Our Experience of Short Courses

1. Our Experience of Short Courses Portmarnock Community School Donal O’ Mahony

2. Our experience – over three phases... • Autumn 2012 • 2013 / 2014 • 2014 / 2015

3. Portmarnock Community School • 850 pupils approximately, co-educational • Wide catchment-area across North County Dublin • Strong academic and extra-curricular focus

5. Some history • Portmarnock Community School became an NCCA Junior Cycle Network School in May 2012 • I am the Link-teacher • Very supportive Principal, Pat O’ Riordan • I presented about the possibilities involved with Junior Cycle reform to my colleagues in September 2012 N.S.P.I

6. A new vocabulary • Framework document • Short Courses • Subject specifications • Toolkits • Key Skills • Statements of Learning • Assessment for Learning • Moderation • Priority Learning Units • Portfolios • Level Two learning programmes (L2LP’s) • 2014: J.C.S.A. – Junior Cycle Student Award

7. Keep in mind – the student experience is central

8. In Portmarnock there seemed to be a lot of interest in Short Course development

9. Why this interest? • A strong history of innovation in Transition-year e.g. Photography, Heritage, Film, Animation, English, History... • A confidence and capacity to introduce new and innovative methods of teaching • Junior Cycle reform – an opportunity to mainstream from Transition-year to the Junior Cycle

10. NCCA support from 2012 • Online space – J.C. 2.0 • Many teachers from Network Schools were very active in this during 2012/2013 • Lots of ideas

12. www.juniorcycle.ie

13. Noticed that many Link schools were working with their strengths, whether Short-courses, Assessment for Learning, Key-skills etc

14. We promised • Support to teachers • November 2012: • In-house staff-development particularly in the area of Key Skills (used a cross-subject approach) • Denise Kelly from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) presented in the school to about fifteen teachers (who volunteered) on Short Course development • Very well received – learned a lot

15. We lead... • Management and I are very supportive of the move from product to process in relation to learning • Want to develop the students appreciation of the “how” and “why” of learning over a period of time • This is a rationale we bring to the table at all meetings

17. We asked... • Teachers to volunteer to develop their own Short Courses • This was at a time when the NCCA had subject titles for their for Short Courses but no developed ones as such (not the case now) • The NCCA had a template however which was (is) what the teachers worked off

19. Areas to be covered Title • Introduction to Junior Cycle: Standard for all short courses • Rationale: Setting the course in the broader context • Aim • Links: Statements of Learning / Literacy and Numeracy / Key Skills • Course Overview • Expectations for Students • Assessment and Certification • Resources

21. Some teachers worked as a group • Some alone and then consulted each other • Denise Kelly (NCCA) was available for advice via email. I was the conduit, as the Link-teacher • Three Short Courses emerged – Media literacy (David Clarke and Aileen Bradley), Animation (Karen Tynan), Robotics (Michael Sweeney and Danny Murphy).

22. Decisions... • December 2012 and January 2013 • Principal, Deputy Principal, Link-teacher and our Time-tabler • Go with two Short-courses? Yes • Which ones? Animation and Media Literacy

23. Why these two? • The Robotics Short Course was not fully finished • Animation had been highly developed in Transition-year • Animation and Media Literacy very much complemented each other - Good mix of ideas – teachers saw possibilities between the subjects • Attractive to boys and girls

24. Caveat about using pre-existing courses • Material must be re-modelled for the younger students, taking into account the principles of the Junior Cycle Framework

25. Where on the timetable? • Within an existing option-block • No change to the structure of the timetable as such • Treading slowly... • Students have to do both Media Literacy and Animation • One double each – for three years (c. 120 hours each)

26. Block with Materials Technology (Wood), Home-Economics and Technology • An option block that allowed corresponding subjects to be taken in 4th / 5th Year • Banding meant two class groups – offered it to one class in the band • Twenty-four students

27. School certificate at end of Third-year (2016) • Assessment focus in Second and Third-year

28. There was a very strong presentation to the parents and guardians of the incoming Sixth-class (January 2013) • Covered a lot of positives about Junior Cycle reform and education in general • Our choice of Animation and Media Literacy reflects what is relevant to real-world needs and expertise

30. Minimised the use of the phrase Short Course and looked at it as the introduction of a new subject

31. A digression! • I think the term Short-course was unfortunate • “You mean I’m going to replace my subject with a short-course” • “I’ll be a short-course teacher...” • There is the potential of short-courses to promote and develop subjects, and indeed to define the identity of a school over time

32. Back to Portmarnock! • A draw from the hat if oversubscribed... • 67 students applied

33. Lessons learned • A lot of work (time) developing in-house short courses – teachers found the Short Course Template a challenge, but fulfilling when completed • Reliance on one teacher – what if our animator leaves? • Don’t become a hostage to one teachers specialism... • Implications for numbers in the other subjects in the block

34. Lessons Learned • Need for some updated training in Animation – speed of change of applications • The need for technical backup – in our case relying on a technically literate teacher to manage software updates for the animation teacher • Need for digital resources – Broadband and Wi-Fi • NCCA in discussions on ICT infrastructure

35. ICT Infrastructure

36. Lessons Learned • Need for time for conversation with fellow Short Course teachers

37. Lessons learned • Using First-year to establish the Group-work and other skills – no assessment focus is of great value • Its insights like this that give an idea as to how First-year might be re-imagined...

38. Lessons Learned • Don’t presume that because students opt for a course that they have certain competencies • Don’t underestimate students either – confidence built during First-year is now becoming obvious

39. Hard work to establish the course identity • Keep trying to establish the Short Course / New-subject identity – do things to highlight the course – at Assemblies, on the website etc.

41. 2014 / 2015 Context is changing • NCCA has drafts of eight Short Courses for incoming 2014 First-years – consultation process in place

42. 2014 / 2015 Context changed in/for Portmarnock • Two teachers have been involved with the NCCA, examining aspects of teaching and learning from the Short Course in Coding • Two P.E. teachers have been exploring possibilities with the Physical Education Association of Ireland and the draft Physical Education Short Course • One P.E. Teacher had developed a Sports Science module in Transition Year

43. 2014 / 2015 • Decided to introduce two new short courses / subjects • To spread the load amongst a variety of teachers / subject areas • In the same block • Offered to both bands • A minimum of 48 students

44. 2013 / 2014 • Coding – as per the NCCA draft short course specification – two teachers • Sports Science – at the request of a member of the P.E. Department, who has developed his own Sports Science course in Transition Year – two teachers

45. Current teacher concerns • Sports Science – to develop a separate identity from the existing Junior Cycle P.E. classes • Timetabling needs around Sports Science • Assessment in general, assessing our own students in particular and exploring moderation

46. Other Concerns • Costs associated with these courses – can students asked to pay for swimming? Buses for external trips... • Any formal funding for running Short Courses from the NCCA or others?..... Saving money one way, so give us money another way • Do we need to look for sponsorship? • Do we need to develop linkages with a University who will work with us as a local-school?

47. Other concerns • Started to collect feedback from current First-year parents / guardians • Students were telling them about the subjects • Concern about feedback to date

48. Other concerns • If we go with Robotics in 2015 / 2016, what subject would we place with it so as to attract the balance of boys and girls? • What do parents think of the changing of the Short Course subjects each year? • What are the implications for Transition Year?

49. Assessment / Moderation • We are conscious we have got the Short Courses off the ground in a creative way – now want to get the Assessment right • Support for Short Course Assessment / Moderation training for teachers • We would like Portmarnock to get support from the NCCA in developing this, not alone for the Short Course teachers, but for all teachers in the school

50. Website www.juniorcycle.ie • Twitter @JCforTeachers