National Council for Curriculum and Assessment
WHAT'S NEW
Responding to curriculum overload in primary schools
NCCA is responding to the issue of curriculum overload. Check out the new content objective Science cards and the bridging materials for Mathematics for teachers of 5th and 6th classes. Read an overview of the experiences of overload, both nationally and internationally. Find out about teachers' experiences in using the re-presented curriculum materials since last October in Curriculum overload: Teachers' voices.
It's here at last—Ideas for a new Junior Cycle
What might a junior cycle of the future look like? Have a read of the ideas set out in the paper Innovation and Identity: Ideas for a new Junior Cycle (PDF, 4.4MB). The paper discusses ideas about how the junior cycle curriculum, learning and teaching, methods of generating evidence of learning and qualifications might change. The paper also talks about how we might all go about developing a junior cycle of the future. Interested? Follow this link to the junior cycle developments page to find out more!
New resources in the Aistear Toolkit
Take a look at the new resources in the Aistear Toolkit. Aistear's Principles and Themes gives you an insight into what the Framework's principles can look like in-action in settings, and provides a quick overview in photographs, of the four themes.
Have a look and listen for yourself.
Strategic Plan for 2009-2011
The Strategic Plan for 2009-2011 has just been published. Given the difficult economic circumstances, and the real challenges for public sector agencies, we decided to take a different approach to the planning process, and to publishing the plan. Click here to see the result.
Subtraction Tipsheet for Parents
Parents may help their child in second class to subtract using the 'borrow and pay back' method that they learned themselves. This may confuse their child who is learning to subtract using renaming. Well, help is at hand! Have a look at the subtraction tip sheet for parents or view a two minute easy to follow presentation.
Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework
It’s launched. Check out the new curriculum framework for children from birth to six years. This framework can be used by practitioners in the range of early childhood settings. Aistear offers lots of practical ideas, suggestions and examples of the types of experiences you might think about using in your work with babies, toddlers and young children. Have a look for yourself.