Upload
phungduong
View
214
Download
1
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
This newsletter is produced by the Partnership Management Board (PMB) - a strategic planning group representing a range
of education partners. PMB was formed to plan for the coherent and efficient implementation of the revised curriculum.
Members include Classroom 2000 (C2k), Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS), Council for Curriculum,
Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), Department of Education (DE), all five Education and Library Boards (ELBs), Education
and Training Inspectorate (ETI), Educational Technology Strategy Group, Initial Teacher Education (ITE), Regional Training Unit
(RTU), and Universities Council for Education and Training (UCET).
In this term’s edition of Linked...
Page 2Overview of the recently published evaluation report on the implementation of the
Northern Ireland Curriculum
Page 3ETI reports worth viewing online
Page 4A snapshot of the good practice observed in primary, special and post-primary schools
Page 6Celebration of collaboration at the Special ‘S’ Conference
Page 8 Parental engagement projects in Belfast and Newry
Page 10 Linking Learning programme eases the transition between primary and post-primary
Page 12 Microsoft European Innovative Teacher of the Year (Community) Award
Page 14Building staff confidence in the use of ICT
Page 16 ICT achievements hit the headlines in Ballymena, Belfast and Warrenpoint
Page 17 Using the Schools Information Management System (SIMS) to reduce teacher workload
Page 20 Review of ‘Units of Work’ - a Curriculum Mapping Tool
Page 22How Northern Ireland’s Creative Learning Centres are supporting teaching and learning
Page 23Teacher trainers embrace new technology
Page 24 Numeracy Conference - Promoting change in teaching mathematics for the 21st Century
Page 26New programmes and resources for PDMU, Literacy, LLW and the IM sector
Page 30 Summer School 2010 and RTU’s Management Resource Centre
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 2
one
This term’s newsletter has a strong technology theme running through it and features a cross section of case
studies illustrating how schools across Northern Ireland are using ICT to support learning and teaching.
This edition of Linked includes news and updates alongside reports submitted by a range of education
professionals which provide an interesting insight into the ongoing implementation of the Northern Ireland
Curriculum and some of the latest resources available to support it.
As always, we welcome your comments, correspondence and contributions. Please contact us at
[email protected] if you have a suggestion or story you would like to share with us. Linked is also available
online on the www.nicurriculum.org.uk website. Previous editions of the newsletter can be found by clicking
on ‘PMB News’.
Welcome to Linked
May 2010
Update on Assessment and Reporting Arrangements Last year the Department of Education indicated that for a transitional period - until new Levels of Progression
are introduced - the present assessment arrangements would continue, with assessment at the end of Key Stages
1, 2 and 3 against the existing level descriptions for Language and Literacy (English and/or Irish as appropriate in
Irish medium schools and units) and Mathematics and Numeracy (Mathematics).
These transitional arrangements have now been specified in legislation and details have been set out in a recent
Departmental Circular. The legislation is accessible via: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/sr/sr2010/pdf/nisr_20100135_en.pdf.The Circular, of 29 April, is accessible via: http://www.deni.gov.uk/index/80-curriculum-and-assessment/80-curriculum-and-assessment-circulars/22_curriculum_and_assessment_-_circulars-2010_pg.htm.
This legislation complements the 2009 Pupil Reporting Regulations which include the associated requirements for
reporting to parents on levels achieved by pupils at the end of Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. These Regulations are accessible
via: http://www.deni.gov.uk/2009_15_-_pupil_reporting_regulations_2009.pdf. Under the legislation, schools
continue to be responsible for notifying CCEA of end of Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 assessment outcomes.
Work on the new Levels of Progression and associated assessment arrangements is now well advanced but, as the
Department has previously indicated, these will not be introduced until teachers have had the training and support
they need to implement them. Until then the transitional assessment arrangements will continue to apply.
New Curriculum Guides for ParentsAs children start their academic careers it can often be a challenging time for parents, with a huge range of new
information to digest. That is why CCEA and DE are producing two simple guides which will help parents
understand what to expect as their children start out in primary and post-primary education.
The guides will cover the Northern Ireland Curriculum, including areas of learning and skills at all Key Stages.
They will also outline how a student’s progress will be assessed and how this information will be reported back to
parents. Details of a website, which parents can access to research further information, will be included.
A cross section of parents and principals will be consulted regarding the design and content of the guides to
ensure that they are relevant and useful.
The guides are expected to be distributed at the start of the new academic year. Schools will be encouraged to
share this information with Year 1 and Year 8 parents particularly, in an effort to ensure a greater understanding
of the curriculum and the academic year ahead.
For updates or more information on the Northern Ireland Curriculum, please visit www.nicurriculum.org.uk.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 3
two
The 2008 report stated that a shift of emphasis was needed to ensure:
• Simpler communication to schools about the purpose of and the main
elements of curricular change;
• A differentiated approach to support for schools, based on audit of need,
to enable them to continue to improve practice in the context of whole
school improvement;
• Improved collaboration between CCEA, CASS and, where appropriate,
C2k during 2009-10, on their path of convergence to ESA; and,
• Forward planning for the continued development of pedagogy, learning
and assessment, arising from curriculum reform, beyond 2010.
The evidence shows that most progress has been with communication -
not least through the publication of the Linked newsletter. While
important steps have been taken on coordination, the findings highlight
the importance of establishing a unified plan with single accountability
from the outset.
On the need for differentiated support, the focus on planning and
delivering a single implementation support programme had previously
reduced the scope for CASS link officers to work with individual schools;
schools which need more personalised support have welcomed the
more recent increases which they have experienced.
The Inspectorate found that the most pressing need is to remove the
uncertainly and confusion in schools over assessment arrangements and
to set a clear path for the next three years, in the context of the increasing
capacity in schools to engage in whole school improvement, which has
both assessment and evaluation, brought together, at its core.
The report recommends that for the period to 2013 the emphasis needs
to be placed on:
• Understanding the continuing implementation of curricular change,
and especially the embedding of assessment, in the context of whole
school improvement for the purpose of raising standards and improving
outcomes for learners;
• An accountable convergence of services for schools, bringing together
support for continued improvement in teaching and in assessment in a
fully unified and coordinated way;
• Building the capacity of teachers (individually and collectively) to
undertake self-evaluation of their teaching effectiveness and outcomes,
which informs school improvement and can also provide evidence, at
the system level, of improvement; and
• Developing the capacity of schools (individually and collectively) to
cooperate in shared professional development and in planning and
providing educational provision collaboratively.
The inspection found that steps taken by the Partnership Management Board
have brought about strategic improvements. However, they point to the need
to design a support structure within which all policy components relating to
curriculum, teaching and assessment are considered in terms of their inter-
relationship and inter-dependency within the setting of the school. These
elements should include: literacy and numeracy, the Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strategy, the Entitlement Framework,
area-based planning and school leadership development.
While assessment remains a major concern for teachers, the weakest aspect
of leadership and management found in schools is that of monitoring and
evaluation. The Inspectorate recommends that there should be professional
development for teachers which brings together the new forms of
assessment in the classroom and the use of assessment evidence to help
teachers to monitor progression, to evaluate their own effectiveness and to
raise standards in learning by setting appropriate targets.
The Inspectorate recommends that the training and support for
assessment combined with that for monitoring and evaluation should be
set in the context of support for a whole school approach to
improvement. This should be a priority over the three years 2010-2013,
accommodating the transition through the interim arrangements from
levels of attainment to the levels of progression.
The evaluation identified a need to develop the role of school governors
to enable them to be involved more closely in target setting for
examinations and in monitoring and evaluating progress.
The full report is available at: http://tinyurl.com/etinic
The follow-up evaluation report on the implementation of the Northern Ireland Curriculum inprimary, special and post-primary schools is now available online. This recently published documentfollows-up the recommendations made in the Inspectorate’s 2008 report on the Implementation ofthe Northern Ireland Curriculum and assesses the progress made (see Linked, Issue 8, June 2009). An overview of the findings and recommendations can be found below.
Monitoring Progress
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 4
three
Better Numeracy in Primary Schools
‘Better Numeracy’ focuses on numeracy provision in primary schools. Based on extensive evidence from recent
inspections, evaluations and district visits, it sets out the characteristics of the very good practice in numeracy found in
primary classrooms. ‘Better Numeracy’ offers a series of self evaluative prompts which teachers, numeracy coordinators and
senior managers can use in their ongoing quest to promote improvement. The key findings highlight the importance of
the children’s perceptions of numeracy, of good quality planning and teaching in numeracy, of the central role of the
numeracy coordinator and how each of these contributes to the overall effectiveness of the children’s learning.
‘Better Numeracy’ is highly recommended as a useful framework within which schools may address the
underpinning aims of Department of Education’s policy for school improvement, ‘Every School a Good School’.
http://tinyurl.com/primnum
Transition in Mathematics: Primary to Post-primary
The 2006-2008 Chief Inspector’s Report commented on the low level of effective links in mathematics teaching
between primary and post-primary schools. This report summarises the evidence gathered during visits made in
the last two school years and makes recommendations to secure greater continuity and progression in the
children’s learning across the transition between phases.
Mathematics teachers in post-primary schools, and especially the Heads of Department, need to be more familiar
with the mathematics curriculum in Year 7. Similarly, Year 7 teachers and primary numeracy coordinators need to
understand the mathematical learning which takes place at Key Stage 3. Joint professional development
opportunities, both formal and informal, should be arranged for primary and post-primary teachers.
http://tinyurl.com/mathtrans
Effective practice for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
Sustainable development is a relatively new, yet important, area of study. This evaluation of practice in a sample
of primary, post-primary and special schools identifies strengths in, amongst other aspects: the positive impact
of non-governmental organisations and other external agencies in developing ESD; the first-hand opportunities
for learners to explore the environment through imaginatively and creatively optimising the educational and
social potential of the school grounds and through visits to areas of environmental interest and field centres.
Effective cross-curricular planning provides learners with real-life ESD contexts in which to develop successfully
their skills in literacy, numeracy, ICT, critical thinking and collaborative learning. Reductions in energy
consumption and real financial savings have been realised in a significant minority of schools by teaching, non-
teaching staff and pupils implementing sustainable practices. The report includes a number of case studies and
provides key recommendations on how to secure improvement. http://tinyurl.com/etiesd
Online ETI reports - sharing good practice
Quality of Learning Guidance in Post-primary Schools
The Inspectorate’s evaluation of the three main aspects of learning guidance (educational guidance, personal guidance
and careers education, information, advice and guidance) provided for pupils in post-primary schools reports on:
• the many positive learning guidance initiatives being developed in schools;
• the quality of the arrangements for the provision of educational guidance;
• the development of individual learning plans for pupils;
• the use of quantitative and benchmarked data, including the use of standardised tests for the tracking of
learners’ individual standards;
• the transition arrangements in place for pupils transferring from the primary sector to the post-primary sector;
• the arrangements for the transfer of information from post-primary schools to work-based learning providers;
• the arrangements for the provision of careers education, information, advice and guidance;
• the opportunities to participate in a range of work-related learning opportunities; and
• the quality of the leadership and management arrangements for the provision of learning guidance.
http://tinyurl.com/learnguide
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 5
Curriculum inthe classroom
The Inspectorate’s recently published report highlights examples of good
practice in the ongoing implementation of the Northern Ireland Curriculum.
four
Primary
A school operates successfully two teams to lead and manage
strategically the implementation of the NIC. A management team
comprising curriculum coordinators leads professional development in
curricular areas, supports staff development individually and in Key
Stage groups and evaluates the impact of the changes in pedagogy on
the children’s learning experiences and attainment. All staff are involved
in the training of their colleagues in-school which builds effectively the
capacity for change. The leadership team comprises the principal, vice-
principal and the heads of Key Stages. They provide an overarching
perspective on the incremental, connected and measured
implementation of the NIC through the school development plan.
The corridor outside the Year 1 classrooms is imaginatively decorated to
announce the theme of Explorers - jungle plants, theme boxes for
outdoors, wellingtons, a den area created with camouflage netting with
books and collections of toy insects, animals and taped jungle sounds
playing in the background. In the outdoor play area, there is space for
dramatic role play - the children are building a den using a collection of
real items such as ropes, tarpaulin, tyres and logs. Staff members have
provided some real camping items, including a mini barbeque. Some
children are building a water supply with guttering and pipes. There is a
small digging area, with tools, scientific equipment and an explorer’s kit.
The classroom looks like a workshop. A comfortable carpeted area
beside an interactive whiteboard is used to introduce the play session,
which is lengthy. Tables pushed together form a large creative area; the
children access art materials and craft resources at any time. The
children’s play is exciting and challenging; Thinking Skills and Personal
Capabilities are naturally interwoven into the activities. Photographs
taken during play are displayed digitally during the plenary to help the
children revisit their learning and talk about their understanding.
The children are motivated and articulate. There is strong emphasis on
oral language - the adults engage in realistic discussions with children.
The teacher worked outdoors for the entire session - through highly
skilled interventions helping to extend the children’s thinking. Rain did
not stop play! The teacher turned the change in weather into another
learning opportunity. The classroom assistants were clear about the
learning intentions and their interactions were supportive.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 6
five
Special
The principal monitors the planning regularly and consistently through a
web-based planning system and can see how effective each department
and teacher is in implementing the NIC. She analyses the data and
identifies strengths and gaps in provision as a basis for discussion about
improvement with teachers. The principal and vice-principal carry out
classroom observations, monitor books and talk to the pupils.
The teachers are all involved in teaching through a thematic approach;
they collaborate effectively in planning the curriculum and work well
together to share good practice; this impacts positively on the
development of the children’s skills and knowledge.
The teacher explained the learning intention in appropriate terms and
involved the pupils in active learning by discussing objectives; the pupils
were invited to, and were able to direct the other pupils in turn. The pace
of the lesson was well-timed and it offered pupils a challenge and
opportunities to think and make good decisions. They discussed their
activities and were able to evaluate their learning at the end of the session.
Learning intentions are written up and success criteria shared with
the pupils. Evidence from the use of assessment for learning
methods is on display throughout the school. A consistency of
approach is evident in all of the classrooms. Resources were well
organised, the development of Thinking Skills and Personal
Capabilities is evident in the teaching. The pupils keep on task and
clearly enjoy learning, working well individually and in groups.
External agencies are used appropriately to deliver part of the NIC.
There is an appropriate emphasis on a range of practical skills and
knowledge. For example, the city council provide a citizenship
workshop for the pupils. The pupils find and collect leaflets available
in the community on healthy lifestyles. Strong links are developing -
including a pupil who travels to a post-primary school for GCSE
courses and post-primary pupils who attend the special school for
home economics and occupational studies lessons.
There is good communication with parents through curriculum
meetings, hands-on workshops and an open-door session to allow
parents to see the type of work their children undertake. The
implementation of the NIC is a PRSD target and the governors are
involved in the process; they attend NIC training sessions in the school.
Post-primary
The teacher uses well-chosen photographs, video clips and newspaper
cuttings as a stimulus to initiate a well-paced lesson on the topic of
prejudice. The success criteria are negotiated and agreed at start by the
teacher and the pupils; working in groups, the pupils agree their own roles
and responsibilities and focus on different aspects of the topic. The teacher
skilfully provides individual and group support. The various activities are
sufficiently differentiated to assist the less able pupils to progress and the
more able pupils to write independently. The plenary session is well-timed
and structured to enable the pupils to debate specific points, and for the
teacher to assess the extent of the pupils’ learning.
A newly-appointed principal created a curriculum team comprising
teachers from different subjects to lead, monitor and evaluate the NIC
implementation. All teachers who attend courses complete a short
report on the usefulness or otherwise of courses for the staff. The
principal reports that the biggest gain is the capacity building of staff
and their expertise to deliver school-based staff development.
The 'Devenish Project' involves all Year 8 classes in collaborative learning
across art, history, RE and English. The well-planned learning activity uses a
range of interesting, contextualised local resources to build understanding
across key cross-curricular themes identified in the planning. Throughout,
the pupils are actively involved through individual, paired and group work
which supports the development of their thinking skills and of team work.
The pupils’ contributions are valued by the teachers who support
effectively the different ability ranges of the pupils.
A large post-primary specialist science school has developed effective
curricular links with several of its local feeder primary schools on a range
of science topics. Year 6 children use the specialist science facilities of the
school on a weekly basis to engage in practical science in a theme from
the ‘World Around Us’. The children worked in teams and produced a
simple soap-based product which was packaged and marketed to
parents to raise money for charity. This collaborative arrangement
allowed the teaching staff involved from both phases, to observe, share
and model good classroom practice.
The senior leadership team is reviewing its timetable allocation and
auditing staff and pupils on a change to a 50 minute period from 35
minutes. The school suspended the use of bells to signal the end of
a lesson period. Evaluations indicate less noise, no interruptions to
the flow of lessons, particularly during double periods, improvement
in pupil behaviour, and better pacing of lessons to ensure that they
do not overrun.
The school interviewed a range of employers and people in the local
workforce to identify the skills that they are looking for in young people
seeking employment. The school captured the employers’ viewpoints in
a DVD to provide a real-life context for learning. The school’s CASS link
officer presented the key aims of the NIC to parents and Year 8 pupils
spoke to parents about their experiences. The curriculum team report
that the pupils were very clear about the skills they had developed
through their knowledge and understanding and the sense of
enjoyment gained from their learning.
As part of the school’s approach to connected learning, and to enhance
the school’s focus on its EAL pupils, the school organised an international
day of culture including music, drama and food from different European
countries. The evaluations highlighted interesting observations by the
pupils: a Year 10 Latvian pupil said: “While I have really enjoyed my three
years at this school, it was only after the international day, that I really felt
that I truly belong to the school community.”
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 7
six
Principals, curriculum leaders and teachers from the 22 Special ‘S’
schools1 in Northern Ireland joined forces last term to celebrate their
effective collaboration in the implementation of the Northern Ireland
Curriculum during the 2009-2010 school year. The Special ‘S’ model for
curriculum implementation was highlighted in the recently published
ETI report (http://tinyurl.com/etinic).
When the Northern Ireland Curriculum was first introduced, all Special
‘S’ schools had access to the mainstream implementation programme
for primary and post-primary, facilitated through the Partnership
Management Board (PMB). However, in recognition of the specific
issues faced by teachers and support staff of pupils with severe,
profound and multiple learning difficulties, a PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group,
comprising representatives from the five ELBs, CCEA, C2k and RTU, was
formed to facilitate requests from Special schools for training that was
tailored to the individual needs of their pupils.
An online survey was carried out in January 2009 to identify key issues,
future training needs and inform planning for 2009-2010.
Encouragingly, 70% of schools responded. Once the findings were
collated, a plan was devised and presented to Special ‘S’ principals at a
Leading Learning Conference in June 2009. The survey highlighted an
appreciation of opportunities to share existing practice, and to take
forward professional debate within and across schools. For some, this
had been the first opportunity for individual class teachers to meet
colleagues from similar schools across Northern Ireland and to
compare practice in teaching and supporting pupils with very specific
individual needs. The main training requests included the use of online
learning for teachers and pupils with the possibility of using video
conferencing to enhance practice.
Four Associate Teachers (ATs) - each with a wide range of experience in
Special ‘S’ schools - were appointed to act as online mentors for the
curriculum groups during 2009-10. ATs have made an excellent
contribution to the work of the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ group in
recent years.
Report by Gillian Dalton, Norma Perceval-Price, David Ryan, Tom Young - PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group
Effective CollaborationDelegates at the ‘Celebration of Learning’ Conference exchange ideas and materials
One of the many displays at the conference
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 8
seven
The programme for 2009-2010 started in the autumn term with two
regional Curriculum Leader training sessions. During these two-day
events, teachers from across the sector formed a number of
collaborative cluster groups to examine curriculum development and
connected learning across a range of Key Stages, through themes
such as early years play, resilience, PE, literacy, the World Around Us and
social sight vocabulary. Collaborative work involved planning, developing
cross-curricular themes and the production of teaching resources.
A learning agreement plan, provided as a guide for Curriculum Leaders,
identified targets to be met within specific time frames.
The use of LearningNI2 as a tool for professional development was a
key element of the programme. The main features of LearningNI were
introduced at the Curriculum Leader training days - these included
the Library, Newsdesk, Discussion, Course and Work Areas.
Following the training, each curriculum leader was encouraged to
lead capacity building in their own school by disseminating the
course information and by promoting further use of LearningNI by
teachers as a tool to support the curriculum.
A ‘Course Area’ was established within LearningNI to enable each
cluster group to engage in discussion and develop their chosen
theme. The PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group recognised that a considerable
amount of time and effort was put in by all involved in this process.
The clusters, facilitated by either an AT or a board officer, also posted a
number of materials online including planners, photographs, videos
and teaching resources.
Following the initial training days, the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group
noted that online contact was less than would have been anticipated.
Therefore, two further face-to-face days were held to support the
curriculum groups and prepare for the ‘Celebration of Learning’
conference last term. It was noted that these days acted as a catalyst
to increase the amount and focus of online activity and to enhance
personal and professional relationships within the groups.
Some advocates of professional development predict that online
learning may replace traditional training models in the future.
However, this process illustrated to the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group that
there is a definite need for a blended approach of online and face-to-
face days. Through the evaluations all participants agreed that this
combination improved online collaboration.
Each of the groups presented their work at the ‘Celebration of
Learning’ Conference last term, sharing their experiences and
showcasing the process and products of their collaboration.
The presentations were of a high quality and included the use of
PowerPoint presentations, photographs, videos and audience
participation. Displays of planning and resources were arranged
around the room and delegates had opportunities to visit the stands,
to network, exchange ideas and materials.
The conference was addressed by Dr. Gillian Boyd (ETI) who spoke
about the Inspectorate’s follow-up evaluation report on the
implementation of the Northern Ireland Curriculum in primary,
special and post-primary schools, and in doing so paid tribute to the
innovative work being carried out by Special ‘S’ schools and to the
supportive role of the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group.
The PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Group is pleased with the approach undertaken
to implement the curriculum to date and wishes to thank the Associate
Teachers and Curriculum Leaders for their work and support.
The group hopes that future plans will include the development of
another online survey to inform planning for the 2010-2011 school year,
to make resources available to a wider audience through LearningNI
and to provide further support to the Special ‘S’ sector through this
highly effective blended model of online and face-to-face collaboration.
Further information on the work of the PMB Curriculum ‘S’
Group is available from any of the following members;
Imelda McDaid, RTU Helen Miskelly, CCEA
Brenda Montgomery, SEELB Hazel Mullan, SELB (Chair)
Rosemary Nicholl, NEELB Norma Perceval-Price, C2k
David Ryan, BELB (Secretary) Tom Young, SELB
Kate O’Kane, WELB
1 Special ‘S’ Schools are for pupils with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties.
2 LearningNI is your very own, secure, web-based learning environment, which is available
at the click of a button from any C2k school computer desktop and over the internet
outside school.
A wealth of free resources is available on LearningNI to support teachers in the delivery of the Northern Ireland Curriculum.
A selection of the materials produced through the PMB Curriculum ‘S’ Programme is now available and can be accessed
as follows;
• Go to LearningNI by clicking on desktop icon (in school) or https://learningni.net (outside school)
• Login by entering your C2k username and password
• Click on Go to Library
• You will see 4 tabs - NI Curriculum, Staff, My Basket and Publishing
• Click the second tab - Staff
• Under Topic select Inclusion/Special
• In Sub Topic search for Teaching Resources
• The resources will be located in this section - resource titles will begin with ‘Celebrating Learning’
Online Resources
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 9
eight
The ‘Art’ ofEngaging Parents“It is essential that parents and the widercommunity play their part in supportingthe work of the school, raising theaspirations and expectations of pupilsand valuing education.”
In recognising this fact in its ‘Every
School A Good School - A Policy for
School Improvement’, the Department of Education highlighted the
important role parents play in their children’s education. The
importance of parental involvement is further recognised in the
Department’s Extended Schools Policy, which seeks to build on this
work by encouraging schools to develop links with parents and their
local community.
Parents are a child’s first educator. Studies have indicated that children
whose parents and/or other significant adults share in their formal
education tend to do better in school. All parents want their children to
succeed. Similarly many want to be involved with the formal education
of their children. Sometimes however they don’t know where to start,
when to find the time or how to go about making positive connections
with school. Helping create these connections is of vital importance.
Achieving successful parental involvement is not always easy - but it is
certainly not impossible. The BELB’s Parent Support Programme has
been helping schools to work with parents for the past ten years.
Experience has shown us that a bit of belief, vision, determination and
creativity can go a long way towards achieving the successful parental
engagement that schools hope for.
This academic year, BELB’s Integrated Services for Children and Young
People provided funding to 23 primary schools in the West Belfast and
Shankill area to develop a Parent and Child Art Project, where parents
would work with their children on a piece of art. Art is generally viewed
as a fun, safe and non-threatening medium, making it easier to engage
the ‘hard to reach’ parents. Working in partnership with BELB Parent
Support Programme, the project was developed on the premise that:
• Parents, carers and families are by far the most important influences
on children’s lives;
• Parents who take a supportive role in their children’s learning make
a difference in improving achievement and behaviour;
• Parental support can pay a vital role at all stages of education;
• When parents and schools work together, children do better;
• The active involvement of parents in the life of the school can help
promote a learning community in which pupils engage positively
with teachers and their peers.
Schools have many demands placed on them so it was important that
the project was manageable and that schools had a sense of purpose
Parents and children at Black Mountain Primary School in Belfast work together on their art project
Report by Marian McKinney (BELB)
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 10
nine
Family learning pilot project
Parents of children who attend St Malachy’s Primary School in Carnagat
have returned to the classroom to become students again. A total of 15
parents participated in a Family Learning pilot Project which was aimed at
encouraging them to support their children at home.
The Family Learning Programme at St Malachy’s is sponsored by
Neighbourhood Renewal. The pilot project began in January last year and
was rolled out in phases. The first phase was a foundation programme for
parents which ran every Friday morning, between April 2009 and June
2009. This programme was facilitated by the DELTA Parenting Partnership
Service and the Southern Education and Library Board’s Literacy Team.
Parents of Year 6 children involved in the school’s Reading Partnership
programme were initially offered places. During the course parents
covered key topics such as learning, thinking and the brain, language and
literacy, supporting reading and writing, growing up - facing adolescence
together, study skills, supporting homework, and managing behaviour.
Phase 2, facilitated by Southern Regional College, commenced in
September 2009 and will end in June 2010. The parents have already
completed their City & Guilds Level 1 in literacy and are working towards
City & Guilds Level 2. They recently received a laptop each in recognition
of their achievements and to help them continue to develop their
learning at home. Parents have also completed a basic introduction on
the use of the laptop and Word 2007, through the SELB Literacy and ICT
Officer. Further Numeracy and ICT courses are to follow.
Feedback has been extremely positive.
Parents are so happy with the scheme
that they are already participating in
other Neighbourhood Renewal
sponsored programmes and have set
up a partnership with Orana Sure Start
Newry to run a Parent and Toddler
Group in the Centre in the near future.
and ownership from the outset. The first step in this process was to
identify a person to take responsibility for the project. This individual
could be a teacher, a parent support officer, a classroom assistant or
indeed a parent. It was also important to give schools the freedom to
determine the type of art project they would undertake. These ranged
from murals to enhance the school environment, mosaics, robots,
textile wall hangings, three-dimensional pieces to a totem pole.
Because schools know the needs of their children and parents best, we
felt that they should decide if they wished to involve whole classes or
particular individuals from classes.
Schools need to let parents know that they are valued, not only as
co-educators but as people in their own right. It is important to
recognise that some parents may need to overcome their own
negative experiences of education before they have the confidence
or the desire to engage constructively in their children’s education.
In acknowledging this and working to help parents feel secure, we
gently removed barriers to engagement.
We hosted a Celebration & Exhibition of the artwork in Belfast Central
Library. This month-long event, launched by Right Honourable Lord
Mayor Naomi Long, sent out a very powerful message that parents and
children were valued. Seeing their work exhibited in the library was a
very emotional experience for some parents, particularly for those who
had always felt that their work ‘was never good enough’ or that they
‘could never achieve anything in life’. One of the key points we need to
remember when working with parents is to start with where parents
are at, not where we want them to be. The project gave many parents a
first taste of what it felt like to achieve, and if supported they will in turn
help their children to achieve.
By holding the exhibition in the library we increased the potential
impact of the project. In some instances parents and children were
visiting the library for the first time and we were able to use this great
environment to further promote the joy of books, the importance of
reading and the opportunity for lifelong learning.
All of the parents and children who participated in the project were
invited to the library to view the art from all 23 schools and also to
participate in storytelling sessions with famous Irish storyteller Liz Weir.
These sessions not only entertained but also sensitively demonstrated
to parents the importance of stories in child development. We are now
responding to requests from schools and parents to have more of
these sessions. The parents who took part in the art project also took
part in training with Liz Weir. This experience moved parents from
being a listener to being a storyteller. In enabling parents to develop
their skills and confidence we are also building the capacity of the
school community as they can in turn use these new skills to benefit
the school as well as their children.
In total we had 495 parents and children involved in the project. We
achieved our goal of parental engagement i.e. ‘getting parents across
the door, doing an activity with their child’. But to leave it at that would
have undermined the time, energy and commitment that schools,
parents and children gave to this project. By ‘getting parents across the
door’ these school achieved so much more; they broke down barriers,
built relationships, provided quality time for parents and children,
developed parents and children’s skills and confidence, widened
exposure to books, reinforced the importance of reading and
reintroduced parents to libraries.
This project also demonstrated that there is a strong will on behalf of
schools and parents to engage with each other. If we continue to
support this engagement, then parents will certainly be playing their
part in supporting schools in raising the aspirations and expectations
of pupils and valuing education.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 11
One of the most significant challenges that pupils encounter in their
school careers is the transition between primary and post-primary.
For some, this experience can be demanding and stressful, and often
requires schools to have structures in place to help manage the process.
Addressing the issues associated with transition and recognising that
one of the visions of the Northern Ireland Curriculum was for students
to experience a seamless continuum of learning between the primary
and post-primary phases, St Mary’s, Limavady, has developed a Linking
Learning programme.
This pilot project, supported by CCEA and WELB, is thought to be one of
the first in Northern Ireland where primary and post-primary phases
work together on collaborative projects, fulfilling the cross-curricular
assessment requirements.
The initiative brings teachers from St Mary’s together with colleagues
from several feeder primary schools to plan and collaborate on an
activity that has the potential to cement a shared understanding of
pupils’ primary and post-primary experiences.
Nine primary schools are involved. These include: Faughanvale PS;
Broadbridge PS; St Finlough’s PS; Termoncanice PS; St Matthew’s PS
Drumsurn; Roe Valley Integrated PS; Ballykelly PS; St Aidan’s PS
Magilligan and St Anthony’s PS Magilligan.
The programme is divided into phases and planning currently covers
the next three academic years:
• Phase 1 (2009/2010) - Development of an induction programme
in line with primary assessment of cross-curricular skills;
• Phase 2 (2010/2011) - Development of a literacy/communication
focused programme within primary schools;
• Phase 3 (2010/2011) - The establishment of a learning forum
which will enable the sharing of information across primary and
post-primary.
Linking LearningReport by Mrs Geraldine Carlin and Mr Stephen Keown, St Mary’s, Limavady
ten
Miss Michelle Kearney (Year 7 Teacher, Faughanvale Primary School) and
Mrs Bronagh Devlin (Link Teacher, St Mary’s) with pupils from Faughanvale Primary School
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 12
This academic year, feeder primary schools were divided into five
cohorts. All primary teachers attended a planning day with two link
teachers from St Mary’s. The primary schools agreed and collaborated
together on a thematic unit. Units identified included the Titanic and
Fair Trade. The primary schools worked on the communication element
in their own schools before attending St Mary’s to utilise the school’s ICT
facilities. Projects undertaken included animation, voice and image
manipulation and computer-aided design.
The intended outcomes of the Linking Learning programme are
as follows:
Post-primary
• Development and support of literacy and communication skills prior
to Year 8;
• Ensuring greater progression for individual students, better able to
embrace post-primary challenges;
• Gain a better understanding of Year 7/potential Year 8
student capabilities;
• Gain a better understanding of KS2 curriculum;
• Inform our Year 8 teaching pedagogies and curriculum;
• Enable dovetailing of KS2 and KS3 curricula;
• Inform our Year 8 placement procedures;
• Guide communication curriculum offered at Year 8;
• Guide the ICT provision offered at Year 8.
Primary
• Support with assessment demands of the Northern Ireland Curriculum;
• Raise key skill attainment levels;
• Gain a better understanding of achievement strategies for gifted and
talented students.
The project has been a major undertaking. A high level of collaboration
has taken place between both phases. The first year of the programme
has served as an inspiration to continue the work, and generated
enthusiasm to develop the project over the next number of years.
Creating a continuum of learning between the primary and post-
primary phases is a key aspiration of the Northern Ireland Curriculum.
Turning this concept into reality will prove challenging but it is a
challenge that staff at St Mary’s believe will be very enriching to the
learning experience of all students.
Commenting on the programme, Mick Davies, Education Manager at
CCEA added: “While smoothing the transition from primary to post-
primary will always be specific to the pupils and schools involved, the
Linking Learning work undertaken by St Mary’s and their partner
primary schools is both proactive and innovative in searching for new
and meaningful ways to support pupils through one of the most
demanding periods of their school life.”
eleven
Cross-phase collaboration
St Matthew’s Year 7 pupils, together with Year 7 pupils from
St Finlough’s Primary, Ballykelly Primary and Roe Valley Integrated
Primary chose the topic of Fair Trade as our Linking Learning project.
Year 7 teachers met with colleagues from St Mary’s before
Christmas to plan the project. Even if the collaboration had ended
there, we would still have found the exercise beneficial.
In addition to Year 7 teachers from small and medium schools
planning together, teachers from KS2 and KS3 were given insight
into each others’ work, something which had not happened before.
As a result of the meeting, we agreed on the ICT software to be
used, the levels at which children would work, the progression
expected and the timetabling of the project.
A large part of the project was carried out in our individual schools
in much the same way as many of our other projects - the children
researched, took notes, edited and exchanged ideas. What raised
this project to a different level, however, was what came next.
The pupils from each of the primary schools travelled to Limavady to
spend a day in one of the St Mary’s computer suites. The prospect of this
alone caused great excitement among my class of fifteen children, many
of whom have siblings already in the school and had heard stories of
how huge the school is, physically and in terms of its population.
We were trained in the use of ‘Crazy Talk’ by a very patient Mr. Sean
Mullan. The children quickly became adept at managing the
programme and, in just one day, developed their ICT skills in an
exciting and highly enjoyable way.
Not only have the children learned much about Fair Trade and the
lives of Fair Trade producers, they have caught a glimpse of what
life will be like in KS3. The result of the programme - they cannot
wait to leave me and primary school far behind!
Report by Mary O’Hara, Principal of St Matthew’s Primary School, Drumsurn.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:07 Page 13
twelve
Mr Corrigan competed against 200 teachers from more than 40 countries
to secure a top prize after being selected to represent the school and
Northern Ireland in the prestigious event held last term in Berlin.
Barry’s project ‘Making Homework Count: Engaging Parents’
showcased the work that he and his pupils had been doing to improve
the home/school relationship and make homework an interactive and
meaningful extension of the school day.
His multimedia entry, submitted to the judges in the previous week,
contained video clips of his work in action and interviews with parents,
pupils and colleagues. The panel were particularly impressed at how Barry
has successfully managed to link the classroom and home environments
through imaginative and innovative use of technology.
Barry makes the activities completed in class available online for the
children to access when completing their homework. He creates ‘courses’
on LearningNI based around topics and includes ‘discussion boards’
where the children are able to debate current issues online. If his pupils
have difficulty with their homework they can email him for support or
advice. This has resulted in the children developing a more confident
relationship with school, teacher and their learning.
Delighted with the award, Barry said: “I feel that it is recognition of the
effort the children and parents have put into realising my ideas and vision
for the use of ICT in the learning process. It is by no means perfect but it
certainly goes a long way to breaking down the barriers between school
and home. The children have recognised the value in what I am trying to
do with them and their enthusiasm has made the work much easier.”
‘Innovative’ Teacher of the Year
Pupils in Millennium Integrated Primary School, Saintfield, have every reasonto celebrate. Their Year 7 teacher, Mr Barry Corrigan, won the Microsoft European Innovative Teacher of the Year (Community) Award 2010.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 14
thirteen
Enthusing children and engaging parents
Report by Barry Corrigan
Vice-Principal, Year 7 teacher and ICT Coordinator at Millennium Integrated Primary School
The Northern Ireland Curriculum places an increased importance on
the use of ICT in teaching and learning. My pupils love using ICT
resources in class, so if they enjoy it then why not use it to support
learning at home? My vision is for ICT to be fully integrated into the
school day and to use it as a point of contact between the children’s
learning and their parents.
I have tried to do away with the traditional break between school day
and home time when children and parents seem left to their own
devices to get on with the homework that has been set by the
school. Establishing an effective home/school link extends learning
opportunities and increases and improves the level of parental
involvement.
Using LearningNI for homework helps maintain contact between
home and school. It supports children’s learning, generates a greater
interest in learning and is especially popular with the boys. It is a
familiar and safe environment for children, is easy to set up and
encourages the use of research and presentation skills.
The children know that I can be contacted for support while they are
doing their homework. I am online every night and it seems natural
for the children to see homework as an extension of their learning if
they can email me for support. I am attempting to let the children
see that there is help on hand and there’s no need to worry about
having difficulties with homework. I can point them in the right
direction if they need it.
We have online discussions on news stories and events. This gives
children an opportunity to actually think about the issues that affect
them and helps them develop the confidence to voice their
opinions. Another benefit of this online forum is that it gives shy
children, who might not want to speak up in front of the class, a
medium in which to share their point of view without fear of
clamming up.
Each week the children access a dedicated news site on LearningNI
run by The Guardian and have to answer eight questions about
current news stories. Each story contains an embedded mp3 file - so
those children who find reading difficult can complete the same
exercise. This activity helps develop the children’s comprehension
skills and generates their interest in and responsibility for the world
around them.
I also put up the resources that I have used in class that week for the
children to access to support them with their homework. If children
are struggling with a part of their work, they can go directly to the
site and see the teaching resources that I used in the lessons.
Parents are becoming more engaged with their children’s learning -
being able to see directly what has been going on in class that week
as well as being able to support their children at home. I have no
problem giving them access to my resources if it helps them guide
their children and assist them in their learning.
I feel that I am beginning to use technology in a way that is
motivating the children and their parents and that I am starting to
engage my pupils in new and exciting ways - especially in a medium
that they are comfortable with and know extremely well.
Barry uses the Virtual Learning Environment, LearningNI, to enable his
pupils to access the resources he uses during the teaching day, when
they get home. This also lets parents see the work going on in class,
enabling them to help their children with homework activities.
“I’m trying to give parents an insight into strategies that can help their
children learn,” he said. “Their support and understanding is crucial in the
development of their children’s learning.”
One of the different ways that Barry has been setting homework has
been the use of LearningNI discussion boards which enable the
children to debate many different subjects. They also use LearningNI to
carry out research, practice key concepts and email their teacher for
homework support.
The school’s principal, Mrs Roulston, is elated at Barry’s achievement. She
said: “Children need these key skills now, and in the future. What Barry is
doing is delivering them in a way that makes learning interesting and
exciting. It is also important that our ethos of parental involvement is
developed in new and exciting ways and this is certainly both. We are
delighted that his work has been recognised in this way.”
Barry will travel to Cape Town in October to represent the school at the
world finals. His trip will be paid for by Microsoft. These annual awards are
run by Microsoft through its ‘Partners in Learning’ initiative and are
designed to recognise those areas in which teachers use technology to
make a difference to children’s lives.
Further information about the awards can be found at
www.tomatmicrosoft.com.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 15
fourteen
At the beginning of this academic year, St Columb’s was selected by
the Northern Ireland Best Practice scheme to host a ‘Learning and
Benchmarking’ event which focused on building staff confidence in
the use of ICT for improvement. The scheme, part of the government’s
strategy for reforming and modernising public services, aims to
highlight and share good practice within the public sector.
The college first embarked on its focused journey to develop learning
and teaching through ICT in 2004 and much has been accomplished
since then.
College Principal Mr Sean McGinty explained: “Over the last number of
years, St Columb’s College has undertaken an extensive and
innovative development programme, focused on enhancing teaching
and learning through the use of ICT.
“The work that we have carried out, particularly in terms of
infrastructural development and innovative staff training
methodologies has not only contributed to the raising of standards
within the school, but had been recognised externally as an example
of best practice.”
St Columb’s has won a host of ICT related awards - one of which
was a National Training Award for its staff ICT training and
development programme.
The college launched its award winning programme to help teachers
become more confident with technology in the classroom and to
ensure that lessons would incorporate exciting digital, audio and
image literacy. This meant that pupils would have improved ICT skills
and employers would have access to a more highly skilled workforce
in the future.
St Columb’s College is the north-west’s largest post-primary school with 155 staff and 1,500 boys aged between 11
and 18. A specialist school in Mathematics and Computing, St Columb’s is widely recognised as a beacon of excellent
practice in using information and communications technology (ICT) to enhance learning, teaching and management.
Building staff confidencein the use of ICT
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 16
fifteen
The school’s ICT team set about designing a learning programme
which was flexible, responsive to interest and need, supportive of
innovation and which would encourage and empower teachers in
taking greater risks with their traditional repertoire.
A core group of teachers volunteered to act as ICT teaching support
personnel and produced a package entitled: ‘Skill, Support, Collaborate
and Celebrate’.
Mary-Jo O’Carolan, ICT Coordinator said: “The learning programme has
helped many staff overcome their fear of teaching through ICT. The
impact on pupil performance is significant. Above all, teachers have
found the courage to take risks with traditional teaching styles by
successfully integrating ICT.”
The formalised and structured training in ICT undertaken by the staff
of St Columb’s has enabled teachers to tailor their teaching to meet
the personalised needs of each individual pupil while focusing upon
the provision of lifelong learning skills.
ICT is no longer taught as a discrete subject at the school and careful
mapping of ICT across all curriculum subjects ensures that all boys are
gaining the skills they need in a natural and embedded way. This
approach is supported by effective planning, target setting, and
rigorous assessment.
There's a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) to complement this
rigour with the flexibility and variety to engage and motivate students.
A high percentage of students have broadband access from home
and the small number without have preferential access to any ICT
suite outside lesson times. There's also an interest-free finance scheme
for laptop purchase in the sixth form. All these factors lead to flexible
and personalised learning opportunities for all pupils.
ICT is integrated into all aspects of pupils’ learning for example, Music
students compose in Garageband, English students make movies, PE
students use ICT to monitor fitness levels and in language lessons
pupils use podcasts and their iPods to upload their voices and listen to
themselves speaking the language. This is to encourage analysis and
self-improvement in an area that was traditionally difficult to get
pupils practicing.
Most pupils have access to teachers and resources on a 24/7 basis so
if, for example, they don’t fully understand concepts discussed in class
that day, they can contact their peers and teachers to further explore
concepts at home and replay demonstrations.
Mary-Jo O'Carolan explained: “We’ve created a seamless classroom -
all resources are posted onto the Virtual Learning Environment so
pupils can go home, and can contribute to online conversations, blogs
and discussion boards. They can log on at night and find out what
their homework work is, download resources, or upload assignments
to the teacher.
“We’re trying to up skill our pupils for the future. When they move on
to third level education, they will need be able to do everything online
from finding out about and submitting assignments, to finding out
their grades and assessments.”
St. Columb’s has created a learning culture where innovative strategies
are developed, disseminated and embedded and where teachers are
confident with technology in the classroom.
An essential element of this learning package has been the sharing of
good ideas among colleagues. In a pioneering cross-community
project for example, they brought together, online and face-to-face,
15 teachers and almost 200 pupils from four schools to learn, pilot and
evaluate the Scholar e-learning package for A Level sciences - earning
recognition by the British Educational Communications and
Technology Agency (BECTA) for this work.
Principal Sean McGinty added: “We have invested a significant amount
of time, money and energy into ICT. The pupils love spending time on
the equipment and appreciate this privilege. We’re really proud of the
open environment we have created where innovation is encouraged
without fear of failure.”
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 17
sixteen
ICT in the Classroom
Launched in autumn 2009, the ICT in the Classroom competition was
designed to harness the ideas generated by Northern Ireland’s teaching
community by sharing how teachers have been integrating ICT in their
lessons to enhance teaching and learning within their classrooms.
At geography specialist school Slemish College, teacher Tim Manson
places a focus on ICT as not only a way of learning, but as a way of life.
He has implemented several programmes to enhance students’ learning
including development of the revision website, ‘Think Geography’;
designed to be a point of reference for GCSE and A-level students.
Podcasts and blogs feature prominently not only in teaching but in
extra-curricular activities. During an A-level expedition to Iceland pupils
were able to detail their experiences through video and blog entries,
making sure the learning benefits of the trip continue long after the
pupils have returned home.
Thanks to Tony Young at Carr’s Glen Primary School, missed or forgotten
homework is now a thing of the past, as pupils are encouraged to type
and email literacy homework ahead of the next day’s class. More than
half of the pupils now regularly submit their homework in this way and
for those pupils without access to a computer at home, arrangements
are in place to complete work after school.
Use of the internet is also encouraged through maths projects in which
pupils are allocated a set time to visit all the sites and complete each
task. According to Mr Young, this promotes self-management and
prepares the Year 7 pupils for the transition to secondary school.
Commenting on the winning entries, Stuart Gunning, Regional Director
of Education, Northgate Managed Services said: “The measures put in
place by both schools are shining examples of the educational benefits
of ICT. We were extremely impressed with the quality of entries,
highlighting the wealth of experience within our teaching community.
“Northern Ireland’s schools are at the forefront of innovative thinking
and idea generation with teachers playing a huge role in how ICT is
being integrated into the classroom. Through competitions such as this,
Northgate aims to establish a ‘best practice’ platform - allowing teachers
to share ideas and maximise the learning potential of all pupils.
“We are confident that we can continue to raise the bar for ICT
development within schools; working closely with teachers to
encourage further participation and commitment to ensure ICT can be
used effectively in the classroom.”
Principal Michele Corkey and Data Manager Ciara McLoughlin were
invited by GL Assessment to present at the conference on their use
of Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs) with Year 8 pupils to improve the
quality of learning and teaching in the classroom. Their work was
hailed as a fine example of innovative classroom practice.
This project is leading the way in recognising and developing how pupils
learning preferences can be used to set targets and plan for improvement.
Outlining the project the principal said: “Pupils learning styles are
identified early in the first term and this information is used to
improve the performance of pupils. The programme involves the
pupil, teacher and parent working together to improve the quality of
learning and teaching.
“Teachers use the CAT data to plan effective lessons designed to
develop each pupils’ learning. Pupils are given their pupil profile and
strategies to use both in school and at home to build their learning
power. Parents are also encouraged to develop activities that support
their children’s learning at home.”
Ciara McLoughlin is excited about the project’s potential to raise
standards throughout the school.
She said: “We feel that by using CAT data to inform our teaching
strategies we are making a real difference to the learning experiences
of pupils. They are more engaged and have taken a more active role
in lessons. This is certainly something that will continue in St Mark’s
with all year groups.”
St Mark’s High School in Warrenpoint has had the innovative work of its teachers showcased at the BETT 2010
Conference in London, the world’s largest education, information and ICT event.
Teachers at Slemish College, Ballymena and Carr’s Glen Primary School, North Belfast have been recognised for their
innovative and forward-thinking approach to using ICT effectively in the classroom in a Northern Ireland-wide
competition organised by Northgate Managed Services (Northgate).
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 18
seventeen
Teachers at St Joseph’s are finding SIMS a very useful tool for many
aspects of their work, from curriculum planning and helping to improve
overall pupil performance, to identifying pupils in need of support in
certain areas of the curriculum.
From an administrative perspective, SIMS is also used to manage the
school’s finance and resources. SIMS gives us quality and up-to-date
information about the school which is then used to inform our decision
making process.
Even straightforward but often time-consuming tasks such as managing
the school diary are so much easier with SIMS. All diary markings are
stored electronically online so the diary is always up to date. This makes it
easier for everything we’re organising in the school from planning
activities such as in-service training, school trips, and visitors to the school,
to the use of the assembly hall.
It lends itself to greater coordination and as a result, everything operates a
lot more smoothly. It makes life easier for everyone involved to make the
appropriate arrangements when they know what else is happening in
the school on a particular date.
Now that everything goes into SIMS, we‘ve removed the traditional wall
planner in the staff room. It’s just the same with any changes to staff or
pupil contact details. These are automatically changed in all school
records which helps reduce the administrative burden on teachers and
school office staff and minimises the risk of errors in data entry.
At first, it took staff some time to get into the way of using SIMS but now
that they can see the benefits, it has become an important and valued
resource in the school.
It certainly helps when teachers can actually see how SIMS can help
reduce, rather than add to their workload. With SIMS, they can access
information about children in their class, such as their academic records
and liaise with other teachers to identify any children who are
underachieving. They can also monitor behaviour and attendance or
know whether or not a child has brothers or sisters in the school, all of
which can be very useful from a pastoral point of view.
With so many changes to the curriculum, teachers are interested in
initiatives that will lessen their workload and SIMS is starting to really
make a difference at St Joseph’s.
Many of the initial teething problems have now been ironed out.
Teachers have had to deal with a lot of changes in recent years but we all
recognise that SIMS has the potential to reduce our administrative
workload and free up time for teaching.
Feedback from both parents and teachers indicated that the initial pupil
profiles generated on SIMS Profile 7 module were too generic and
impersonal but now teachers feel more confident in using SIMS report
tool to create a more individual report for parents.
Teachers have the option of either using comments from the comment
bank, which have been developed by teachers or adding a comment of
their own which they feel best describes the progress of a specific child.
The layout and presentation of our school report have been improved
and in keeping with the Northern Ireland Curriculum, it facilitates
reporting on other skills such as ‘working with others’, ’dealing with
conflict’, and ‘self esteem’, which helps paint a more holistic picture of a
child’s progress. This is particularly useful for giving teachers the ‘heads
up’ on children in each class as they progress through the school.
Now that the initial training is complete and everyone in St Joseph’s is
using SIMS, the consensus among staff is that it certainly is helping to
make their life a little easier.
SIMS is particularly beneficial for teachers involved in learning support at
the school. It makes it easier to plan and coordinate Individual Education
Plans (IEPs) and to suggest targets, for example in Maths and English, for
children in need of support, including those in the school’s special unit.
It is now two years since SIMS was introduced in the school and although
all staff are now using the programme, everyone has their own favourite
way of doing things so we are constantly learning from each other and
there is plenty of cross-fertilisation of ideas.
Using SIMSto reduce teacher workload
St Joseph’s Primary School in Bessbrook is a firm advocate of the Schools Information Management System (SIMS). Members of staff have been encouraged to make full use of all the programme’s modules.
Report by St Joseph’s Primary School
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 19
eighteen
James has cerebral palsy and had to spend a lengthy spell in Musgrave
Park Hospital. Thanks to the excellent working relationship between his
teachers at Mitchell House and teaching staff at Belfast Hospital School, he
was able to keep up-to-date with all his lessons. But during a recent long
spell in hospital, James became increasingly apprehensive about going
back to school after being away for so long.
Miriam Donnan, ICT Coordinator at Mitchell House explained:
“James had been in hospital and out of his usual school routine for
several months. We knew from speaking to teachers at Belfast Hospital
School that he was very anxious about his return to Mitchell House
and seeing all his classmates again.
“We decided to break the ice for him by organising the video conference
link between James and his friends and teachers here at Mitchell House.
The video link was set up the week before he was due back at school but
while he was still in Musgrave Park Hospital.
“James was able to talk to his friends and ask them about what they had
been doing since he went into hospital. The video link reassured James
and certainly made it easier for him to come back to school the following
Monday. Instead of worrying about coming back, James told his friends
he was looking forward to seeing them again.”
Now that he is back at Mitchell House, James is a bit of a celebrity with
the ‘star’ status that comes from appearing on the big screen [the
interactive white board] and he said he really enjoyed the experience.
According to Miriam, the video links are helping the children’s confidence.
“Some of our children here are very shy but once they get used to using
the webcam, they really enjoy it and we find that it helps to develop their
social skills,” she said.
“As we cater for children with a wide range of physical disabilities, we use
a variety of specially adapted ICT equipment, such as computers with an
easy to use roller ball instead of the traditional mouse, large coloured
keyboards and speech recognition software.”
She added: “We make good use of ICT in class to unlock the children’s
potential. Our special equipment gives them greater access and makes it
easier for them to use the computers. We’re always looking for new ways to
integrate ICT into their work - for example some of the children have started
to use digital cameras to help prepare their records of achievement.”
Following the success of their pilot video conference with James, Miriam
liaised with Belfast Hospital School ICT Coordinator Mary Graham to
investigate other possible uses of the webcam. They agreed it would be
an ideal way to introduce new pupils to the school.
Mary said: “One of our pupils had been with us in the Hospital School for
almost a year following a serious road traffic accident. He was going to
transfer from a mainstream school to Mitchell House but because it was
in the middle of the school year, he was very apprehensive about how he
was going to fit in with everyone.
“He didn’t know what to expect so we used the video link to introduce
him to his new classmates. He was able to ask them questions and talk to
them about what they did in school - and all the usual really important
things like football! He was also able to have a ‘look’ around the classroom
and meet some of his teachers which was all very reassuring for him.”
Belfast Hospital School operates on a split site between the Royal Belfast
Hospital for Sick Children, the City Hospital and Musgrave Park Hospital.
Mary feels that video conference links have tremendous potential to help
children in hospital keep in touch with their school friends. She added:
“We try to minimise disruption to their education while they are in hospital
and we also play a role in their reintegration into mainstream school after
long term illness. The video links have been very beneficial - it’s a real tonic
for the children and just the thing they need when they’re in hospital.”
Back toSchool byWebcamTeachers at Mitchell House Special School in East Belfast
are using the school’s video conferencing facilities to
help pupils in hospital keep in touch with their class-
mates. One of the first pupils to benefit from the school’s
innovative use of the webcam equipment and training
provided by C2k was James Brooks.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 20
nineteen
Video conference between Stormont and Lurgan College
The pupils made brief presentations on the current state of the NI
economy and quizzed MLAs on key economic issues.
The video conference link up was the idea of Alan Reavie, Head of
Business Studies and ICT at Lurgan College.
Mr Reavie said: “We are always looking at new and innovative
ways for our students to learn and to gain a greater empirical level
of understanding.
“The excellent technology we have available at Lurgan College easily
lent itself to developing this particular idea and provided the pupils
involved with a unique opportunity to address MLAs directly about the
matters that concern them most.
“The students were keen to explore in greater depth some of the
economic-based issues they study and to question the Committee
directly in relation to the future of the NI Economy and how this
impacts on employment prospects for school leavers.”
Alice Kingham, one of the Lurgan College pupils added: “It was a good
opportunity to meet with local politicians and get an idea of how they
plan to help businesses survive the current downturn.”
‘A’ Level Business Studies students from Lurgan College recently took part in a unique video conference with MLAs
from the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment.
High-powered video link
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 21
twenty
As the need to map the coverage of topics across the curriculum and to track the
progression and continuity of skills development through connected
learning becomes increasingly important, a number of curriculum mapping tools
have come on to the market.
Curriculum Mapping
One such tool, entitled ‘Units of Work’, is available free to schools via the
Western Education and Library Board CASS website -
www.welb-cass.org.
Designed by the Technology Education Centre Team in Omagh, the
tool was launched in the summer of 2008 and to date 123 schools have
registered as users.
This online resource allows teachers to load up the units of work which
they have revised in light of the Northern Ireland Curriculum. It also
highlights which skills and key elements are being covered in each unit.
It is then possible to search the data and sift information by skill, year
group, and subject in order to evaluate provision and identify gaps.
One school that has made extensive use of the programme is
Immaculate Conception College. Tracey Loughery, Head of English and
Leader of the Curriculum Development Team described the benefits of
the tool: “Early in the implementation of the Northern Ireland
Curriculum, our school felt the need to standardise the approach to
planning. We were looking for a solution which would facilitate
monitoring, ensure consistency, continuity and progression, identify
areas of overlap and facilitate cross-departmental collaboration.”
Tracey explained that the school had initially experimented with Excel
as a way of keeping planning information centrally but this was too
limited for what it was hoping to achieve.
“The launch of the ‘Units of Work’ Curriculum Mapping Tool came at
just the right moment,” she said. “The school’s senior leadership team
also realised its potential for disseminating good practice and ensuring
a quality experience for the pupils.”
The leadership team secured the staff‘s agreement to use the tool and
devoted an appropriate amount of its Curriculum Implementation
Planning days in the last three years to ensure that all teachers had the
time to plan, map and upload their units of work. As a result, the site
currently holds 237 units for Immaculate Conception College.
In the first year the monitoring focused on coverage of the skills and
key elements, ensuring that all subjects paid due consideration to the
new components of the curriculum in their planning and that the
children were not losing out on learning opportunities. In depth
examination helps identify the strengths of each department and
whole school areas for development.
A curriculum mapping tool has limitations: it only provides information
in relation to what teachers intend to teach but not to what actually
happens in the classroom. In order to monitor the impact of the
change in pedagogy on the students’ learning, teachers in the school
have agreed a schedule of classroom observations. The observations
are linked to the skills (as identified through the units of work) and
teachers observing their peers report huge benefits for themselves.
The school recently decided to identify one skill in particular (but not to
the exclusion of the others) as the focus for a term’s work with each
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 22
twenty one
year group as a way to expand and diversify the children’s experience
and the range of teaching. This is supported by CPD opportunities for
staff in the form of dissemination of current best practice.
This term the school has been concentrating on the assessment and
reporting of Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities (TSPC) with Year
10. The summary table in ‘Units of Work’ provides information in
relation to naturally occurring links between subjects. Groups of three
or four subjects will then design full day tasks where the
learning intentions will be specifically focused on sets of TSPC sub-
strands as well as subject specific learning intentions.
Over a period of three days’ timetabled, instead of formal, examination
the students will be able to engage in three different tasks focusing on
different skills in a variety of thematic units. Assessment tasks will be
built into the planning. When these have been evaluated they will then
be uploaded on the site as part of the units for Year 10. The school is
hoping that this work will inform the ongoing planning for the
assessment tasks for the formally assessed skills.
Catherine Alexander, the ICT Coordinator at Immaculate Conception
College, outlined the success of the mapping tool in the school:
“Its huge advantage is that it is user-friendly and easy to navigate.”
Further developments of the tool are currently being investigated by
WELB TEC staff, such as extending the search to include subject, year
group and date, or even doing multi-subject searches. To date only
post-primary schools have access to the site but the customisation of
the tool to meet the needs of primary schools is being explored.
As the assessment arrangements are coming on stream, it will be
useful to be able to identify at a glance the units containing the
assessment tasks and to create a link from the relevant subject units to
the tasks.
'Units of Work' Curriculum Mapping Tool
Post-primary schools in any Board area can access this tool. A member of
your School Development Team should register initially, using the process
outlined below. He or she will then be responsible for the creation of any
further usernames and passwords required by your school.
• To register - log on to www.welb-cass.org
• Click on 'Online Teacher Tools'
• Click on 'Curriculum Mapping Tools'
• Click on 'Register here'
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 23
twenty two
Children live in an age where moving image technologies form a key part of theirlives. It is now acknowledged within the Northern Ireland Curriculum that thesetechnologies must be actively used by schools to encourage their pupils’ creativity,learning, acquisition and development of skills in a variety of subject contexts.
Creative Learning Centres
Working with digital media presents education with diverse ways in
which children and young people can learn and think creatively. The
wide range of tools on offer can be utilised to develop, express and
communicate ideas in new and exciting ways.
Taking a digital photograph, making digital stories and shooting short
films, designing a logo, building a webpage, creating animations,
composing and writing lyrics with music and visuals - all these activities
amount to a new form of 21st century digital literacy and are now
made possible in the classroom through digital media.
Northern Ireland’s three Creative Learning Centres - Studio On in
Belfast, the Nerve Centre in Derry/Londonderry and the SELB AmmA
Creative Learning Centre in Armagh - offer a tailored programme of
professional development courses which will help primary, special and
post-primary schools to explore the potential for using ICT creatively in
their own classrooms and across the curriculum.
By providing teachers and pupils with access to high level ICT skills,
the centres aim to empower young people to become active,
creative learners.
Some of the courses on offer for teachers include:
• Digital Storytelling
• Moving Image in the Classroom
• Exploring Music and Sound
• Stop-Motion Animation
• Exchanging & Exhibiting Pupil Work
• Adobe Photoshop
• Digital Music Production
• Introduction to Programming using Scratch
• Film theory and practical filmmaking courses for
Moving Image Arts teachers
The Creative Learning Centres offer in-depth support for schools wishing
to take up new digital qualifications such as CCEA’s Moving Image Arts
GCSE and GCE, as well as offering training courses tailored to help
teachers deliver ICT tasks as part of CCEA’s ICT Accreditation Scheme.
Information and dates for upcoming courses in June, August and the
2010/11 school year can be found on the Creative Learning Centres’
websites or you can telephone each centre directly for more
information. Please see full contact details below.
The Nerve Centre has a range of educational resourcesavailable for schools that complement its educationalprogrammes, including:
• The Cu Chulainn Animated Series (KS2)
• The Ulster Weans’ A-Z of Spaces and Places (KS2)
• The Symbols CD-ROM series on 1916, 1690 and 1798 (KS3&4)
• The Holocaust: An educational resource for Northern Ireland
schools (KS3&4)
• The Northern Ireland Digital Film Archive (All Key Stages)
Studio On, Belfast
www.studio-on.org.uk
Tel: 028 9044 9821
the Nerve Centre, Derry/Londonderry
www.creativelearningcentre.org.uk
Tel: 028 7126 0562
SELB AmmA Centre, Armagh
www.ammacentre.org
Tel: 028 3751 2920
InteractiveEducational Resources
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 24
twenty three
Teacher trainers embrace new technologyThe Partnership Management Board (PMB) Higher Education
Institution (HEI) Subgroup consists of members representing the
five teacher training institutions (Queen’s University Belfast,
University of Ulster, The Open University, St. Mary’s University
College and Stranmillis University College) CASS and ETI. The group
meets regularly to plan the delivery of Northern Ireland Curriculum
training to staff involved in teacher education.
The theme of this year’s training was “Using ICT in the Northern
Ireland Curriculum”. Workshops, delivered by Averil Morrow (SELB)
and Vine Haugh (SELB AmmA Creative Learning Centre in Armagh),
showcased excellent work being done by both primary and post-
primary schools in the use of ICT and Creative Media.
Averil set her presentation in context by providing evidence that
ICT, when used effectively, enhances teaching and learning and
discussed the CCEA ICT Accreditation Scheme.
She gave many examples of good practice in the use of new
technologies such as programmable toys, digital recording devices
and Web 2.0 tools such as online courses on LearningNI, blogs,
podcasts and wikis that are being used to great effect in schools.
Vine spoke of the role of the Creative Learning Centres ( SELB AmmA
Centre, Studio On and the Nerve Centre) in developing media production
skills in pupils of all ages, backing up her presentation with excellent
examples of digital movies created by pupils from Year 2 up to Year 14.
Feedback following the workshops was very positive and the
enthusiasm generated has been carried back into the HEIs. As a
result Bernard McCloskey and Emma Thorpe of Northern Ireland
Screen were requested to deliver workshops on Digital Storytelling
to staff and student teachers.
In these workshops the language of movies was examined and many
excellent examples were given of how creating digital movies is being
used as a collaborative learning technique across the curriculum and
across the Key Stages from KS1 to Moving Image Arts A level.
The participants also gained hands-on experience of the various
stages in producing digital movies from planning, scripting and
shooting to editing the final masterpieces using Windows
Moviemaker. The whole exercise was great fun and provided
opportunities for collaboration and group work. Furthermore it
could be used in many curricular areas.
As a result of the training, Digital Storytelling has been built into
several HEI courses and student teachers are using the techniques
with pupils during school experience - true cascading of learning.
For further information please see the following websites;
Clounagh VLE: http://www.clounaghvle.org/
SELB AmmA Centre: http://www.ammacentre.org/
Northern Ireland Screen
http://www.northernirelandscreen.co.uk/
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 25
The conference, entitled “Promoting Change in Teaching Mathematics for
the 21st Century”, brought together practitioners, policymakers and
influencers to examine how the teaching of crucial mathematical skills can
be improved and provided a forum to share best practice and innovation.
Speaking as she addressed delegates at the event, Ms Ruane said:
“Numeracy is vital to our economic development, especially in these
challenging times. Our young people must have good numeracy skills
to progress in the modern world or to have good career prospects. We
have to nurture their talents to ensure our future economic and social
prosperity, especially in sectors like financial services, medical research,
technology, ICT and engineering.
“Although many of our young people benefit from excellent maths
teaching, and leave school with the numeracy skills they need - too
many young people struggle with numeracy.
“In the north of Ireland, around one child in every five leaves primary
school without achieving the basic numeracy skills they need. Last year,
a similar proportion of 14 year olds (Key Stage 3) failed to achieve the
expected level in maths. Approximately 10,000 young people left
school last year without having achieved five good GCSEs, including
literacy and maths. And our international comparisons could and
should be much better: we are currently performing at the OECD
average in mathematics.
“We also seem to have a culture where it is OK to say ‘oh I was never
any good at maths’. Yet we would never say the same about reading.
“It is important to recognise that teaching maths at post-primary is not
without its challenges. You’re dealing with young people especially
during their difficult teenage years and have to find ways of making
maths interesting, engaging and relevant. You’re dealing with the
impact of transition from primary to post-primary.
“The Chief Inspector has highlighted the need to address the problems
in pupils’ numeracy skills at this key transition. We need to reflect on
how we teach maths to make sure our young people are equipped for
life and work in the 21st century.
“Our school improvement policy, Every School a Good School, sets out
how we will tackle underachievement and support every young
person to reach her or his full potential.
“I will shortly publish a revised literacy and numeracy strategy. It aims
to raise numeracy standards for all our young people and to narrow the
gaps between the most and least disadvantaged. The revised literacy
and numeracy strategy will build on the excellent practice already in
our system and recognise the vital role of parents in their child’s
education. At the heart of the strategy must be good quality teaching,
combined with support for those children who may be having
difficulties, and an assessment framework that will give us all
confidence that improvement is being delivered.
“But this is not ‘another add-on initiative’. Literacy and numeracy are
absolutely essential to a young person’s education and at the heart of
the revised curriculum and assessment arrangements.
“We now have a more relevant and engaging maths curriculum, with
important new elements like financial capability. Using Mathematics is
a statutory cross-curricular skill throughout a child’s compulsory
schooling. And from September, our Maths exams at 16 will have
functionality embedded into them. That will give us all, especially
employers, greater confidence that young people who get a grade C or
better are fully competent in numeracy.
“The curriculum changes I am introducing post-14 will give pupils more
options to pursue numeracy in different ways. Our economy needs
many more people with skills and talent in the vocational areas and
we have a responsibility to make sure our young people develop
these skills.
“The importance of encouraging students to take STEM subjects at
second and third level education cannot be overstated. We must
empower future generations to grow a dynamic and innovative
economy through STEM.
“Maths is not just part of STEM; as the language of science and
technology it underpins all the STEM subjects. If we are to stand any
chance of advancing the STEM agenda, we need to make sure young
people are confident and competent in numeracy.
“We know that some students find these subjects difficult to understand
or maybe feel put off by them. So we must introduce STEM from an
early age and in a way that is exciting, engaging and encourages young
people to follow STEM-related pathways at 14, 16 and beyond.
The ability to understand and make use of numbers is a key life skill which all young people must have. That was the
message from Education Minister Caitríona Ruane and Ms Aine Brady, T.D, Minister of State at the Department of
Health and Children, as they opened the North-South Post-Primary Numeracy Conference in Fermanagh last term.
Working togetherto raise standards in numeracy
twenty four
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 26
“We are using resources from the Executive’s Innovation Fund to
develop curriculum resources to support STEM subjects; to develop
Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance for STEM areas;
and to promote STEM work in primary and post-primary schools
through competitions and exhibitions.
“To support that sharing of good practice, we have a new STEM Truck.
The truck is a fantastic facility. It gives young people a ‘hands-on’
learning experience with state of the art equipment. It shows, in a
really innovative way, how much fun STEM subjects can be and will
raise awareness of the key role STEM plays in the economy.
“A common theme to all these policies is promoting the sharing of
best practice. There is some excellent work going on in our schools
and we should rightly recognise and celebrate that.”
The next edition of Linked will feature a selection of case studies
illustrating examples of best practice and innovation from schools in
Northern Ireland in improving learning and teaching in mathematics.
twenty five
“There are two views of mathematics,” said Ms Aine
Brady, T.D, Minister of State at the Department of Health
and Children. “The view held by mathematicians is that
mathematics is the science of counting and that there is
no problem in the whole of mathematics that cannot be
solved by counting.
“Another view is that ‘Mathematics is unknown territory.
Its borders are protected by dense thickets of technical
terms; its landscapes are a mass of indecipherable
equations and incomprehensible concepts’.
Whether we like it or not, mathematics has become as
integral part of our lives and mathematical literacy can be
regarded as an essential life skill. And the indications are
that it will be even more important in the future.”
The Education Minister Caitriona Ruane is pictured with Aine Brady, the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, and Sir Robert Salisbury, chair of the Literacy & Numeracy Task Force, at the opening of the North-South Post-Primary Numeracy Conference.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 27
Helping schools’ humanrights education to
‘Lift Off’Personal Development and Mutual
Understanding (PDMU) within the Northern
Ireland Curriculum provides an opportunity
for children and young people to learn
about recognising and respecting their own
rights and the rights of others.
twenty six
Pupils at Foundation Stage explore their relationships with family and
friends; their responsibilities for self and others; how to respond
appropriately in conflict situations; similarities and differences between
groups of people; and learning to live as a member of a community. At
Key Stage 1 pupils are given the opportunity to explore areas including
responsibility and respect, honesty and fairness. While at Key Stage 2
the focus widens to include human rights and social responsibility and
valuing and celebrating cultural differences and diversity.
Amnesty International’s Lift Off Project, which is receiving funding from
the Department of Education during the period 1 December 2009 to 31
March 2011, is an innovative programme which provides a wide range
of useful and exciting teaching resources to help primary schools
deliver human rights education as part of PDMU. The Department’s
support aims to ensure the embedding of a consistent, coherent and
sustainable approach to the delivery of human rights education in
primary schools. Teachers and pupils can access more information and
downloadable resources at www.liftoffschools.com.
All materials in the Lift Off series have been written and piloted by
primary school teachers drawn from the Ulster Teachers’ Union and the
Irish National Teachers’ Organisation. They have been compiled in line
with curricular changes and with an awareness of the practical
challenges facing teachers in the classroom.
Funding from the Department of Education will enable a refresh of
existing resources and a programme of training for student teachers,
school principals, Board CASS officers and ETI primary inspectors on the
aim of human rights education and its potential in helping to meet
wider educational aims. A programme of training for teachers will be
rolled out thereafter.
Participation and training in the use of the Lift Off resources is voluntary.
Schools which do not wish to use them will continue to be able to
draw upon other resources such as CCEA’s Living, Learning,
Together materials.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 28
twenty seven
Cross-border literacy projectA new scheme to promote reading and writing is offering schools
north and south of the border the opportunity to meet and work
with some of Ireland’s best-known writers and storytellers.
Poetry Ireland Writers in Schools is delighted to announce the
‘Border Crossings Project’, which will offer primary and post-
primary schools in the ten counties on either side of the border
(Armagh, Cavan, Derry Donegal, Down, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Louth,
Monaghan, and Tyrone) the opportunity to apply for funding for a
one-off visit, or residency by a writer or storyteller.
Applications will be decided on a first-come, first-served basis and
also on the merit of the proposed focus of the project. The closing
date is July 2010. Visits and residencies will take place between
September 2010 and April 2011.
For additional information, please contact Anna Boner at email:
[email protected], telephone 003531-4758601 or
visit http://www.poetryireland.ie/education
From September 2010, 130 teachers have taken part in the CCEA Teacher
Insight Programme which supports Learning for Life and Work at Key Stage 3.
The Programme includes visits to organisations specifically selected beyond
education to expose teachers to areas of work outside their own sector and
to encourage them to bring these real life examples back to the classroom.
Employers are proving most willing to engage with the programme which
dovetails with the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
agenda. Some of the organisations visited have included the Northern
Ireland Assembly, Translink, Ordnance Survey NI, the Northern Bank, the Lyric
Theatre building site (hosted by Gilbert Ash), the Public Records Office NI and
the George Best City Airport (in partnership with Bombardier).
Collectively the 130 teachers who have taken part in the programme
teach or advise more than 36,000 pupils each year which illustrates the
huge impact of the initiative. In the forthcoming year it is hoped there
will be a repeat of some of these visits and an extended range of
organisations working in partnership with CCEA in the programme. This
will help to ensure that both teachers and pupils are kept abreast of
changing technologies, work patterns, skills gaps and career
opportunities in Northern Ireland.
Further Information on the Teacher Insight Programme please contact
Vivienne Bannon at CCEA by email: [email protected].
Learning for Life and Work - Inside Knowledge for Teachers
A new pack of resources for Learning for Life and Work is now available for
schools. Three integrated units have been developed, each of which
incorporates two strands of Learning for Life and Work. They are as follows:
Migrant Workers (Education for Employability and Local and Global
Citizenship); Drugs and Society (Personal Development and Local and Global
Citizenship); and Food Miles (Home Economics and Education for
Employability). Copies of the resources were sent to schools in April 2010. If
you require additional copies or further information, please email Vivienne
Bannon at CCEA: [email protected].
New Resources
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 29
twenty eight
Irish interface for NI Maps
A simple toggle allows users to choose whether to use the site in
English or in Irish. If Irish is chosen, this allows the whole site to be
navigated in Ulster Irish. The rich functionality of NI Maps can then be
accessed in Irish, allowing users to view local and international maps
and aerial imagery as well as viewing, attaching and publishing their
own resources. As the system ‘remembers’ the language chosen, once
set to a target language it will start up in that when a user opens it.
Combined with dual language mapping for the whole of Ireland from
Land and Property Services, formerly Ordnance Survey Northern
Ireland (OSNI), this provides a rich environment for those users wishing
to operate the program in Irish. All of the digital mapping of the
Republic of Ireland including aerial photography and detailed maps is
also available, as a result of a reciprocal agreement with Ordnance
Survey Ireland (OSi).
For further details about NI Maps, including details of an exciting
competition open to all schools in Northern Ireland, search the Staff
area of the LearningNI library.
For information on NI Maps, contact Stephen Roulston([email protected]) and for information on An tÁisaonad,contact Ciarán Ó Pronntaigh ([email protected]).
NI Maps, accessible through the LearningNI Home Page, has had an Irish interface added.
The program has been translated by the Irish Medium Unit (An tÁisaonad) of St. Mary’s
University College.
Comhéadan Gaeilge doNI Maps
Is féidir teacht ar fheidhmiúlacht shaibhir NI Maps i nGaeilge, rud a
ligean d’úsáideoirí mapaí áitiúla agus idirnáisiúnta agus aeríomhá a
fheiceáil mar aon lena n-áiseanna féin a fheiceáil, a cheangal agus a
fhoilsiú. De thairbhe go ‘gcuimhníonn’ an córas ar an teanga atá
roghnaithe, an uair atá sé socraithe tosóidh sé sa teanga sin nuair a
osclaíonn úsáideoir é.
Agus é ceangailte leis an mhapáil dhátheangach d’iomlán na hÉireann
ó Land and Property Services, Suirbhéireacht Ordanáis Thuaisceart
Éireann (OSNI) mar a bhí air, cuireann sé seo timpeallacht shaibhir ar fáil
do na húsáideoirí ar mhaith leo an ríomhchlár a fheidhmiú i nGaeilge.
Tá an mhapáil dhigiteach ar fad de chuid Phoblacht na hÉireann ar fáil
chomh maith, aer-ghrianghrafadóireacht agus mapaí le mionsonraí san
áireamh, mar gheall ar chomhaontú malartach le Suirbhéireacht
Ordanáis Éireann (OSI).
Le tuilleadh eolais ar NI Maps a fháil, agus sonraí faoi chomórtas
corraitheach atá ar oscailt do gach scoil i dTuaisceart Éireann,
cuardaigh an roinn Staff de leabharlann LearningNI.
Le tuilleadh eolais a fháil ar NI Maps, gabh i dteagmháil leStephen Roulston ([email protected]) agus letuilleadh eolais a fháil ar an Áisaonad, gabh i dteagmháil le CiaránÓ Pronntaigh ([email protected]).
Cuireadh comhéadan Gaeilge, atá ar fáil trí Leathanach Baile LearningNI, le NI Maps. Ba é
An tÁisaonad i gColáiste na hOllscoile Naomh Muire a d’aistrigh é. Ligeann scorán simplí
d’úsáideoirí an suíomh a úsáid i mBéarla nó i nGaeilge. Má roghnaítear Gaeilge, ligeann sé
d’úsáideoirí an suíomh a aimsiú i nGaeilge.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 30
twenty nine
For Primary these include the Personal Development and Mutual
Understanding materials Living, Learning Together; the Ideas for
Connecting Learning and the Thematic Units for use across a range of
areas of learning; and the Thinking Skills and Personal Capabilities story
books Éist Agus Smaoinigh (Listen and Think).
These materials are available in both hard copy and on the NI
Curriculum website (www.nicurriculum.org.uk) with voiceovers for use
by children and parents to support learning at home.
At Key Stage 3, the Education for Employability thematic units will be
available in Irish.
In addition, a range of materials to support Mathematics and
Numeracy and Financial Capability will also be available for Foundation
to Key Stage 3. These include: Making Sense of Money (Foundation
Stage); Talk Money, Talk Solutions (Primary); and Talk Money, Talk Maths
(Key Stage 3).
A number of new resources specifically for IME have also been
produced. The bespoke IME resource Féasta Focal (A Feast of Words),
for example, provides structured activities and games to support pupils
who are experiencing difficulties with the recognition of the first 200
high frequency words in Irish reading materials.
Copies of all of these resources will be distributed to schools
throughout 2010. If you require any further information,
please contact:
Primary
Eoin O Coisneachain: [email protected]
Philip Sheerin: [email protected]
Key Stage 3
Paul Pimley: [email protected]
Irish Medium Resources A new range of resources for Irish Medium Education (IME) is now available from CCEA.
A number of materials which are already available in English have now been translated
and adapted for IME.
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 31
Are you ever stuck for a piece of information in your daily routine?
Are you doing research for a qualification or a project? Do you
need to find out how to run a project effectively? Do you want to
find out more about a range of issues such as how the brain
works, emotional intelligence, learning or what constitutes good
practice in working with parents?
If the answer is ‘yes’ then the Regional Training Unit’s
Management Resource Centre may be a source of help that you
have not yet made use of.
The centre’s collection of books, periodicals and sources has been
built up over seventeen years with the aim of supporting the
work of RTU in its leadership training for the school sector, the
Board sector and the broader education sector in Northern
Ireland. Anyone working within the education sector in Northern
Ireland is welcome to make use of the stock and the information.
The collection of books, journals and audio-visual resources
focuses on the topics of management and leadership in general
and management and leadership of education in particular. There
are also books on psychology, ICT and other issues that affect the
leadership of an organisation. For access to the catalogue please
visit: http://www.rtuni.com/resourcecentre/.
The Management Resource Centre librarian is happy to help with
any information requirements. Education professionals are very
welcome to call in during the opening hours which are from
10am until 5:30pm every weekday. Lunch is usually at 12:30 but
arrangements can be made to accommodate you at whatever
time you arrive.
If you would like to find out more about the RTU’s Management
Resource Centre please call Alma Abbs (the manager/librarian) on
028 9061 8121, or email [email protected].
Professional Learning MattersAnnually, more than 2000 educational professionals throughout the
Northern Ireland schooling system attend the RTU Summer School.
The Summer School is designed to be a professional development
and networking event with the emphasis on: high quality and
relevant programmes; professional dialogue; professional learning
that matters; and exploration of topical and innovative issues. It will
have purpose and meaning for: an individual's classroom practice;
school leadership; and system wide policy/strategic developments.
The goal of Summer School is to offer a rich and varied programme,
where professional learning matters. It is intended for a broad
constituency of education professionals including: classroom assistants;
teachers; SENCOs; middle and senior leaders; school principals; school
support and development officers (CCEA, ELBs, CASS, C2k, RTU, CCMS,
NICIE, CNaG); ETI inspectors; governors; and education administrators.
The theme for this year’s annual Summer School is 'Professional
Learning Matters'. There will be five strands: learning and teaching for
pupil success; leadership and management - improving schools; ICT
and digital technology - 21st Century schooling; system wide
strategic issues linked to NI education priorities; and safe and
healthy schools.
This year’s event will run from 17-20 August 2010. RTU’s full Summer
School Prospectus is available online at www.rtuni.com. Please
disregard the official application closing date as some places may
still remain. Please contact RTU directly on 028 9061 8121 to
check availability.
Regional Training Unit’s Management Resource Centre
41714 MAKEUP ALT 14MAY:Layout 1 14/05/2010 12:08 Page 32