ROCKY TIMES AHEAD FOR JUNIOR CYCLE
W
HO would want to be in the shoes of Education
Minister, Jan O’Sullivan these days as she attempts to resolve the deadlock over the new Junior Cycle Schools’ Programme, under threat of strike action by teachers?
But the minister, who had a constructive meeting with teacher unions in September and is due to meet with them again soon, has expressed her keenness that an overall agreement between the two sides can be facilitated.
The reform of the Junior Certificate state examination is arguably the most radical reform of the exam system in the history of the state.
In its place, the new Junior Cycle programme, developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) will place less emphasis on exams and more on students becoming better learners by the time the Senior Cycle comes around.
The programme has been developed to address literacy and numeracy shortfalls and the way in which students are assessed. At the heart of its framework are a common set of principles, key skills and learning statements for all subjects that will become the bedrock of the first three years of education.
Students will be encouraged to participate and engage and to be creative and innovative. There will be particular focus on the key skills of literacy, numeracy, communication, and
self-management. Statements of learning will outline what a student should know, understand and value by the end of the three-year cycle.
The first practical application of the new programme has already begun with the introduction of the new English curriculum in September.
For the first time, students at junior level will study much more contemporary texts, ranging from novels, short stories, drama, film and poetry to speeches, blogs and even tweets.
Science is the next subject scheduled for roll out next year followed by Irish and business studies in September 2016.
Schools such as St Oliver’s Community College in Drogheda where the programme has been piloted say they are already seeing the benefits for students.
But without the full cooperation of teachers the radical new programme is doomed to fail.
Few would argue with the vision behind it.
Many teachers would say they are already fulfilling the principles that underpin the new programme and that they have been long-time champions of proposals, such as learner autonomy, critical thinking, problem solving, and communicating.
But they have expressed grave concerns over how the new programme will be assessed.
In effect, the state exam is being transformed into a house exam that will be run by the schools themselves.
Schools can mix and match from a menu of traditional subjects and innovative new short courses, such as Chinese and Computer Coding.
The State Exams Commission will set exam papers in traditional subjects but 40 per cent of the students’ result in a subject such as English, will be on school- based assessment.
Teachers argue that a national certificate based on external assessment should be at the core of any new programme. They say that to abolish the State certificate and have teachers grade their own students junior cycle exams is educationally unsound, and will damage students’ education.
English teacher, Tim Nelligan is vehemently opposed to any reform of the current exam system.
“I have spent 25 years being an advocate for my kids. The exam is something for me to help them to beat. Now I am being asked to have either the final decision to be responsible for the ultimate result, to sit in judgment of my students, I will not do that, I am their advocate, not their executioner.”
English teacher and ASTI representative, Fintan O’Mahony points out that as well as the contentious issue of subjective marking, the result would not have the same status value.
“If you have students who haven’t studied a state exam and have to go right into their Leaving Cert that’s a huge issue,” he said.
Teachers, already under pressure from staffing cutbacks, additional working hours, wage cuts and increased class sizes, are also airing concerns over the capacity of the system to meet the demands of such significant changes in a resource-starved environment.
Against this backdrop, first year English teachers have been advised by unions to teach the new English syllabus but not to get involved in any planning or organisation of the course or to buy any books associated with it. Teachers’ Unions have also instructed members not to cooperate with the roll out of the new programme of short courses, which was due to start in September.
In October, ASTI members will vote on whether to join their TUI colleagues and upgrade their protest to industrial action.
Can a compromise be reached? The clock is ticking. The TUI (Teachers’ Union of Ireland) has already voted in favour of strike action. The ASTI (Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland) is expected to overwhelmingly endorse strike action. The union is currently conducting a ballot on extending its opposition to the Junior Cycle to strike action, the results of which will be known in October.
Anita Guidera 5
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