Guest Post: Droichead – A Qualified Defence!
I’ve been banging on about Droichead for the past decade and recently published a podcast series. I asked teachers to share their experiences, both positive and negative. Lorraine Dillon is a second level teacher who kindly offered to write an article to share her experience. If teaching were a prison, then I’m a Lifer. I […]
Initial Thoughts about NCSE’s Total Inclusion Solution
The NCSE Annual Research Conference took place today which basically asked the question, is a fully inclusive school system right for Ireland? Teresa Griffin said before the conference: “We want Irish children with additional complex needs to have the best education outcomes from our schools. Children with additional needs can attend mainstream schools or special […]
016. Allow Teachers to use Social Media as They See Fit
Back in 2012, the Teaching Council released a final draft for consultation regarding out Professional Standards. At that time, I was extremely worried about a particular section: 3.3.7. which states that teachers should ensure that any communication with pupils/ students, colleagues, parents, school management and others is appropriate, including communication via electronic media, such as […]
011. Reboot the School Completion Programme
Recently, DEIS schools around Ireland woke up to a new dawn. The School Completion Programme, which aims to target children at risk of early school leaving, has been renamed thanks to a big rebrand from Tusla, who are now in charge of the programme. School Completion Programme will now be known as the Form Completion […]
008. Ban spelling and tables tests
Hangovers are never a positive experience and some are harder to shake than others, especially when it comes to education. We have so many bad (pedagogically speaking) ideas that seem to persist in the system. The crowning glory, of course, is the Leaving Cert, which is a terrible way to judge someone’s educational attainment, yet […]
046. Ban Rote Learning of Tables
I think that learning tables off by heart is rubbish. When I say this, it is usually met with general disagreement and in some cases, complete contempt. Typical responses included: There is no other/better way to teach tables Learning tables off by heart did me no harm Call me old fashioned but… So I tried […]
060. Set the same insurance rates for all schools
Many people wouldn’t realise that there is only one insurance company in Ireland that covers schools. It’s called Allianz. They used to be known as Church and General. This might explain why. However, in the post church-run world of school insurance, you might be surprised to learn that schools do not all pay the same […]
072. School transport to be completely free
Currently, for some odd reason, families have to pay for a bus to bring them to their nearest school. The service should immediately become free to all families. I can’t think of a single reason why families are financially punished for living far away from their most local school. I’d also extend this to families […]
035. Ensure the use of technology remains a methodology, not a subject
What is technology in terms of education? Twenty-five years ago, we might have said it was a resource, much like a pencil or a book, as it was something you could use in order to help learn. Some countries, like the UK, fell into the trap of making technology into a subject and started teaching […]
027. No tolerance for violence
Think back to your own primary school experience and ask yourself: do you ever remember your teacher being hit by a pupil? The likely answer is that it absolutely never happened. Now ask yourself if one of your colleagues was struck by a child in the last few years. Violence (physical and verbal) towards adults […]