WHAT'S NEW
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.
Responding to curriculum overload in primary schools
You told us that you did not enough time to 'teach it all.' We are exploring ways of representing the curriculum and need your feedback. Download the PPDS 'glance cards' now. There are skills cards and a curriculum overview wall-chart also available for download.
FÓN wins European Award for Languages - The Language Label
On Fri 25th September, NCCA and Ratoath College accepted the European Award for Languages - The Language Label for the FÓN project. The FÓN project incorporated mobile phones into the teaching, learning and assessment of Irish for nearly 400 second year students in 6 schools. Follow this link to find out more.
Project Maths moves on
In-service has begun for teachers in all post-primary schools as Project Maths moves on from the 24 schools in the first phase to extend across the country. Student resource materials on strands one and two for first, second, fifth and sixth year students have arrived in the 24 schools.
Take a look at the material here.