Education - PDST



Education

Syllabus:

2. Education

1. The purpose of education:

a) As a method of socialisation

b) In the physical, emotional, moral and intellectual development of the

individual

c) As a preparation for work

2. Factors that influence educational achievement

3. The provision of education in Ireland to include:

a) Pre-school

b) Primary

c) Second-level

d) Third-level

e) Adult and second-chance education

f) Special needs education (Higher Level Only)

4. Equality of opportunities in education with reference to:

a) Gender inequity

b) Socio-economic status

c) Disadvantaged students

d) Early school leavers (Higher Level Only)

5. Contemporary initiatives in improving the accessibility of education (Higher Level Only)

1. The Purpose of Education:

a) As a Method of Socialisation

Outside of the family, school is the most important factor in developing socialisation skills.

Socialisation teaches children how to behave in a manner that is accepted within society.

Cultural values and religious beliefs can be passed on through socialisation in schools.

The hidden curriculum in schools aims to teach responsibility through punctuality, school rules and achievement awards, respect for authority, leadership, sharing and team work.

Schools often reinforce what parents have been saying.

b) Education Contributing to the Development of the Individual

|Physical Development |Emotional Development |Moral Development |Intellectual Development |

|Encouraging the development of |Meeting other students and |The school’s ethos sets out the |Schools promote intellectual |

|physical skills e.g. hand-eye |interacting with them helps to become|values and thinking of the school |development by the wide range of |

|co-ordination, speed. |more aware of their feelings and the |and each student is expected to |subjects it offers. |

|These are developed through |feelings of others. |behave accordingly. |Continuous assessments, class tests |

|subjects such as Home Economics, |SPHE aims to aid emotional |Moral development is explored in |and exams motivate students to |

|Art, PE. |development through communication. |subjects e.g. Religion, SPHE, CSPE. |achieve academically. |

c) As a Preparation for Work

Schools provide individuals with a wide range of skills for the workforce e.g. numeracy, literacy, artistic, musical, computing, cooking, science.

Punctuality at school and respect for authority are all part of the school structure and are valuable in the workplace.

Educational programmes such as the Leaving Certificate, LCA, LCVP are offered in schools to take account of the different needs of students and to enable students to reach their full potential.

It provides a workforce with a good skills base which leads to future prosperity.

The examination system can help students find out what type of work suits them most.

2. Factors that Influence Educational Achievement

Intellectual Ability : ________________________________________

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Parental Attitude to Education: _______________________________

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Family Size: ______________________________________________

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Home Environment: ________________________________________

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Locality and School Environment: ______________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Peers: __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

3. The Provision of Education in Ireland to Include:

a) Pre-School

Pre-schools vary depending on the range of facilities available. These facilities include:

|Community or individual nurseries, crèches or day-care centres. These have qualified staff looking after young children, in most |

|cases the whole of the average working day. |

|Playgroups that usually take place in the morning. |

|Montessori schools. |

|Some primary schools have a pre-school programme. |

Whichever option is chosen, pre-school helps to develop the child in many ways:

✓ They become more socially aware by playing and interacting with other children.

✓ They form relationships outside the home, which they would otherwise not have been able to.

✓ They become confident and more independent.

✓ They have the opportunity to develop physically by playing games.

✓ Their intellectual development is accelerated.

b) Primary School

Cater for children between the ages of 4-12.

Primary school education is provided by state-funded national schools, privately owned primary schools and Gaelscoileanna.

Learning support and resource teachers are available in most schools to offer specialised help to students with specific needs.

There are also special schools which offer primary education to children with special needs.

While primary school education in national schools is free, the cost of books, uniforms and other equipment can be expensive.

It provides a broad, set curriculum e.g. maths, language, PE, SPHE etc.

There is no formal exam at the end of primary school.

c) Second Level

Second level education caters for children aged between 12-18/19.

Types of second level schools include secondary, vocational, community, comprehensive and private.

All schools provide a 3-year Junior Cycle programme and a 2- or 3-year Senior Cycle programme.

The Transition year programme is a student-centred, non-exam based programme which encourages self-development through mini-companies and work experience together with mainstream subjects.

In the Leaving Certificate programme students study at least 5 subjects which can be taken at different levels. A written examination completes the Leaving Certificate programme.

In the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme students study at least 5 subjects, 2 of which are vocational subjects. The emphasis on work is designed to introduce the student to the world of business and employment. It is assessed by a written exam and by a portfolio of coursework.

Leaving Certificate Applied is designed to cater for those who do not necessarily intend to avail of 3rd Level education and instead prepares the student for work. Students are assessed over the 2-year period with written exams, orals, interviews and assessment of student tasks which are done during each module.

Post Leaving Certificate Courses are available as full-time 1 or 2 year courses in many secondary schools across the country. The aim of PLCs is to provide the technological and vocational skills necessary for employment or further education in certain areas e.g. Childcare, Sports and Leisure.

d) Third Level

Approximately 50% of all students attend some form of 3rd Level college.

Yet only a small percentage of those are students from the lower socio-economic group.

Third level institutions include universities, institutes of technology, colleges of education and private colleges.

A wide range of degrees, diplomas and certificate courses are offered.

e) Adult and Second Chance Education

A mature student is anyone who is over the age of 23 in the year of starting up the course.

Adult education helps to promote the idea of lifelong learning.

Adult education is available in full-time or part-time courses.

AONTAS is the Irish National Association of Adult Education which promotes the development of a learning society which is available to and includes everyone.

Sources of adult education include 3rd level colleges, Distance Learning, PLC courses, FÁS, Vocational Training Opportunities Schemes etc.

Adult education provides people with a hobby, improves skills, increases a person’s chances of employment, improves personal qualifications and allows them to meet new people.

f) Special Needs Education (Higher Level Only)

Special needs include physical, intellectual or emotional needs. A number of programmes and measures have been taken to ensure that educational requirements of people with special needs are met.

✓ Special Needs Education is provided in a number of different ways e.g. in

mainstream schools with resource teachers and special needs assistances, by visiting teachers, by special classes with low student/teacher ratio and in special schools.

✓ COPE provide education for student s with mild to severe learning

disability.

4. Equality of Opportunities in Education with Reference to:

a) Gender Inequity (Higher Level Only)

In previous years, it was mainly only males who attended third level. Nowadays, more equal numbers of men and women attend third-level education.

There have been changes in female attitudes because more mothers are working and providing young girls with a positive role model.

Single-sex schools tend to offer more gender specific subjects e.g. it is still less likely to find Construction Studies in an all-girl school or Home Economics in an all-boy school.

Modern textbooks are becoming less gender stereotypical.

b) Socio-Economic Status (Higher Level Only)

The socio-economics status (upper-class, middle-class, lower-class) of a child’s parents may determine if a child does well in school.

Students from upper-class families have shown they are more likely to complete secondary school and go onto 3rd level.

Some parents from lower socio-economic families lack education and may not be able to assist their children with homework, putting the child at an educational disadvantage.

The costs of books, uniforms and school trips can be expensive for families in financial difficulty.

Children of families from low socio-economic group are more likely to begin school without being able to read, tend to get poorer results and are more likely to leave school at the minimum leaving age.

c) Disadvantaged Students (Higher Level Only)

Certain schools in the country are in disadvantaged areas because of unemployment levels, quality of housing and literacy skills in the area.

There are 311 primary and 203 secondary disadvantaged schools in Ireland.

Schools in deprived areas are more likely to have discipline problems e.g. drug or alcohol abuse.

Early school leavers, disruptive behaviour and low achievements of students are all characteristics of schools classed as disadvantaged.

d) Early School Leavers (Higher Level Only)

The number of students who leave education with no qualification is 3.2% while another 15.3% leave with only a Junior Certificate qualification.

Some leave because they are living in a family experiencing unemployment and see school as pointless. Some leave because of financial hardship. Others find the curriculum irrelevant to them.

1. Contemporary Initiatives in Improving the Accessibility of Education

(Higher Level Only)

Early Start Project – aimed at 3/4 year olds in disadvantaged areas where a qualified teacher and a childcare assistant teach classes usually in the morning and early afternoon so as to give the child a solid start.

Pre-school for travellers – provided by the HSE and the Department of Education and Science to give pre-school education to members of the traveling community to prevent inequality in accessing education.

Home-School Community Liaison Scheme – Aims to include parents and the community into the school so as to reduce the number of early school leavers in disadvantaged areas.

Early School Leaver Initiative – Aims at ensuring student’s progress from primary to post-primary education and encourages students who may have left to return to school.

Traveller’s Education Needs – Provides primary education for members of the traveling community in mainstream schools, special classes or special schools. The student-teacher ratio is 14:1.

Youth Reach – Aimed at 15-20 year olds. Provides early school leavers with the opportunity to achieve qualifications and develop skills to gain employment. Participants receive a weekly allowance for attending. It is a basic 2 year programme which is flexible depending on the person’s circumstances.

VTOS (Vocational Training and Opportunities Scheme) – the scheme provides courses from basic education in literacy, numeracy and personal development at Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate and FETAC awards at Level 3,4,5. This scheme is offered by the VECs and is open to the long-term unemployed over 21 years of age.

National Education Welfare Board (NEWB) – This is a national agency established to ensure that every child attends school regularly. It monitors attendance and a child cannot miss more than 20 days in a school year. Early school leavers must register with the NEWB.

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