thenwords.”

Combining tools to good effect“The class take pictures of different stages of an outing. Then, I develop the children’s oral language skills by askingquestions about the pictures using the spotlight and revealtools. Using the camera/jigsaw tool, children sequence theevents of the day themselves. Older children write a descrip-tive paragraph about it or use the pen and eraser tools to create a related cloze activity.”

Special educational needs“I teach a few children with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism,some of whom have speech and language delays and finemotor issues. As they benefit from visual learning opportuni-ties, the camera tool is used to allow new pupils to becomefamiliar with faces of staff or classmates and their locationwithin the school. After discussion and naming, this oral language activity is presented as a matching game e.g.,pupils match Secretary Mary’s photo to a photo of her office.

Senior classes“When studying a novel, I create an introductory game by using the camera tool and jumbled up jigsaw images of thestory’s main characters. The children work in teams to orderthe pieces to complete each character.

“Once this is finished, I ‘send/bring to front’ the completeimage of one of the characters on a new flipchart and lock itin place. Surrounding this character's image, I have many adjectives to describe the character, including incorrect adjectives which are also ‘sent to front’. The children discussand justify which of these words correctly describe thecharacter, then drag the word over the character’s imageand, if correct, it disappears.”

These ideas represent just a few ways to use theIWB. See the Good Practice videos on the PDSTTechnology in Education website for more ideas. W: pdsttechnologyineducation.ie

Compiled by Anne Phelan,PDST Technology in Education

Halloween themed ICT coursesMany education centres are running short(2.5 hour) courses on creating ICTresources for Halloween. These coursesare free of charge, being fully funded byPDST Technology in Education (formerlyNCTE). Contact your local educationcentre for their course schedule or see thelink below for all centres’ schedules.Centres respond to local demand, soplease contact them if you don’t seesomething of interest.

W: pdsttechnologyineducation.ie/courseschedule

TeacherCPD.ieFollowing huge demand for last summer’sonline course on ‘Using your InteractiveWhiteboard to Support Literacy’, ashorter version of the course will beoffered on TeacherCPD.ie this autumn.This course covers skills common to mostbrands of IWBs. Other short courses willalso be offered, such as Wikis and Morefor Learning. A Scoilnet Account isneeded for enrolment in TeacherCPD.iecourses.

W: teacherCPD.ie

Scoilnet accountThe Scoilnet, TeacherCPD.ie and ServiceDesk teams of PDST Technology inEducation work together to provide aneasy course enrolment service forTeacherCPD.ie online courses. If youhaven’t already got a Scoilnet Account,why not register now? You will be grantedfree access to a range of online services,such as Scoilnet Maps, and will beprepared for quick enrolment inTeacherCPD.ie courses.

W: accounts.scoilnet.ie/registration

Using the interactivewhiteboard to support literacy

CPD – options to consider from PDST Technology in Education

Teaching Matters


Cúrsaí Teagaisc


This year marks the 50th anniver-sary of Martin Luther King’s IHave a Dream speech.

On the afternoon of 28 August 1963,Martin Luther King Jr. stepped up to themicrophone at the March for Jobs andFreedom in Washington, DC and deliv-ered his I Have a Dream speech, now oneof the most famous orations in US histo-

ry. He delivered his speech to more than aquarter of a million people in front of theLincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.While stressing nonviolence, Dr Kingmade it clear that, “Now is the time to risefrom the dark and desolate valley of seg-regation to the sunlit path of racial justice.Now is the time to lift our nation fromthe quicksands of racial injustice to the

solid rock of brotherhood.” In the speech,Dr King outlined his dream for a betterAmerica. While the speech, which was in-terrupted by cheers and applause fromthe enthusiastic audience, only lastedabout 15 minutes, it and the integratedmarch had a profound impact on the CivilRights Movement.

This moment was commemorated inAmerica this year as US President BarackObama and other dignitaries addressedthe celebrations which took place on thesteps of Washington’s Lincoln Memorial.The life of Martin Luther King Jr. and hisspeech provide food for thought for pri-mary classrooms in Ireland. Several pic-turebooks communicate his story in achild friendly manner.

In I have a dream (2012) Kadir Nelson’sillustrates his words with magnificentpaintings. The themes of equality and free-dom for all are relevant 50 years later, andintroduce young readers to experiences ofoppression, slavery and a vision forchange. Included with the book is an audioCD of the speech. This is a picturebook tobe enjoyed by children and adults.

Martin Luther King’s sister ChristineKing Farris has written two books abouther brother’s life. My brother Martin: Asister remembers growing up with the RevDr Martin Luther King (2003) deals withhis childhood experiences. March on! Theday my brother Martin changed the world!(2008) is an account of how her brotherwrote the landmark I Have a Dreamspeech which changed civil rights history.Another more contemporary family per-spective is provided by her daughter andMartin Luther King’s niece Angela FarrisWatkins in her books My Uncle Martin’sWords for America (2011) and My UncleMartin's Big Heart (2010). The authoremphasises that Uncle Martin Luther’sKing’s big heart was full of love. In an au-thor’s note, she writes:

“I wrote this book so that childrencould get to know Martin Luther King Jr.the way I knew him when I was a child,through his love… I want them to seehow much love he really had – enough toshare with his family and his friends,enough to encourage his church, enoughto strengthen his community, and enoughto change the world.”

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr Mar-tin Luther King Jr. (Rappaport, 2007) tellsthe life story of Dr King in simple wordsand beautiful pictures which incorporate

I say to you today, my friends, though even thoughwe face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I stillhave a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in theAmerican dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up,live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold thesetruths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Geor-gia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave

owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering

with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be trans-formed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where theywill not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream … I have a dream that one day in Alabama, with its vicious racists,with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition andnullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls willbe able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today… I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalt-ed, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be madeplain, and the crooked places will be made straight. And the glory of the Lordshall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faithwe will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With thisfaith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beau-tiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together,to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for free-dom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able tosing with new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee Ising. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every moun-tainside, let freedom ring.” And if America is to be a great nation this must becometrue. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let free-dom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from theheightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcappedRockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let free-dom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hilland molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside. Let freedom ring…

When we allow freedom to ring – when we let it ring from every village andevery hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that daywhen all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protes-tants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Ne-gro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Great God a-mighty, we are free at last!”

Extract from Martin Luther King’s Speech: I have a Dream (Reprinted by arrangement with The Heirs to the Estate of MartinLuther King Jr., c/o Writers House as agent for the proprietor New York, NY.)

I have a dre

Teaching Matters

words from his teachings. It also intro-duces children to Dr King’s teachingsabout nonviolence. It begins with youngMartin reading a ‘Whites Only’ sign in hishometown. Martin grows up, becomes apreacher and studies the writing of Ma-hatma Gandhi. He puts his ideas intopractice at the Montgomery bus boycottand other civil rights demonstrations. Hespeaks to the nation, and more and morepeople listen to him. The book ends withsome of the ‘big words’ for which Dr Kingis remembered: peace, love, freedom, anddream. For younger children The Story ofMartin Luther King, Jr. (2001) by JohnnyRay Moore provides an accessible intro-duction to Martin Luther King Jr.

The site for this speech, the Lincoln Me-morial may be the most iconic place in theUnited States. Climbing Lincoln’s Steps:The African American Journey (Slade,2010), outlines the history of the civilrights struggle and details its leaders. Thestory begins with Lincoln’s signing of theEmancipation Proclamation in 1863 andthe building of the marble statue whichwas unveiled inhis honour,

in 1922. The marble steps of Washington,DC’s Lincoln Memorial have seen key mo-ments in African American history. De-nied a place in Constitution Hall becauseshe was black, Marian Anderson sang in-stead at the Memorial in 1939. In 2009, thefirst African American president and hisfamily made a pilgrimage to this spotwhere Dr Martin Luther King Junior deliv-ered his powerful I Have a Dream speech.

There has been much progress since DrKing delivered his speech but there ismuch left to be achieved by our politicians,our leaders and by ourselves as citizens.We must remember that Martin LutherKing’s speech was about achieving equality

for all people including black people. Hisspeech is significant for our multiculturalsociety in Ireland today. This is a goodtime for teachers and children to composetheir own visions for our future and towrite their own ‘I have a dream’ speech.

ReferencesFarris, C. K., & Soentpiet, C. (2009). My Brother Martin: A Sister RemembersGrowing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: Baker & Taylor.Farris, C. K., & Ladd, L. (2008). March On!: The Day My Brother MartinChanged the World: Scholastic Press.King, M. L., & Nelson, K. (2012). I Have a Dream: Random House Moore, J. R., & Wummer, A. (2001). The Story of Martin Luther King Jr:Candy Cane Press.Rappaport, D., Collier, B., & Duncan, M. C. (2002). Martin’s big words: We-ston Woods Studios.Slade, S. (2010). Climbing Lincoln’s Steps: The African American Journey:Albert Whitman and Company.Watkins, A. F., & Velasquez, E. (2011). My Uncle Martin’s Words for Ameri-ca: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Niece Tells How He Made a Difference: Harry N.Abrams.Watkins, A. F., & Velasquez, E. (2010). My Uncle Martin’s Big Heart: HarryN. Abrams.

Dr Anne Dolan is a lecturer in primarygeography in Mary Immaculate College, Lim-erick. She is author of the forthcoming bookYou, Me and Diversity: the potential of pic-turebooks for teaching development and in-tercultural education (Trentham Books andDICE).

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Schoolchildren participate in the 50thanniversary of the March on Washington

August 28, 2013 in Washington DC

50th Anniversary ofMartin Luther King’s speecham

�He delivered hisspeech to more than aquarter of a millionpeople in front of theLincoln Memorial inWashington, DC�


Cúrsaí Teagaisc

Conditioning pertains to behaviour. Con-ditioning may be required when teachingmethods are not possible. Infants andyoung children need to be trained to be-have in a certain manner, how to use thetoilet, to wash their hands, brush theirhair and teeth. Conditioning is required inorder to train young children during theirfirst years of life and in the early years ofschooling. Adults with brain damage, re-sulting from a stroke or an-other injury, may need tobe retrained or condi-tioned to behave in asocially acceptableway.

Indoctrination in-volves beliefs and is notconcerned with behaviour.Indoctrination occurs whena person deliberately im-

plants an unfound-ed belief in

another without allowing that person anopportunity to use his/her reason to es-tablish a foundation for that belief. If be-liefs are forced on a person, and that indi-vidual subsequently accepts them in sucha way that those beliefs are not open torational evaluation, that is indoctrination.

A large amount of our beliefs areformed by the religious and commonlyaccepted beliefs and practices of the soci-ety into which we are born. Many people’sviews are formed without the aid of rea-

soned analysis but are emotional reflec-tions on the beliefs of their society.

Children are expected tohold certain beliefs.

This is how society develops and operates.In certain circumstances and for somepeople this may limit their freedom.

One of the objectives of education mustbe to get students to establish reasons fortheir beliefs. The aim of education is notto dispose of accepted beliefs and cus-toms, dilute cultural pursuits or abandontraditions, but, to establish a rationale foraccepting them.

The indoctrinated person holds beliefsthat are often irrational and unfounded.The one who is conditioned performs ac-tions without recourse to reason. The ed-ucated person holds beliefs and is condi-tioned in certain ways of behaving buts/he is aware of this and accepts them fol-lowing reasoned analysis. An educated

person is capable of forming clearjudgements deduced from

premises that are based

Canconditioningor indoctrinationbe condonedin schools?

Educate to produce free and


Teaching Matters

on evidence, or, on assumptions that havea logically reasoned basis. An educatedperson understands the necessity to justi-fy beliefs. That person believes somethingbecause there is good reason to believe it.

Education and indoctrination are notopposing concepts. Indoctrination simplybelongs to a different category, the cate-gory of beliefs. Education is concernedwith the acquisition, analysis, retentionand utilisation of knowledge. Educationinvolves physical and spiritual develop-ment. It also involves learning to form ob-jective, unbiased judgements using ration-al analysis and acquired experience.

Education includes learning the culturaland spiritual values of the race or societyinto which one is born. This is recognisedby both traditional and progressive educa-tion. One of the objectives of educationshould be to transmit cultural and spiritu-al values to the succeeding generation.Music and art are essentially spiritual.

Each child has a right to inherit the cul-tural and spiritual heritage developed byhis/her ancestors. A person has a right toscientific, literary, aesthetic and culturalinheritance and to religious inheri-

tance too. All of these disci-plines help to

make the individual a balanced, culturedand sociable person. If a person, in virtueof being human, is entitled to such inheri-tance, then that person is entitled to anobjective analysis of that inheritance too.This entitlement must be offered througha medium that is unbiased. That mediumis not confined to a totally objective, un-committed presenter of facts. It may be aperson who possesses a passion and en-thusiasm for his/her subject-matter, aperson who will transmit sincerity, con-viction and honesty, but who will also ex-pose presented material to objectiveanalysis, in so far as that is possible.

The purpose of education, according tothe renowned American progressive andpragmatic educationist, John Dewey, is toguide experience in directions that aremore beneficial than if left unguided. Pro-gressive education, taken to the extreme,does not want to interrupt one’s naturalexperiencing. It aims to facilitate experi-encing but not to change, direct, redirector halt a person’s propensities.

Refusing to teach something that maybe of value to a child is wrong. Attempt-ing to make the world better according tomy standards but within my limited

knowledge, experience, and ability isnot my role as a teacher. A teacher

who refuses to teach a subject onthe curriculum that a child can

understand and cope with isindicating that his/her be-

liefs and opinions arepreferable to the ideas,opinions and expressedbeliefs in that subject. Ifwe refuse to teach orcritically analyse a con-

troversial issue we may beguilty of accepting it as

valid without question, or, itmay be that we are rejecting it

without critical analysis. Thistype of teaching is unacceptable for

it allows children to develop and growinto adulthood with an uncritical or

unquestioning attitude.Teachers must respect the children

in their care. Many systems of edu-cation produced by political regimes,

under a global capitalist influence,endeavour to mould children as objects.

They want to steer and coral them intoa particular way of thinking and behaving.

They aim to condition or programme

them in such a way that they may developand display the characteristics sought at aparticular time. Materialistic gravitationdraws society towards conforming to aunified way of thinking. Because of this,many parents are reluctant and unwillingto give direction or advice to their chil-dren. They fear that they may hinder theproduction of the desired product.

Knowledge acquisition and the applica-tion of that knowledge in order to improvethe life of the person spiritually and mate-rially ought to be the goal of education.Education also includes the teaching andlearning of methods of reasoning, particu-larly inductive and deductive reasoningand of course information analysis. Edu-cation, incorporating critical analysisleads to the light at the end of the tunnel.It awards to each individual the unique-ness and personal worth s/he deservesand is entitled to. Education, with criticalanalysis, sets the person free and giveshim/her respect and independence.

Having completed teacher-training,a BA degree and H. Dip in Educa-tion by night Pat Keogh went onto acquire a Masters degree in Philosophy from UCD. Then

combining his experience as a teacher and educator with his knowledge of Philosophy hedid research work on ‘Thinking Critically’.This study saw him conferred with a Ph.D. Pat is the author of a book called DEFININGINTELLIGENCE in an educational context.(Available in O’Mahony’s Booksellers, Lim-erick – www.omahonys.ie ) For further infovisit: www.drpatkeogh.com

independent thinkers

�Education must beconcerned withteaching students tothink critically.Students should notaccept blindly andunquestioningly whatthey see, hear or readin the media�


‘We must be hopeful’

The visit in June 2013 was chosen to fur-ther my research on modern languagelearning in Europe with particular refer-ence to primary schools in Ireland. Nowthat Ireland is an integral part of the Eu-ropean Community modern languagelearning needs to be introduced andstructured in Irish primary schools. Mod-ern language learning in Irish primaryschools needs to be afforded the duerecognition it long deserves.

What was learnt on the visit? ‘We mustbe hopeful’ – this was the overridingtheme of the study visit held in Universitàper Stranieri ‘Dante Alighieri’, Reggio diCalabria, Italy. Southern Italy has facedmany issues regarding emigration overthe years and now it faces the challenge ofimmigration. The central theme of thisweek-long study visit was the issue of im-migration and integration in Calabriansociety and its impact on educa-tion in the region. Alongwith this theme are the

various subthemes of motivation to learnthe Italian language; language support inschools; the language barrier and the cul-ture barrier. During the study visit welearnt that there are three universities forforeign students in Italy and we attendedthe only one in the south. We were intro-duced to the university system in place inReggio di Calabria as well as the pre-pri-mary, primary and secondary educationsystem. This was a valuable educationaland cultural experience. In addition, weviewed many secondary schools and lis-tened and conversed with many Italianteachers, principals and faculty members.These educators informed us that educa-tion in the south has improved greatlyover the past generation. However, thepositive contributions immigrants canbring to the educational system of the re-gion have yet to be

fully realised. It is believed that youngpeople are like a bridge between theircommunities and the Italian community,a fact that must be explored in more de-tail going forward. There are ample op-portunities to harvest learning, to com-pare cultures and to share ideas betweenthese two communities. Furthermore,learning a foreign language opens themind, improves social and democraticprocesses, fosters cultural awareness andmulticultural respect and supports mobil-ity and coexistence. Most importantly, thevoice of all stakeholders must be heard.Indeed, the issue of migration was onethat resonated with all participants of thisstudy visit.

Another finding of this study visit wasthe emphasis placed on modern languagelearning at primary and post-primary lev-

el. In the course ofround-table discus-

sions and presen-tations we ob-served a widevariety of in-teresting andeffective

pedagogi-cal ap-

Cúrsaí Teagaisc

When I heard about the Léargas initiative outlining a study visit to Italy enti-tled ‘Language Teaching Skills as a Key to Promote Professional Skills and Im-prove Cultural Integration’ I immediately set about preparing my submis-sion. Prior to this I had been aware of the excellent work carried out by Léar-gas and I viewed this study visit as an opportunity not to be missed. I sawthis visit as the ideal forum for me to outline the Irish education system tomy European counterparts and to learn from them about theirs. Having un-dertaken the week long study visit to Reggio di Calabria, Italy I would have

no hesitation in concluding that this exchange of ideas and culture was a re-sounding success from an educational viewpoint. Similar views of the coursehave been expressed by the other participants. As a result a network for theexchange of best practices on the teaching of modern languages in primaryschools has been established and is being further advanced. I would now in-vite you to refer to my case study below and to the relevant websites in thehope of generating interest and the resulting benefits in teaching modernlanguages in an already time-challenged primary school curriculum.


Suzanne O’Keeffe discusses modern language teachingfollowing a study visit to Italy

proaches to modern language learning. Ofsignificance we discovered that the mod-ern language taught in a particular coun-try can sometimes be linked back to thatcountry’s history and that modern lan-guage teaching is not taught with thesame importance in all EU member states.For example, modern language teachingno longer takes place in Irish primaryschools. It is apparent that in countrieswhere the mother tongue is English, therehas been little emphasis on modern lan-guage learning in the primary curriculum(Eurydice, 2000: 61).

We discovered that emphasis is placedon the importance of native speakers inteaching modern languages to students inItaly. Interestingly the majority of lan-guage teachers that we spoke to did nothave an educational background but wereworking in high-schools based on theirlanguage proficiency as native speakers.

What I did on the visitThe study visit took the form of morningpresentations and round-table discussionson the topic of modern language learningin each of our countries followed by abreak for lunch and concluding with af-ternoon excursions.

The afternoon excursions were both ed-ucational and cultural. During the courseof the study visit we visited three differenttypes of secondary schools. For example,one afternoon we visited a school thatspecialises in science from the age of 14 to18 years of age. During our visit pupils ex-

plained and carried out the experimentsfor us in English. As a group we realisedthat a similar approach is in existence inmost other European countries. Althoughthere are many similarities present in theEU countries represented on the studyvisit, there are also many significant dif-ferences. Firstly, pupils learn foreign lan-guages at different stages of their primaryeducation. For example, some pupils be-gin learning a foreign language in kinder-garten, while others learn at year three oftheir primary education. In year three oftheir primary education learning a foreignlanguage is compulsory for pupils.

Regarding our cultural excursions thegroup visited the Bronzi di Riace, thetown of Pentedattilo and tasted local cui-sine. The Bronzi di Riace are two famousfull-size Greek bronzes of nude beardedwarriors, cast about 460–450 BC. Theghost town of Pentedattilo or ‘five fingers’is located 250 m above the sea level, on

the Monte Calvario, a mountainwhose shapes once resembled thatof five fingers. We also attended an exhi-bition of the bergamot plant (specific tothe Calabrian region and used widely byboth French perfumeries and by the EarlGrey tea-house). Additionally, we visitedGallicianò, a village in southern Calabriainhabited by the Calabrian Griko people.These inhabitants traditionally speak a di-alect of the Greek language and are asmall remnant of a once larger Greekcommunity of southern Italy.

Suzanne O’Keefe teaches in AskeatonSenior School in Co Limerick. Modern lan-guage learning has always been a subject ofvalue and importance in her classroom.Suzanne would welcome any questions andqueries that readers may have regarding theteaching of modern languages in primaryschools via her email:[email protected]

Teaching Matters

Examples of good practice

• The Swedish education system provides a teacherfor a particular mother-tongue provided five ormore participants are involved. Furthermore, theyare entitled to linguistic support in their mothertongue in the teaching of all subject areas.

• In Austria, since 2003/04, children must study afirst foreign language in primary school, whichinvariably is English. During the first two yearschildren study the first foreign language for 32hours per year, while in their third and fourthyear the study is 1 hour per week. The study of asecond foreign language is compulsory in uppersecondary general school. The choice of languageis usually Latin, French, Spanish or Italian. Thechoice depends on where one lives in the country

and on the student’s preference.• In France, immigrant children are withdrawn

from the classroom and provided with extra lan-guage tuition. Pupils are integrated in CLIN class-es (for primary education) and in CLA classes (forsecondary education) to learn French as a secondlanguage. The aim is for the ‘newcomers’ to inte-grate with their new class as soon as possible.This practice is unequally adhered to throughoutFrance.

• In Germany the appreciation of the native Ger-man language goes beyond the school hours andaddresses the parents of the community. After-school classes exist where parents of children en-gage in language classes. Furthermore, a net-work of teachers with a migration backgroundhas been founded in order to exchange ideas on

best practice.• In Lithuania, foreign language use is widely ad-

vertised, appreciated and encouraged. Addition-ally, two foreign languages are compulsory inthe secondary education. The study of only oneor two foreign languages is then selected alongwith intensity levels for the last two years of sec-ondary education.

• In Slovakia, the study of two foreign languages iscompulsory in secondary education.

• In Poland, it is compulsory to learn a second lan-guage at six years of age. In fourth class the chil-dren learn a second foreign language.

• In Ireland, it is a requirement for all children tolearn Irish or Gaeilge from the age of five yearsuntil they leave secondary education at 18 yearsof age. Limited exceptions to this rule exist.

Benefits of the programme• Close interaction with each participant of the

study visit including sharing of best practicesand upcoming conferences being held in eachrepresented country.

• Daily visits to local secondary schools.• Study of best practice at the Università per

Stranieri ‘Dante Alighieri’.• Cultural excursions detailing local history, which

in turn provided a better understanding of im-

migrant issues in the region.• A network was created by the participants of

the study visit to facilitate future interactionand dialogue.

• Exchange programmes are in the process of be-ing created between teachers, students andstaff of the relevant institutions of the partici-pating countries.

• The establishment of an Italian internship be-tween the university in Reggio di Calabria andone of the participating countries.

1. Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative: http://www.mlpsi.ie/ 2. BBC Kids Modern Language Learning: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/

websites/4_11/topic/languages.shtml 3. Léargas, insight through exchange: http://www.leargas.ie/

Teaching resources forthe classroom

Berg

amot

Cúrsaí Teagaisc


Meán Fómhair – Gairdín Torthaí ar Scoil – Cur Chuige TeagmhálachPaddy Madden continues his series of SESE tips

What is it?A garden which teacheschildren about fruit which canbe grown and eaten in theirschool.

BackgroundinformationIt's important to grow fruit thatcan be harvested during theschool year. There's no point inplanting blackcurrants forexample which fruit during thesummer holidays.

Why have a fruit gardenin the school?1. It integrates well with a

healthy-eating policy in theschool.

2. It will enable children todifferentiate betweenimported fruit and home-grown fruit.

3. It will also enable them todifferentiate between thetaste of home-grown andimported varieties.

4. It will enable children tolearn about the importanceof pollinators for fruitproduction.

5. It will increase seasonalawareness.

Other possibilitiesIf space permits plant a Victoria plum. Also, if theschool is planting a native hedgerow includeblackthorns for sloes.

Did you know?• The word ‘straw’ in ‘strawberry’ could derive

from straw which is used to protect the fruitfrom getting wet and dirty or from the word‘strew’ which means to spread wide.

• Strawberries help the body fight cancer,whiten teeth and reduce cholesterol.

• Raspberries can be either red, purple, black orgold.

• Blackberries are high in antioxidants.• Apples have been eaten by humans since 6500

B.C.• Fresh apples float in water because a quarter

of their volume is air.

Suitable fruits to grow

Hands-on – the school fruit garden

Sloe fruitof the

blackthorn

LoughTreeof WexforSeedsaver

Cavan Sugarcane –

Seedsavers

Aherne beauty –Seedsavers

LATIN / IRISH Fragaria ananassa Sú talúnPOSITION SOIL Sunny; add well-rotted manure or& SPACING compost to soil. Plant 35 cm apart; 75 cm between rows.PLANTING September or Mid-April. Don't allow latter to fruit in first

year. Add general fertilizer before planting. Crown levelwith soil.

FRUITING June. Cut back to 7.5 cm above ground after fruiting. Cutoff dead leaves. Remove straw.

AFTER-CARE Plants are productive for about 3 years. Mulch in earlyspring with well-rotted compost. Propagate new onesfrom runners.

NOTES Water well when fruit is forming. Remove runners inMay. Feed with fertilizer high in potash when fruits be-gin to form. From late May place straw under fruits.Hardy during winter. Not hardy when new growth startsin spring.

Strawberry

LATIN / IRISH Pupillam ÚllPOSITION SOIL Sunny aspect. Well-drained.AND SPACINGPLANTING Dig in plenty of well-rotted compost be-

fore planting from October to December.Plant 2 or 3 different varieties. Have graftunion between apple rootstock and up-per part at least 10cm above soil. Applybalanced fertiliser when planting. Placelayers of damp newspaper around baseand cover with bark mulch.

FRUITING Sept/Oct.AFTER-CARE Prune in winter. Remove dead or

diseased branches. Maintain a pyramidshape with an open centre.

NOTES Soil must be rich in organic matter.When planting mix this with topsoiland general fertiliser. Plant heritageapple trees if possible with M26 root-stock. Produces a small tree that chil-dren can reach. Apple trees are oftendamaged by lawnmowersand ties lefton too long. Mrs Perry Keegans crab (notactually a crab). Kilkenny Pearmain, Ca-van Rose and Bloody Butcher are lovedby children.

Apple

LATIN / IRISH Rubus idaeus Sú craobhPOSITION SOIL Sunny; dig shallow trenchAND SPACING c. 30cm wide; add plenty of

well-rotted manure or organiccompost to soil. 45cm betweeneach cane and 1.5m between rows.

PLANTING Plant autumn-fruiting ones from November to March.Try 'Autumn Bliss'. Soak root-ball for about an hour be-fore planting. Keep old soil-mark on stems level withsoil.

FRUITING Late August until October. This only applies to Autumn-fruiting varieties.

AFTER-CARE Prune in February. Cut canes back to 5cm from ground.Remove any new unwanted ones to prevent them be-coming invasive.

NOTES Feed in spring with fertiliser high in potassium. Lightlyrake it into the soil around plant and then water.

Raspberry

LATIN / IRISH Rubus fruticosusSméar Dubh

POSITION SOIL Sunny, sheltered spot.AND SPACINGPLANTING Dig in plenty of well-rotted

compost before planting. Put 2fence-posts into the ground2.4-3m apart. Tie wires be-tween posts at c.30 cm inter-vals and tie the stems ontothese. Choose 'Oregon Thorn-less' or 'Loch Ness'. Soak root-ball for an hour before plant-ing. Spread out roots.

FRUITING Mid-August to September.AFTER-CARE They fruit on one year old

stems. Cut these back toground level after fruiting.

NOTES Place layers of wet newspaperaround plants. Cover this withbark-mulch to retain moisture.These thornless blackberriesare not invasive.

Blackberry

Teaching Matters


Literacy/Litearthacht• Rootstock/Fréamhstoc: The part of a grafted plant

from which the roots grow. Apple varieties are oftengrafted on to less vigorous rootstocks to controltheir size. An chuid sin de phlanda beangaithe ónabhfásann na fréamhacha. Déantar cineálacha úll abheangú go fréamhstoic nach bhfuil chomh tréanchun a méid a shrianadh.

• Crown/Coróin: The plant crown is where the stemof the plant meets the roots. Usually this is levelwith the soil. An áit a dtagann gas an phlanda agusna fréamhacha le chéile, is í sin an choróin. De gh-

náth, bíonn sí ar aon leibhéal leis an ithir.• Sloe/Airne: The fruit of the blackthorn. Toradh an

draighin.• Pruning/Ag Prúnáil: The practice of cutting away

dead or crossing branches to increase flowers andfruiting. An cleachtas ina ngearrtar craobhacha (atámarbh nó atá ag trasnú ar a chéile) chun líon nambláthanna agus na dtorthaí a mhéadú.

Buíochas do Marie Whelton (MIE) don aistriúchán. Alsothanks to Aine Ní Fhlatharta from www.irish-seedsavers.ie for her advice on apples.

Resources• www.irishseedsavers.ie/ Based in Scariff,

Co Clare, Seedsavers grow and sell over 50 heritagevarieties of apple tree.

• www.gardenorganic.org.ukGrowing fruit in the school garden.

• http://scoilmhuiregnslucan.scoilnet.ie/Growing fruit in a Dublin school.

• http://gardening.about.com/sitesearch.htm?q=Strawberries&SUName=gardeningGrowing strawberries.

• www.paulamee.com/paulamee/main/Video-Jan2.htm Videos on fruit and nutrition.

• www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Fruit-A-to-Z/StrawberriesGrowing strawberries.

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=56j_3cYjpwYThinning apples in June.

• www.videojug.com/search?keywords=Pruning+apple%20trees%20in%20ukPruning apple trees.

Paddy Madden lectures onSESE in the Marino Institute of Ed-ucation. He also gives short coursesto whole staffs on school gardening.

His book Go Wild At School, has recentlybeen reprinted. Available for €18 [email protected] (Includes p&p).Photos of applies: Eoin Keane.

erd -rs

GlenstalCooker -

Seedsavers

Not all these fruits are suitable for the school garden

The firstIrish School

Gardening Conferencewill be held in MIEon 5 October. See

www.schoolearthed.iefor application form

and details.

Anam an amhráin Tugtar beatha nua do dhá cheann déagd'amhráin aitheanta Ghaeilge le ceolagus beochan sa DVD Anam An Amhráinatá bunaithe ar shraith a bhí ar TG4 roinnt blianta ó shin. Tá na hamhráin ágcanadh ag raon amhránaithe ó chúlraíéagsúla faoi threoir ceoil Iarla Uí Lionáird.Cuideoidh na beochana seo le tuiscint nabpáistí ar liricí agus ar scéalta na n-amhrán. Tá cruthaitheacht iontachléirithe sa bhailiúchán seo a thaithneoidhle páistí agus daoine fásta araon.

Ar an DVDI measc na n-amhrán tá An Damhán Alla,Dún do Shúil, An Seanduine, Cad é Sindon Té Sin, Óró ‘Sé do Bheatha ‘Bhaile,An Poc ar Buile, Bean Pháidín, An GréasaíBróg (Beidh Aonach Amárach), Tá DháGhabhairín Bhuí Agam, Cailleach an Air-gid agus leagan greannmhar d’Amhránna Bó le Tomás Mac Eoin. Fuair Anam anAmhráin ainmniúchán IFTA donbheochan is fearr sa bhliain 2011. Táamhrán breise ar an DVD ‘Cúilín Dualach’a bhuaigh go leor gradam náisiúnta agus

idirnáisiúnta, le gradam IFTA ina meascdon bheochan is fearr.

Cuireann an amhránaíocht ar chumasna bpáistí bealaí eile a iniúchadh chuncumarsáid a dhéanamh le daoine eile,chun a smaointe agus mothúcháin a churin iúl agus chun iniúchadh a dhéanamhar an saol mórthimpeall orthu.

Úsáid sa rang• Múin liricí na n-amhrán trí na

beochana a úsáid chun ionchur teangaa dhéanamh.

• Déan na hamhráin a chanadh óchuimhne leis na páistí ag spreagadhsmacht gutha, muiníne agus moth-aithe.

• Spreag páistí le freagairt d’amhrán arleith trí mhaisíochtaí fuaime lecnaguirlisí a dhéanamh.

• Iarr ar pháistí idirdhealú a dhéanamhidir na príomhuirlisí a chloistear marthionlacan sna hamhráin.

• Úsáid bogábhar ar nós Photostory nóAnimoto agus iarr ar pháistí a scéaldigiteach féin a chruthú bunaithe aramhrán ón DVD nó amhrán eile atá areolas acu.

Ar fáilwww.cartoonsaloon.ie.

Cúrsaí Teagaisc


Ceol

In eagrán na míosa seo caithfimidsúil ar an gceol sa seomra ranga:úsáid an cheoil i dteagasc na Gaeilge iscoileanna T2, agus teagasc an cheoil iscoileanna T1.

Feadogonline.com agus ceolta.netTá sé mar aidhm ag an dá shuíomh idirlínwww.feadogonline.com aguswww.ceolta.net cuidiú le múinteoirí anfheadóg stáin a mhúineadh do pháistí saseomra ranga.

Ar www.feadogonline.com tál Trí chúrsa a dhíríonn ar thrí léibhéal

(tosaitheoirí, feabhsaitheoirí agusmeánchúrsa) le deich gceacht i ngachceann.

l I ngach ceacht tá teoiric cheoil,nodaireacht cheoil, gearrthóga físe,gearrthóga éisteachta, agus fuaimriantationlacain.

l Tá meascán fonn ann, ina meascFáinne Geal an Lae agus Ar Éirinn níNeosfainn Cé hÍ.

l Tá na cláir grádaithe go cúramach agusúsáideann said snáitheanna éagsúla deChuraclam na Bunscoile.

Úsáid sa rangl Múin an teoiric atá i réamhrá an chúrsa

do thosaitheoirí ionas go mbeidh sé archumas na bpáistí ceol a léamh. Tugtareolas atá leagtha amach go soiléir maid-ir le cliathnodaireacht, ainmneachaagus luachanna na nótaí,barralínte/amchomharthaí agusgléaschomharthaí.Téigh siar ar anteoiric go rialta.

l Téigh trí gach ceacht go mall ar an gclárbán idirghníomhach. Léigh agus mínighan teoiric a théann le gach píosa ceoil.

l Bain triail as an bhfonn a sheinm leis antaifeadadh feadóige, agus ansin déaniarracht é a sheinm leis an tionlacan piano amháin.

l Cliceáil ar an nasc físe agus éist leis anbhfonn.

I bpacáiste ceolta.net tál Tá ceithre chéim ghrádaithe le hocht

gceacht i ngach ceann.

l Tá Céim 1 dírithe ar pháistí gan aonchur amach ar an bhfeadóg stáin, céim2 ar fheabhsaitheoirí agus mar sin de.

l Tá nótaí, cliathnodaireacht, fonn simplíagus fuaimrianta cd ag dul le gach ceacht.

l Tá meascán fonn ar ceolta.net inameasc tá Racáil ar fud an Domhainagus Amhrán na bhFiann. I gCéim 5 táfoinn bhreise saor in aisce chomhmaith.

l Ceol don fheadóg stáin “D” le fáil archipín cuimhne ar phraghas €20.

Úsáid sa rangl Taispeáin na nótaí nó an chliath-

nodaireacht nó an méarú ar an gclárbán idirghníomhach, nó déan iad aphriontáil de réir mar is gá.

l Cuir an fonn atá le múineadh ar siúlarís is arís eile ag am oiriúnach ionas gogcuirfidh na daltaí eolas ar an gceol.

l Lig do na páistí tabhairt faoingcumadóireacht trí uasghrádú adhéanamh saor in aisce chuig an modúlcumadóireachta. Tá moltaí agus treoirag dul leis an modúl seo.

Ar fáilwww.feadogonline.com; www.ceolta.net.Gach eolas faoi ceolta.net ó[email protected].

Curtha le chéile agBríd Ní Dhonnchadhaagus Máire Nic an Rífaoi choimirce COGG.

Acmhainní Gaeilge ó Thuaisceart Éireann

Get free access toSymmetry School

for month ofOctober

Chance to win €50 iTunes voucher

InTouch readers may recall we ran an article onSpraoi School last year, in which Eileen Ward reviewed Symmetry School, the first whiteboardapplication in the series and gave it a resoundingthumbs-up. Since then, PixelSoup have beenbusy further developing the Spraoi School series,with the release of Symmetry School: LearningGeometry for the iPad. They are now working onthe next offering in the series, Fractions School.

The launch of Symmetry School on iTunes hasbeen a resounding success, with internationalsales sky-rocketing. The Guardian named it oneof the “50 best apps that parents can trust for2013”. European schools are utilising Apple’sVolume Purchasing Plan, some buying over 30copies of Symmetry School in one go!

To celebrate this, PixelSoup are offering allInTouch readers full access to the whiteboardversion of Symmetry School for FREE duringthe month of October. Simply go towww.spraoischool.com and register using thecode INTOUCH2013. Also, all new users duringthe month of October will automatically be entered into a competition to win a €50 iTunesvoucher! •

Teaching Matters


Numeracy Toolkit from ÁiseannaSoftware is a CD-ROM that aims tohelp pupils with their learning ofnumber from 1 to 100. It is a verysimple piece of software with anumber of activities to consolidatenumber facts and knowledgethrough games such as Dice, Reken-

rek, Missing Numbers and NumberNames. Users have a choice ofworking at different levels, i.e. num-bers 1 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 50 and 51to 100. The games might be suitableto a learning support environmentor perhaps as a whole class starter.The software would benefit from abetter navigation system, as youmust complete an activity beforebeing transported back to the homepage, as hitting the escape buttonexits the game. Numeracy Toolkitcosts €95 for a site licence with anextra €3 for postage and packaging,and can be ordered fromwww.aiseanna.com •

Reviewed by Simon Lewis, Principal,Carlow Educate Together NS, and co-editor of anseo.net

Numeracy Toolkit

An alternative approach tobehaviour managementPositive Psychology in the Elemen-tary School Classroom by Patty O’Grady delineates the fundamen-tals of positive psychology and equipsthe teacher with a wide variety of resources to implement them. Avast range of research is presentedwhich reminds readers how feelingsand emotions can affect the neuro-science of the child, which in turnaffects how they behave and howmuch they achieve and learn in the classroom. With this in mind,O’Grady outlines how important itis to enable children to create theirown intrinsic set of ideals and valueswhich they will live by, rather thantrying to enforce a strict code of dis-cipline which they may not accept.It calls on teachers to teach childrenhow to self motivate and self assessso that they work towards self satis-faction instead of judging them-selves in terms of their grades.

A wide variety of resources andmethods are presented that enableeducators to do this, which wouldbe easy to implement in any class-room. I would recommend thisbook to anyone who is looking to try

an alternative approach to behav-iour management or who strives tocreate an atmosphere of teamworkand cooperation in their class.

Positive Psychology in the Elemen-tary School Classroom by Patty O’Grady is published by W.W. Norton & Company, RRP €32.50,ISBN 9780-39370-7588. •

Reviewed by Fiona Ward, St Bren-dan’s Primary School, Birr, Co Offaly

Book reviews

InTouch October 61

Finishing TouchesResources for teachers, Noticeboard of Upcoming Events and the Comhar Linn Crossword

INTO Solidarity FundThe INTO Solidarity Fund supports thedevelopment of educational facilities

in some of the world’s poorest countries.

If you are volunteering with a recognisedcharity, development agency, missionarysociety or trade union and would like to applyfor funding, please download the ‘INTOSolidarity Grant Application form’ from theINTO website, contact Georgina at (01) 8047745 or email [email protected]

A sub-committee of the CEC assess each appli-cation at their monthly meetings and are re-sponsible for disbursement of grants from thisfund.

ReunionSt Pat’s Classes of 1998Date: 9 November 2013

Venue: Club na Múinteoirí

A reunion of B.Ed and B.A gradu-ates, who attended St Patrick's Col-lege between 1995 and 1998 will beheld in Club na Múinteoirí, ParnellSquare, Dublin 1 on 9 November 2013at 8pm. Cover charge €15 to includefood, DJ and plenty of craic. For fur-ther info or confirm attendance [email protected] check out the event on Facebook.

40th Anniversary – Mini-Sport Mini Basketball Association of IrelandVenue: Red Cow Moran’s Hotel,Naas Road, Dublin 22 (01 4593650)Date: 23 November 2013Time: 7.30 p.m.Dinner/drinks/chat/memories.Contact Joan Fogarty 087 2755768 oremail [email protected]

Competition winnersCongratulations to:Sinéad Crilly, Eimear Sheahan

and Gerard Gallery who were thelucky winners of the SOS Lusitaniacompetition (September issue).Copies of the book are on the waycourtesy of The O’Brien Press.

Two competitions this month. Seepages 12 and 59 of this issue for details of how you could be in with achance to win a mid term familybreak or a €50 iTunes voucher.

Cork Teachers’ Golf SocietyNext outing to Muskerry Golf

Club is on Thursday 31 October.New members most welcome. ContactAidan Buckley (Secretary) for furtherinformation. Tel: 021 4364678

Copy Date

Copy you wish to haveconsidered for publication in

the November issue of InTouchshould arrive in Head Office by 7October 2013. The deadline for theDecember issue is 11 November.

Honorary membership of the INTO maybe conferred by branchesunder Rule 76D whichprovides that teacherswho have been membersof a branch may beelected as honorarymembers after retirement with the rightto attend and speak at the branch subse-quently. The current rate charged tobranches for honorary membership is €48per member per year. A decisionwas taken by the CEC to com-mission a special gift to mark anaward of honorary membership.There are now honorary mem-bership certificates and engraved

vases available from Head Office. The vaseengraved ‘INTO Honorary Member’costs €70, price includes delivery.

Retirement gifts andcertificates

There is a vase available engraved ‘INTO’(costs €70), engraved Cross pens (€40),brooches (€31) and tie pins (€24) availablefor sale as retirement emblems. To order

a retirement gift,please contact Lin-da Johnston orElaine Daly at 018047700, certifi-cates are free of

charge and can be ordered from theMembership Section of the INTO.

INTO honorary membership and retirement gifts


Free online coursesand resources fromAcademic EarthSince 2008, Academic Earth hasworked to compile an ever-growingcollection of online college courses,made available free of charge, fromsome of the most respected universi-ties. AcademicEarth.org has also recently added a comprehensive re-source for education students. In ad-dition to their database of free onlinecourses, they now feature an extensivelist of blogs and open access journals,all focused on the field of education.

Find at: www.academicearth.org

Nótaí Deiridh

Two pages of resources for the classroom, from training courses to helpful hints and useful links

Sightsavers launch 2013 art competitionSightsavers will launch the 5th year oftheir national art competition – The Jun-ior Painter Awards – in October. Thisyear’s theme is ‘I would love to see…’.

The competition gives teachers the opportunity to encourage creativity in theclassroom and is a fun and age-appropri-ate way for children to learn about the importance and value of their eyesight.Entry packs will be sent to schools nation-wide and will include new lesson plansand activities that highlight how the com-petition can also tie in with the curricu-lum. Cash prizes for schools have beendonated by The Irish Times with Art &Hobby and Star School Supplies supply-ing fantastic prizes for regional and na-tional winners! Every student who enterswill receive a Certificate of Participation.

The judging panel this year will includeTomm Moore, the Oscar-nominated Di-rector of The Secret Book of Kells as well asartist and blind activist, PadraigNaughton. For more details visit:www.sightsavers.ie/juniorpainter

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NAME:

ADDRESS:

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, before Friday 1st November, 2013

• Comhar Linn Crossword NO 150

Across

1. Furious to be using one foot? Crazy. (7,3)6. As snooty as Mrs Beckham? (4)

10. One is unable to love this piece of poetry, bythe look of it. (5)

11 & 31d. In teapots, tannin can show one's abilityto keep concentrating. (9,4)

12. Many girls are taught in these. (7)15. Espy gym class returning to Swords. (5)17. Was the Russian ruler a sleepy character in

the automobile? (4)18. Post redirected from Lima. (4)19. More secure, now that fear's been

dispelled. (5)21. Put it down to a writer. (7)23. Sticky stuff that makes one misbehave

again? (5)24. Scrutinise Central Tuscany. (4)25. Where peas might be spilled in a church. (4)26. Hurt to see some of the worst ungentlemanly

behaviour. (5)28. Cut yarn strangely to report a lack of

attendance. (7)33. As rolled out for communist V.I.P's? (3,6)34. Might one's leg be broken on religious

grounds? (5)35. They are instrumental in causing rows. (4)36. Being from a neighbouring isle, he may

malign hens, literally. (10)

Down

1. Pawn off with some wine. (4)2. Might the pint lease out some valuable

frees? (9)3. Golf clubs used by actor Jeremy? (5)4. Was Ms. O'Malley encountered before and

after meals? (5)5. Insects take an article to South Riding. (4)7. Surmise that there is no conifer. (5)8. Get hot, and season an acrobatic move. (10)9. The opposite of how the poet writes. (7)

13. Cries (upsetting the boss). (4)14. It seems the wound is allowed to get red. (7)16. Promise air will be distributed by a theatrical

producer. (10)20. Look towards dairy produce to find a

cosmetic. (4,5)21. A horse-sheep mixture - literally! (7)22. Could what makes him attractive be

gold? (4)27. Below part of a blunderbuss. (5)29. Alter - alter an animal. (5)30. While distributing sugar, with his hundred

eyes, he'd have been useful for yardsupervision! (5)

31. See 11 across.32. Plant iron above Roscommon.

Gordius - In Touch September No. 149 solutionsAcross 1. Dresden china 7. Bag 9. Deem 10. Bed-sit 11.Teal 14. Nepal 15. Trunk 16. Ache 18. Bombs 21. Rabat 22.Chaff 23. Egypt 24. Euro 25. Apple 26. Slope 29. Yale 33.Fringe 34. Wove 36. Lea 37. Redeployment panel

Down 1. Doe 2. Elms 3. Dubs 4. Nudge 5. Haifa 6. Able 8.Golden fleece 9. Doctor Jekyll 12. Lumber 13. Skate 14.Nobly 17. Clamps 19. Metre 20. Scram 27. Large 30. Lear 31.Deny 32. Twee 35. Vat

Winners of crossword no. 149 areMaria Mulligan, Ballaghaderreen, Co. Roscommon andNóirín Caulfield, Gorey, Co. Wexf ord.

Anti-bullying campaigntools for teachersNow available for primary schools!See the question-and-answer-formatwebsite introduction. Read the sim-plified handbook in the ‘PrimaryAwareness’ page. Check video linkspage for anti-bullying resources. Over2,000 second level teachers registered

For generations bullying has been a problem inschools and a worry for teachers. Could your schoolimplement an Anti-Bullying Campaign?

Register on : www.antibullyingcampaign.ie Further information from Seán Fallon at 01-4513314 or086-8496460

… and your Comhar Linn Crossword!

Finishing Touches


St Benedict’s and St Mary’s NS,Raheny, Dublin 5www.stbenedictsandstmarys.comSimple navigation leads to clear content.Useful Tips for Parents section. At the timeof reviewing there was an excellent videofrom the school around maths stationteaching

My favourite sites

Caoimhe Ní Cofaigh, Part-time teacher and parent

Improv Encyclopaediahttp://improvencyclopedia.orgHuge collection of resources forimprovisation drama. Children will love some of them.

Scoilnet Gaeilge LearningUnitsscoilnet.ie/Gaeilge_Learning_Units.shtmDeep within the Scoilnet site is a wholesection with flashcards, PDFs and otherdocuments supporting basic Irish.

ICT Gameswww.ictgames.comEnglish-curriculum focused but some really nice interactive learning games.

The most viewed links for one specific weekin mid September

Uimhreacha – Luaschártaí

schoolblog8.scoilnet.ie/numbers/flashcards_uimhreachaPrintable number flashcards.

Rainn agus Amhrain

resources.teachnet.ie/clane/2008/index.htmlSongs and rhymes based on the Irish curriculum.

Rounding – Maths

bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/rounding-and-estimatingVarious levels available to choose.

Bia agus Spraoi

resources.teachnet.ie/mmorrin/2004/Printable interactive resources associated withfood.

Aimsir

tobar.ie/cluichi/dushlan-aimsir.htmA spelling practice exercise.

The Spelling Quiz

scoilnet.ie/Quiz.aspx?id=576Eight sentences are given. Select the correctspelling for the blank word.

Home School Spelling Course

splashesfromtheriver.com/spelling/courseoutline.htmThirty lessons with suggested activities.

Shapes – Maths

bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic-group/shapesVarious activities around shapes. Multiple levels.

Ffoto:Story

hwb.wales.gov.uk/cms/hwbcontent/_layouts/NGFLSolution/MaterialDescription.aspx?LearningMaterialld=23517&lang=enActivities linking pictures and sounds.

Sticks and Stones

test.scoilnet.ie/Res/annirwinoleary8599114220pm_2.htmlFlat page with activities around the issue of bullying.

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No 37

Newgrange WinterSolstice Art Competition

The Office of Public Works (OPW) has announced that it will berunning an Art Competition for primary and post-primary schoolchildren, with the winning entrants being present for the WinterSolstice at Newgrange on 21 December 2013.

To enter, students must be enrolled in one of the followingprimary or post-primary classes in September 2013. There arethree categories and two winners will be chosen from each ofthese categories: • 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Class – Primary • 1st, 2nd and 3rd Year – Post-Primary • 4th/Transition, 5th and 6th Year - Post-Primary

This year we will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the inscription of Brú na Bóinne on the World Heritage Sites list andit is hoped this will inspire entrants to create an artwork on thefollowing theme:

Newgrange – The Winter Solstice The annual Winter Solstice sun show at Newgrange is a world famous event. Five thousand years ago the Neolithic builders engineered the monument so that sunlight could enter thevaulted chamber at dawn on the shortest days of the year. Onclear Solstice mornings, the chamber at the end of the passage is illuminated and bathed in a wonderful golden glow.

Entry is Free – full details and rules of the competition areavailable on www.heritageireland.ie. Winners will be present inthe chamber with a parent/guardian on the morning of 21 Decem-ber for one of the most important events in the heritage calendar.

Closing date for receipt of entries is Friday 15 November 2013.All entries (clearly marked Art Competition) should be post-

ed/delivered to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre, Donore, CoMeath.Queries should be directed to: [email protected]

'We must be hopeful' (pp.54-55)

Documents