14/1/12 The NCCA document "Towards a Framework for Junior Cycle"
is available here:
Among the 24 "Statements of Learning" (see page 15) are the following
that are relevant to CSPE: "The student .... communicates effectively
using a variety of means in a range of context ... values what it
means to be an active citizen, with rights and responsibilities in
local and wider contexts ... learns how to think and act sustainably
understands the distribution of social, economic, and environmental
phenomena ... appreciates and respects how diverse values, beliefs
and traditions have contributed to the communities and culture in
which they live" Other learning statements could have application
to CSPE. CSPE is still listed as a full subject in the new framework,
and among the "Potential Short Courses" are: "Development Education"
and "Sustainable Living and Resource Management".
9/1/12
Important Dates: The deadline for completion of CSPE project
RAPs and CWABs is Fri 27 April. The CSPE Exam will take place on Mon
11th June at 1.30 pm.
4/1/12 ECO-UNESCO, Ireland’s Environmental Youth organisation ECO-UNESCO
Calendar of Events (January – February 2012) FETAC Accredited Training
Courses Jan - Apr
Introduction to Sustainable Development (FETAC L5) OPTION 1: 10 WK
COURSE / Start date: 26 Jan (Thu)
The course develops an understanding of concepts such as sustainability,
quality of life, sustainable communities and carrying capacity. It
builds awareness of the links between the environment, society and
the economy, education for sustainable development and develops skills
of analysis (auditing). Learners facilitate a workshop on an environmental
issue of their choice incorporating education for sustainable development
methodologies, carry out a project on the life cycle analysis of a
product and complete a group project on developing a sustainable community.
Feb - Mar Introduction to Sustainable Development (FETAC L5) OPTION
2: INTENSIVE (24-25 Feb & 23-24 Mar (Fri-Sat) Anyone interested in
learning more about sustainable development including: professionals,
local authorities, businesses, teachers, youth leaders, community
workers, young people under 25 and the general public.
ECO-UNESCO Short Courses 31 Jan (Tues) Leadership and Strategic Sustainable
Development Learn how to take leadership in planning for Sustainable
Dev. This training course focuses on how to take leadership in planning
for Sustainable Development. The programme is of particular relevance
to those wishing to build and take strategic actions on a personal,
organisational, business and/or community level toward Sustainable
Development. By the end of the training participants will: Know how
to take leadership in strategic sustainable development Be aware of
basic Sustainability principles (Natural step framework system conditions)
Know how to undertake a baseline assessment Know how to evaluate actions
in relation to Sustainability principles - (Back casting) Know how
to facilitate planning for solutions and actions to meet the sustainability
challenge and be able to prioritise actions Be introduced to the ECO
Award, a sustainability award for organisations, and know how to apply
the steps to your organisation 07 Feb (Tues)
Environmental
Education Day 1: Trends and Developments in Environmental Education.
This short course introduces the concept of environmental education,
what it is and how you can incorporate it into your work using activities
developed by ECO-UNESCO. By the end of the training participants will:
Understand what environmental education is Know how environmental
education complements teaching as well as engaging the wider public
in environmental issues Understand how environmental education complements
youth work Be able to apply environmental education in theory and
in practice Be aware of the latest trends and developments in environmental
education and education for sustainable development 08 Feb (Wed)
Environmental Education Day 2: Programme development & Curriculum
Links
More info at: http://www.ecounesco.ie/
29/11/11 A new website on Sustainable Development
Indicators has been developed by Comhar Sustainable Development Council
(SDC). It is available at Comhar’s website www.comharsdc.ie
or at www.comharsustainableindicators.ie.
This new website enables people to see how Ireland is performing in
relation to sustainable development. It features up-to-date information
and graphs on 20 headline indicators which inform us about progress
on sustainable development challenges including climate change and
clean energy, sustainable travel, economic prosperity, sustainable
consumption and production, conservation and management of natural
resources, public health, sustainable communities, land use and global
poverty. Economic and social development is dependent on a healthy
and functioning environment. One of the key challenges for Ireland
is to make sure that our development is sustainable and that we progress
towards a low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive society
It is very important to measure how well we are doing because what
is counted counts. Lasting change is built upon knowing where you
are, where you want to be and whether your actions are making a difference.
Indicators are a way of measuring, simplifying and communicating these
important issues. The presentation of such data in a simplified format
can help inform decisions on what actions may need to be taken. The
website has been designed for use by the general public, as well as
second level students and teachers, third level students and lecturers
and researchers. The website allows users to explore a range of different
statistics relating to these challenges. Each indicator is displayed
visually on a graph showing progress over time and Ireland is benchmarked
against other countries and the EU average. It provides concise and
up to date information on sustainable development in Ireland. There
are also many resources and links available for further reading and
learning. Benefits for Second Level Education The Sustainable Development
Indicators website is an excellent and useful tool for second level
educators and students, including in relation to geography, environmental
topics, society and social issues, health, citizenship, business studies,
and debating. It is an invaluable resource for use as a teaching reference
and study aid. It provides easy access to a wide variety of statistics
and an examination of progress over time and is extremely useful in
ensuring facts are current and relevant for pupils. It has particular
relevance for geography and CSPE. Geography students can explore a
range of graphs showing changes in land use, carbon emissions and
natural resources over time. For CSPE students, graphs showing changes
in public health, global poverty and sustainable consumption and production
over time demonstrate global and national trends and allow students
to make links between individual behaviour and social and environmental
consequences.
18/11/11 Trócaire's latest online web resource:
This resource entitled, 'Climate Change: A Call for Stewardship
and Global Solidarity' has been created for schools in both Northern
Ireland and the Republic of Ireland looking at the concepts of Interdependence
and Stewardship. In the Republic, it will link with CSPE and in the
North, it will link with Local and Global Citizenship. However the
resource is designed in a way that is adaptable to a number of educational
settings. The 8 skills based lesson plans presented, will facilitate
young people to develop a deeper understanding of environmental sustainability
and ensure a knowledgeable and reflective approach to action. Each
lesson contains a number of activities designed to be completed within
a single class period. Each activity has an accompanying slide or
slides to support the teacher as they carry out the lesson. Click
this link to access the resource: http://www.trocaire.org/education
3/11/11 The Knowing Dublin resource,
2011 edition, is now available from the Central Library (ILAC Centre)
. Also, the following presentations relating to the City are organised
in November. Thurs November 3rd at 1pm Knowing Dublin - Engineering
the City with Michael Philips, City Engineer Thurs November 24th Knowing
Dublin - the Story from the Archives with Dr. Mary Clark, City Archivist
Admission is free. Booking required: Tel 01 8734333 openlearning@dublincity.ie
14/10/11 Inservice from the CSPE Support
Service (notification and booking forms already sent to schools,
email us for brochure if you didn't get this): Inservice for teachers new to CSPE: Tues, 18th October 9:15
am to 4:00 pm Blackrock Education Centre; Wed, 19th October 9:15 am
to 4:00 pm Carrick-on-Shannon Ed Centre; Thurs, 20th October 9:15
am to 4:00 pm; Co Wexford Education Centre; Wed, 26th October 9:15
am to 4:00 pm Dublin West Education Centre; Thurs, 27th October 9:15
am to 4:00 pm Monaghan Education Centre. Action Projects and Assessments: Tues, 8th November 7:00 pm
to 9:30 pm Co Donegal Education Centre; Tues, 8th November 7:00 pm
to 9:30 pm Navan Education Centre; Wed, 9th November 7:00 pm to 9:30
pm Athlone Education Centre; Tues, 15th November 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm
Galway Education Centre; Tues, 15th November 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Kildare
Education Centre; Wed, 16th November 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Mayo Education
Centre; Wed, 16th November 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Waterford Teachers’
Centre; Thurs, 17th November 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Drumcondra Education
Centre; Tues, 22nd November 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Blackrock Education
Centre; Tues, 22nd November 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Limerick Education
Centre; Wed, 23rd November 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm West Cork Education
Centre; Tues, 29th November 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Kilkenny Education
Centre. Active Learning Methods and Rsources: Tues, 28th February 7:00
pm to 9:30 pm Cork Education Support Centre; Wed, 29th February 7:00
pm to 9:30 pm Drumcondra Education Centre; Thurs, 1st March 7:00 pm
to 9:30 pm Blackrock Education Centre; Tues, 6th March 7:00 pm to
9:30 pm Dublin West Education Centre; Tues, 6th March 7:00 pm to 9:30
pm Laois Education Centre; Wed, 7th March 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Co Wexford
Education Centre; Tues, 13th March 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Monaghan Education
Centre; Tues, 13th March 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Waterford Teachers’ Centre;
Wed, 14th March 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Sligo Education Centre; Wed, 14th
March 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Tralee Education Centre; Wed, 21st March
7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Clare Education Centre; Thurs, 22nd March 7:00
pm to 9:30 pm Mayo Education Centre.
5/10/11 Just a reminder - this has already
been notified to all schools in Cork. Workshop on the 7 Concepts
of CSPE Cork Education Centre Thurs 6th Oct 7 - 9 pm Organised
by Cork Branch Association of CSPE Teachers
21/9/11
Jersey Day: The annual Goal Jersey
Day is on Friday 7th October. The idea is that students wear their
favourite team jersey and contribute 2 Euro to the charity Goal. The
event is promoted among others by rugby player Jamie Heaslip. To register
and receive starter pack see www.goal.ie,
email jerseyday@goal.ie or
ring 01-2809779.
Tree
Day: For those exploring the environment in CSPE class, it's worth
noting that Tree Day takes place on Thursday 6th October. The Treeday
Website has resources that are mainly aimed at Primary schools,
but may also be useful for First Year CSPE students.
20/9/11 Reminder: This
year's Annual Conference and AGM of the Association will take place
on Saturday Oct 15th 2011 in Isaac's
Hotel, Dublin 1 (beside Busaras).
Guest speaker will be Maurice Manning (pictured on left), President
of the Irish Human Rights Commission. There will be workshops on Action
Projects, CSPE Inspection, the Environment, Democracy, CSPE and IT,
Human Rights and Trócaire's new interactive resource on climate change.
Information and booking forms were sent to schools in mid-September.
The form and brochure are also be available for download here
.
21/8/11
Interesting
quotes from: A Consultation with Young People on Reform of the
Junior Cycle (Government Publications, July 2011) [In November
2010 NCCA was involved in a consultation process with Dáil na nÓg
during which representatives from Comhairlí na nÓg around the country
debated the reform of the Junior Cycle. The report of the event was
launched in July 2011. We can send this document on request, but it,
and other related rsources are also on the NCCA website - www.ncca.ie
]
"Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE), Civic, Social and Political
Education (CSPE), English and Maths were the only subjects that young
people agreed should be compulsory at Junior Cycle level. But they
recommended that improvements should be made to the present forms
of SPHE and CSPE."
"...if SPHE and CSPE were to be compulsory, students would like these
subjects to be restructured and improved"
"Many participants called for the improvement of certain subjects
currently taught at Junior Cycle level. In general, students would
like more PE, SPHE and CSPE classes."
"A number of young people would like CSPE to be taught in a more structured
way."
"... subjects and activities deemed easy to learn were sports, music,
SPHE, CSPE, Maths, Irish and French."
"Almost all Senior Cycle students agreed that English, maths, Social,
Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and Civic, Social and Political
Education (CSPE) should be compulsory subjects at Junior Cycle level.
However, many students would like the present forms of SPHE and CSPE
to be restructured, taught differently and allocated more time" "Many
participants would like more CSPE classes and the option of having
an advanced level within the subject so more can be learned."
Wed
Sept 21st 2011 marks the UN International Day of Peace, and
this year, Irish group Instruments of Peace are hosting an event in
the National Convention Centre on the quays in Dublin near the O2
and Financial Services Centre, from 9 am to 6 pm. There will be workshops
and keynote
speakers, including Richard Moore, founder of Children in Crossfire.
There will be musical performances in between the speeches, each person
performing their talent with utmost care to enhance the spirit of
the Conference which is that of experiencing Peace rather than just
of talking about Peace issues. More info and an opportunity to register
here.
16/7/11 This year's Annual Conference
and AGM of the Association will take place on Saturday Oct 15th
2011 in Isaac's
Hotel, Dublin 1 (beside Busaras). Guest speaker will be Maurice
Manning, President of the Irish Human Rights Commission. There will
be workshops on Action Projects, the Environment, Democracy, CSPE
and IT, Human Rights and new Trócaire resources. Information
and booking forms will be sent to schools in early September. The
form will also be available for download here when details are finalised.
14/6/11 Exam Paper Response:
Here is the initial response of the Association of CSPE Teachers to
yesterday's CSPE Paper. The Association of CSPE Teachers gives a broad
welcome to this year's CSPE paper. It was fair, though a little more
bland and less imaginative than last year. The paper had welcome topical
elements, including a substantial question on the forthcoming presidential
election, and the opening question on significant public buildings,
including the White House and Buckingham Palace, topical because of
recent state visits. Useful visual clues were given - eg Irish flag
over Aras an Uachtaráin. This opening question showing pictures of
buildings was unusual in that this question usually shows pictures
of well-known public figures. Buildings did feature on a previous
CSPE paper but this was many years ago. The political content of the
paper was relatively low, apart from the presidential question (eg
nothing on political parties). Students were asked about terms such
as "Ceann Comhairle", "Ombudsman" and "Presiding Officer" - the latter
in particular was a challenging question for young people. It would
have been better to have asked about the "Ombudsman for Children".
Unusually there was no question on individuals - eg public figures,
human rights campaigners etc. The "Electric Car" question was a good
question on the environment, and students were required to show an
understanding of the concept of "stewardship", a core concept for
CSPE. The question was diffused somewhat by bringing in other campaigns
like "Power of One" and "Earth Hour". The question on employment rights
of young people was relevant, but the stimulus material given was
too wordy and and dense. The question on naming "two rights" was not
as closely related to the text as it should have been. The question
on Africa took as its starting point the website homepage of "Africa
Also Smiles", which was a good approach as young people are so web-savy.
The last section, with the longer questions, was well balanced. It
was good to see questions where the students could respond by making
posters. This will suit students who do well when expressing themselves
visually. There was a a good combination of local, national and international
issues in this section.
10/6/11 Politics for Idiots: This
is a new site that doesn’t contain much of use to CSPE teachers except
for one gem – a repackaged version of the National Adult Literacy
Agency’s Plain English Guide to Political Terms. This is a very useful
resource for CSPE and having this electronic version allows the teacher
to edit the material – e.g. producing a slimmed down version for CSPE
classes, or using some of the political terms for CSPE assessments.
The resource is available here: http://www.irishpoliticsforidiots.com/?page_id=116
New Resources
There
are quite a few CSPE Resources available for download on a
blog by Peter Barry of NUIM. Peter’s blog is at: http://edtech.nuim.ie/users/pbarry/search/?q=pbarry&fields=lastModifiedAuthor#
Resources include Powerpoint presentations on Law, Stewardship
and Development. There are some pdf files as well, along with some
“pez” files. These are presentations made with Prezi, a promising
presentation tool that allows greater freedom and special effects
for your presentations. There is a free option with Prezi, and for
teachers and students there’s an educational version that allows access
to some advanced features. Check it out at www.prezi.com
Film
Clip Resources: Wingclips (www.wingclips.com)
is a website that provides readymade film clips on a variety of themes.
While it is mainly aimed at Religious Education, many of the clips
highlights themes associated with CSPE, such as law, activism, homelessness,
disability etc. You can subscribe to the free version of Wingclips
and get access to many of the clips, which can be streamed from the
site and/or downloaded. The paid version offers higher resolution
video and access to recent hit films.
7/6/11 Exam Review Meeting: There
will a meeting to discuss this year's CSPE paper and feed back to
the press and the State Examinations Commission in the Blackrock Education
Centre, Kill Avenue, Dublin from 3.30 pm Mon 13th June (the CSPE paper
is on that day 1.30
pm to 3 pm.). All members are
encouraged to attend.
Election Resource:
The CSPE Support Service has compiled a chart of this year's general
election results. It might be useful as a reference work or as the
basis for a question in a CSPE test. Check it out at: http://cspe.slss.ie/resources/c/3/40/GE2011ResultsCH.xls
MerrionStreet.ie
is a new service that should be useful to CSPE teachers. The website
provides resources like video clips, photos, documents relating to
the business of government and more. Videos include clips from Oireachtas
debates and visitors to the Oireachtas. The "Issues" section includes
an item on the Green Schools programme and the Irish Defence Forces.
You can also sign up for an email newsletter.
30/5/11 The Product Shop has a set of Powerpoint
slides available on CD-Rom for CSPE. There are six sets of slides,
each set containing 6--160 slides. Main topics are: What is CSPE?
The Community, The State, The Individual and Citizenship, World Trade
and Overseas Aid, Global Citizenship and International Relations.
Prices vary from 35 Euro to 50 Euro per set. All six sets can be bought
for 150 Euro. More info here: http://www.theproductshopeire.com/4.html
2/4/11 The Global Campaign for Education
has chosen the theme of "Women and Girls' Education" for
this year's Education for All Global Action Week, May 2nd to 8th.
Educational materials will be sent to schools to promote the event.
Reminder:
April 10 is Census Day, and CSO has produced a resource for
CSPE - you can download it here.
20/3/11 Our Press Officer Bernadine O'Sullivan
will be running for the Senate (NUI Panel) in the upcoming election.
Bernadine is a founder member of the Association and has served previously
as treasurer. She has also been President of the Association of Secondary
Teachers.
Upcoming programmes
of interest: Aung San Suu Kyi - Lady With No Fear - RTE
1 Wed (night) 30 March 12.05 am: We know Aung San Suu Kyi as "a golden
bird in a cage "; she is a valuable icon representing freedom and
democracy of which the suppressed population of Burma much hopes for.
But who is the person and woman behind it all? In this film her close
family, friends and close colleagues tell about a daughter, a wife,
a friend, a mother, a rebel - that early in life met deep grief and
deprivation.
Unreported World Channel 4 Fri 1 April 7.30 pm: Reporter Aidan
Hartley and director Ed Braman travel to Eastern Congo to witness
the remarkable work of one man who liberates the child soldiers who
have been forced to fight in one of the world's longest-running conflicts.
9/3/11 New Cabinet:. Handout with
pics available on request (will also be in next Activate Newsletter
due out early next week). Revised Powerpoint of "Famous Faces" for
CSPE also available on request. See also here
for handout on new cabinet with pictures.
The New Cabinet:
Enda Kenny, Taoiseach; Eamonn Gilmore: Tánaiste and Minister for Froeign
Affairs and Trade; Michael Noonan, Minister for Finance; Brendan Howlin,
Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform; Alan Shatter Minister for
Justice, Equality & Defence; Joan Burton: Minister for Social Protection;
James Reilly: Minister for Health; Frances Fitzgerald: Minister for
Children; Ruairi Quinn: Minister for Education & Skills; Richard Bruton:
Minister for Enterprise, Jobs & Innovation; Leo Varadkar Minister
for Transport, Tourism & Sport; Phil Hogan: Minister for Environment,
Community & Local Government; Jimmy Deenihan: Minister for Arts, Heritage
& Gaeltacht Affairs; Pat Rabbitte: Minister for Communications, Energy
& Natural Resources; Simon Coveney: Minister for Agriculture, Marine
& Food. Willie Penrose: 'super junior minister' at Environment with
responsibility for housing and planning. Paul Kehoe: Government Chief
Whip. Aine Whelan: Attorney General.
23/2/11 RAP Changes There are changes to this year’s proforma booklets
- the following Sections of the Report on the Action Project (RAP)
for this year’s 3rd Year CSPE students: Section 2: Page 2, Part (a);
Page 3 (b) Section 3: Page 3, Part (a); Page 7, Part (d) Section 4:
Page 8 Section 5: Page 9 For more information on these changes download
the latest CitizeNews newsletter from here.
New Trócaire
Resources: Trócaire has new resources online dealing with Honduras.
You can access them here
This year's deadline
for the completion of RAPs and CWABs will be much earlier this
year - Friday, 15th April 2011. Blank RAPs and CWABs for this year's
examination candidates will be sent to schools directly by the State
Examinations Commission. If you have any queries contact Ms. Majella
Smyth at 0906-442700 0906-442700 . The completed RAPs and CWABs are
handed up in schools and retained securely in schools until the day
of the written examination when they are handed over to the Examination
Superintendent.
Census 2010: census will
be undertaken on 10th April next. A key component of the success of
the census is to make the general public aware that it is happening
and of the benefits of the census. The CSO has developed a dedicated
census website, www.census.ie,
which will provide information and assistance for the public in relation
to the census, including a helpdesk facility. This will include CSPE
lesson modules.
Here below are
the dates, times and venues for professional development opportunities
for teachers of Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) during
the Spring term. We can send application forms on request. These should
also have arrived in schools by now. The theme of the workshops this
term is Using Film in the CSPE Classroom. These workshops will
provide opportunities for participants to explore creative and innovative
ways of engaging students in their learning of the CSPE Concepts/Units
of study through the use of a variety of film clips/DVDs. Each workshop
will include suitable methodologies aimed at encouraging the participation
of students of all abilities. These workshops are in collaboration
with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. With funding from Trócaire
they have developed a set of teaching materials on human rights and
film, particularly for use in Civic, Social and Political Education.
The materials use a number of the shortlisted films from the last
two years of the ICCL Human Rights Film Awards as points of discussion
for various human rights issues and as inspiration for student-made
short films on human rights. The ICCL have recently launched a Human
Rights Film Award specifically for young people, entitled ‘Human Rights
in Under a Minute Challenge’ - a new stream of the competition calling
on young people to create their own 30-60 second human rights film.
www.humanrightsfilmawards.org
Together with the film resource from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties
each participant will receive a selection of other film resources
at the workshop, including the following: A View from Here
- from the Irish Wheelchair Association Experiences of Childhood
- Development Media Workshop The President of Ireland: Role
and Functions The Houses of the Oireachtas 2020 Vision - A
Closer Look at Ireland’s Environment - from the Environmental
Protection Agency Ireland and the European Union - from the
European Commission Dates:
Mon, 21st March 7:00 to 9:30 pm Carrick-on-Shannon Education Centre;
Tues, 22nd March 7:00 to 9:30 pm Mayo Education Centre; Wed, 23rd
March 7:00 to 9:30 pm Blackrock Education Centre; Wed, 23rd March
7:00 to 9:30 pm Drumcondra Education Centre; Wed, 23rd March 7:00
to 9:30 pm Limerick Education Centre; Mon, 28th March 7:00 to 9:30
pm Cork Education Support Centre; Tues, 29th March 7:00 to 9:30 pm
Kildare Education Centre; Tues, 29th March 7:00 to 9:30 pm Laois Education
Centre; Wed, 30th March 7:00 to 9:30 pm Galway Education Centre; Wed,
30th March 7:00 to 9:30 pm Kilkenny Education Centre; Wed, 30th March
7:00 to 9:30 pm Monaghan Education Centre; Wed, 30th March 7:00 to
9:30 pm Waterford Teachers’ Centre
26/1/11 With an General Election looming
it might be an idea for Junior CSPE classes to organise a voter registration
campaign among the seniors. Many of these will have turned 18 and
will be eligible to vote if they get registered on time. Once an election
is announced there will be a short window of opportunity to get listed
on a supplementary register. Useful info and downloadable forms are
available at www.checktheregister.ie/
and at www.environ.ie/
(many other useful resources here too). Over the last year or so many
of you have requested and been sent our revision Powerpoints. With
the current changes in government many of the "famous faces" and their
positions are out of date. When things settle down we will offer a
revised version! Of course you can always edit these presentations
yourself.
16/12/10 There's a TY Teachers' Conference
on teaching global issues coming up on Sat 5th Feb, in the Athlone
Springs Hotel. "Back to Basics" is organised by Trocaire
and Comhlamh. To register contact Ruth at campaign@debtireland.org
or 01-6174835. Speakers include Michael O'Leary, National C-Ordinator
TY and Annette Honan of NCCA. There will also be workshops from the
Debt and Development Coalition and EcoUnesco. We can send Conference
brochure as attachment on request, or click here.
4/11/11 Inservice Courses Teaching CSPE to students in need of learning support: Target
Group: A series of Evening Workshops has been organised for all teachers
of Civic, Social and Political Education who wish to explore a variety
of approaches, methodologies, classroom strategies and appropriate
resources for use with students who require additional support Course
Aims: The workshop will look at how to teach the seven concepts, differentiating
the work, teaching reading, the use of visuals, appropriate active
learning methods, graphic organizers, etc. Appropriate Action Projects
will also be discussed and how to tackle the reporting of these. All
courses 7 pm to 9.30 pm
Blackrock Education Centre Mon 22 Nov; Cork Education Support Centre
Mon 22 Nov; Co. Wexford Education Centre Tue 23 Nov; Athlone Education
Centre Tue 23 Nov; Kilkenny Education Centre Wed 24 Nov; Mayo Education
Centre Thu 25 Nov; Limerick Education Centre Thu 25 Nov ; Dublin West
Education Centre Tue 30 Nov Laois Education Centre Tue 30 Nov; Galway
Education Centre Wed 1 Dec; Sligo Education Centre Thu 2 Dec. Undertaking CSPE Action Projects and Their Assessment: Target
Group: Teachers of Civic, Social and Political Education who have
any concerns or who have never organised and managed Action. Projects
and who wish to learn about the Report on the Action Project (RAP)
and the Course-Work Assessment Book (CWAB) assessment instruments
Course Aims: This course provides teachers with a step-by-step approach
to organising and managing an Action Project from beginning to end.
Strategies in how to facilitate students in finding a suitable Issue
will be explored. The managing of tasks/groups/committees will be
discussed. Teachers will be encouraged to share their own experiences
of undertaking Action Projects while experienced CSPE teachers will
also be there to share examples of Action Projects they have undertaken.
Blackrock Education Centre Tue 2 Nov ; Cork Education Support Centre
Tue 2 Nov ; Mayo Education Centre Tue 2 Nov ; Donegal Education Centre
Wed 3 Nov ; Navan Education Centre Wed 3 Nov ; Clare Education Centre
Thu 4 Nov ; Laois Education Centre Mon 8 Nov Drumcondra Education
Centre Tue 9 Nov ; West Cork Education Centre Tue 9 Nov ; Tralee Education
Centre Wed 10 Nov ; Kildare Education Centre Wed 10 Nov ; Kilkenny
Education Centre Thu 11 Nov.
ECO-UNESCO:
Young Environmentalist Awards 2011: Registration is now open for Ireland's
most exciting environmental awards programme for young people, the
ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards. The Awards recognise and
reward the achievements of young people in environmental protection
and are open to any group of young people, aged 10-18, who want to
take action on key environmental issues such as climate change, energy,
waste, biodiversity, transport and more...Get some inspiration for
projects from the clip of last May's
ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards Showcase at the Mansion house.
View the clip on the blog. Contact: Aine Bird, Intern, ECO-UNESCO,
'the greenhouse', 17 St., Andrew St., Dublin 2 (T: +353 (0) 1 6625491;F:
+353 (0) 1 6625493;E: interns@ecounesco.ie W: www.ecounesco.ie PHOTO
COMPETITION: Life, Camera, Action! - submission date approaching for
photo & film competition. Celebrate the UN International Year of Biodiversity
by taking part in ECO-UNESCO's summer photo & film exhibition! Taking
part couldn't be easier. Simply send ECO-UNESCO your photos or short
films on the theme of Biodiversity and be in with the chance to WIN
a masterclass in wildlife documentary making, and a host of other
great prizes! Find out how to take part. ALL entries will be exhibited
at The Greenhouse, Dublin city centre, in the run up to the ECO-UNESCO
National Youth ECO-Forum 2010 World Wild Web: Young People Exploring
Biodiversity.
ECO-UNESCO's Youth for Sustainable Development Seminar 2011 Take part
in ECO-UNESCO's Youth for Sustainable Development Seminar 2011 For
Young People aged 15-18, Youth Workers, Youth Leaders, Teachers or
Educators from Community Organisations and NGOs. Venue: ECO-UNESCO,
The Greenhouse, 17 St Andrew Street, Dublin 2, 30th of March 2011
(TBC) FREE! To register, just e-mail ysd@ecounesco.ie or call+ 353
(0)1 662 54 91 . For more information contact ECO-UNESCO Youth for
Sustainable Development Co-ordinator ysd@ecounesco.ie .
LawEd:
LawEd is a TY course designed to inform students about the law - the
Irish legal system, consumer rights, employment rights and more. More
information: www.lawed.ie
What
Do You Say? Is a new range of materials for CSPE from the Ombudsman's
Office, and is downloadable from the website: www.oco.ie
. A limited number of printed copies is also available. Contact oco@oco.ie
or ring (01) 8656800 . Topics include "Having a Voice", "Family Care",
"Wealth and Material Deprivation", "Young People and Education". The
pack comes with a set of posters, suggested activities and ideas for
Action Projects. From the introduction: "The purpose of this resource
is to make young people more aware of children's rights and to highlight
how they apply to them in their everyday lives. The materials also
highlight the role and work of the Ombudsman for Children's Office".
13/10/10 Brochures for our Annual Conference and
AGM are now available. Click here
to download (pdf document), or request as Word document using contact
details above. Keynote
speaker is Fergus Finlay, Chief Executive of Barnardos (and possible
candidate for the Presidency in 2011). Workshops include - Homelessness
– Focus Ireland, CSPE and the Environment – Sustainable Energy Ireland,
Age Issues in the Constitution, Oireachtas Outreach as Action Project,
CSPE and IT Resources and Methodologies and our usual workshops on
managing and reporting on Action Projects.
26/9/10
New Trocaire Resource: Trocaire's
latest education resource for CSPE is now available for teachers.
Entitled, "The Business of Food: Who Makes the Rules", it explores
the impact of trade on global hunger and poverty. It contains classroom
activities for teachers, ideas for taking action and an accompanying
DVD. Based on an evaluation of our materials, this resource aims to
replace Trocaire's CSPE Lent resource, with the hope that by receiving
CSPE education resources in the first academic term, it will assist
teachers in their yearly planning and preparation.
Trocaire also has a resource for CSPE relating to the floods in Pakistan.
The resource is packed full of interesting facts and activities which
will allow teachers and students to explore the CSPE/Citizenship concepts
of interdependence and human dignity, by bringing the issues facing
Pakistan to life in the classroom. The resource can be downloaded
here.
19/9/10
The Oireachtas Outreach Programme will run again this year
and volunteers schools are sought. They are limiting the number to
60/70 before Christmas and hoping that those classes availaing of
the workshop would intend to use them as Action Projects. They are
also seeking a regional spread. They will go to the schools for the
workshop and bring local TDs/representatives for Q and A." Contact
Noel Murphy at the Oireachtas Outreach. Communications Unit Tel: 6184403.
Advance Notice:
Our Annual Conference and AGM for 2010 will take place on Saturday
Nov 6th in the Hilton
Hotel, Kilmainham. Keynote speaker is Fergus Finlay, Chief Executive
of Barnardos (and possible candidate for the Presidency in 2011).
We will have our usual workshops on managing and reporting on Action
Projects, along with themed workshops. More details and brochures
will be available shortly.
22/7/10 TEACHING
THE HOLOCAUSTThree-day Summer Course for Teachers 16, 17 and 18 August 2010
This programme is supported by the Teacher Education Section of the
Department of Education & Skills, Ireland; the Claims Conference,
USA This course is DES approved for 2 EPV days for primary school
level. Venue: The Herzog Centre for Jewish and Near Eastern Religion
and Culture, Trinity College, Dublin 2. Fee: €250.00 (inclusive of
all seminars, lunches and evening meals) For more information about
this programme as part of the Certificate in Holocaust Education,
check out: www.hetireland.org
or contact the HETI office: Telephone: + 353 1 6690593 Email: info@hetireland.org
.
Trinity College
Dublin in association with Holocaust Education Trust Ireland Certificate
in Holocaust Education Continuous Professional Development for
teachers, educators, clergy and community workers A programme comprising
4 modules A certificate in Holocaust education providing in-depth
tuition on the historical significance and contemporary resonance
of the Holocaust. The programme provides participants with information,
tools and skills to address this subject in their areas of work, and
to develop pedagogic expertise to complement their knowledge. The
programme is divided into four modules, all of which must be completed
by participants who wish to attain the certificate which is validated
by Trinity College Dublin. For further information, please contact
HETI Tel: 01 6690593 Email: info@hetireland.org
Our Cork Branch
also met in June to review the exam paper, and provided the following
commentary:
General commentson CSPE Exam Paper
The paper was structured so that there was something for everybody
and it took account of all abilities.
Section 1 and 2 was quite challenging in places for a common level
paper.
Section 3 had questions which were manageable for weaker students
but also had questions for the stronger candidates in the subject.
Section 1 Question 1 was deemed to be fair
Question 2 (a) 2 answers required one mark awarded. (d) the language
was a little ambiguous "Chief Law Officer"
Question 3 the layout was a little confusing keeping in mind weaker
candidates (c) a very technical question on a common paper with a
broad syllabus.
Section 2 Question.1 (b) requires two similar answers and 3 marks
awarded (c) the language and style of question was difficult Question
2 (a) third part requires three pieces of information for one mark
(c) Difficult question for common paper
Question 3 (a) five pieces of information and only 4 marks awarded.
(b) three pieces of information required and only 2 marks awarded
Question 4 (b) possible to link all issues on the exemplar material.
Very little space given to 'Name' and 'Explain'
Section 3 Question 3 It was felt read much easier than Question 1
and 2.
Question 4 This makes assumptions about access to Bebo and Facebook
which some candidates may not have experienced.
The use of language may act as a disincentive for students to attempt
question 1 and 2 in this section. 'interested in this practice' may
prove difficult for weaker students. Comparing Question 2 part (a)
making notes for speakers for 6 marks and Question 3 part (b) where
the candidate is even given headings for paragraphs for 6 marks may
highlight unfair weighting on one question over another and allow
candidates to be awarded more for less effort.
15/6/10 CSPE Exam Paper 2010 - Response
of the Association of CSPE Teachers Overall the paper deserves a welcome - quite a good spread of
topics and activities, though parts of the paper were more demanding
than is usual. Section 1: The Picture question - It was interesting to see
Queen Elizabeth in combination with Mary McAleese! José Manuel Barroso
was the least recognisable of the four. Students might this right
by process of elimination. Some of the short questions were difficult
- e.g. the question about which government department is responsible
for voting and elections. Likewise the question on the Constitution
(whether the "numbered points" were Acts, Clauses, Articles or Paragraphs)
would have posed difficulties. Section 2: The stimulus questions were good - a good spread
of topics - Human Rights (Burma), EU, the Environment and Development
issues. The colour inserts were well produced - e.g. the statistics
in the Third World question were well presented visually. Some of
the stimulus material however was very heavy on text, which would
have been difficult for some students. The EU question, on ring-tone
scams was very appropriate - showing how EU legislation can impact
on young people's lives. These questions also provided plenty of opportunity
for students to express their opinions, eg on the issue of some bands
and movie stars supporting campaigns against human rights abuses.
Section 3: The longer questions - The question on the environment
had a good variety of tasks. The question on democracy (voter turnout
issue) was a good question. Again welcome for young people there were
more referencess to mobile phones - in the context of Obama's use
of text messaging in his successful campaign. The social networking
question (Facebook, Bebo etc) was welcome but as it was online-safety
orientated it was more appropriate for SPHE. It could have been closer
to the core concepts of CSPE - eg dealing with the issue of online
bullying or the creation of online communities.
The CSPE paper can be viewed here.
13/6/10 Exam Review Meetings: Our
annual meeting to discuss the CSPE paper will take place in the Blackrock
Education Centre on Mon 14th June from 3.30 pm. All members welcome.
This year also, for the first time, Cork is also having an Exam Review
meeting - Viaduct
Inn, Bishopstown 7 pm. All members welcome.
12/5/10
Our Powerpoint of "Famous Faces" for CSPE has been updated
to take account of recent changes, with some new additions - useful
as a revision aid. If you'd like it sent as an attachment please contact
us at info@cspeteachers.ie.
Also details of the new cabinet is available here: http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=14575&&CatID=67
Folens have informed us that their textbook Make a Difference
will be updated for Sept 2011. In the meantime the text is available
online. You can view the the text if you are registed at www.folensonline.ie
If not registered (it's free) you can preview the text and the onscreen
reader here: http://postprimary.folensonline.ie/BookPlayer3/?book=164
30/3/10 ThinkB4UClick
is a Resource for CSPE that aims to empower students to be effective,
autonomous and safe users of new media. The various activities, including
surveys, comic strip, reflections and Action Project ideas deal with
issues such as privacy online and legal issues relating to use of
new media. Included is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
and the Webwise Charter of Online Rights of the Child. The resource
can be downloaded from here,
either in full or section by section. ThinkB4UClick is jointly published
by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the National Centre for
Technology in Education.
29/3/10 New
Edition of Impact:
Impact! 5th ed CSPE for Junior Certificate by Jeanne Barrett and Fiona
Richardson, taking into account all recent major social and political
changes, up-to-date case studies and topics including: - Cyber-bullying
- Climate change - Human Rights and Children’s Rights - The Ombudsman
for Children - Micro-credit for the poor - Aids orphans - Your Rights
in Law, including guides to Action Projects and Skills • Identifies
Core Concepts of the CSPE course and relates them to current issues
and topics • In-depth coverage of how to complete a Report on an Action
project (RAP). Relevant CSPE core concepts highlighted throughout
Online testing for homework and revision will be available for this
textbook on the new eTest.ie website. The book is published by Gill
and Macmillan. More info here.
25/3/10 New CSPE
Textbooks: Stand
Up, Speak Up is written by Hugh Holmes and Gearóidín O'Dwyer,
and comes with an Activity Book. The text is organised in accorance
with the 7 Concepts of CSPE. There are case studies, glossaries of
terms in English and Irish, Exam Practice exercises and a section
on assessment. It is published by Mentor.
[Added later: See also Resources page].
One World, Second Edition is written by Deirdre Murphy and
Jim Ryan, and published by the Educational
Company. It comes with a free workbook, and is structured around
the 7 Concepts of CSPE. More info here.
[Added later: See also Resources page].
Focus
Ireland Resource: The module is titled "Without Your Home Your
Life Develops Differently", and is a practical teaching tool for Civic
Social & Political Education (CSPE) classes to help inform students
about homelessness and housing need in Ireland. The free learning
resource aims to help breakdown stereotypes about people who are homeless
and also support efforts to prevent young people who may be at risk
of becoming homeless. Focus Ireland's education programme is supported
by essential funding from City of Dublin Youth Services Board (CDYSB).
Contact Lucinda McNally - Communications Officer Focus Ireland. Ph:
01 881 5964 or Roughan Mac Namara - Advocacy Manager Focus Ireland.
Ph: 01 8815 900. CSPE teachers can also order the module from Focus
Ireland’s Research Officer, Sinead McGinley at 01 8815900 or by emailing
smcginley@focusireland.ie.
[Added later: See also Resources page].
2/3/10 Evening Workshops:
Sustainable
Development and CSPE, Thursday 11th March 6.30 to 9 pm in the
Curricuum Development Unit, Sundrive Rd Dublin 12. Please book in
advance as places are limited to 20.Brochure
here.
Aid
in an Unequal World: (Trócaire Workshops) Citizenship Resource
from Trócaire - 'A Question of Aid: Aid in an Unequal World' focuses
on the concepts of Development, Interdependence and Rights and Responsibilities.
Each participant will receive a copy of the resource pack which consists
of Teachers's Notes and a DVD. Dates: Monday 22nd March Dublin West
Education Centre; Tuesday 23rd March Kilkenny Education Centre; Wednesday
24th March Limerick Education Centre; Thursday 25th March Carrick-on-Shannon
Ed Centre. Brochure here.
Journey Through
Europe: Workshops that will focus on the concepts of Interdependence
and Democracy and specifically on the European Union. The new resource
pack 'Journey through Europe' which consists of a resource folder,
maps, CD-Rom Activity, a Jigsaw based on the 27 Member States, a map
of the European Union and a wall chart will be given to each participant.
Dates: Tuesday 2nd March Kildare Education Centre; Wednesday 3rd March
Navan Education Centre; Wednesday 3rd March Tralee Education Centre;
Tuesday 9th March Sligo Education Centre; Wednesday 10th March Galway
Education Centre; Thursday 11th March Cork Education Support Centre.
Brochure here.
Conference
for Teachers: TEACHERS
MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONLINE "Positive, practical responses in the classroom
to what students are doing online", Saturday 27 March 2010, Lismullin
Conference Centre, Co Meath, with speakers from Google and National
Council for Technology Education (NCTE), and also student speakers.
Time: 10.30am - 5.00pm [Registration: 10.00am] Cost: €50 (includes
lunch and refreshments). Brochure here.
Booking here.
10/2/10 Information
has arrived in schols about the Concern Creative Writing Competition
for 2010. The task is to write the speech you would give to world
leaders on ONE of the Millenium Development Goals. Deadline is 21st
March. There's a Junior, Senior and Adult category. Prizes include
netbooks, e-readers, and mp 3 players. More info: www.concern.net/writingcompetition
2/2/10 A new DVD
on bullying has been sent to all secondary schools, addressed
to principals. It's from the people who run www.antibullyingcampaign.ie
It includes four video presentations. It was indicated on the envelope
that the DVD should be passed on to Guidance Counsellors, Anti-Bullying
Team members and Pastoral Care personnel. There are question sheets
on the website that can be downloaded and either copied and distributed
to a class group to answer after watching one of the films or that
the teacher can ask in the class to generate discussion after viewing.
The campaign is not in a position to send further copies of the DVD
so they suggest making several backup duplicate copies of the disk.
21/1/10 Haiti Resource:
The Education Unit in Trócaire has produced a Post Primary school
resource on the recent earthquake in Haiti http://www.trocaire.org/resources/schoolresources
. This is a Powerpoint Presentation which can be played directly from
the Trocaire site or saved to your computer. It links in with CSPE,
Jnr Cert Geography and English.
19/1/10 Trocaire resources for this year's Leten Campaign have been
arriving in schools. Resources suitable for CSPE are included - among
the resources are a full colour photo pack suitable for Post Primary
schools along with a range of varied activities.
Holocaust Education
Trust Ireland and Dublin City Libraries in association with Galicia
Jewish Museum, Kraków invite you to view the Exhibition: FIGHTING
FOR DIGNITY: JEWISH RESISTANCE IN KRAKÓW. 18 January 2010 – 20 February
2010 Central Library, Ilac Centre Henry Street, Dublin 1. All enquiries
to: Open Learning Centre, Central Library Tel: 01 8734333 Email: centrallibrary@dublincity.ie
SECONDARY SCHOOLS: The exhibition is open 6 days a week and viewing
for schools is recommended. Guided tours may be booked directly with
the library, worksheets and video recordings of Holocaust survivors
will also be available.
17/11/09 News of an interesting event from
Link
Community Development Ireland (LCD): Cairo to Cape Town Challenge
2010! On March 26th, 2010, students can cross the Continent of
Africa, without leaving their own yard and raise money for schools
in Africa! This event is open to businesses, school and clubs or any
group of people who want to get involved. Schools and clubs may retain
15% of the total funds raised and everyone will be in with a chance
of winning fantastic prizes! If you're interested in finding out more
about the Cairo to Cape Town Challenge 2010, email info@lcd.ie
or text “CCC” to 087 9697623 with your name and contact details. Every
participating business, school, club or group will receive a pack
of materials, including an Interactive Map of Africa to complete the
cross-continental Challenge on the big day.
Khulungira
- Harvesting Hope in an African Village is a new multimedia exhibit
about the power and promise of science for Africa's smallholder farmers.
TY and CSPE classes are invited to visit. It's at the Irish Aid Volunteering
and Information Centre, 27-31 Upper O'Connel St, Dublin 1. There are
also permanent exhibtions and workshops on Irish Aid in general. To
book contact Andrée Kearney at 01-8546934.
8/11/09 The deadline for the closing of the
consultation process on the new 'Politics and Society' syllabus
for Senior Cycle is rapidly approaching - it's Fri 13th November.
You can complete an online survey, if you haven't done so already
by clicking here.
This brings you to the consultation page. Then click on Politics and
Society Questionnaire. You can also send in a written submission to
psconsultation@ncca.ie.
You can also use snail mail, if you'd rather and send your comments
to NCCA, 24, Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
3/11/09 From SLSS Website: Local Facilitators for Cultural and Environmental Education Subjects:
The Second Level Support Service is looking to work with teachers
of Ancient Greek, Art, Classical Studies, CSPE, ESS, Geography, History,
Latin and Music interested in facilitating workshops and courses in
local education centres for fellow teachers. We are looking to meet
teachers who love teaching their subject and who would like to share
their enthusiasm, creativity, methodologies and strategies with their
colleagues. If you are interested in becoming involved as a Local
Facilitator, you are invited to contact Conor Harrison, National Co-ordinator
- Cultural and Environmental Education, Second Level Support Service
(conorharrison@slss.ie) with your contact details and areas of interest/expertise
to express an interest in being involved. So, if you would like to
meet other dynamic, creative and enthusiastic teachers of any of the
subjects in the cultural and environmental education suite of subjects
please forward your details without delay! Conor Harrison, National
Co-ordinator - Cultural and Environmental Education, Second Level
Support Service, County Wexford Education Centre, Milehouse Road,
Enniscorthy, County Wexford.
27/10/09 Two new resources/initiatives to
report:
1. Show Racism the Red Card are calling for entries to their
inaugural Online Creative Anti-Racism Competition. Please follow the
competition link on www.theredcard.ie
To further assist teachers in the delivery of the anti-racism education
pack, there is a training briefing on Wednesday November 11th 4-6pm
at the Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9. Each
participant will receive the education pack as part of the course.
The schools competition is sponsored by the Office of the Minister
for Integration and supported by ASTI, INTO, TUI and the three players
associations PFAI, IRUPA and GPA. Anti- racism and the curriculum.
The Show Racism the Red Card education pack can be a useful aid in
a range of subjects of the school curriculum. It may be used to teach
aspects of history, geography, religion and other subjects. It is
particularly useful in the following areas of primary and second level
education.Second level The education pack can be used for promoting
understanding of Belonging & Integration unit of the SPHE curriculum.
It also can be used to promoting understanding of Rights & Responsibilities
module of CSPE. The pack serves to support the active learning process
of both subjects. There are also action project ideas in the pack
which could be implemented as part of the student’s work. School Anti-
Bullying programmes - The education pack is useful in conveying understanding
around the issue of recognising and responding to bullying. Activities
5,6 of the education pack used in conjunction with the DVD can serve
to promote recognition of how to respond to bullying. They serve to
show that everyone has a responsibility in responding to racism in
sport and this should also be the case in other aspects of life. More
info: Show Racism the Red Card, Carnichael Centre for Voluntary Groups,
North Brunswick Street, Dublin 7 Tel. 00353 1 8280018 Mobile. 00353
86 392 7650 For more information- info@theredcard.ie
2. Anti-Bullying
Campaign This is a new
website aimed at Irish schools on the topic of bullying. There is
a wide range of resources on the site, many of which are relevant
to CSPE. Registration (free) is necessary to access the resource materials.
There are materials for students, teachers and management. The website
offers materials that can be used in schools to raise awareness about
bullying, whether in CSPE classes or not, as well as materials that
can be used to identify bullying and deal with it when it arises.The
site also includes a Discussion Forum section.
20/10/09 A new edition (2009) of the resource
Knowing Dublin is now available - it deals with the workings
of democracy in Dublin City Council. A pdf version of the resource
is available from us on request (in English or Irish). For a hard
copy contact Bernadette Cogan at: bernadette.cogan@dublincity.ie
The
Young Environmentalists Awards for 2010, organised by Ecounesco,
is open for registration. Deadline as usual is the last Friday in
November. More information, and a registration form is available here.
Local Facilitators:
The Second Level Support Service is looking to work with teachers
of Ancient Greek, Art, Classical Studies, CSPE, ESS, Geography, History,
Latin and Music interested in facilitating workshops and courses in
local education centres for fellow teachers. We are looking to meet
teachers who love teaching their subject and who would like to share
their enthusiasm, creativity, methodologies and strategies with their
colleagues. If you are interested in becoming involved as a Local
Facilitator, you are invited to contact Conor Harrison, National Co-ordinator
- Cultural and Environmental Education, Second Level Support Service
(conorharrison@slss.ie)
with your contact details and areas of interest/expertise to express
an interest in being involved. So, if you would like to meet other
dynamic, creative and enthusiastic teachers of any of the subjects
in the cultural and environmental education suite of subjects please
forward your details without delay!
Conor Harrison, National Co-ordinator - Cultural and Environmental
Education, Second Level Support Service, County Wexford Education
Centre, Milehouse Road, Enniscorthy, County Wexford.
30/9/09 Official
Inservice: Conor Harrison has been appointed National Co-ordinator
for a suite of subjects under the heading 'Cultural and Environmental
Education'. He will continue to have responsibility for CSPE, and
the following subjects will be added to his portfolio: Art, Classical
Studies, Geography, Greek, History, Latin and Music. The Administrative
Support is located in County Wexford Education Centre in Enniscorthy
and will be administered by Ms. Angela Thompson there from 1st September.
Contact details: 087-2405710 conorharrison@slss.ie
Details of the official inservice programme is available on our calendar
page.
7/9/09 Focus
Ireland is seeking volunteers to give school talks to CSPE
students in their local areas in Dublin. The aim is to inform young
people on homelessness issues. Full training and resources will be
provided. The level of committment can be agreed based on availability
of volunteers. If interested contact info @ focusireland.ie
31/8/09 Our Annual
Conference and AGM will take place in the Hilton
Hotel, Kilmainham, Dublin, on Saturday 3rd October 2009. The theme
of this year's conference is Children's Rights, and guest speaker
will be Emily Logan, Ombudsman for Children. As usual there will be
a range of workshops, including Child Labour, Child Soldiers, Humanitarian
Law, the History of Children's Rights, the Position of the Child in
the Irish Constitution, Student Councils and CSPE, and of course our
always popular workshops on Organising Action Projects and on Reporting
on Action Projects. Brochures and booking forms should be arriving
in schools this week, and you can also download these here.
(pdf file)
20/8/09 New Initiative: etwinning
between schools might be an interesting and worthwhile initiative
for CSPE - all details at www.etwinning.net
Promotional materials were sent to schools mid-August
Event:
Tues 25 Aug, Central Library Ilac Centre Dublin 1, at 1 pm: All Politics
is Local, the Case of the Dublin Townships by Seamus O Maitiu Free
but booking essential. openlearning@dublincity.ie 01-8734333
Also, same venue: Exhibition - Local Elections in Ireland 1898-2008,
4th - 31st Aug.
5/7/09 The Houses
of the Oireachtas Commission invite applications for the inaugural
Oireachtas Parliamentary Fellowship, 2009-2010. The Oireachtas
Parliamentary Fellowship is designed to advance the study of, and
contribute to scholarship on the Houses of the Oireachtas. Prospective
Fellows will apply to undertake and complete the Fellowship for a
period not exceeding 12 months commencing in autumn 2009. The Fellowship
award is 18,000 Euro. Closing date for applications: 5.30pm, Thursday
27 August 2009.
More info and Application Forms here
17/6/09 Association
Response to CSPE paper, Junior Cert 2009
(to see this year's
paper click here,
to see the stimulus material insert click here
- these will open in a separate window)
Section
1
Question 1: the pictures are historical rather than current this may
present problems for some students.
Question 2: the phrasing of the question on the concepts was very
difficult, students may not understand what they were required to
do.
Question 3: question involving completion of sentences was satisfactory
Section
2
Stimulus material that accompanied this section was colourful, clear
and well presented, the topics were excellent and it was good to see
questions on the anniversary of the Declaration on Human Rights and
the local elections.
Section
3
There was a good choice of topics. However the questions on what to
do about text bullying were rather similar, the class action and the
school action might have resulted in the same responses. The question
could have asked what could be done nationally. The question on cctv
was vague and referred to feelings rather on what students think.
3/6/09 Summer Exhibition on local elections:
An exhibition in
the Central Library Dublin that
will give members of the public a unique opportunity to assess the
history and impact that local elections have had in Ireland from 1898
to 2008. The exhibition focuses on how elections work, how people
use their vote, and explores local elections which left a significant
impression on Irish society. Featuring material from Dublin City Library
& Archives, the exhibition is particularly suited to CSPE students
(aged 12-14) as through election posters, ballot boxes, newspapers
and electoral registers, it animates the story of local democracy
in Ireland. The exhibition was prepared by the Local Authority Archivists
Group with funding from the Heritage Council, and will travel to Local
Authorities across Ireland throughout 2009.
Venue: Central Library, Ilac Centre, Dublin 1 Dates: August 4th-29th
2009: Admission Free. Booking required for groups of 10 or more. Further
Information: Central Library Open Learning Centre openlearning@dublincity.ie
ph:01 8734333
23/5/09 Local Elections in Ireland Exhibition
2009 marks the 110th anniversary of the first representative local
elections which were held in April 1899. To mark this, Louth County
Archives Service will host a travelling exhibition on ‘Local Elections
in Ireland’ from 2nd to 30th June 2009. The exhibition is highly educational.
It gives an outline of some of the major historical themes and events
surrounding local elections since the first elections in 1899 including
the Local Government Act 1898 and the franchise, the result of the
first election and its consequences, famous elections, election campaigns,
and legislative changes over the years. The exhibition is funded by
the Heritage Council and was produced by the Local Authorities Archivists
Group in 2008. Admission is free. Booking is required for groups:
please telephone 042-9339387 or email archive@louthcoco.ie Opening
hours are 9.30 – 4.00 (closed 1.00-2.00), Mon – Fri 2nd June 2009
– 30th June 2009 Venue: Louth County Archives Service Old Gaol, Ardee
Road Dundalk, Co Louth Contact: Louth County Archives Service Email:
archive@louthcoco.ie Tel: 042-9339387
6/5/09
Further to our
item of 31/3/09 re: the consultation on the new senior cycle subject
Politics and Society, there's now a section on Sample Learning
Activities - this is linked from the main consultation page (click
here)
or can be accessed at its own page here.
The focus of the learning activity is Unit 2 Globalisation and
Localisation, with emphasis on development issues. There are sample
lesson plans, worksheets etc. There is also an option to give feedback
on these materials.
Senator Ronan Mullen is conducting
a short survey on CSPE in schools - some schools may have received
these in the post. You can also take the survey at his website www.ronanmullen.ie
- the link is at the top right hand corner of the page. The survey
is about CSPE in general and in particular about the Oireachtas Outreach
Programme that some of you may have done in school.
21/4/09 Knowing Dublin: The final
workshops in the Knowing Dublin series will be held in May 2009. If
you are interested in participating please contact: Bernadette Cogan
Or Eithne Massey Central Library, Ilac Centre 01 8733025 centrallibrary@dublincity.ie
Knowing Dublin is a programme designed to promote active citizenship
among the young people of Dublin. It is aimed at 2nd and 3rd Year
CPSE and history students and comprises a published and on-line guide
and a free programme of workshops for classes. The workshops are held
in City Hall. The students will meet either an elected representative
or a council official in the Council Chamber, where they will be given
the opportunity to see where the Councillors hold their meetings.
The speaker will give them an over-view of the roles played by both
parts of the Council, including the services provided by the Council,
the work of elected representatives, and the role of Lord Mayor.
Till the Tenth
Generation History: Screening for Schools IFI, 6 Eustace St.Temple
Bar, D2 April 27th, 10:30 am. 13 members of Tomi Reichental's family
were deported in November '44 after their arrest in Bratislava. Seven
were sent to Buchenwald and only one survived. Six including Tomi
were sent to Bergen Belsen where Tomi's grandmother Rosalia perished.
Tomi first began to speak out about his experience when ethnic and
racial tensions began to emerge in a changing Ireland. This challenging
documentary brings him back to his home village in Slovakia and then
to Belsen for the first time since 1945. Ireland ? 2008 ? 85 mins
? Documentary ? Director: Gerry Gregg PANEL DISCUSSION AND Q&A FOLLOWING
THE SCREENING WITH TOMI REICHENTAL AND GUESTS Tickets are 5 Euro per
student. Accompanying teachers are FREE. Please contact Dee or Baz
in Education for further information or to make a booking on 01 6795744
Booking essential. Please contact Dee or Baz in IFI education on (01
679 5744) or email schools@irishfilm.ie
31/3/09 The Syllabus for the proposed new
Senior Cycle subject Politics and Society is now available
for consultation on the NCCA website - click here.
We would encourage all members to take part in the consultation -
there's a facility to submit your views online by way of a questionnaire
or email. Also, please submit your views to the Association so that
we can better represent the views of our members when we submit the
Association's response. At the link above it is possible to download
a pdf of the Syllabus or view a "browseable book" version. There's
also a section on Sample Learning Activities which will be added to
shortly.
27/3/09 The next issue
of our paper Newsletter Activate will be published in the coming
week. Previous issues are available for download here.
26/3/09 Newly arrived in schools - Pictureogs:
Engaging and Exploring Irish Traveller Culture a free DVD from
the Kildare County Library Service - an 18 min visual representation
of stories, songs and textile works by Travellers from Athy. It is
part of the library's Cultural Inclusion and Social Cohesion Programme.
The video (clip on left), in segmented form, is also available to
view on the library's website.
25/3/09 Earth Hour takes place worldwide on Sat March 28th at 8.30
pm - for environmental reasons people undertaking to turn off their
lights (and other electronic gear) for an hour. Classes can sign up
online to participate - www.change.ie/earthhourireland
9/3/09
Local Elections Exhibition: As momentum builds towards
the Local Elections in June 2009, the Local Elections in Ireland Exhibition
will visit Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street, Dublin
2 in March 2009. The exhibition will give the citizens of Dublin a
unique opportunity to assess the history and impact that local elections
have had in Ireland from 1898 to 2008. The exhibition focuses on how
elections work, how people use their vote, and explores local elections
which left a significant impression on Irish society. Featuring material
from Dublin City Library & Archives, the exhibition is particularly
suited to CSPE students (aged 12-14) as through election posters,
ballot boxes, newspapers and electoral registers, it animates the
story of local democracy in Ireland. Students will have the opportunity
to interact with exhibition by completing a quiz and checking the
Electoral Rolls Database to see if their grandparents were registered
to vote in 1937-1964. Minster for Environment, Heritage and Local
Government John Gormley said “I hope that, through initiatives like
this exhibition, we can provide voters and communities with the opportunity
to assess what benefits and changes local elections have brought to
our society”
The exhibition was prepared by the Local Authority Archivists Group
with funding from the Heritage Council, and will travel to Local Authorities
across Ireland throughout 2009.
Venue: The Dublin Room, Dublin City Library and Archive, 138-144 Pearse
street, Dublin 2 Dates: March 2009: Admission Free. Booking required
for groups of 10 or more. Further Information: Dublin City Archives
cityarchives @ dublincity.ie 01-6474997/6744848
8/3/09
Taking
Action Now is designed to prepare Junior Certificate Civic, Social
and Political Education (CSPE) students for their exam and beyond.
The text closely follows the syllabus requirements and has been extensively
reviewed by teachers. The book is divided into 25 chapters, which
are grouped under the seven course concepts: Rights and Responsibilities;
Stewardship; Human Dignity; Development; Democracy; Law and Interdependence.
Laid out in a clear, concise format with easy-to-read text. All chapters
have an abundance of questions, as well as a wealth of ideas for activities
and actions. Resource banks, at the end of each chapter, provide students
with opportunities to search for further information. Case studies
throughout provide students with real-life examples. Includes clear
guidelines on how to prepare action projects and course-work assessments.
Includes tips for students on how to conduct a survey, contact an
organization, write letters, invite a guest speaker, design posters
and carry out an interview. Accompanying workbook features a comprehensive
selection of exercises and previous examination questions. 176 pages
in full colour. ISBN: 9780714416908
Spring
Day 2009 will run from 25 March to 9th May. The Spring
Day Website (where schools can register) has suggestions about
activities and resources. Spring Day for Europe is an annual campaign
to encourage debate, interaction and reflection on European themes.
2009 is the European Year of Creativity and Innovation (EYCI). The
Spring Day campaign is linking with the EYCI in order to trigger interest
in and raise awareness of creativity and innovation in schools in
all EU member states and beyond, as well as at local, regional and
national level. Download flyer (pdf format) here.
Now
available from NCCA - new Factsheets on a variety of subjects.
These are suitable to give to students and parents to inform them
about the courses. The CSPE Factsheet is here:
The general list of factsheets is here
St Patrick's College, Drumcondra is advertising an M. Ed course
in Human Rights and Citizeship Education. There is an online/distance
option. Deadline is 30th April, and application forms are available
at www.spd.dcu.ie
or by application to the Admissions Office 01-8842096 or Admissions.Office
@ spd.dcu.ie
This
year's Trocaire Campaign centres on Internally Displaced Persons
and extensive materials were sent to schools. This theme was also
the focus at one of our workshops at the Annual Conference. If you
missed the resources they are available for download here.
Trocaire has also produced a resource on the Gaza conflict. It's available
here.
Ongoing
Inservice: Info was sent to schools recently about the current
Inservice. There are still some sessions left:
(1) Tackling Controversial Issues in CSPE
Target Group: Teachers who have some experience of teaching CSPE who
are interested in tackling Controversial Issues like poverty, stereotyping,
discrimination, racism, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, etc.
Course Aims: s To explore what Controversial Issues are s To look
at what makes issues controversial s To share ways of creating conducive
classroom climates for controversial issues s To participate in and
critique methods and approaches for exploring controversial issues
s To provide opportunities for reflection on classroom practice
Wednesday 6:30-9:00 pm 11th March 2009 Carrick-on-Shannon Education
Centre
Monday 6:30-9:00 pm 23rd March 2009 West Cork Education Centre
(2)
Stewardship and Sustainable Development in CSPE
Target Group: Teachers who have some experience of teaching CSPE who
are interested in exploring Stewardship and Sustainable Development
as governments, societies and individuals try to grapple with the
challenges of climate change and other related matters.
Course Aims: s To define stewardship and sustainable development s
To find out about the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
and the Year of Planet Earth 2008/2009 s To explore and participate
in active learning methods suitable for exploring sustainable development
s To enable teachers to share their own practice
Monday 6:30-9:00 pm 9th March 2009 Athlone Education Centre
Thursday 6:30-9:00 pm 26th March 2009 Donegal Education Centre
Tuesday 6:30-9:00 pm 31st March 2009 Drumcondra Education Centre
(3)
Using Film in the CSPE Classroom
Target Group: Teachers who have some experience of teaching CSPE who
are interested in using film, e.g. Hotel Rwanda, An Inconvenient Truth,
Cry Freedom, Twelve Angry Men, etc. as a teaching and learning tool.
Course Aims: To demonstrate how best to use film in a CSPE class To
explore appropriate methods to accompany the use of film To participate
in work stations using a variety of films To critique and reflect
upon methods used To enable teacher to share their own practice
Tuesday 6:30-9:00 pm 24th March 2009 Monaghan Education Centre
Wednesday 6:30-9:00 pm 25th March 2009 Clare Education Centre
(4)
Drama Techniques in CSPE
Target Group: Teachers who have some experience of teaching CSPE who
are interested in exploring how drama in education techniques can
enhance the CSPE experience for their students.
Course Aims: To define and discuss the use of drama in education techniques
s To explore what constitutes a suitable classroom climate s To participate
in a number of drama in education techniques, e.g. Freeze Framing,
Hot Seating, Mantle of the Expert, Thought Tracking, etc. To critique
and reflect upon the methods used To enable teachers to share their
own practice
Monday 6:30-9:00 pm 9th March 2009 Limerick Education Centre
Thursday 6:30-9:00 pm12th March 2009 Blackrock Education Centre
Monday 6:30-9:00 pm 30th March 2009 Wexford Education Centre
11/1/09 Those who
attended last year's Conference will remember the moving talk by Tomi
Reichental a holocaust survivor who lives in Ireland. He features
in an upcoming TV programme:
I Was A Boy In Belsen, RTE 1 Sun 18 Jan 10.25 pm Tomi Reichenthal,
who lost 35 members of his family in the Holocaust, gives his account
of being imprisoned as a child at Belsen.
9/1/09 Holocaust
Memorial Lecture for 2009 - The Department of History, Trinity
College Dublin, the Herzog Centre for Jewish and Near Eastern Religion,
Trinity College Dublin and the Holocaust Educational Trust of Ireland
are pleased to announce the annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture for
2009. Dr. Nicholas Stargardt, Magdalen College Oxford “Jewish children
in hiding” Thursday, 15 January 2009, 7.30pm Thomas Davis Theatre,
Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin Dr Nicholas Stargardt is a Fellow
of Magdalen College Oxford and university lecturer in Modern European
History. He has written a number of publications including the widely
acclaimed book called ‘Witnesses of War: Children’s lives under the
Nazis’ in 2005. For further information please contact: HETI Herzog
Centre, TCD Department of History, TCD Tel: 01 669 0593 All are welcome
Kindly RSVP to 01 6690593/ info@hetireland.org
to indicate numbers.
6/1/09 The venue
for our Annual Conference on Saturday 7th February will be
the Blackrock Education Centre in Dublin. (Click here
for details and directions for venue). The brochure and booking form
will be arriving in schools this week but these can also be downloaded
here. Our
keynote speaker will be Man Booker Prizewinner Anne Enright, who will
talk about her recent human rights work. The Conference will celebrate
60 Years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and will include
workshops on a new Amnesty Resource on the Declaration. Other workshops
planned include the Know Your Council resource on local government,
the campaign on Internally Displaced Persons with Trócaire,
subject inspection in CSPE, and of course managing and reporting on
Action Projects.
The
latest Newsletter, Activate No. 40 is now available for download -
as a Word Document or PDF
File
15/11/08 Due
to uncertainty regarding funding our Annual Conference will
now take place in February 2009 (Sat 7th) rather than in the Autumn.
As it has been past practice that the AGM takes place immediately
after the Conference this too will take place on the same
day. Further details to follow. This has also delayed our Newsletter,
which will out in late November or early December. Previous issues
are available on the downloads page.
In October schools were circulated about a poster competition
to celebrate 60 years of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. It is
organised by the Law Society and the Irish Human Rights Commission.
The deadline has been extended to Thursday Dec 4th. Those interested
can contact Winnie Donoghue at the IHRC (01-8589601) or Elaine Dewhurst
at the Law Society (01-6724831).
16/10/08 Look out for
a letter recently sent to principals about outreach education on
the Houses of the Oireachtas. There's an education programme aimed
at CSPE students which will be available from November to secondary
schools. From the letter: "Our programme is aimed at second and third
year students and will involve a half-day session given by Ouireachtas
Outreach Officers (based in 13 regions throughout the country) ...
you can expect to be contacted by an Outreach Officer to arrange a
suitable date and time for a preparatory school visit ... If you require
further information ... contact communications@oireachtas.ie or phone
01-6183066 or 01-6183166".
21/9/08 Developing
Responsible and Participative Members of Society - this year's
Transition Year Conference on Sat 11th Oct in the Osprey Hotel, Naas,
Co. Kildare. Information and booking forms have been sent to schools.
Workshops include Young Social Innovators, Combat Poverty, Special
Olympics and Simon Commuunity.
Official Opening by: Sean Haughey,TD, Minister of State at the Department
of Education and Science.
Speakers include: Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, Focus Ireland and Dr. Gerry
Jeffers, NUI Maynooth.
Senior Cycle
Developments: Over the last two years progress has been made at
NCCA level on developing a Politics and Society subject at senior
level. The next stage is public consultation - consultation packs
will arive in schools in November and there will be opportunities
for consultation Nov to Jan. There will be consultation sessions in
the Education Centres, and online responses will also be possible.
The draft syllabus will be available at that stage. In the meantime
information is available at the NCCA
website, senior cycle page. The explanatory booklet is available
on that page, and if you follow the link on the right to "subjects"
you'll find documents about the consultation process so far.
17/9/08
Look out for two new resources arriving in schools: Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - a CSPE
Resource pack from Amnesty International and CDU. It features a variety
of activities and a CD Rom with backup resources for the teacher.
Leaflets on a related poster competition are included. Images
and Objects: Active Methodology Toolkit
A resource on sustainable development from the Consumer Citizenship
Network. A selection of images is included with guidelines on their
use. (This resource can be downloaded here
- after it downloads/displays click on the save icon or File/Save
As to save it to your own computer)
5/9/08 Dublin City
Public Libraries (DCPL) will shortly published a user friendly guide
to democracy at work in Dublin City Council. The Guide Knowing
Dublin - Know Your City Council describes the following: how to
register to vote, how councillors carry out their duties, how the
democratic process works. it also lists the main services and responsiblities
of Dublin City Council and includes a list of recommended reading
and sources for futher research. DCPL is interested in hearing from
secondary schools interested in participating in pilot workshops introducing
students to the workings of Dublin City Counci, through interactive
talks on the theme: A day in the life of ... This will be of special
interest to CSPE students. if your class is interested in participating
in this pilot programme, please contact: Bernadette Cogan, Divisional
Librarian, Central Library Services Ilac Centre Dublin 1 Tel: 01 8734333
Bernadette.Cogan@dublincity.ie Bernadette Cogan Leabharlannaí Rannáin
An Lár Leabharlann Lárionad Ilac BAC 1
1/9/08 The Houses
of the Oireachtas are advertising for Education Outreach Officers
(part-time 2 year contracts) - to work on activities to encourage
CSPE teachers to learn about the role and work of the Houses of the
Oireachtas. For more info see www.etenders.gov.ie
or www.oireachtas.ie
. Deadline is Tues 9th Sept.
31/8/08
Details of Inservice Courses for Autumn have been arriving
in schools, with application forms. Early booking is advised. In-service
Dates September to December 2008: Induction In-service Mon, 29th Sept Limerick Education Centre;
Tue, 30th Sept Cork Education Support Centre; Thu, 2nd Oct Tralee
Education Centre; Thu, 2nd Oct Laois Education Centre; Mon, 6th Oct
Blackrock Education Centre; Tue, 7th Oct Donegal Education Centre;
Thu, 9th Oct Kildare Education Centre; Thu, 9th Oct Drumcondra Education
Centre; Tue, 14th Oct Curriculum Development Unit, Crumlin; Tue, 14th
Oct Waterford Teachers' Centre; Thu, 16th Oct Monaghan Education Centre;
Thu, 16th Oct Mayo Education Centre. Cúrsa In-seirbhíse 6/7 Samhain Ostán Chósta Chonnemara, Na
Forbacha, Contae na Gaillimhe Regional In-service Tue, 18th Nov Tackling Controversial Issues,
Athlone Education Centre; Thu, 20th Nov Using Film in CSPE, Kilkenny
Education Centre; Mon, 24th Nov Tackling Controversial Issues, Cork
Education Support Centre; Thu, 27th Nov Drama Techniques in CSPE,
Galway Education Centre; Thu, 27th Nov Stewardship and Sustainable
Development in CSPE, Dublin West Education Centre. For the latest
information check out http://cspe.slss.ie
9/6/08 ACT Response to CSPE Paper June
9th 2008
We give the paper a broad welcome - it covers a fairly broad spectrum
of issues - e.g. national politics and other political information
in the short questions in Section 1, in Section 2 subjects like Fair
Trade, Ombudsman for Children, Self Help, Bin it Chewing gum/litter/Environment
campaign, and in Section 3 the topical Martin Luther King Anniversary
(human rights), also topical Year of Planet Earth including Climate
Change, International Women's Day , Motorway Development, (a better
visual prompt would have helped here - e.g. a motorway going through
countryside.
The paper was strong on environmental issues, but weak on political
issues. The concept of democracy was not well covered, and there was
almost nothing on law. Apart from one very short multiple-choice question,
European/EU matters were strangely absent considering the Lisbon Treaty
referendum this year. It would have been more topical also if there
had been more on the referendum process, and the voting process.
In the chewing gum/litter question Section 2 Question 3 a certain
gum manufacturer gets a plug as the responsible chewing gum company
- product placement? The question Section 2 Question 2 on the Ombudsman
for Children was a positive question, part (d) was particularly good
- asking what actions schools could take to hear the opinions of children.
Section 2 Question 3 has the instruction "you must not use any of
the actions you have mentioned already" - this was ambiguous as to
whether it applied to this question, or the whole paper.
The question on Eritrea, Section 2 Question 4 would have been more
topical if Darfur had been in question instead. Section 3 Question
4 was a challenging question, with two concepts linked, climate change
and the difficult concept of sustainable development. We'd wonder
if the "homepage" concept in Section 3 Question 4 would be accessible
to all, though mention of websites in various questions fits in well
with youth culture.
The students we had contact with were happy with the paper, had plenty
to write about, plenty of choice, one described it as "predictable".
25/5/08 Teaching the Holocaust: There
will be a three day summer course for teachers on this topic 18-20
August in the Church of Ireland Education College, 96 Upper Rathmines
Rd, Dublin 6. Topics include historical context, pedagogic challenges,
inter-disciplinary approaches. It also considers the roles of perpetrators,
bystanders, rescuers and resiters. Cost is €150. For more info
click here,
or contact the Holocaust Educational Trust of Ireland at 01-6690593.
There is also a five day programme that includes a three day study
visit to Krakow Dates: 28-31 October 2008 Seminar Dates: Satuday,
18 October and 8 November 2008 Cost: €695 inclusive of flights, hotel,
study visit and seminars.
Our
latest newsletter Activate was published recently and posted
to all paid up members. We can also send a copy as a Word document
on request. Use contact details above.
This year's CSPE
Exam will take place on Mon 9th June 1.30 pm to 3.00 pm, after
which we will will have our annual review of the paper in the
Blackrock Education
Centre, Kill Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin (from about 3.30
pm).
30/4/08 Today we held our Awards Ceremony
for the poster/slogan competition. The prizes were presented by Green
Party TD Mary White, as Trevor Sargent had a bereavement. Prizewinners,
their families and their teachers had a great day out and went away
with prizes and certificates for themselves and their schools. For
pictures of the event see our photos page.
And click here to see the winning artwork.
17/4/08 Date change:
Our Awards Ceremony for the recent poster/slogan competition
will be held on Wed 30th April in the National Concert Hall - from
1.30 pm. Prizes will be presented by Minister of State at the Dept
of Agriculture, and former Green Party leaddr, Trevor Sargent T.D..
There will be refreshments! All our members are welcome - if you can
make it let us know by Wed 23rd so we can plan numbers for the caterers.
8/4/08 Support Service Mailing: Watch
out for a mailing just arriving in schools from the support service.
It's addressed to the CSPE Coordinator/Teacher and contains the video
6 Steps, a guide to Action Projects, a DVD What in the World
- Coffee Matters in Gautamala, about fair trade issues, and Trocaire
Resources on climate change. and some information on CSPE subject
inspection! (see cover letter that came with this mailing).
20/3/08 Show Racism the Red Card:
A new educational pack for this initiative is now available. The ASTI
is sending 500 packs to CSPE Co-ordinators in schools around Ireland.
The education pack includes a 17 minute DVD which can be viewed in
six sections 1. What is racism? 2. Action against Racism (school)
3. Action against Racism (sport) 4. Racism and its consequences 5.
Do's and Don't's in responding to racism 6. Living in and Integrated
Ireland. The pack is applicable in particular to the Human Dignity
and Rights and Responsibilities modules for CSPE. It is structured
to provide for active learning and project based work, with suggested
activites at the end. Training is available for teachers who wish
to use the resource. Show Racism the Red Card would be delighted to
hear from teachers and students in terms of feedback on content and
projects arising from use of the pack. More details on this campaign
here. See
also our resources page.
18/3/08 Poster/Slogan Competition:
Once again there has been a huge entry for our poster/slogan competition.
There will be an awards ceremony on April 23rd and details will be
posted here and sent on the email list as soon as arrangements are
finalised.
New Citizenship
Education Initiative for Dublin: Dublin City Public Libraries
will be piloting a citizenship and voter education programme this
Autumn and is interested in consulting with CSPE teachers in the planning
stage and in including CSPE classes in the delivery of activities
such as: · Forum discussions on a specific theme with elected representatives,
· Voter education workshops · Know Your City Council with invited
guest speakers such as a senior local government official. DCPL is
currently researching and will publish a Know Your City Council resource
of interest to those interested in the democratic process. Anyone
in Dublin area interested in participating in this programme contact:
Bernadette Cogan, Research and Projects Dublin City Public Libraries
Tel: 01 6744876 or email: bernadette.cogan@dublincity.ie before April
11th.
Look out also
for a new DVD/Pack on the way: Lets Look at the Law is produced
by the Courts Service. It should be arriving in schools after Easter.
Our latest paper
Newsletter, Activate, is now available. Send request
by email and we can send it to you (Word Document).
Global Week
of Action: Letters have been sent to School Stewards drawing attention
to the 2008 Global Week of Action (in April), in relation to child
labour and education. It is supported by the teacher unions, and a
resource pack is available for CSPE teachers. Further info is available
at www.campaignforeducation.ie
The 6 Steps
- A Guide to Action Projects: At the Autumn Inservice the Citizenship
Education Support Team launched The 6 Steps - A Guide to Action
Projects, a new DVD on Action Projects for CSPE, which no doubt
will be welcomed by all CSPE teachers. The CSPE Action Project is
broken into six steps which are followed in the DVD. For more information
contact National Co-ordinator Conor Harrison (01-6102805) or the Citizenship
Education Administrator Vicky Geraghty (01-4020422). The DVD has been
given out at inservice and will also be sent to schools shortly.
27/2/08 The Irish Independent has circulated
schools with an offer on the remaining issues of In.Tuition,
their CSPE supplement. The nine issues are available for €4.50
per student, and there's a giant CSPE wall chart with every order.
For more info call 023-63850
15/2/08 March 14th
is the deadline for the annual photo competition of Sustainable
Energy Ireland. "My Carbon Footprint" is this year's theme.
The competition is open to all secondary students and there are €10,000
worth of prizes to be won. Posters and brochures have been sent to
schools. More info here.
This
year's theme for Trócaire's Lenten Campaign is climate change,
and especially the effects of it on people in the developing world.
As usual comprehensive education packs have been sent to schools,
including material for CSPE classes.
Recently a new
DVD on the Presidency was sent to all schools (addressed to
the Principal). This should prove a really useful resource for CSPE
classes. See resources page.
Our Big Fair
Trade Adventure will be broadcast on Channel 4, Sun 17 Feb 7 pm.
Martha, Robin and Diko are pupils at Cheney Secondary School in Oxford.
Environmental and ethical issues form an important part of their curriculum:
the school even has a fair trade club.
National In-service
Management and Co-ordination of CSPE: Three national in-service events
for teachers managing/co-ordinating CSPE in schools. These events
will provide opportunities for teachers co-ordinating/managing CSPE
to be updated on all aspects of CSPE, to discuss Module Planning and
Subject Inspection, to share best practice of managing CSPE in schools,
to explore active participatory methods, and the latest information
on Action Projects and assessment.
Schools are asked to nominate ONE teacher to attend. Please complete
the Co-ordination Booking Form (these should be in schools or can
be downloaded from here.
Participation in this in-service will be strictly on a first come
first served basis as places are limited. Details: Tuesday 19th February
2008 Curriculum Development Unit, Captain’s Road, Crumlin, Dublin
12 Thursday 21st February 2008 Waterford Teachers’ Centre Tuesday
26th February 2008 Athlone Education Centre.
Regional Cluster
In-service
In February and March the Citizenship Education Support Team will
provide four special one off in-service courses on different aspects
of the teaching and learning of Civic, Social and Political Education.
These in-service events are designed specifically with the needs of
teachers who have some experience of teaching Civic, Social and Political
Education in mind. Schools are asked to nominate no more than TWO
teachers to attend. Please complete the Special One-Off Courses Booking
Form (downloadable here).
Participation in this in-service will be strictly on a first come
first served basis as places are limited.
(1) Tackling Controversial Issues in CSPE: Are you tired of
talking about the challenges of teaching Controversial Issues? Are
you anxious to know about appropriate methods and approaches to tackling
Controversial Issues like poverty, stereotyping, discrimination, racism,
immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, etc? Then this course is
for you. This course will look at how to create a conducive and safe
climate for discussing controversial issues and provide participants
with a repertoire of methods and approaches for exploring these issues
with their students. (2) Stewardship and Sustainable Development in CSPE: The environment
and the issue of sustainable development are very topical at the moment
as governments, societies and communities as well as individuals grapple
with the challenges presented by climate change, global warming and
other related matters. This course will focus on teaching and learning
strategies, methodologies and resource materials which may be used
to explore the concept of Stewardship. How can we encourage our students
to use the ‘Power of 1’?
(3) Using Film in the CSPE Classroom: Over recent years many
films, documentaries and TV programmes have been made which focus
on relevant themes for Citizenship Education. This course will look
at film as a teaching and learning tool in the CSPE classroom. Have
you thought about how you might use some of the following films in
your CSPE class: Hotel Rwanda or Shooting Dogs, The Simpsons, Inside
I’m Dancing, An Inconvenient Truth, The Diary of Anne Frank, Schindler’s
List, Rabbit Proof Fence, The Running Mate, News2Day, Gandhi, Blood
Diamond, Crash, Planet Earth, The Blue Planet, 12 Angry Men, Oireachtas
Report, Cry Freedom, etc. (4) Drama
Techniques in CSPE: Very often the use of the term ‘drama’ in
the context of active learning methods creates extreme reactions of
enthusiasm of fear. Why not come along to explore and experience a
range of drama in education techniques which may be used in the CSPE
classroom without students ever having to act on stage! This course
will focus on a variety of techniques including Freeze Framing, Hot
Seating, Mantle of Expert, Thought Tracking, Moving Debates, etc.
Details:
Tackling Controversial Issues: Mon, 25th February Dublin West Education
Centre; Wed, 5th March Tralee Education Centre; Tues, 11th March Wexford
Education Centre; Thurs, 13th March Sligo Education Centre.
Film as a Teaching and Learning Tool in CSPE Tues, 4th March Waterford
Teachers’ Centre
Stewardship and Sustainable Development Thurs, 6th March Kilkenny
Education Centre
Drama in Education Techniques in CSPE Wed, 12th March Galway Education
Centre.
15/1/08 To mark the
EU Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 & International Day Against
Racism March 21, 2008 the National Consultative Committee on Racism
& Interculturalism (NCCRI) & the Equality Commission for Northern
Ireland (ECNI), in association with Poetry Ireland, will hold a poetry
& short story competition for schools. The competition aims to
combat racism & to celebrate the variety of cultures & people living
in Ireland today. The theme of this year’s competition is respect.
Deadline is 29th February. More info here.
12/12/07 Recently sent to schools - CitizeNews,
the newsletter of the official CSPE Support Service. Plenty of Action
Project Reports are outlined, attention is drawn to a new DVD "The
6 Steps A Guide to CSPE Action Projects", there is a report on the
Big Ballot, a report on the CSPE 10th Anniversary Conference and much
more.
Letters
have been sent to School Stewards drawing attention to the 2008
Global Week of Action (in April), in relation to child labour
and education. It is supported by the teacher unions, and a resource
pack will be provided to CSPE teachers. Further info is available
at www.campaignforeducation.ie
27/11/07 REMINDER:
Deadline for our Art competition is Dec 1st! Last year's competition
was a huge success, attracting over 2000 entries. Brochures have been
sent to schools. Deadline for entries is December 1st (it will be
acceptable for them to arrive on Monday 3rd December) and there will
be a prize giving event in the Spring. Download details here
New CSPE Resource
on Data Protection and Privacy! The Office of the Data Protection
Commissioner, in conjunction with the Curriculum Development Unit
of the Dept of Education and Science, has developed a resource for
the CSPE (Civic, Social and Political Education) programme for Junior
Certificate Students. The resource is called 'Sign Up, Log In, Opt
Out: Protecting your Privacy & Controlling your Data' and deals with
2 of the core concepts of CSPE; 'Rights & Responsibilities' and 'Law'.
The resource will raise awareness amongst young people of their rights
to privacy, the importance of taking control of their personal information,
the rights they have when it comes to how their personal information
may be collected or used and also how they may access their personal
information. The resource is currently being distributed to all secondary
schools nationwide and is also available to download from www.dataprotection.ie/teens
13/11/07
The official RAP and CWAB booklets should have arrived in schools
by now. Teachers should make sure that they have received the proper
numbers. The accompanying letters gives May 2nd 2008 as the deadline
for submitting RAPs and CWABs this year.
2/10/07
This year's Annual Conference will take place on Saturday 20th
October, in the Plaza
Hotel, Tallaght, Dublin (beside The Square Shopping Centre and
near Luas station and M50). This year's theme is "Denial of Citizenship"
- keynote speaker (at 10.00 am) is Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental,
whose story is impressive and moving, and there is also a follow-on
workshop on The Holocaust and CSPE. Other workshops include
Teaching the Constitution (when we hope to launch a new resource)
and Conflict Resolution With Young People, along with our usual
crucial workshops on Managing Action Projects and Reporting
on Action Projects. Booking forms have been sent to schools, and
can also be downloaded here.
Deadline for applying is Tuesday Oct 9th - see forms for relevant
addresses.
This year, at
the Annual Conference, we are launching our 2nd annual Poster/Slogan
competition. Last year's competition was a huge success, attracting
over 2000 entries. Brochures have been sent to schools, to the CSPE
Coordinator and the TY Coordinator. Deadline for entries is December
1st and there will be a prize giving event in the Spring. The rules
can be downloaded here.
Official Inservice
from the CSPE Support Service continues through October. Details have
been sent to schools. See our Calendar Page
for details.
20/9/07 Details of our Annual Conference
are being finalised at the moment, but here are the details so far
so you can be making plans: This year our keynote speaker is Holocaust
Survivor Tomi Reichental, whose address promises to be a memorable
experience. There will also be a workshop on the Holocaust as well.
Venue is the Plaza
Hotel Tallaght Dublin (beside The Square and near Luas and M50)
on Sat 20th October, starting with registration at 9.30 am. There
will of course be other workshops (details to follow shortly) including
sessions on managing, and reporting on action projects. Forms and
info will be arriving in schools in the next week or so.
11/9/07 NUI Senate Elections: One of the founding members of The Association
of CSPE Teachers, Bernadine O'Sullivan, is going forward for election
to the Senate of the NUI. Bernadine is a secondary school teacher
in the school for the deaf in Cabra, and is a former President of
the ASTI. Bernadine is also a member of the Teaching Council. Votes
have to be applied for and sent back by early October. Applying for
the vote can be done online at the NUI website - www.nui.ie
23/6/07 TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST Three day Summer Course for teachers
20, 21 and 22 August 2007 Intensive three-day programme streamed for
primary and post primary school teachers. The Course addresses the
complex subject of the Holocaust and how to teach it in the classroom.
Lectures, interactive seminars, workshops, materials and resources
presented by expert Holocaust educators. Topics include: History of
the Holocaust, cross curriculum perspectives, inter-disciplinary approaches,
pedagogic challenges, best practice. The course also considers the
roles of perpetrators, victims, bystanders, rescuers and resisters
and where Holocaust studies have relevance for our students today.
Fee: €55 For further information and application form, please contact:
Holocaust Educational Trust of Ireland Clifton House Lower Fitzwilliam
Street Dublin 2 Telephone: + 353 1 6690593 Email: info@hetireland.org
Closing date: Friday 20 July 2007
12/6/07 Senate Elections: One of the founding members of The Association
of CSPE Teachers, Bernadine O'Sullivan, is going forward for election
to the Senate. Bernadine is a secondary school teacher in the school
for the deaf in Cabra. She is the officially endorsed ASTI candidate
for the NUI panel, with a long history of ASTI involvement. Bernadine
is also a member of the Teaching Council. Voting in the Senate elections
takes place 19th June - 24th July.
9/6/07 CSPE Paper 2007 - Response from Association of CSPE Teachers
This year we give the paper a broad welcome, with a positive response
from the members who met to discuss the paper. It was a colourful
paper, with a good quality colour insert, and colour graphics in the
body of the paper.
This year for the first time colour pictures were added to the questions
in Section 3. While the pictures were not central or necessary to
the questions asked they might prove a useful prompt for some students.
We welcome the topicality of many issues, including the general election/mock
election question, and the question on global warning. We especially
are glad the Darfur genocide was not forgotten.
In Section 3 Question 1 we felt that the idea of community should
have been mentioned as it is an important idea in CSPE, one of the
four units of study in the syllabus. Question 1 (a) could have been
more focussed in relation to the three pieces of key information required
for those attending the Know Your Neighbour event.
Overall the paper was manageable for weaker students, but also allowed
the more able student to do well.
7/6/07 There
willl be a meeting of members to discuss this year's CSPE paper,
12 midday, Blacrock Education Centre, Kill Avenue, Dun Laoire, Co.
Dublin.
ECO-UNESCO's Young
Environmentalist Awards - Register now and receive free training!
ECO-UNESCO's Young Environmentalist Awards is going from strength
to strength with literally thousands of entrants participating every
year. This annual programme gives entrants a chance to make a difference
and take part the YEA annual showcase with fun activities and high
profile ceremony. Don't miss out on your chance to take part in YEA
2008 - Register Now! YEA 2008 Timeline Registration Registration before
August 24th 2007 entitles you to free YEA Leader Training in regional
locations across Ireland in September 2007. (Contact ECO-UNESCO for
details of training near you!) You can register online at http://www.ecounesco.ie/yea_registration.aspx
or contact ECO-UNESCO. When you register you are entitled to support
materials to help carry out the project. (A YEA manual can be downloaded
from our website) The registration deadline is 30th Nov 2007. Exhibition
of Showcased projects: August 27th to September 20th. See the YEA
2007 shortlisted projects on display in ENFO, Andrew St, Dublin 2.
You can pick up a project booklet and get some ideas for your own
project! Closing Date for completed projects: 2nd March 2008. Submit
your completed project reports and supplementary materials before
this date. Judging Process: Throughout March. An expert panel short-lists
projects and selects projects to be visited. Action and awareness
raising within the community are very important – young people should
contact Local Councillors, media, family and friends with their message.
(Judging criteria can be found in the YEA Manual downloadable from
our website) Showcasing and Awards Ceremony: May 2008 Short-listed
projects will be showcased and achievements celebrated at a fun day
for all. For further information on the YEA contact Joanne Pender,
ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards Coordinator on +353 1 662
5491 or email us at yea@ecounesco.ie / info@ecounesco.ie
13/5/07 The South-East Branch is having a
meeting on Tues 15th May in the Co. Wexford Education Centre, Milehouse
Rd Enniscorthy. Main item for discussion will be the needs of CSPE
Teachers in the area in the coming year. There will also be help and
advice for any teacher in any difficulties in relation to Project
Reports and/or written exam. Time of meeting is 5 pm. For location
details click here.
9/5/07 For those
teachers covering the general election in CSPE class, the Citizenship
Education Support Team of the Second Level Support Service have available
some extra resources. It is available for download here
- see the election '07 part of the page that opens. .
8/5/07
ECO-UNESCO is holding its Young Environmentalist Awards Showcase
2007 which will be held in the Round Room of The Mansion House, Dawson
Street, Dublin 2 on 21st May and officially launched by the Lord Mayor
of Dublin, Counciller Vincent Jackson at 11.30am. The showcase will
be followed by the Young Environmentalist Awards Ceremony from 3.30
to 6.00, which is open to invited guests only and mc'd by Aidan Power
of 2TV. The Showcase will be open from 11.30 - 2.30 to all and will
include : an exhibition of 34 Young Environmentalist projects and
a chance to talk to the Young Environmentalists! a Bio-Zone - an interactive
BioDiversity exhitition made up of biodiversity sensory boxes, triops,
biodiversity games and activities. The BioZone is part of ECO-UNESCO's
activities for Biodiversity Week. an opportunity to learn about your
ECO-Footprint and to find out how you can lessen it. More fun games
and activities.
30/4/07
The prizes in our Slogan/Poster competition were presented
at a ceremony in Mercer's Hotel Dublin on Wednesday 25th May. The
awards were presented by Frank McDonald, Environment Editor of The
Irish Times. See the winning posters here.
A new edition
of the CSPE Textbook Make A Difference! is now available. It
is written by Conor Harrison and Mairin Wilson and published by Folens.
It comes with a workbook and teacher's manual.
22/4/07
There is a CSPE related job vacancy as desribed below (advertised
in National Press last week). The full text of the ad, detailed job
description and application form are downloadable from
here. Closing date Fri 4th May.
" The Teacher Education Section of the Department of Education
and Science proposes to appoint a Student Council Coordinator to design
and deliver a programme of professional development to respond to
identified needs and to support teachers and schools involved in establishing
and developing student councils at secondlevel. The Student Council
Co-ordinator will work at Assistant National Coordinator level within
the Civic Social and Political Education Support Service with specific
responsibility for student councils".
5/4/07
Conratulations to all our prizewinners in the Slogan/Poster competition!
Transition year 1st Prize - Ms Shauna Kane St Mary's Secondary
School Ballina, Co Mayo, Teacher : Mr C Allen 2nd Prize Mairead Shannon Hazelwood College Dromcollogher Co
Limerick teacher ; Ms Maria Curtin 3rd Prize Ms Dorothy Szebenie and Lynda O'Sullivan Hazelwood
College, Dromcollogher Co Limerick, teacher Ms Maria Curtin 1st Prize Junior Certificate Section Shannon Quilty, St Augustine's
College Teacher : Mr P MacCraith Duckspool Abbeyside Co Waterford
2nd Prize Shane O'Riordan, Ballbriggan Community College. Teacher:
G. Murphy 3rd Prize Claire Glynn, Glenamaddy Community School, Co Galway.
Teacher Ms Lisa Conboy.
Prizewinners have
been notified. See winning posters here.
3/4/07 The
awards for our Slogan/Poster competition will be announced
shortly. The was a huge response (over 2,000 works) and work of an
extraordinarily high quality was submitted. The awards ceremony will
take place on Wednesday 25th April in Mercer's Hotel Dublin (Near
St Stephen's Green) at 2 pm.
ECO-UNESCO, Ireland’s
environmental education and youth organisation, has announced the
list of projects that will take part in the Young Environmentalist
Awards (YEA) Showcase 2007. The 34 short-listed projects (full
list available on www.ecounesco.ie
) will attend the YEA Showcase and Awards Ceremony on the 21st of
May to be held in the Round Room of the Mansion House, in Dublin.
The YEA Showcase will be open between 11.30am and 3pm to visitors
who wish to view the amazing work carried out by young people between
12 and 18 years old all over Ireland making a difference to the environment
and their community. The YEA Ceremony will be held after the YEA Showcase
where the young people will be honoured for the work they have carried
out. This year the ceremony will be exclusive for guests and hosted
by Aidan Power from RTE’s The Café and TTV.
28/3/07 Spring Day for Europe is an
annual citizen-driven initiative aimed to encourage young people to
debate, reflect, learn and make their voices heard on European issues.
See Spring
Day website for more details.
27/3/07
EDCO publishers have announced a new workbook to go with their
CSPE text One World.
.20/2/07 The official
deadline for completion of RAPs and CWABs this year is Friday
May 4th, though you might be advised to set an earlier in-school deadline,
even May 1st to allow more time to chase up those students who are slow
to produce the goods.
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CSPE Exam this year has changed to Friday morning of the first
week. 8th June 9.30 to 11.00 am. Perhaps this will mean students staying
longer in the exam rather than extending the weekend by finishing extra
early Friday afternoon!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No Logo Day this year is on Friday 30/3/07. Info has already
been sent to schools. It is organised by the Green Party, and is associated
in particular with Eamon Ryan TD. see www.nologoday.com
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Trocaire Lenten
packs
were recently sent to all
schools. Theme this year is gender equality. The pack includes a CSPE
Resource "Urari-Equality". A CD-Rom is also included.
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National Spring Clean this year is from 1st - 30th April. Info
has been sent to schools, but is also available at www.nationalspringclean.org
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On Sat March 3rd in Waterford Institute of Technology there's a Youth
Forum on the European Union and the Environment. Participants must
be over 16, and closing date for applications is Tues Feb 27th.
Contact Anne Barrington at 01-6705900 or eyou@forumoneurope.ie
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Material has also come to schools looking for young people to join the
advisory panel of the Ombudsman for Children. Deadline is Monday
February 26th. All the info has been sent to schools, but is also available
at http://www.oco.ie/aboutUs/youth_advisory_panel.aspx
6/2/07 Some upcoming
inservice, all in Education Centres. Booking forms have already
been sent to schools, and course details should also be i the SLSS
brochure recently sent to schools. Tues 13th Feb - Stewardship and
Sustainable Development - Navan Thurs 15 Feb - Film in CSPE - Blackrock
Education Centre Tues 27 Feb - Teaching About Europe - Waterford Thurs
1st March - Drama Techniques in CSPE - Cork Tues 6th March - The Reluctant
Learner and CSPE (!) - Athlone Wed 7th March - Using ICT in CSPE -
Castlebar AND Enniscorthy For all courses except Enniscorthy send
forms from school to Colm O'Keefe, CSPE Administrator, CDVEC, Curriculum
Development Unit, Sundrive Rd, Crumlin Dublin 12. Fax - 01-4537659,
ph - 01-4535487 All courses are daytime, except the Enniscorthy. To
book the latter ring the centre directly at 0539239100.
5/2/07
ECO-UNESCO's One-Day Training Courses: ECO-EDUCATION An Introductory
Course on Environmental Education ENROL NOW! Are you a teacher
and need some top tips on teaching about the environment? Do you work
with young people and need some support? Would you like to learn how
Environmental Education can complement your work with young people?
Enrol today on our exciting One-Day Training Course, ECO-EDUCATION,
on Thursday 8th or Saturday 24th February! What is it about? This
course explores how you can introduce environmental education creatively
to the curriculum or in other educational activities with young people.
The day will provide participants with interesting facts, fun activities
and practical ideas to use with young people. This interactive course
demonstrates how to inspire and up-skill young people in a non-threatening,
informal manner. Environmental Education: empowers young people promotes
environmental citizenship builds self confidence builds self-esteem
up-skills young people Dates Thursday 8th Feb 07, 10am - 4pm Saturday
24th Feb 07, 10am - 4pm Venue ENFO - 17 St. Andrew Street, Dublin
2 Fees (per person) €70 - ECO-UNESCO Members €80 - Voluntary and Community
Sector €90 - Statutory and Others If you are interested in enrolling
for this course, please contact Melissa Bendall, ECO-UNESCO’s Education
and Training Officer on 01 662 5491 or email us at info@ecounesco.ie
7/11/06
Register your intent to carry out a Young Environmentalist Awards
(YEA) project before 24th November 2006!
How do I register for the Young Environmentalist Awards? There are
numerous ways to register, its quick, short and relatively painless!
Pick an option that suits you best: · You can register online at www.ecounesco.ie
· Fill out the short form on page 12 of the YEA Booklet, which was
posted to all secondary schools and youth groups in September. · Alternatively
request a form from ECO-UNESCO, 26 Clare St, Dublin 2. Call 00353
1 6625491 for support and information about the YEA. Take action now
for Your Environment, Your Community and Your Personal Development!
The Young Environmentalist Awards is Ireland’s all-island environmental
awards programme for young people between the ages of 12 to 18 and
aims to honour young people who protect, conserve and enhance our
environment by undertaking a local environmental project. The YEA
has been running since 1999, and attracts hundreds of young people
each year. Important Dates: Register to enter before: 24th November
2006 Closing Date (for project submissions): 23rd February 2007 Showcase
and Awards Ceremony: May 2007.
23/8/06 National Conference Update: Conference schedule has now been
completed and will be sent to schools in a national mailing. It should
arrive in the week beginning 28th August. A copy is also available
for download here.
A list of B and B's local to the venue (The Arklow Bay Hotel, Arklow,
Co. Wicklow) is also available to download here.
Deadline for application is Thurs 7th Sept.
13/7/06
Our National Conference and AGM this year will be held on Fr
15th and Sat 16th Sept in the Arklow
Bay Hotel, Arklow, Co. Wicklow. More details will follow, but
among the highlights planned are the launch of a national poster and
slogan competition for CSPE and TY classes, and workshops on arms
control, law in the classroom, citizenship education in Transition
Year, and the usual sessions on Acton porojects. Full details will
be in schools by Sept 1st. For those wishing to stay overnight on
the Friday a limited number of sharing rooms are available in the
hotel at a reduced rate - contact the hotel directly as soon as possible
(0402-32309) and mention the conference. A list of local B and Bs
will be available shortly. Arklow is well served by public transport
- buses from Dublin or Wexford ever 90 mins or so, buses from Waterford
a few times a day, trains from Dublin and Wexford. Pickup from the
train station will be available on the Friday night.
12/6/06 CSPE Paper Junior Certificate 2006 Response of Association of CSPE
Teachers
In general we gave the paper a broad welcome. The quality of presentation
was good, the colour inserts were of good quality. We welcome the
inclusion of some topical material - e.g. the Millennium Development
Goals, the Make Poverty History campaign, the European Year of Citizenship
Through Education.
In Section
2 it was good to see a public service (Dublin Bus) spearheading in
a high visibility way the cause of anti-racism as part of the Know
Racism campaign. There was plenty of variety on the paper all the
course concepts from the syllabus were covered. On the first question
it was interesting to note the inclusion of the Minister for Education
and Science, Mary Hanafin, and a former Minister of Education, Mary
O'Rourke. For balance there were also male international figures.
Lots of questions asked students give actions they could take. There
was some danger of actions being repeated with resultant loss of marks.
In Secton 2 it was not always clear when students' own opinion was
looked or when answers were to be found in the stimulus material.
This was the case in some of the "c" parts of the questions, before
the questions clearly moved on to seeking the students' own opinions.
One question that asked about the activities of the Council of Europe
(Section 2 Question 4) was likely to be difficult for many students.
There good opportunities to do posters in many questions in Section
3, allowing for a variety of skills and means of expression. Unlike
the previous year there were few issues specific to young people.
We felt that political correctness may have resulted in awkward phrasing
on Question 2 Section 3. It would have been less confusing if the
question referred to "people" rather than men and women. Some students
might have thought that three reasons and three for women needed to
be given. In this question there was a superfluous phrase about Countess
Markievicz that didn't relate directly to any question. Section (b)
of this question should have given the proportion of women in Dáil
Éireann instead of using the phrase "quite small". In other questions
accurate information was given - e.g. the number of MEPs or the number
of countries in The Council of Europe. The question should have been
a gender question or one about people in politics, but it was trying
to go both ways.
8/6/06 Reminder: meeting for all members to discuss the CSPE Paper
on Friday from 4 pm in Blackrock Education Centre. Hope as many as
possible can make it. Look for our comments on Saturday's papers and
on our website.
26/4/06 Schools are being surveyed about
Senior Cycle developments in Social and Political Education.
Some or all schools have been circulated with a questionnaire on the
matter. Several copies have been sent and further info and copies
of the questionnaire are available at www.citizenship2005.ie
Deadline is Fri 5th May.
25/4/06 The European
Commission Representation in Ireland invites all students and teachers
to celebrate Europe Day on 9th May. From 11.45am to 2.30pm
students and teachers can find out more about countries in the European
Union, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia, at their Embassies'
stands on South King Street in Dublin 2. The Dublin Gospel Choir will
provide musical entertainment from 12.30 to 2pm. An open-top bus will
tour Dublin city centre and distribute information about the European
Union at various locations. A vintage open-top bus located on South
King Street will be an information centre on the European Union, in
association with the European Movement. The European Commission Representation
will deliver a special 4-page supplement packed with information to
all secondary schools on Europe Day. 25 copies will be delivered to
each school. The Irish Times, Irish Independent and Irish Examiner
will also carry special Europe Day supplements. Everyone is invited
to celebrate Europe Day at a concert of European classical music,
featuring the winners of the Siemen's Feis Ceoil 2006, which will
take place at 1.15pm in St. Ann’s Church on Dawson Street, Dublin
2. This concert has been organised by the European Parliament Office
and the European Commission Representation in Ireland. Café d'Europe,
in Bewley's café on Grafton street, will be launched at 11am. This
event, which features writer Brian Friel as its host, is an initiative
of the Embassy of Austria. If your school is organising a Europe Day
event, let us know about it, and we will put it on the schools’ section
on our website,
www.euireland.ie!
19/3/06
The latest edition of CSPE News, from the support service,
has arrived in schools. Cover story features the recent Young Citizen
Awards, there’s a biography of Rosa Lee Parks, stories from CSPE teachers,
a notice board of coming events, various projects and competitions
and a guide to recently published resources and those essential contact
details for the support service. Accompanying the CSPE News is a new
resource A Musical Approach to CSPE by Kathryn Moore. Kathryn
suggests ways of including popular songs in the teaching of CSPE concepts
and in particular uses Imagine (John Lennon), Feed the World
(Band Aid), Colours of the Wind (Pocahontas Soundtrack),
Where is the Love (Black Eyed Peas), Homeless (Paul
Simon), Ghetto Gospel (2Pac and Elton John) and Pride, in
the name of love (U2). For each song a methodology is suggested
and there are further suggestions for developing the approach.
9/3/06
New Text: The Educational Company is back in the CSPE Textbook stakes
with ONE WORLD, by Deirdre Murphy and Jim Ryan. The approach
is both concept based and Unit based. A whole section is devoted to
each of the 7 concepts. There ideas for Action Projects and assessment,
revision and exam type questions throughout, with plenty of visuals
and case studies. See resources page.
3/3/06
NEW – Distance Education Graduate Certificate / Diploma / M.ED.
In Development Education at Mary Immaculate College, University
of Limerick Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick invites
expressions of interest from potential students for the following
new course commencing September 2006*. Successful applicants will
participate in a number of modules (including interactive and participative
workshops) leading to a Graduate Certificate / Diploma or Masters
in Development Education. The Course will be learner centered, participative
and, crucially, action based. The Course will be accessible through
distance education from all parts of the country. Course modules were
designed in conjunction with 80:20 Educating and Acting for a Better
World, The Development Studies Centre (DSC) Kimmage Manor, and University
of Limerick. The course is being developed as part of a project funded
by Development Cooperation Ireland. The project advisory group includes
Concern, Trocaire and DICE. This Course is in response to the need
for a University accredited programme for educating development education
practitioners and to try and promote the highest standards in all
aspects of development education work. For further information contact:
Deirdre O’Rourke at the college. (*Course subject to approval)
28/2/06
Two substantial new resources arrived in schools recently:
1 - the usual Trocaire Lenten Pack, this year on children's
rights, which includes resources specifically tailored for CSPE, with
CD-Rom included.
2- "Education for All" - a CSPE Resource Pack from the Irish
Coalition for the Global Campaign for Education. There are plenty
of class plans, games, case studies, action projects and a teacher's
guide.
26/1/06
Just arrived in schools - a CD Rom "CSPE Starter Pack", with
all the basic CSPE documents - The Syllabus, The Revised Teacher Guidelines,
a slide show for induction inservice, past examination papers, Blank
RAPs and CWABs and more. A must have!
18/1/06 One Off Courses for CSPE (all in Education Centres) 2 teachers
per school per course all 9.15 am to 3.45 pm
CSPE with Mixed Abilities - Tues 21 Jan, Monaghan, Thurs 2nd Feb Athlone.
CSPE with students in need of learning support: Tues 7 Feb Cork, Thurs
9 Feb Dublin West.
CSPE and Controversial Issues - Tues 21 Feb Kilkenny, Thurs 23rd Feb,
Castlebar.
We have two pamphlets
we can send on request in pdf format: - two pamphlets which describe
and invite applications to attend two distinct conferences on Cooperative
Learning which will take place on February 25th, March 1st and
March 4th . The conference speakers are Professors David and Roger
Johnson from the University of Minnesota both of whom have long been
associated with the development of Cooperative Learning as an active
learning and classroom management strategy to support student achievement
and self esteem. The Conferences on February 25th and March 4th are
intended primarily for classroom teachers interested in exploring
alternative approaches which might help to enrich the classroom experience
for their students. The Conference on March 1st is intended primarily
for leaders of schools and leaders within the education sector.
15/12/05
Just arrived in schools - the blank RAP and CWAB Booklets -
check that the numbers are right for your school and send for more
if necessary. Circular S85/05 (green sheet) has also arrived pointing
out the usual criteria for RAPs and CWABs. This is accompanied by
a pink A4 card reminding teachers of some of the basic guidelines
about submitting the RAPs and CWABs.
27/10/05 What Next for
the European Union? - This is a new video/DVD (2005) on the future
of the EU. It is presented by Ray Darcy, with Sinéad Ni Loideain
and Danann Breathneach for the National Forum on Europe. It was sent
to all schools in late October. See our Resources
page. Making a Difference - A new resource from the National Youth
Development Education Programme, 3 Montague St Dublin 2. (01-4784122)
It has a wider application than CSPE, and features a variety of activities
related to citizenship and youth participation. There is also a separate
Teachers' Guide. See Resources page.
26/10/05
Just arriving in schools, a new pack for CSPE - Vote - Exploring
Democracy, Equality, Participation and Elections. Published by
the Gender Equality Unit of the Dept of Education and Science and
the City of Dublin VEC Curriculum Development Unit, and written by
Deirdre Phelan. There are teachers' notes, Ideas and plans for Action
Projects (such as Mock Election), profiles of female politicians,
worksheets and more. The pack is accompanied by a CD Rom.
11/10/05
The President has launched the Young Citizen Award, which may
be applicable to our CSPE students. Quote from citizenship2005.ie:
"Young people between the ages of 12 and 25 who are participating
in formal (school) or non-formal (youth organisations and clubs) education
and who are involved in voluntary (unpaid) active citizenship initiatives
can nominate themselves or be nominated. Nominations will be accepted
from/for groups as well as individuals. All nominations that meet
the criteria set by the National Steering Committee of the Young Citizen
Award will receive a certificate signed by President Mary McAleese.
Everyone who receives a certificate will be entered into a lottery
for a chance to attend a special event in Áras an Uachtaráin, where
they will meet the President and be presented with a specially designed
pin to mark the 2005 European Year of Citizenship through Education.
" More
info
Reminder: Major
Citizenship Conference in Killiney, Dublin, 24th - 26th November.
Various options for attending are available. Deadline for applications:
Fri 14th Oct. More
info.
27/9/05 Conference: There are still some places available at this Saturday's
Conference. If you or colleagues are interested please email us as
soon as possible with details. The Luas from City Centre goes very
close to the venue.
The new
Teacher Guidelines for CSPE have finally arrived in schools.
There is Course Content, sample lessons, Active Learning Methodologies,
Project Ideas, a guide to useful resources and more. Each school seems
to have got a number of copies so make sure they are kept safe for
future CSPE teachers! The Plain English Guide to Citizenship Terms has been published
by the National Adult Literacy Agency. It contains explanations to
around 400 citizenship terms. It wasn't designed for CSPE but it should
be of great benefit nevertheless. And it's available free from the
Agency, and can be downloaded free from www.nala.ie
See also Resources page.
20/9/05
Focus Ireland, the leading charity in Ireland working with people
who are homeless, are having our first ever Schoolmates Sleepover.
This is a fundraising event which links in with the CSPE curriculum
(unit 2 – The Community) and encourages teachers and students to take
part in a sponsored sleepover. CSPE teachers are provided with a module
to use to while covering the issue of homelessness in class. In addition,
students who register will receive free tshirts, wristbands and have
the chance to win computers for their school and a personal ipod,
by entering our competitions. More info at www.focusireland.ie
9/9/05
The Annual Conference and AGM of the Association will take place on
Saturday October 1st in the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, Dublin,
from 9.30 am. There will be an address from the Minister for Education
and Science, Mary Hanafin TD at 10.a.m. along with an input on the
Civic Merit Award for the European Year of Citizenship Through
Education. Workshops include: Climate Change, The challenge of
Citizenship, Global Challenge (Concern) and a Human Rights workshop
from Amnesty International, Organising Action Projects, Reporting
on Action Projects. There will also be a resources exhibition. To
view and/or download a brochure/booking form click here.
Inservice:
The Support Service for CSPE will be providing induction inservice
this Autumn - details will be sent to schools shortly. Here is an
outline of the events: Oct 5 Tralee, Oct 6 CDU, Crumlin Dublin, Oct
10 Navan Ed Centre, Oct 11 Waterford Ed Centre, Oct 13 Clare Ed Centre,
Oct 20 Sligo Ed centre Also there are 2 days for CSPE Co-Ordinators
- Nov 10th Athlone, Nov 15th Kildare. Further info on inservice: National
Co-ordinator, with responsibility for Region 1 Conor Harrison 8, Dara
Crescent, Celbridge, Co. Kildare. Mobile: 087-2405710 Tel/Fax: +353-1-6102805
E-mail: charrisoncdu@oceanfree.net
15/6/05
The following is the rsponse of the Association of CSPE Teachers
to this year's Junior Certificate CSPE Paper:
In general we
give the paper a broad welcome. There is good variety and balance
in the questions. This year the presentation is much improved, with
good quality colour inserts for the questions in Section 2. We welcome
the provision this year for the first time of a dedicated blank poster
page at the back of the answer book - to facilitate the poster making
option of some questions in Section 3.
There is a good
orientation towards issues related to young people, for example the
topical question on child labour, the student council question that
related well to the current European Year of Citizenship Through Education,
and the question on Anne Frank.
There is a substantial
and welcome action component in many questions especially in Section
2 - e.g. "Describe two actions your school could take …", "two actions
your CSPE class could take", "two actions you could take". The question
on the CSPE concepts in Section 1 is an improvement on a previous
year's question (2003) on the concepts. In Section 2, Question 4 (b)
on Trading Fairly, there is not a clear answer in the text - as to
why the wages of tea pluckers are so low. In Section 3 Question 2
(b) on the Round Tower Campaign, there is too much to do for the six
marks given - the objection letter and the "two other development
proposals". In Section 3, Question 3 (a) on the Mock Election, to
be accurate the mock election is an action project only for the CSPE
class rather than for the whole school as stated in the question.
13/6/05
Recently sent to schools - Second Level Student Councils in Ireland:
A Study of Enablers, Barriers and Supports. It is a research report
by The Children's Research Centre, Trinity College, on behalf of The
National Children's Office, and runs to 138 pages. It is an invaluable
resource for schools, and particularly relevant for CSPE classes using
the Student Council elections as an Action Project. For an example
of the Student Council election as an Action Project see our Action
Projects section or click here.
10/6/05
The new Guidelines for CSPE Teachers are now available to download
from the NCCA website
Follow the link to what's new from the home page. These guidlines
will be sent to schools in September.
10/5/05
This year's Junior Certificate CSPE paper is on Friday June 10th 2.00
pm to 3.30 pm. As usual there will be a meeting open to all members
to discuss the paper in the Blackrock Education Centre from 4.00 pm
that evening.
23/4/05
This year's deadline for completion of Reports on Action Projects
and Course Work Assessment books is Friday May 6th.
21/4/05
The association has a stand at this year's Education Show in the RDS,
Dublin, on April
21st until April 23rd, along with a detailed article about the Association
in the special magazine of the event.
20/3/05
2005 is the European Year of Citizenship through Education.
The aim is to launch throughout Europe a campaign to popularise and
put into practice the education for democratic citizenship policies
and programmes developed within the Council of Europe. Click here
for a Word document that has a variety of links to useful resources
for this event. Also go to the citizenship2005.ie
website for related events and activities in Ireland. This site also
gives details of grants for the production of resources.
8/3/05
Trócaire has launched a new website (www.sponsorthefast.ie)
- to faciltate fast sponsorship. Visitors to the site can set up their
own website where friends and family can log on to sign up for sponsorship.
8/2/05
Trócaire's Lenten Campaign for 2005 Help Make Poverty History Trócaire's
annual Education & Action Pack, including a CD-Rom with over 200 images,
to support its Lenten Campaign is now available. This Lent our pack
focuses on Ethiopia twenty years on from the devastating famine of
1984/85. Through interactive activities and personal stories, you
and your students will have the opportunity to explore issues of hunger
and poverty while at the same time addressing the CSPE concepts of
human dignity, development and interdependence. Ideas for action will
also allow the students to play their part to help Make Poverty History.
The pack is available free of charge from Trócaire, Maynooth (01-6293333)
or Cork (021-4275622) or you can download it from the Education section
of our website www.trocaire.org
7/2/05
There is a series of local inservice sessions in the Education Centres
in February and March 2005. Details have been sent to schools and
are available on our calendar page.
24/11/04
Recently arrived in schools - a video, DVD and booklet from the Forum
on Europe all about the EU constitution and institutions. It was probably
addressed to the TY Coordinator, but others may have received it as
well. See the Resources page for further
details.
9/11/04 Press Release from Cavan/Monaghan Youth Active Citizenship Project
Young People from County Monaghan to express views of their County
to decision makers. On Monday 22nd November, Monaghan County Development
Board and the Department of Community and Enterprise, Monaghan County
Council will host a children/young people's seminar in the Pheonix
Centre, Carrickmacrossl, Co. Monaghan. Children and young people aged
7-17 from all over County Monaghan will attend this event. The day
has two main functions. Firstly, to listen to children and young peoples
views about local decisions that affect their lives and secondly to
elect a Junior Council or a Comhairle na nOg for County Monaghan.
Each national school, primary school and youth organisation within
the county has been invited to send representatives to the children's
seminar in Carrickmacross. A report of the day will be available to
organisations within the county, and will be presented to Monaghan
County Council, Monaghan County Development Board and the National
Children's Office. After this seminar, Comhairle na nOg will act as
a shadow youth council for County Monaghan. Councillors will have
a number of important roles. They will be consulted on issues that
affect their lives, will represent County Monaghan at the National
Dail na nOg (Young People's Parliament) and the Dail na bPaisti (Children's
Parliament), and will experience how the democratic process works
on ground level. In 2004, Monaghan and Cavan County Development Boards
received funding under the Peace II Programme to develop a two-year
pilot programme 'Cavan/Monaghan Youth Active Citizenship Project'
which aims to involve children and young people in the democratic
process in a meaningful way. This project is supported by agencies
and organisations within the County such as Monaghan Youth Federation,
Neighbourhood Youth Project, ISPCC, Foroige, North Eastern Health
Board, County Monaghan Partnership and Monaghan Education Centre.
If you are interested in attending this Seminar, or if you require
further information, please contact Jenny Mc Loughlin, Youth Development
Officer @ 047 38140.
18/10/04
Our annual Conference and AGM were held on Saturday October 16th in
the Institute of Technology, Tallaght. At the AGM the new committee
was elected: Phillip Irwin, Jeanne Barrett, Bernadine O'Sullivan and
Brendan O'Regan were re-elected. New members elected were Theresa
Burke and Catherine Byrne. Officers will be elected at the first post-AGM
committee meeting. Gratitude was expressed to outgoing Vice Chair
Hannah Clarke for her contribution to the committee in the past few
years. See photos of the event here.
29/9/04
The New Cabinet: Mary Hanafin (former
CSPE Teacher!) - Department of Education; Willie O'Dea - Department
of Defence, Dick Roche Department of Environment, Heritage & Local
Government;Mary Harney, Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children;
Brian Cowen - Finance; Foreign Affairs Minister is Dermot Ahern; Michéal
Martin - Department of Enterprise, Trade, & Employment; Mary Coughlan
Agriculture, while Noel Dempsey - Communications Department; Martin
Cullen - Transport; Séamus Brennan - Social & Family Affairs. Michael
McDowell remains in the Justice Department. Éamon Ó Cuív stays in
Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, and John O'Donoghue in Arts,
Sport and Tourism.
26/9/04
Schools have recently been circulated with details of the high profile
Young Environmentalists Awards, run by Eco-Unesco. Deadline for registration
is 26 Nov and for submission of projects is 28th Feb 2005. For further
details go to www.ecounesco.ie
25/9/04
Details of the annual Conference will be arriving in school during
the coming week, and members will receive the details with their Newsletter,
posted Fri 24th Sept. Print it directly or save and print later. The
Cionference will take place on Saturday Oct 16th, in the Tallaght
Institute of Technology, off the Belgard Rd, opposite The Square and
near the M50. Check here
for directions. Deadline for applications is Fri Oct 8th.
On the 16th registration is at 9.30 am, there are workshops from 10.00
am to 11.00 am (Trócaire-Malawi and the Millenium Development
Goals, Amnesty-Imagining a Better World, Sustainable Energy Ireland-Enery
Awareness), a resources exhibition with tea/coffee break until 11.30
when there will be an open forum. Deirdre will present her research
on CSPE in schools, and there will be an item on the US Presidential
Election with speakers from Democrats Abroad and Republicans Abroad.
After lunch there will be workshops on Managing and Reporting on Action
Projects, and on Coordinating CSPE in school. The AGM of the Association
will take place at 3.30 pm.
20/9/04
Details of CSPE Inservice for October and November 2004 have been
sent to schools. Check our Calendar page
for details.
19/9/04 The
Annual Conference of the Association will take place on Saturday 16th
Oct in the Tallaght Institute of Education, Dublin. Plans are being
finalised so check back soon for details.
13/6/04
CSPE
PAPER 2004 - Response of Association of CSPE Teachers
Overall, we found the paper quite manageable, with nothing
to make it too difficult for students. In fact some disquiet was expressed
that the paper was too easy, not challenging enough. However there
was plenty of variety in topics and approach, and the style and layout
were well in line with previous papers.
The topicality of certain questions (e.g. War in Iraq, Local Elections,
EU Enlargement) was very welcome, though the citizenship referendum
should have featured, especially as it was it was taking place on
the same day as the CSPE paper, and a more substantial question on
the EU enlargement would have been appropriate.
However the appearance of such a substantial question on electronic
voting was disappointing, considering that this initiative had been
dropped. Questions were working on the assumption that e-voting would
be used, and when this plan was abandoned the exam paper should have
been revisited. We are very critical of the quality of the pictures
- the budget approach calls into question official attitudes to the
subject. Other subjects, like English and History, get glossy colour
pictures. The colour picture of the cabinet was unclear, and the e-voting
picture was in poor black and white when it could have been in colour.
The "Key Facts" on Disability for the question in Section 2 Question
4 could have been much better presented visually, and there was a
free half page on the picture insert page to allow for this.
Section 1:
This was straightforward. Question 3 used Irish language terms that
might make it difficult for non-national students, but it was felt
that these were basic terms in CSPE.
Section 2:
We would question whether there was enough content/knowledge based
questions in this section. Question 1 on e-voting has already been
commented on above - but it was quite doable. If it was to be on the
paper a question could have been asked about the controversy surrounding
the issue rather than assuming that e-voting would be used. At least
students would probably be aware of the issues because of the publicity.
Question 1 (c) was of questionable accuracy ("What is the difference
between electronic voting and the voting system used up to now").
Question 2, using Headlines, was a typical CSPE paper question going
right back to the original Sample Paper, though the headlines themselves
could have been better presented. We would question the distribution
of marks - 2 (c) is a substantial question but only gets 4 marks.
Question 4 features a welcome issue, that of gender equality, though
as mentioned the accompanying picture was of poor quality. Under this
picture figures were given which effectively gave away the answers
to 3(a) and 3(c). In question 4 the issue and questions were good
but the stimulus material ("Key Facts") could have been presented
more imaginatively and colourfully.
Section 3:
There was a good variety of topics and questions here and it was clear
to students what was required of them. However some questions called
for the making of a poster, which is fine, but no blank page was provided
for the purpose - just three heavily lined pages.
Home
What
Do You Say? Is a new range of materials for CSPE from the Ombudsman's
Office, and is downloadable from the website: 
ThinkB4UClick
is a Resource for CSPE that aims to empower students to be effective,
autonomous and safe users of new media. The various activities, including
surveys, comic strip, reflections and Action Project ideas deal with
issues such as privacy online and legal issues relating to use of
new media. Included is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
and the Webwise Charter of Online Rights of the Child. The resource
can be downloaded from 
New
Edition of Impact:
Impact! 5th ed CSPE for Junior Certificate by Jeanne Barrett and Fiona
Richardson, taking into account all recent major social and political
changes, up-to-date case studies and topics including: - Cyber-bullying
- Climate change - Human Rights and Children’s Rights - The Ombudsman
for Children - Micro-credit for the poor - Aids orphans - Your Rights
in Law, including guides to Action Projects and Skills • Identifies
Core Concepts of the CSPE course and relates them to current issues
and topics • In-depth coverage of how to complete a Report on an Action
project (RAP). Relevant CSPE core concepts highlighted throughout
Online testing for homework and revision will be available for this
textbook on the new eTest.ie website. The book is published by Gill
and Macmillan. More info 
Taking
Action Now is designed to prepare Junior Certificate Civic, Social
and Political Education (CSPE) students for their exam and beyond.
The text closely follows the syllabus requirements and has been extensively
reviewed by teachers. The book is divided into 25 chapters, which
are grouped under the seven course concepts: Rights and Responsibilities;
Stewardship; Human Dignity; Development; Democracy; Law and Interdependence.
Laid out in a clear, concise format with easy-to-read text. All chapters
have an abundance of questions, as well as a wealth of ideas for activities
and actions. Resource banks, at the end of each chapter, provide students
with opportunities to search for further information. Case studies
throughout provide students with real-life examples. Includes clear
guidelines on how to prepare action projects and course-work assessments.
Includes tips for students on how to conduct a survey, contact an
organization, write letters, invite a guest speaker, design posters
and carry out an interview. Accompanying workbook features a comprehensive
selection of exercises and previous examination questions. 176 pages
in full colour. ISBN: 9780714416908 
Developing
Responsible and Participative Members of Society - this year's
Transition Year Conference on Sat 11th Oct in the Osprey Hotel, Naas,
Co. Kildare. Information and booking forms have been sent to schools.
Workshops include Young Social Innovators, Combat Poverty, Special
Olympics and Simon Commuunity.
Images
and Objects: Active Methodology Toolkit