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The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) recommended changes to the Junior Certificate examination with Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn considering how continuous assessment as opposed to examinations could have a greater role in the Junior Certificate.
The NCCA cited Killinarden Community School in Tallaght for its work with first years as an example of an innovative approach that could be followed. The students have choices about the kind of activities they take part in with a focus on the development of literacy and numeracy. The school’s Deputy Principal Noirin Walsh says it is time the Junior Certificate caught up.
THE JUNIOR CERTIFICATE has been around for a number of years in its present form and it is time for a change. It is no longer in tune with the demands of the students and similarly to the Leaving Certificate there needs to be more of a focus on technology and skills so that children can be prepared for the future. We need to be upskilling them to a higher degree.
Years ago there was a mentality that one size fits all but we know that is not the case now. All students are different and they all learn in different ways. We are a Deis school so there are lots of hurdles that we must get our students over so that they can reach their end destination. It is important that we incorporate more variety into our curriculum. More practical work is needed rather than just learning from books – almost back to the apprenticeship days. For instance, we have a wonderful art department and many beautiful pieces of art produced by the students around the school. These are skills that the many students flourish in, but of course investment in these type of practical initiatives in education come at a cost.
The funding of programmes like this are capital intensive, but if work like this can be turned into credits so that we can vary and tailor the way our students are assessed, that should be welcomed.
Times have changed and so have our students. The way they learn information has moved on and the education system needs to follow suit. Children need information on how they research information. When we want to know something now we ‘Google it’ – we should be showing children how to access reliable information and showing them how to use that information with confidence. They should be learning how to discern information and look at things critically. It is not the same as years gone by where children should be retaining and reeling out information.
I believe that we do need to have the Junior Certificate – we need some sort of marker. However, the Junior Certificate exams should be aimed at letting children show-off what they know and not about catching them out on what they don’t know. The new Junior Certificate framework should address that. Children learn in different ways and we need to give them a chance to display what they have learned.
The Junior Certificate is a good way for students to prepare for the Leaving Certificate, but that too will be changing in time no doubt. The initial stage is changing the junior model so that the senior level can evolve also. But there is no doubt that the Junior Certificate is a great way for the students to show off their achievements and hard work.
It is not the same world we once lived in and it is the time that the Junior Certificate caught up.
Deputy Principal Walsh would like to congratulate all the Junior Certificate students of Killinarden Community School on their results yesterday. The school is holding an open evening on 25 September from 5pm – 7pm. Anyone that would like to come along and meet the staff and teachers as well as take part in interactive workshops is welcome. Click here for more information.
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Would love to see RTE explain the salary Ray D’Arcy receives based on them figures.
How does Newstalk Breakfast see a rise in listeners with that insufferable know it all Ciara Kelly.
@Laura Ni Hearga: The same way Pat Kenny’s show sees a rise. People hate listen so they can scream at the radio.
@Laura Ni Hearga: because she speaks her mind, comes without a preset agenda unlike one or 2 of her newstalk colleques (they are actually the ones showing a drop in listeners esp that leftie moncrief fella) and also the fixed narrative of rte radio 1 presenters some also on the way down.
@Laura Ni Hearga: yeah can’t stand her.
@ChadChaderson: stopped listening to morning Newstalk because of her would do your nut in
@M: Ciaras co-presenter is a “leftie”.
Thats why the numbers are up?
RTE just caters for wokesters, while they all support and applaud each other the rest of us switch off
You’d want to be barking mad to listen to it though…
2fm…a joke of a station. I’m not saying breakfast republic was everyone’s cup of tea but imagine having 180,000 listeners, cancelling the show, sacking Keith Walsh and replacing them with that muck.
@Brian Heffernan: 2FM should be sold off. It adds nothing to the FM band. RTE Gold would be better on FM instead of it. Not all parts of the country get Classic Hits so RTE Gold would fill a gap for those areas.
@Brian Heffernan: Well said Keith.
@Brian Heffernan: It’s bad because Dan Healey has lost the plot these day’s. What on earth is he thinking with these day’s? His Arse it must be… putting them 3 on the breakfast show especially that dreadful horror voice of Doireen! Christ she is bad!!!
@Ed: listen to Jennifer Zamparelli or allowing someone to get sick into your ears? Which would you prefer?
@Billy Davies: I’d rather choose none of them if that’s ok.
@Ed: Good point, Kind of a BBC Radio 2 which is the biggest station in the UK..
Delighted for Dermot and Dave. Really enjoy the vast majority of their stuff (except for Noni).
Lol at those PR comments – trebles all round – everyone’s doing brilliantly! The reality is there is very little choice on Irish FM radio – I wonder if they survey how many people are listening to online stations or 6music?!
How come Lyric doesn’t rate a mention?
@PJ Berry: Yes, I’ve listened to Lyric FM for a lot of my life. It has a smaller listenership according to the report.
Radio novvvvaaaaaaa. Except Dee Woods, she’s a tool
The quiz at four on ray d’arcys show every day is kinda boring and dragged out. He’s asking contestants what they’re having for the dinner just to kill a few extra minutes
@Sean O Cathasaigh:
That’s my favourite part
2FM breakfast show has to be the worst ever since radio started. They must have picked them three gob.. sh..it..s from the bottom of the toilet bowl. Jennifer Zapp is just as bad. Now Tracy is good at her job. God it would be great if Radio Nova from the 80s came back on air. They were propper DJs.
RTÉ have a radio station? Must look for it.
@Dave Barrett: you can’t see radio, it’s invisible
@Hugh Morris: Radio Station. Where they broadcast from. Not the frequency.
Even allowing for language difference, I’m surprised that Tús Áite at 1700 on RNaG isn’t on the list. Only from 3 to 5 news topics discussed daily in ‘standard’ Irish, at drive-time, calmly, without adverts, and without the need to reach hastily to turn off the bongo-bongo at 1800 that’s on RTE1. RNaG(+TG4) is possibly the only good reason to pay a TV licence.
@Fachtna Roe: Interesting. Good to see an unbiased comment on here for a change! But that’s enough about my comment…
@William Tallon: LOL, you’re a leg end
@Hugh Morris: The game’s afoot…
Newstalk Breakfast,The Pat Kenny Show a bit of Lunchtime Live, a bit of Moncrieff and a bit of Spin SW and that’s it for me. I find all the rest a tad silly! Nobody makes up for Gerry Ryan, Larry Gogan, Gay or Marian… “those days are gone…”
10 songs on repeat all day long
Government should make haste and prepare an urgent meeting regarding the implementation of a Radio tax to support RTE
What is bewildering for us non Irish is how boring rte is to us non Irish ears and then there’s rte, s total lack of any diversity.. All its presenters and output is all much cut from the same cloth.. Why eg are their no afro presenters.. Or any other ethnic or religion.
.
Irish radio listeners must have a high boredom threshold… Its seems to me that most people under seventy don’t watch or listen to rte. And then the tam ratings include those that are just switching channels.
Ie retention span!
Irish Radio, regardless of who owns it, is absolutely brutal. How many times a day do these stations think we need to hear Adele bemoaning some personal problems for starters. Classic hits my bean bag. Pretty much the same 30 or so songs recycled over and over. And that Dua Lipa rendition of Elton Johns songs is some of the laziest music I’ve ever heard. There’s no effort in it. Same tripe over and over and over across all the stations.
yes if you add up all the listeners to every single station the total figure exceeds the population by 4 or 5 times so yeah even if i channel hop i guess i am counted.
Lies lies more lies
Those who have ears to hear let them hear. We lend our ears to endless patter, but weather forecasts are important.
The Ray D’Arcy Affect
where I live i have very little choice, even hard to pick up rte since the they done away with dab radio. lucky I’m getting a Bluetooth radio from Santa.
The D’Arcy Affect
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