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FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS returning to school this month will see a new wellbeing programme included in the curriculum as part of efforts to enhance students’ mental and physical health within the Junior Cycle.
The programme will “enable students to build life skills and develop a strong sense of connectedness to their school and to their community”, the Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, said today.
Bruton was speaking at the launch the of the new Junior Cycle specifications for Irish, modern European languages and Visual Art, stating that a focus of the new programme is on “the student’s quality of life, wellbeing and mental health”.
Languages
The new specifications for the Irish language place a focus on spoken language skills, which will now be formally assessed. This will be done through classroom-based assessments, which schools will report to parents at the end of the third year of the Junior Cycle.
Until now, the oral language test was optional as part of the old Junior Certificate examination.
“The introduction of new specifications for Junior Cycle Irish represents a significant change from existing approaches to the teaching, learning and assessment of Irish at junior cycle level,” a statement from the Department of Education and Skills said.
A focus on oral skills will also be introduced for modern European languages, including French, German, Spanish and Italian. The role that technology plays in the teaching and learning of foreign languages will also be explored.
Bruton said that the government hoped to see more students study foreign languages, and to speak these languages with greater competency.
A central part of being the best is our ability to support our students with the skills to be global citizens, to understand other cultures and societies, as well as the skills to function and thrive in the modern economy. The study of modern foreign languages enables students to develop these skills and their enjoyment of these languages.
Bruton also highlighted how Visual Art can help students’ develop, by giving them responsibility for a specific task at the same time as allowing them to exercise creative freedom. Visual Art is the new title for what was called Art, Craft and Design and involves practical work: from creating an artwork to running an event.
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Why not make Home Ec and business mandatory so when these kids grow up they’ll be able to cook healthy meals for themselves and can balance a household budget.
@Alan De Morrighan:
People have known how to cook since the Stone Age. Home Economics is a an archaic subject. Class time would be better spent on ordinary Economics, Business, Accounting and the Science subjects.
It is such a shame we are not all fluent in Irish leaving school. I hated Irish and how it was taught. Now it is a regret of mine that I cannot converse in our native language. I hope the changes make it a more enjoyable experience.
@John Mc Grath: There ya go mate. 5 mins a day, go n-éirí leat! https://www.duolingo.com/course/ga/en/Learn-Irish-Online
@Atheos Euripides: Nice one! I’m going to give that a go.
@John Mc Grath: Go n-éirí go geal leat!
How do you study to be a global citizen? And what is a global citizen?
Very welcome changes by Minister Bruton. Not often one gets to hand out praise to a politician.
@RG Law: There is nothing new or imagiantive in any of this (more emphasis on learnign and speaking languages, using IT to faciltiate this. Who got paid to come up with this breakthrough lol). It is all well worn by now, jaded, thoughtless. Bruton should be moved to something he knows about or is actually interested in (not a lot of options there, I know. But all the same).
@RG Law: The school my brother teaches in had to reduce science in 1st year from four periods a week to three in order to fit in mindfulness. He said it’s happening in loads of schools and they don’t have a choice.
@Gary: Farcical. Create a world which inevitably generates stress. And then give classes in ‘mindfulness’ to deal with it. Laughable (if it wasn’t so serious). Why not have classes that address social change as a means for dealing with stress?
I’ve an idea, remove Junior and Leaving cert examinations, and have a continuous assessment of each pupil, instead of giving them a stress test every few years, that determines their entire future/career.
@neuromancer: sure remove college exams too and any other checks on competency.
Everyone can be a doctor or aeronautical engineer that way and
There’d definitely be no down side to your idea….
The Well-being programme will eventually be 400 hours over 3 years. Science will be 220.
They will now hide behind such as he/she was given a talk on wellbeing depression addictions etc. No professional backup here. Are we now going to have psychoanalysts psychologists teaching in schools. What’s the curriculum has their talks been vetted and suitable for children. Does the minister of blunderbust know.
@Alan De Morrighan: Because generally schools don’t have either any kitchens or enough kitchens to facilitate this. But I agree- home ec is a wonderful practical subject, unfortunately it is often misrepresented.
@Ash Jordi:
Home Economics is a an archaic subject. Class time would be better spent on ordinary Economics, Business, Accounting and the Science subjects.
@Ciarán Masterson: You can’t cook, can you?
If the Dept. we’re really interested in physical and mental health they would introduce a thorough Physical Education programme in ALL schools, even Primary. PE needs to me an Exam Subject, get children playing sports, all sports. Take them away from I Phones and computers . Healthy eating and plenty of exercise.
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