14/11/24
Proportional Representation
Citizens' Information has a useful explainer on the system of proportional representation - helpful in introducing the topic to CSPE students. Read it here.
Conference Last Call!
Our Annual Conference and AGM is now open for last call booking at Eventbrite - at this link. With Workshops: Electoral Commission; Oide CSPE Update; Diffit software (a tool that helps teachers create and access standards-aligned, differentiated instructional materials for any grade level); Financial Justice Ireland. Keynote speaker: Associate Professor of Sociology Audrey Bryan, DCU, on 'Citizenship Education and Democracy'. Non-members welcome. Membership not obligatory but attendees can join up on the day if they wish.
CSPE Article
'History repeating itself: an investigation of the challenges of teaching civic, social and political education' is a detailed article by Gearóid O'Brien which should be of interest to all CSPE teachers. Read it here.
Election Guidelines
Coimisiún na Meán has released their guidelines for media coverage during the general election. Read it here. Relevant to issues of media and democracy.
27/9/24
Our Annual Conference and AGM is now open for booking at Eventbrite - at this link. Annual Conference and AGM of the Association of CSPE Teachers. With Workshops: Electoral Commission; Oide CSPE Update; Diffit software (a tool that helps teachers create and access standards-aligned, differentiated instructional materials for any grade level); Financial Justice Ireland. Keynote speaker: Associate Professor of Sociology Audrey Bryan, DCU, on 'Citizenship Education and Democracy'. Non-members welcome. Membership not obligatory but attendees can join up on the day if they wish.
UN Special Days
International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction is on Sun 29 September - the issue should have a resonance with our schools and students and could form the basis of a citizenship action. Resources here.
Wed 2nd Oct is International Day of Non-Violence. With all the current wars this should be very topical. Resources here.
Pre-Registration for Voting
The Electoral commission reports: It takes 2 mins and 57 seconds to register to vote online at http://CheckTheRegister.ie but only 2% of 16 and 17 year olds have used the new pre-registration opportunity. Art O'Leary, CEO of the Commission, calls on people across Ireland to take just a few minutes to register to vote online. CSPE Teachers, or younger students as part of an action, could encourage their students over-16 to do this.
GAP: Global Citizenship and Climate Action Webinar Series
Global Action Plan (GAP) is conducting the Global Citizenship and Climate Action webinar series. The course is relevant to all post-primary subjects, with a particular focus on geography, CSPE, and politics. The third session will be on Tuesday, 01 October, 7.00pm – 8.30pm, and the last session will take place on Tuesday, 08 October, 7.00pm – 8.30pm. Each session is aimed at building the knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills necessary for students to take meaningful, informed action on climate issues. Supplementary resources will be provided to enhance the practice of Global Citizenship Education (GCE). Find out more…
GAP: Schools as Climate Action Hubs
Global Action Plan (GAP) is inviting participants to an event to mark the release of their new Just Action resources on Wednesday 02 October, 5.00pm at The Teacher’s Club, Parnell Square, Dublin. Just Action, an Erasmus+ project, supports global citizenship education and climate action in schools through classroom activities and a self-guided teacher training module. Developed with teachers and principals in four European countries, these resources aim to motivate whole-school and community-wide climate action. The event will feature a panel discussion with Anne Dolan, Codie Preston, and Orla Quigley, and provide space for attendees to share ideas and hopes for schools as climate hubs. Find out more…
4/9/24
Save the Date! National Conference and AGM of the Association of CSPE Teachers will be on Sat 16 Nov in Dublin. More details to follow.
Oireachtas Education
From Conor Reale, Education section: 'The onsite workshops and tours here in Leinster House are once again booking out very quickly. They run on Mondays and Fridays and are from 10.30 to 12.30 or 12 until 2. There will be a focus on elections in the sessions this year. There is very limited availability especially before Christmas so please get in touch if you are interested. Keeping with the election theme I will be delivering a series of four online classes suitable for all groups looking at elections, voting, formation of Governments etc. These can be arranged to suit the teachers timetable but again are in a lot of demand already. There will also be other events announced throughout the year but in the meantime many thanks for your help and if I can be of assistance to you or the members at any stage please get in contact'.
Oide
Oide's new Senior Leader with responsibility for CSPE is Paul Twomey - he can be contacted at paul.twomey@oide.ie
Rights Workshops at the Ombudsman for Children's Office
The Ombudsman for Children’s Office Participation and Rights Education team runs rights workshops for children. The workshops inform young people about the work of the OCO, help them to understand their rights, as well as make connections between rights and their daily lives through fun, interactive activities. These workshops are particularly suitable for CSPE, and Politics and Society classes. Booking form here.Email contact education@oco.ie
Special Day to Protect Education from Attack
Mon 9 Sept is the International Day to Protect Education from Attack. From the official materials: 'Attacks on education can have serious, long-term physical and psychological repercussions for students and teachers. Attacks can suspend teaching and learning, lead to a significant increase in dropout rates and prevent students from accessing their right to quality education'. More info here.
**Renewal
Renewal of memberships for 2024-2025 is now due. Use this link to renew online. Or go to the membership page for 'Pay Now' and other options. This is important if you wish to continue receiving this weekly e-zine, which we hope you find useful. Cost is still €25. Sometimes individual teachers pay or sometimes schools are willing to pay the subscription.
Flag Protocols
With the national flag being used and abused widely, it might be useful to check out the official flag protocols document, which is available for download at this link.
Call to Action Updates
For those using the Call To Action textbook by Gearóid O'Brien,topical updates are available now on GillExplore The extra exercises can be downloaded as a pdf and tie into lessons in the textbook. This year's topics include refugees, ReTurn scheme, promoting voting and authoritarianism.
26/6/24 EU and I
EU and I is an initiative aimed at helping people navigate the EU elections ecosystem. Available in over 20 languages, EU&I is an online tool which invites users to react to 30 policy statements covering a wide range of relevant issues in European politics. The results show which parties stand closest to their preferences, both in their country and all across Europe. Check it out here: https://www.euandi.eu/
2/5/24
CSPE Workshop
In this webinar, facilitated by Tralee Education Centre, Gearóid O’Brien will look at planning a unit of learning around teaching areas from each of the strands of the Junior cycle CSPE course, using the key junior cycle skills. Sample materials for teaching the lessons will be used to give practical examples of how to teach these lessons and will be shared with participants. Tuesday 7th May 2024, Time: 7 - 8 pm, Venue: Online via Zoom. Details and booking here.
New CSPE Guide
World Wise Global Schools will launch their CSPE guide in the Mary Robinson Centre, Ballina on the 2nd of May from 11.00-2.00. This is a great opportunity to share good practice vis a vis Global Citizenship Education in the CSPE classroom as well as we explore some of the teaching and learning activities in the new guide. Info at this link
Democracy - A User's Guide Democracy: A User's Guide by Joss Sheldon may be of interest to CSPE teachers - check it out at this link.
Electoral Commission News
An Coimisiún Toghcháin has published Framework on Online Electoral Process information, Political Advertising and Deceptive AI Content in advance of June elections. Check out the details at this link.
14/3/24 Elimination of Racism
Thurs 21 March is the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racism. The 2023 theme of the International Day focuses on the urgency of combatting racism and racial discrimination, 75 years after the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). UN resources are available here.
Sustainability Workshop
In this CPD session, we will be hearing from teachers from Kinsale College who have successfully embedded sustainability into their subject areas from Geography to CSPE. They will show how schools can embed sustainability across the school curriculum with a particular focus on English, Geography and CSPE.
23/2/24 CSPE and Referendum Tues 27 Feb 7.30 pm
An online workshop to explore ways for CSPE classes to engage with the referendum process, before and after the vote. This will apply to both the upcoming referenda and any future votes. Register at this link:
News Literacy Project - Election Page
The News Literacy project has launched a web page for resources relating to this 'year of elections'. While mainly about the US elections, it has lots of material that can be more generally applied. There are due to be approx 70 elections in the world this year, so it's a great opportunity for CSPE teachers covering Democracy. https://newslit.org/election/
Democracy Index
Less than 8% of the world’s population live in a full democracy, while almost 40% live under authoritarian rule—a share that has been creeping up in recent years. The increasing incidence of violent conflict has badly dented the global democracy score and prevented a recovery after the pandemic years of 2020-22. Download report: http://econgrp.co/jF
Also watch this short video summary: https://youtu.be/qUVZ4HpXiJg
Disarmament and Non-Proliferation
The International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness is on Tues 5th March and seeks to promote better awareness and understanding of disarmament issues among the public, especially young people. Since the founding of the United Nations, the goals of multilateral disarmament and arms limitation have been central to the Organization’s efforts to maintain international peace and security. With controversies about arms for Ukraine and Israel in particular in the news this day is especially relevant at the moment. https://www.un.org/en/observances/disarmament-non-proliferation-awareness-day
Webinar: Education and Democracy
The Committee on Education for Democracy invites you to a webinar on 5th February sharing good practices in the field of citizenship education. Registration at this link.
Ripple of Hope
Ripple of Hope (Day of Affirmation) offers resources relating to an inspiring speech of Robert F. Kennedy. Check it out at this link.
Palestine: Trócaire Resource
Trócaire has a resource on Palestine in Powerpoint form available for download at this link.
7/12/23 Referendum Confirmed
From RTE: 'The Government has confirmed plans to hold referendums on constitutional references to family and care in March 2024. The proposed referendums, to be held on International Women's Day on 8 March, would broaden the definition of family beyond marriage in the constitution. There would also be a new reference to carers to recognise all those who provide care and to remove the reference to women's duties in the home from the constitution'. Information will come from the Electoral Commission, which has replaced or subsumed the work of the old Referendum Commission. You can access it's Dec 5th statement here. This includes the following: ' ... planning is already underway to deliver information about the upcoming March 8 Referendum. Among its functions, An Coimisiún Toghcháin, has taken on the role previously held by the Referendum Commission to provide independent, impartial information about the proposals being put to the people, and to encourage people to vote.' There is potential for a substantial Citizenship Action.
Powerpoint and AI Workshop
Workshop online via Blackrock Education Centre exploring the new Gamma app - amazing browser-based software that lets you create impressive presentations, including Powerpoint presentations, just by giving this AI tool a few prompts. This workshop is for teachers of all subjects. Wed 13th Dec 7.30 pm - 8.30 pm. Book at this link.
Lecture
IGHN: The Irish Aid Annual Professor Father Michael Kelly Lecture 2023 - The Irish Global Health Network is inviting participants to join them for the Irish Aid Annual Professor Father Michael Kelly Lecture 2023 themed Let Communities Lead today 30 November, 5.00pm - 7.00pm at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin. Find out more...
Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants Round 2024
The 2024 Irish Aid Global Citizenship Education Grants Call for Proposals is underway! Information on the call for proposals can be found at this link under the ‘Applying for Funding’ tab. It also includes links to the Grant Guidelines, FAQ documents, and information on DEAR co-funding. The remaining key date is thedeadline Friday, 15 December, 5.00pm, when the completed application form, signed by the legal representative of the organisation (e.g. the CEO or the Chair of the Board), should be e-mailed to GlobalCitizenshipEducation@dfa.ie.
Middle East Conflict Resource:Tackling Controversial Issues in the Citizenship Classroom: A resource for Citizenship Education by CDVEC Curriculum Development Unit providing an opportunity to reflect on several issues associated with teaching controversial issues in the Classroom. Activity pack: Palestine and Israel, how will there be a just peace? A Citizenship Education Resource for Transition Year and Key Stage 4. This resource by the CDETB Curriculum Development Unit will help post-primary students throughout the island of Ireland to explore the Palestinian-Israeli situation within the context of Human Rights and International Law. Information Guide: Discussing the Israel-Palestine Conflict in the Classroom; This resource by Facing History & Ourselves in the UK contains suggested resources and approaches for discussing the Israel-Palestine conflict with students
5/10/23
World Food Day: Mon 16th October is World Food Day. There will be World Food Day Flagship events! The Global World Food Day Ceremony will take place on Monday, 16 October 2023. Junior World Food Day, will follow on Thursday 19 October. This fun-filled event will feature stories, music, art and dance. Hear from special guests who will join youth for a conversation guaranteed to inspire water action for food. Resources, programmes and registration is at this link.
Eradication of Poverty: Tues 17th October is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The blurb: 'Dignity for all in practice is the umbrella theme of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty for 2022-2023. The dignity of the human being is not only a fundamental right in itself but constitutes the basis of all other fundamental rights. Therefore, “Dignity” is not an abstract concept: it belongs to each and every one. Today, many people living in persistent poverty experience their dignity being denied and disrespected'. Further info here.
6/9/23
Conference Update: Bookings for the National Conference and AGM are now open at this link on Eventbrite. The Conference takes place Sat 21st Oct in Leinster House from 9.30 pm. Theme: 50 Years of Ireland in the EU - National Identity and European Citizenship. This year's workshops: The CBA Process and CSPE; European Parliament Resources; Oireachtas Resources; Using learning outcomes to teach European Issues; Artificial Intelligence (AI) and CSPE; Concern Project. Keynote Speaker: Lisa Walshe, NUIG.
Conference Schedule available here.
31/5/23
National Conference: The Annual Conference and AGM, with workshops, of the Association will take place 21st Oct in Leinster House. This will be the first in-person conference in three years. So, save the date! Details of workshops and registration arrangements will be announced later.
JCT Resources
The slides and resources from the 2022/2023 Core CPD Workshops are available at this link.
IDEA Annual Conference 2023
Registration is now open for the IDEA Annual Conference 2023 Transforming Global Citizenship Education: innovating for a better world. This will take place on Wednesday 21 June in the Morrison Hotel, Dublin 1, with speakers including Minister Seán Fleming and Leonardo Garnier, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General for the Transforming Education Summit. There will be a celebration of the innovative work of Global Citizenship Education practitioners, and some activities to inspire your inner innovator! Find out more...
17/4/23 JCT Info and Upcoming Change
Registration is now open for September / October 2023 for teachers who teach a second subject - a junior cycle subject specific workshop that will be provided by Oide Ireland, Oide, a new Dept. of Education (Ire) support service set to be established on 01.09.23 following integration of CSL JCT NIPT & PDST http://jctregistration.ie Register by Friday, 26th May.
ChatGPT and other AI Tools in CSPE Online, Wed 17 May, 7.30 pm - An exploration of the use of Chat GPT and other AI tools in the teaching of CSPE, incl devising teaching strategies, handouts, worksheets, assessments, class plans, unique images and much more. Workshop will last an hour or so.
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpcuCppjsqGtwcj89vr9rPZ-7fwFVUkuap
26/4/23 New Workshop: The Association of CSPE Teachers has organised a new online workshop for Tues 2 May 5pm-6pm. A speaker from the European Parliament Office will speak about what the European Parliament offers for the youth sector and teachers. She will talk about the European Parliament Ambassador School Programme, Euroscola, and will give an outline of these activities. This will relate particularly to Strand 3 of the CSPE Short Course - Exploring Democracy. To register click on this link - you will receive Zoom link by return email.
GOAL: NextGen 2023 Youth Programme:Applications are now open for GOAL’s NextGen 2023 Youth Programme that brings together young people from all over the world to better understand global justice issues and deepen their understanding of Global Citizenship. The 2023 Programme will consist of 7 sessions that take place online, with 2 sessions in person for Irish based participants. Participants will work with peers across the world to develop skills in critical thinking, intercultural communication, project management, teamwork, and the fundamentals of organising and implementing public awareness campaigns. Deadline for applications is 05 May. Successful applicants will be notified of selection by 12 May. Find out more…
FJI: Econo-wha? Online Teacher Training: Financial Justice Ireland (FJI) is inviting Post-Primary Teachers for a 2-week Online Teacher Training version of Econowha? Session 1 focuses on a Global Citizenship Education (GCE) approach to Economic and Financial Justice on 03 May and Session 2 focuses on Debt Justice & Tax Justice on 10 May. Find out more…
19/4/23
CSPE Strand 3 Workshop: Planning a Unit of Learning for Strand Three in JC CSPE - The Role of the Media in a Democracy – in JC CSPE. Online, Mon 8th May 7 pm. In this webinar Gearóid O’Brien will look at the teaching of Strand Three of the CSPE course. The webinar will involve planning a unit of learning around learning outcomes 3.12 and 3.13 on the role of the media in a democracy using the key junior cycle skills. Sample materials for teaching the lessons will be used to provide practical examples of how to teach these lessons and will be shared with participants. Register at this link.
Certificate in Global Citizenship Education
Maynooth University Department of International Development is inviting applications for a part-time level 9 Certificate in Global Citizenship Education, commencing September 2023. The Cert in GCE is a one-year (8 months) part time course of study commencing in September. Classes will be timetabled to suit those who are working full-time during regular working hours, on campus and on Saturdays, in the evenings or during holidays, with some online dimensions. This is designed for those who are involved in or interested in global citizenship, development and human rights education, in anti-racism and intercultural education, as well as in education for sustainable development. Find out more…
29/3/23
On Teaching CSPE
Gearóid O'Brien has written an article on the challenges of teaching CSPE, published in Irish Educational Studies: 'History repeating itself: an investigation of the challenges of teaching Civic, Social and Political Education'. Read the article at this link.
Charity Shops
If you have ever donated to, shopped, worked, volunteered in or even thought about a charity shop, the Get Up and Goals Charity Shops Project is asking you to give up approx. 6 minutes to complete an online survey: https://forms.gle/tCjQLWHCuoC4x5j98. By completing the survey, you have a chance to win an SDG leather football or drawstring bag and are helping us to plan Global Citizenship Education activities in A Partnership with Africa (APA) charity shops.
YSI: Championing the SDGs Workshop
Join Young Social Innovators (YSI) for a Championing the SDGs Workshop aiming to increase awareness among teenagers around the UN SDGs and create leadership within school communities to champion and encourage action around the Goals. Integral to its format is the design of an SDG Champion Action Plan which some students will lead in the school community. It will also encourage young people to become champions for the SDGs and lead their school community in efforts to address the SDGs. Find out more…
23/3/23
Sourcing News:The Irish Examiner recently had a survey on where we get our news - useful when exploring the media and democracy aspects of the CSPE Short Course - Learning Outcomes 3.12 - 3.14. Check it out at this link.The website of The Press Council also has useful resources for this area of study.
May CSPE Workshop
Planning a Unit of Learning for Strand Three in JC CSPE - In this webinar Gearóid O’Brien will look at the teaching of Strand Three of the CSPE course. The webinar will involve planning a unit of learning around learning outcomes 3.12 and 3.13 on the role of the media in a democracy using the key junior cycle skills. Sample materials for teaching the lessons will be used to provide practical examples of how to teach these lessons and will be shared with participants. More info and booking at this link. Date: 8th May 7 pm.
15/3/23 Courses from Blackrock Education Centre *Action for global justice – student led learning and initiatives Course Date 20-03-2023 4:30 pm Online. 1 Hour. Free Speaker Paula Galvin from Clonburris NS and Global Citizenship School.
*ESCI and Irish Aid Our World Irish Aid Awards 2023- Information webinar Course Date 21-03-2023 5:00 pm Free 1 Hour, Online.
*Exploring global justice through games-based learning Course Date 27-03-2023 4:30 pm Free Speaker Niall Quillinan from Trócaire. 1 Hour, Online.
ALL COURSES - BOOKING: www.blackrockec.ie
9/3/23
Human Rights Workshop - The Association of CSPE Teachers is organising an online Human Rights workshop, which is relevant to Strand 1 of the CSPE Short Course. Content: Human Rights an Overview: Background and definitions , Human Rights Frameworks, International, Europe and Ireland . Related equality and primary legislation to combat discrimination. Presenter: James Connington, MA. Academic Assoc. CIPD, Senior Lecturer in The Whitaker School of Government & Management at The Institute of Public Administration (IPA www.ipa.ie ) Dublin, Ireland. He lectures on a range of educational programmes and provides consultancy and project work in Ireland and internationally. His main areas of focus are human rights & dignity in the workplace, non- discriminatory practice in HR and recruitment and selection. Register at Eventbrite, Zoom link will be sent closer to the event.
JCT Workshops for CSPE - CSPE Workshop: Making Connections When: 19th April - 5th May Session 1: Connecting the Strands Session 2: Consider-Create-Collaborate Session 3: Connecting the Learning. Register via http://jctregistration.ie by Thursday, 16th March 2023. A letter was sent to school principals last week about these events. It can be viewed at this link. If having difficulties with this request it from principal or cspeteachers@gmail.com
4/3/23
CSPE Related Webinar: Pesentation on the Houses of the Oireachtas with access to resources for Post Primary Schools: Parliamentary Education Officer Conor Reale will host an information session for Post Primary History, CSPE and Politics and Society looking at the education resources offered by the Houses of the Oireachtas. Conor has taught History and Geography and now works with the Houses of the Oireachtas service and members to develop educational materials and policies. It's on Tues 7th March 7 pm. More info and registration at this link.
YSI Workshop on SDGs: Join Young social Innovators (YSI) for a Championing the SDGs Workshop that aims to increase awareness among teenagers around the UN SDGs and create leadership within school communities to champion and encourage action around the Goals. Integral to its format is the design of an SDG Champion Action Plan which some students will lead in the school community. It will also encourage young people to become champions for the SDGs and lead their school community in efforts to address the SDGs. Find out more…
2/2/23 Key Documents for CSPE: JCT has a webpage for the key documents pertaining to CSPE, including the Short Course specifications and Wellbeing Guidelines. Check them out at this link. Also, the Association has a list of key documents for CSPE at this link.
STAND: Spring Global Issues Courses: STAND an Initiative of Suas is inviting you to apply for the STAND Spring Global Issues courses taking place in the Spring and Autumn. They are 6 weeks long and will take place online one evening per week for 2 hours. Participants will explore the interdependent and unequal world in which we live, through a process of interactive learning, debate, action and reflection. All courses feature different expert facilitators for each of the topics such as global citizenship, climate & environmental justice, global health, trade, and migration. Places are limited to 30 per course and are allocated on a first-come first-serve basis. Find out more…
GAP: Global Citizenship and Climate Action Training: Global Action Plan (GAP) is inviting teachers for the Global Citizenship and Climate Action - Online Teacher Training on 02 March, 7.00, online. This will enable teachers to support their students to take action on climate and build their skills to teach global citizenship. This course relates to all subjects in post primary education especially geography, CSPE, politics and society. Find out more…
26/1/23 ECO-UNESCO: YEA Deadline Extension: ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) deadline has been extended to 28 February. This is open to any group of young people in the Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland from 10-18 years old. The YEA programme is a fun and exciting way to empower young people to become better citizens, to build awareness of environmental issues in the community and promote local actions and lifestyle changes to the environment. Find out more…
MU Dept. of Int. Dev.: Post-graduate programmes : Join the Department of International Development, Maynooth University, on their Postgraduate (PG) and MA programmes, which start in September 2023 full- or part-time. This includes their PG Certificate in Global Citizenship Education, MA in International Development, and their MA in International Peacebuilding, Security and Development Practice. Through these courses, participants will critically engage with important contemporary issues and enhance their understanding, knowledge and skills to make a positive difference in the lives of others at personal, local and global levels. Closing date is 30 June. Any questions contact them here.Find out more…
International Holocaust Remembrance Day: The International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, is an international memorial day on 27 January. On 29 January 2023 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. at Mansion House, Dublin 2 and online the event cherishes the memory of those who died during the Holocaust. The ceremony will include readings, survivors’ recollections, the Scroll of Names, candle lighting and music. Senior members of the Government will be in attendance. The ceremony will also be streamed live on YouTube. For attending, please register on the webpage Also, resources here.
19/1/23 News Literacy Webinar: The News Literacy Project is organising a webinar 'Critical Reading to Identify Credible Evidence'. This free webinar for educators, presented by the News Literacy Project on edWeb.net, focuses on critical reading skills and features professor and author Jeff Wilhelm. It's on Mon 23rd Jan at 5 pm Eastern Time USA which at the moment is 10 pm Irish time but check in case of any changes nearer the time. More info and registration here.
Educators for Sustainability Short Course: Educators for Sustainability are looking for schools to join their Junior Cycle Short Course Pilot Program for the 2023/24 academic year. The pilot program is for 100 hours over the three years of Junior Cycle and complements studies in many other subjects including Geography, Business, Science, History, CSPE, SPHE, English and Home Economics. To know more about the course register for a short online information sessions here: 25th Jan 2pm http://bit.ly/3w0ENvj 3rd Feb 2pm http://bit.ly/3IIpZcb More info here.
International Day of Education: Tues 24th Jan is International Day of Education. The right to education is enshrined in article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration calls for free and compulsory elementary education. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, goes further to stipulate that countries shall make higher education accessible to all. Further, Sustainable Development Goal 4, in particular, aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030. Resources here.
1/12/22 Young Social Innovators Workshop: Young Social Innovators is is offering a new Championing the Sustainable Development Goals Workshop. With the support of World Wise Global Schools and the Department of Education this workshop is now available to book free of charge by schools nationwide. The workshop is delivered directly to your CSPE class by a YSI facilitator. It alligns with the Global Citizenship strand of the CSPE curriculum while also providing an opportunity to introduce your students to their rights and responsibilities as global citizens. More information and details on how to book are provided below however, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Eileen Costello Rawat, Head of Education Young Social Innovators at educate@ysi.ie.
Young Social Innovators Workshop
Young Social Innovators is is offering a new Championing the Sustainable Development Goals Workshop. With the support of World Wise Global Schools and the Department of Education this workshop is now available to book free of charge by schools nationwide. The workshop is delivered directly to your CSPE class by a YSI facilitator. It alligns with the Global Citizenship strand of the CSPE curriculum while also providing an opportunity to introduce your students to their rights and responsibilities as global citizens. More information and details on how to book are provided below however, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Eileen Costello Rawat, Head of Education Young Social Innovators at educate@ysi.ie.
24/11/22 Young Enviromentalists Award: Registration for Eco-Unesco's Young Environmentalists Award is now open, and stays open until end Dec 22. Completed project submissions are due the 19th of February 2023. Contact: yea@ecounesco.ie or roisin.fitzgerald@ecounesco.ie more info here.
Teaching Immigration: The project Teaching Immigration in European Schools (TIES), funded by National Geographicseeks to promote understanding and citizenship education, with specific focus on teaching migration. There are free teaching modules, which communicate academic knowledge about migration to school students and are freely available on the TIES website.
16/11
Workshop Reminder
Gearóid O'Brien will be doing a webinar on teaching Strand 1 (Rights and responsibilities) of the CSPE specification on Dec 5 with Tralee Education Centre - Approaches to Planning a Unit of Learning for Strand One in JC CSPE. More info and booking here.
One World Week
The One World Week Festival takes place 19-26 November, with a range of activities and issues including fast fashion, climate change, access to education, housing and homelessness. More info here: https://www.youth.ie/one-world-week-festival-2022/
Eco-Week
Eco-Unesco's Eco-Week is currently taking place, until 18 Nov. There is a variety of related activities, workshops and online activities. More info here: https://ecounesco.ie/10-18-youth-programmes/eco-weeks/
19/10/22
Media Literacy: ADAPT will be offering a free online workshop on misinformation for parents and teachers supported by Webwise; the Irish internet safety awareness centre. This workshop will help people identify misleading or misrepresented information and provide some simple techniques to separate fact from fiction. It's on 24 Nov 7-8.30 pm. More info and registration here.
Global Media Literacy Week: Next week is Global Media Literacy Week. The resource 'Connected' has been specifically designed for teachers of the Junior Cycle Digital Media Literacy Short Course who wish to explore Online Wellbeing; News, Information and Problems of False Information; Big Data and the Data Economy; and My Rights Online. This is also suitable for issues relating to media and democracy in the CSPE Short Course (Learning Outcome 3.12: 'explore the role of different media in generating information and news and assess the pros and cons of each'. Connected aims to empower young people to be effective, autonomous and safe users of technology and online media.
13/10/22
JCT October Workshops: Among the October workshops being organised by JCT, there is one for CSPE teachers online on 25th Oct at 8 pm. 'Clarifications and Considerations for Teachers new to the CSPE Short Course'. Register at this link.
The Opportunity Project: The Opportunity Project, contains a series of lessons with varied resources for CSPE students to learn about global issues, life in rural Honduras and the work of this NGO. One particular initiative in rural Honduras is a scholarship programme for students to attend secondary school. If interested in organising a fundraising event (perhaps as part of a CBA for CSPE), the scheme of lessons naturally culminates in this. The project would be extremely grateful for any support you could provide. Contact Cara at cara@the-opportunity-project.org if you have any questions about the module, resources or would like any further information/support in implementing it. The scheme of work containing all lesson plans and all associated resources can be found at this link: https://en.the-opportunity-project.org/education-package
Poverty Awareness: International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is on Mon 17 October. Description: 'Dignity for all in practice is the umbrella theme of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty for 2022-2023. The dignity of the human being is not only a fundamental right in itself but constitutes the basis of all other fundamental rights. Therefore, “Dignity” is not an abstract concept: it belongs to each and every one. Today, many people living in persistent poverty experience their dignity being denied and disrespected.' Info and resources at this link.
5/10/22
MyEU50: Ireland EU50 Youth Competition is a once off competition to commemorate 50 years of EU membership in Ireland, a chance to to celebrate with young people across the nation, to see their and new ideas about Ireland and Europe. For Primary and Post Primary Level, there is have €2000 up for grabs for the winning entry per level! For more information about the competition visit: www.myeu50.ie.
CSPE Strand 1 Workshop: Approaches to Planning a Unit of Learning for Strand One in JC CSPE, online via Clare Education Centre Mon 5 Dec 7pm - 8 pm. In this webinar Gearóid O’Brien will look at the teaching of Strand One of the CSPE course. The webinar will involve planning a unit of learning around teaching human rights using the key junior cycle skills. Sample materials for teaching the lessons will be used to give practical examples of how to teach these lessons and will be shared with participants.
Register: https://www.clareed.ie/cpd-courses/post-primary-courses/2707-approaches-to-planning-a-unit-of-learning-for-strand-1-in-jc-cspe-pp.html
29/9/22
World Habitat Day: Mon 3rd October is World Habit Day. In 2022, World Habitat Day (WHD 2022) under the theme "Mind the Gap. Leave No One and Place Behind" looks at the problem of growing inequality and challenges in cities and human settlements. World Habitat Day 2022 seeks to draw attention to the growing inequalities and vulnerabilities that have been exacerbated by the triple ‘C’ crises — COVID-19, climate and conflict. More information at this link.
21/9/22
The Annual Conference with workshops and AGM is on Sat 22 Oct 9.30 am. Booking is at Eventbrite, at this link.
Workshops: Trócaire Presentation - The Right Focus is Trócaire's new documentary film making programme designed to support students and teachers to use documentary film making as a way of taking action on important global issues. Trócaire completed a successful pilot year of the programme in 2021/22, and will roll out the first full year of the programme in 2022/23. Stephen from Trócaire will re cap on the pilot year, including showcasing two of the documentaries that made it to the final in the Lighthouse Cinema in May 2022, including 'Stand Up' by St. Dominics Grammar School in Belfast, the winner of the People's Choice Award voted by the audience of young people and educators.
Update on CSPE developments - Thomas Gleeson, JCT. Thomas will update teachers on the latest developments in CSPE - incl hours required, CBAs and any forthcoming inservice from JCT.
Overview of CBA process in CSPE - Gearoid O'Brien . From September 2022, all post-primary schools are obliged to allocate 100 hours to CSPE over the course of junior cycle. The CSPE short course requires a Citizenship Action Record CBA conducted in year 2 or year 3. Gearóid's presentation will look at the requirements for the Citizenship Action Record, exemplars of standard and suggest different methods of conducting and recording the CBA.
Introduction to the Oireachtas Website for Education - Conor Reale . In his presentation Conor will take us through the range of lesson plans and resources available on https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/visit-and-learn/teachers-and-students/ with a particular emphasis on the 'Exploring Democracy' suite of resources. These resources are designed specifically for Strand Three of the CSPE Short Course Specification and include 20 hour long lesson plans, presentations and associated resources as well as three Democracy actions which could be incorporated into a CBA.
Courses at Sligo Education Centre
Sligo Education has a wide variety of online courses for Autumn, some of which are relevant to CSPE:
Climate & Nature Education – Environmental Influencer Programme, Sept 14th & 21st (7pm)
Developing Student Voice in Our Schools, Sept 29th
Student Leadership through Climate Action projects Oct 5th
Details and registration here: https://www.ecsligo.ie/post-primary.html
8/6/22
Save the Date! Annual Conference of Association of CSPE Teachers, online Sat 22 Oct. Details later.
25/5/22
UN Peacekeepers: The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, 29 May, offers a chance to pay tribute to the uniformed and civilian personnel’s invaluable contribution to the work of the Organization and to honour nearly 4,200 peacekeepers who have lost their lives serving under the UN flag since 1948, including 135 last year. The theme for this year’s Day is "People. Peace. Progress. The Power of Partnerships.” Read more ...
Young People and Politics: 'The Conversation' website, UK based, has published an article 'Young children all find politics engaging but by 15 this has changed – new research shows why' which you can access here. The website has several other articles of interest on similar themes, including 'Young people are detached from politics – schools can be the solution' (read more...)
18/5/22
MU: Certificate in Global Citizenship Education: Maynooth University is running a new Certificate in Global Citizenship Education course. This is a one-year, part-time, 20 ECTS postgraduate programme for those interested in global citizenship, development and human rights education, anti-racism and intercultural education and education for sustainable development. Deadline for application is 30 June. Find out more...
MIC: M.Ed. in Ed. for Sustainability and Global Citizenship: Mary Immaculate College Limerick is now offering a new M.Ed. in Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship. Find out more...
12/5/22 New Workshop for September: There will a CSPE workshop in September organised by the Clare Education Centre and presented by Gearóid O'Brien. 'From Learning Outcome to Lesson - Approaches to Teaching CSPE'. The broad learning outcomes in CSPE can make it difficult to decide what content to teach in the subject. This seminar will give suggestions on how to plan lessons to teach learning outcomes using the key junior cycle skills. Sample materials for teaching the lessons will be used to give practical examples of how to teach these lessons. The workshop will be online, and will take place Thurs 22 Sept 7-8 pm. Info and booking at this link.
Drama Workshop: Exploring key skills through drama Sat 21 May 2022 - Arts in Junior Cycle with choreographer, dance and drama facilitator Mary Farrelly. Venue: Garage Theatre, Monaghan Education Campus. In this practical drama workshop, participants will explore selected junior cycle key skills such as Being Creative, Working with Others and Communicating through a range of workshop activities, including warm-up games, physical theatre/ensemble techniques and storytelling. Register at this link. (Google Form)
4/5/22
Northern Ireland Elections: This week the elections take place for the Northern Ireland Assembly - though it's late in the school year teachers might wish to give it some attention in CSPE class. There is some useful information on the voting systems in NI elections at this link. Here you can find out how elections are run, how people register to vote, where to find election results, how constituency boundaries are decided and reviewed and how people become election observers.
27/4/22 Growing the Future: Growing the Future is a new resources for CSPE written by Stephen Farley for Trócaire. The blurb: 'Growing the Future supports teachers and students to understand the current issues facing families and communities in Zimbabwe, primarily food security, but also climate change and Covid-19. The activities focus on understanding the current situation, but also looking to the future, and encouraging students to come up with solutions for existing problems, leading to a brighter future for all.'The pack includes lessons, worksheets, access to Powerpoint presentations and more. The resource, which is also available in Irish, is available for download at this link.
Grants for Global Citizenship Education: WorldWise Global Schools (WWGS) provides grant funding to Schools and Organisations(NGOs & School Networks) working in the post-primary sector in the Republic of Ireland (ROI). Grant funding can be applied for on an annual basis (from April 7th 2022) to assist Schools/Organisations with activities and initiatives, which promote Global Citizenship Education, to take place in the following academic year. Application Deadline: May 13th 2022 5.30pm. Applications and more info at this link.
6/4/22
Ukrainian Refugees: Citizens' Information has compiled a list of guidelines for Ukrainian citizens coming to Ireland. It may be enlightening for our own student citizens as increasingly they may find Ukrainian students coming to their school. Check it out at this link.
World Central Kitchen: Chefs for Ukraine is an iniative of World Central Kitchen, whose work providing meals for displaced people could be worth exploring in CSPE classes.
Voices of Children: Voices of Children provides psychological help and therapy for children caught up in the war zone in Ukraine. The website includes a section on the stories of individual children caught up in the war. Check it out at this link.
30/3/22
More Ukraine Related Resources: Over the last few weeks we have flagged a variety of resources for teachers relating to the war in Ukraine.This week we're flagging a detailed resources from The New York Times on the same topic. Check it out at this link.
Leaving Cert Reform: Proposed new subject to be included in Leaving Cert Reform announced this week - Climate Change and Sustainable Development.
Read more here.
23/3/22
ACT Planning Workshop: Our new workshop on Thurs 28 April 7 pm will explore various aspects of planning in and for CSPE, with practical examples. Presenter: Gearóid O'Brien. Registration at Eventbrite - this link.
16/3/22
JCT Inservice - Sharing CSPE Practice: 'From Pdf to Practice' - a JCT online event where you can listen to fellow CSPE teachers share their experiences of bringing the CSPE specification to life in their classrooms. 7th April 18.30 - 19.30. Register at this link.
New CSPE Text
Call To Action is a new CSPE Textbook written by Gearóid O'Brien and published by Gill Education. It is written to align with the 100 hour CSPE Short Course and features a textbook, an e-book and a teachers' resource book. The text and supporting materials can be viewed at this link.
Census School Resources Webinar
There will be a webinar on the upcoming census on Tues 22nd March 7 pm. It will be presented by Edmond Hussey and organised by Tralee Education Centre. This Webinar has been developed to enable teachers to explore and discuss what a census is, why we fill in the census on Census Night and how this information is used in shaping communities and society in Ireland into the future with their students. Info and registration at this link.
*Note: Census Resources for CSPE now available for download at this link.
9/3/22
Fairtrade Resources: #CreateFairtrade: A CSPE Action Guide is a resource from Development Education.ie
This CSPE action guide can be adapted to build on and practice key Civic, Social and Political Education themes and supports three learning strands: Rights and Responsibilities, Global Citizenship and Exploring Democracy. The materials correspond with the Junior Cycle Statements of Learning (SOL) 9, 10 and 11. The resource is available for download at this link.
Resources on National Flag: Respect and protocols relating to the national flag are provided for in resources from the the Thomas Francis Meagher Foundation. Some of the educational resources relate more to history but there is interest for citizenship education as well. There is a wide variety of lesson plans, and a chance to register your school for 'flag day' along with various other school programmes and awards, including a link to Gaisce.
Ukraine War: If covering the Ukraine war in CSPE class, our sister association in the UK, the Association for Citizenship Teaching, has produced a fact sheet that should be useful. It can be downloaded at this link. Similar fact sheets on issues like Afghanistan are also available - full list here. Groups providing humanitarian aid include World Central Kitchen, DePaul, UNICEF, Red Cross. It is important to include reflection and awareness raising if doing any fund raising. Further, we draw attention this week to a few more resources for CSPE teachers e.g. this video from BBC might be useful in discussion issues of media and democracy. It flags various misleading videos and images in circulation. Also, the News Literacy Project has created a web page aimed at combatting disinformation about the war - check it out at this link.
16/2/22
CSPE and Gender: Congratulations are due to one of our members, Gearóid O'Brien, on the publication of his article 'Differences in the teaching of Civic, Social and Political Education: An analysis of the impact of school gender'. The article, backed up by research among CSPE teachers in a variety of schools, has appeared in the journal Education, Citizenship and Social Justice and is available to read or download at this link.
Development Education Webinars: The Emergence of Development Education in Ireland and Future Trends in Development Education sessions are now available to view and listen to online. If you missed these first time around, or would like to listen back to them, you can access the videos here and the podcasts here.
9/2/22 Webwise Resources: With internet safety topical this week it's worth having a look at some of the relevant internet and media related resources from Webwise. ThinkB4UClick is a programme designed for CSPE teachers who wish to explore related issues. Their programme Connected is an introduction to digital media literacy, and resources are available in English and Irish.
2/2/22
World Wetlands Day: February 2nd is World Wetlands Day and raises issues relating to global citizenship and sustainability. This year for the first time it's a UN International Day. There are many activities worldwide during the week, and there's a generous grant offer for related activities, as well as plenty of resources at https://www.worldwetlandsday.org/
Workshop on Greenwashing: 'Action on Greenwashing - a Workshop for Post-Primary Teachers' Wed 9 Feb 7 pm. The blurb: 'Zero-carbon coffee. Climate-positive burgers. Zero-emissions cars. The language of sustainability is increasingly used to befuddle climate-conscious consumers and market products. This session will offer a range of activities to help you develop students' critical media literacy, so they can sort fact from fiction and take action on greenwashing!' Organised by Global Action Plan Ireland. Register at Eventbrite.
19/1/22 Digital Citizenship Course: 'What is Digital Citizenship and How to Teach It' - The aim of this course, from Teacher CPD and PDST Technology in Education, is to provide teachers with the knowledge, resources and confidence to teach digital citizenship. Topics explored include online wellbeing, news and information literacy, privacy, communication, ethics, empathy and more. The course contains new good practice videos filmed in three post primary schools and makes specific links to SPHE, CSPE and the Digital Media Literacy short course. The course is one you do in your own time (2 hours) and is available 17th Jan to 27th May. More info and registration at this link.
JCT Webinars: There will be a Live Q and A session on the Junior Cycle Wellbeing Programme with the relevant JCT Associates on Wed 19 Jan 5 pm - 6 pm. Places limited, registration at this link.
There will be a JCT Leadership Webinar on circular letter 0059/2021 (Arrangements for the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle with particular reference to the school year 2021/22) on Thurs 20 Jan 2.30 pm. Register at this link. For any future events that may be scheduled check this link from time to time.
Game Changers Competition
Game Changers is a competition for young people who want to change the world and believe games are a way to do this. Young people all over Ireland submit games based on one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Games can be a board game, card game or video game, and submitted in one of three categories: Primary, Post Primary, or Youth. For the 2021/22 academic year, Game Changers will be offered as both an online and face to face programme, involving three key steps. More info and registration at this link.
12/1/22 JCT Inservice, postponed from December restarts from 10 Jan. Their message on Twitter:
'We look forward to meeting teachers from Monday January 10th for our Subject 2022 CPD In advance of the Clusters you can ensure you have the best experience possible by updating your Zoom settings'. At the time of writing we don't have an exact date for the CSPE workshops, but hopefully those who were registered for December will be informed of new dates. As soon as we get the information we will post it on the news page of our website. The guidance on the update is at this link. Previous elective workshops you might have missed are posted at this link, while the previous core workshops are at this link. Updates and ideas for the classroom are regularly posted here: https://twitter.com/jctcspe
15/12/21
Resources in Irish: From time to time we get queries about CSPE resources in Irish - our own Irish language Powerpoints are still available on request. Development Education.ie has a range of such resources dealing with topics relevant to their mission (as well as general resources of interest, especially in relation to Strand 2 of the CSPE Short Course. https://developmenteducation.ie/ar-ndomhan-inniu-as-gaeilge
8/12/21
Alone CSPE Pack: Alone is a group that looks after the needs of older people. Their comprehensive CSPE resource is available for download. The language of the resource is based on the CSPE Syllabus (still relevant until Sept 2022), but can easily be adapted to the CSPE Short Course, especially Strand 1 'Rights and Responsibilities'. There are many suggestions for projects and actions. The resource should download when this link is clicked.
24/11/21
Education in Law
The Courts Service has a programme 'Look at the Law' designed for CSPE classes. Let's Look At the Law is intended as an important introduction for students to the nature and operation of our legal system, presented in an accessible manner online. This series of modules was developed by the Courts Service in consultation with legal professionals, teachers and the Department of Education & Skills. Check it out here.
Cancellations
Some places are opening up for Thursday night's workshop on planning a unit of work as a few people cancel. Places fill up quickly so keep an eye here on this page on Eventbrite. Meanwhile there are still places available on the workshop for Thurs 2nd December 'Digital Arts - Canva for CSPE Teachers'. Book here.
Grant Opportunity Changemakers.ie is offering a number of small grants of up to €650 to community activists and community groups offering an educational project relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For info email changemakers@inishowen.ie or ring 086-1789971
Student Voice Workshop
Educate.ie is organising a CSPE workshop, also on Thurs 25th, on encouraging discussion and student voice in the classroom. Presenter is Donal McCarthy. Register here.
17/11/21 Trócaire Game Changers 2022
Game Changers is a competition for young people who want to change the world and believe games are a way to do this. Young people all over Ireland submit games based on one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Games can be a board game, card game or video game, and submitted in one of three categories: Primary, Post Primary, or Youth. For the 2021/22 academic year, Game Changers will be offered as both an online and face to face programme, involving three key steps. Registration at this link.
Development Education
'Future Trends in Development Education' is a webinar organised by the rish Development Education Association. It's on Fri 26 November 12.30 pm - 2 pm. This lunchtime webinar will provide a look forward at future trends and emerging issues in Development Education/Global Citizenship Education. We will identify and explore possibilities and problems influencing how development education is conceived and practised. Register at this link.
4/11/21
Digital Arts: Canva for CSPE Teachers - our next workshop Thurs 2 Dec 7 pm: - Graphic design software for creating infographics, citizenship action record templates, inspirational posters, class planning templates and more. Registration at Eventbrite. Using Canva to create infographics, certs for students, citizeship action record templates for CBA, inspirational posters , class plan templates and much more.
COP26
The COP26 Conference on climate change issues is continuing after world leaders have departed. The official website with a variety of resources is here: https://ukcop26.org/
Planning Workshop
There are still places available for our workshop on planning a unit of work in the CSPE Short Course - info and booking at this link.
JCT Workshop
On 15 November JCT is running 'A World Made of Stories' with Ricardo Silva @ricardoccsilva again for those on our waiting list. There is a small number of places left, if you would like to participate, register here: https://artsinjuniorcycle.ie/register
27/10/21
The Association is running a workshop for all CSPE teachers on Thurs 25 Nov 7 pm. Guidelines on planning a unit of work for the CSPE Short Course. -
A concise overview of the history and development of CSPE + CSPE subject planning at Second Level.
A brief examination of the CSPE (Short Course) Specification and with a particular focus on learning outcomes as the basis for subject planning.
A suggested strand-integrated approach for the planning of the CSPE Short Course in Second Year/Third Year.
A sample strand-integrated unit of work for Second Year/Third Year students.
Registration at Eventbrite .... click here.
13/10/21
CSPE Webinar: JCT is running a webinar this week (Thurs 14th Oct 7 pm) on Planning and Assessment for CSPE. To register click here.
World Food Day
Sat 16 October is World Food Day. Scoilnet has a wide range of resources for the occasion at https://www.scoilnet.ie/go-to-post-primary/homeec/zerohunger/
Among the resources is a presentation for CSPE on the Sustainable Development Goals, and a presentation '10 Myths about Global Hunger' (post-primary).
6/10/21
There has been a slight change in the content for the Annual Conference. The Environment and Climate Change section will now be facilitated by Cool Planet and the related ReWrite Climate initiative. Description now reads:
Cool Planet/Rewrite Climate: CSPE and the Environment, Ireland’s obligations as regards climate change. Topline issues in the areas of Energy, Transport, Waste and Food as well as address national targets, government policies and initiatives in these areas.
15/9/21
The Annual Conference of the Association is now open for booking - at Eventbrite It's on Sat 16 Oct, online, 10 am - 1 pm
Conference Theme: Climate Change and Sustainability
About this event: The Conference will feature workshops as follows:
Trócaire: The Right Focus, new initiative on video projects for students, based around the SDGs (Sustainability Development Goals).
Environmental Protection Agency: CSPE and the Environment, Ireland's obligations as regards climate change.
CSPE Updates: the latest on CSPE curriculum matters, in conjunction with JCT.
25/8/21 Event of Interest Modern slavery in a humanitarian context - What Does the Data Say? - an online event on 26 August that may be of interest to CSPE teachers. Check out the information at this link.
NCCA/Dept of Education Updates
Revised arrangements for Assessments/CBAs for school year 2021/2022 have been published - access them at this link. Also: ffor schools that deferred their 20/21 subject CPD cluster event to this Sept, the registration portal @ http://jctregistration.ie has opened up & will remain open until 1st Sept to facilitate any adjustments in teacher registrations. All of these workshops will be online. Check with principals.
Project!
The Hygiene Bank Ireland is launching a nationwide action based programme for post primary schools from September 2021. This could be appropriate for CSPE class project/rehearsal CBA or TY students to further develop a sense of civic responsibility or as your school deems appropriate. They are looking for schools to organise a hygiene product donation drive or fundraising activity. They have created a PPT to accompany this in both English and Irish which could be delivered over a 2 class period. They can deliver this or it can be done by the class teachers. Please see website if you would like more information (The Hygiene Bank Ireland ) If you would like to register your interest for your school to take part please complete this google form School Event Sign Up Form (google.com)
23/8/21 Save the date: The Annual Conference of the Association will take place online on Sat 16 Oct. More details will follow shortly.
14/7/21 Join the World Wise Global School team to support the integration of Global Citizenship Education in post-primary schools across Ireland. WWGS does this mainly through building the capacity of teachers to explore Global Citizenship Education in their schools. Current Vacancies: We are hiring an Education Officer (Munster). Closing date is Friday 16th July 2021 at 5pm WWGS Education Officer (based in Munster/Remote working in line with COVID-19 Government advice)
Embedding Social Justice in Learning is a half-day symposium showcasing a number approaches in embedding principles and practices of Social Justice within teaching and learning. More info and booking at Eventbrite.
9/6/21
Teacher Opportunity: The UNESCO-Hamdan Prize for Teacher Development was created in 2008 to support the improvement of teaching and learning quality in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Quality Education, which is one of UNESCO’s priorities. Closing Date for receipt of national nominations for this year is 24 September. Click here for more information.
This year's Annual Conference of the Irish Development Education Association (IDEA) takes place online on the theme: 'Global Citizenship and Inequality 2021: Forging a New Path?'. It is on Tuesday – Thursday, 22 - 24 June. Click here for more information.
3/6/21
CSPE Associates Wanted
JCT is currently recruiting part time associates and the subject list inclusdes CSPE. The posts are open to current or recently retired teachers and also school leaders. For the necessary documentation click here. Closing date is Friday 4th June at 3 pm.
iScoil Hiring
iScoil, a registered charity, is an online school that offers learning opportunities and accreditation to young people aged 13-16 years who are not in mainstream education. Students are referred to iScoil from Tusla, the Education Welfare Service. iScoil is currently hiring Mentors - the support to students will be delivered online. For job description click here. Closing date is Fri 18th June 5 pm.
Voting Rights for 16-Year Olds?
Voting rights should be extended to sixteen-year-olds, said Senator Malcolm Byrne in the Seanad recently, but is it wise to extend the right to vote to children? And how well would it work? To discuss Ciara spoke to 18-year-old Caillum Hedderman, Leaving Cert student and Vote at 16 Advocate. Click here for the interview.
19/5/21
Digital Citizenship Resources: TCEA is a global group that promotes learning with the aid of technology and digital resources. They have compiled a wide range of resources on Digital Citizenship. Some level of adapting for Irish education may be necessary. The resources should be useful in particular for elements of Strand 3: Democracy of the CSPE Short Course. Check it out here: https://blog.tcea.org/a-digital-citizenship-framework-and-lessons/
12/5/21 Mustard Seed Mustard Seed Ireland is rolling out their Global Citizenship Programme (Dare to Care) to schools all across the country. Through a series of Workshops they explore Global Citizenship with a focus on Social Justice and Equality, Identity and Diversity and Sustainability. They also look at the concept and importance of Sustainable Development and use the Mustard Seed Communities around the world as examples of Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship in action. As part of the programme they ask participants to complete the Marathons for Mustard Seed Challenge as an action project. Workshops can be delivered weekly, as a TY module or can work as a two day workshop depending on what suits the school. Mustard Seed Ireland provide all presentations, video content and lesson plans as well as full online training where required. Depending on availability, they can come to the school to deliver the 2 day workshops. This programme comes at no cost to schools.
Please contact Máire Toomey, Head of Volunteer Programmes on 087 962 3158 or at mairetoomey@mustardseedireland.ie for more information.
JCT Inservice 2021-2022
Schools can now access details of their 2021/2022 subject CPD online cluster event on our portal at http://jctregistration.ie By providing these details now JCT is seeking to support schools in planning their 2021/2022 school calendar. (JCT sign-in details needed). JCT resources for CSPE (incl past CPD) are available here.
Sustainable Development Newsletter
The Department of Education's newsletter on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) will keep you up to date with the latest ESD news. The latest edition and past editions can de downloaded from here. Email newsletters@education.gov.ie to subscribe.
Yellow Flag
The Yellow Flag programme is an 8 step intercultural education model created by the Irish Traveller Movement for schools. Yellow Flag will be recruiting 30 schools for renewal of their Yellow Flag by Sept 2022. If you are interested in renewal please express your interest and join the online seminar on Thursday 20th May at 4.30pm - email jenny@itmtrav.ie
28/4/21
Global Citizenship Resource Global Citizenship Education in a Time of Covid-19 is a new resource that aims to support teachers of Junior Cycle subjects and short courses to use a cross-curricular approach to teach about some of the global issues brought into sharp relief in contemporary times, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resource will download automatically when this link is clicked. Grants are also available for Global Citizenship Education, click here for details. Deadline is May 14th.
22/4/21
CSPE and Music Workshop: This workshop will explore how music can be used in the teaching of CSPE. Examples will be given along with guidance on the technical/IT side - sourcing, organising, storing of relevant resources. It's on Thurs 29 April 7 pm. It's free and booking is through Eventbrite, click here.
24/3/21
Resilient - Trócaire Resource Resilient is a new resource from Trócaire which explores the Sustainable Development Goals through the stories of families in South Sudan. It can be downloaded for free and there's an accompanying Powerpoint presentation - at this link.
Covid Vaccine Initiative
There's a European citizens’ initiative to ensure that the European Commission does everything in its power to make anti-pandemic vaccines and treatments a global public good, freely accessible to everyone. Apart from a petition there's plenty of information on the website.
World Water Day
World Water Day took place this week and is always a useful topic for CSPE. It relates to No. 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the right to water and sanitation for all. There is information on the relevant United Nations Web Page
GOAL's Global Youth Programme
GOAL's Global Youth Programme young people together from all over the world to deepen their understanding of Global Citizenship. GOAL believes that deeper and longer-term engagement is the best possible way to support a generation of young people who are passionate about a fairer and more sustainable future. The Global Citizen’s Journey: A Resource for Global Citizenship Education is a related activity based resource to help develop the critical thinking skills to explore the realities and complexities of the interconnected world and recognize the imperative for active solidarity at local and global levels. The resource can be downloaded from here.
Global Citizenship Grants
Worldwide Global Schools offer funding to assist schools to integrate Global Citizenship Education into the school community. Themes for exploartion include Anti-Racism, Child Labour, Fair trade and much more. Grants can be used for teacher planning time, action projects, whole school events, trips, workshops and learning materials. Applications open on Moday 12 April, deadline Fri 14 May. Details here.
Teacher Survey
Education International and UNESCO have launched a global survey on teachers’ readiness to teach education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship (GCED). The study is being conducted as a part of the monitoring of UN’s Sustainable Development Goal target 4.7, which aims for all learners to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to promote sustainable development. The survey is here and is open until Sun 25 April.
10/3/21
News re Assessments 2021
The Dept of Education has just released a document Assessment and Reporting on Students’ Learning – Junior Cycle 2021 in light of this year's special circumstances.
Download from here
They outline a dual certification:
* A State Certificate of Completion of the Junior Cycle from the Department of Education. This certificate will state that the student has completed the Junior Cycle programme of study. For each student the certificate will include the list of subjects, short courses and/or priority learning units studied by him/her during their Junior Cycle programme.
*A School Report detailing the learning achievements of the student during their Junior Cycle programme. Students should receive a written report on the broad range of learning that they have achieved in each subject, short course and/or priority learning unit at the end of Junior Cycle. This assessment of their learning will be provided by their teachers. Schools will have autonomy, following consultation with the teachers of third-year students, regarding how this assessment is to be arrived at and the format in which the report is provided.
The document cautions against 'over assessment of students as they return to school', and says 'In all cases, assessments should be completed and marked before 28 May 2021'.
Digital Citizenship Resource ThinkB4Uclick from Webwise.ie (https://www.webwise.ie/thinkb4uclick/) is a resource for CSPE on the topic of online privacy in the context of online rights and responsibilities. There are 10 lessons along with teacher guidelines and action project ideas.
Environment Education
Several education centres have joined to offer an environmental education course for post-primary teachers. The EcoEd4All team of teachers, environmentalists and subject matter experts have put together a comprehensive package of themes that include Biodiversity, Climate Change and Water Pollution. More info here.
4/3/21
CSPE Updates: CSPE and Wellbeing requirements are under the review, and the revised Wellbeing Guidelines are now available for download here . From Sept 2021 it will be required that CSPE gets 100 hours spread out over the three years of Junior Cycle. This will facilitate those wanting to do the full CSPE Short Course leading to CBA and certification. This means that a 70 hour CSPE Course will no longer be an option, and as we pointed out last week the 1996 Syllabus (based on the 7 concepts) will no longer be an acceptable option from September 2021.
For those who missed it there are examples of student work for CBA at Curriculum Online - click here.
With the 1996 syllabus being phased out it would be worthwhile to gather resources from this course while they're still available. You can, for example, download the Guidelines for Teachers, which still has useful material, by clicking here.
Circular 76/2020 from the Dept. of Education - Arrangements for the Implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle with particular reference to school year 2020/21. - has some important info re CSPE. Download here.
New Textbook
Folens has published a new edition of the CSPE textbook Make a Difference by Conor Harrison and Máirín Wilson There is information on the textbook on the Folens website (here) including the link to register for a webinar to promote the text on 24th March.
17/2/21 The Association is holding a workshop on CSPE and Media Issues in the CSPE Short Course on Thurs 25 Feb 7-9 pm. CPD Certs available. As everyday use of digital technologies becomes increasingly prevalent in our daily interactions, the concept of digital citizenship has emerged as a highly relevant aspect of citizenship. Digital citizenship has a number of interlinked elements: safe and ethical use of technology, media literacy, participation and engagement and critical resistance. This workshop will look at why and how these areas are relevant to CSPE and will outline strategies and resources for teaching these aspects of digital citizenship in the CSPE classroom.Places limited. Register at Eventbrite.
4/2/21
New Workshop y the Association of CSPE Teachers, Wed 10 Feb 5 pm - 7 pm. CSPE and Literacy. This is an online workshop on literacy awarenes and training applied to the teaching of CSPE, presented by Fergus Dolan of the National Adult Literacy Agency. NALA's Plain English Guide to Political Terms has long been a popular resource with CSPE teachers. Included will be an interactive feedback session. There will also be an input on the use of Jamboard software. Register at Eventbrite.
13/1/21
The Association is holding a Workshop/CPD on CSPE and Film on Thurs 21 Jan 7 pm - 9 pm. This is a practical online workshop on using film in the teaching of CSPE. There will be guidance on relevant films, on how to source and create film clips and stills to enhance teaching, whether online or in the physical classroom. Places limited. Zoom link will be sent by to those who register by Wed 20th Jan.
Register at Eventbrite. Click here.
Online CPD Cluster Events
JCT has released a video on the Subject CPD Online Cluster Events coming up in the new year.
The video can be viewed here.
9/12/20
Repak, the organisation that promotes recycling, has a range of resources available, including some material relating to recycling and waste at Christmas.
Access resources here.
25/11/20
The Association is organising a workshop on Assessment and House Exams for Christmas and beyond. It's online, Wed 2 Dec 7 pm. With assessments always an issue and house exams potentially looming for Christmas, this workshop explores ways of facilitating and automating the process as much as possible, using tools like Google Forms, MS Forms and more. Free course. Places limited. Open to all CSPE teachers.
Register at Eventbrite. Click here.
9/11/20
The Association is organising November workshops online, open to all CSPE teachers, with all booking at Eventbrite, as follows:
Thurs 12 Nov 7.30 pm, CSPE and IT, details and booking here.
Wed 18th Nov 7.30 pm. Media themes in CSPE short Course here.
5/11/20 US Election: Teachers wishing to engage in activities relate to the US Presidential Election will find a huge number of resources on the US website Facing History.Apart from the specific election there are resources on the role of the media, civic discourse, voting systems and much more.
Check out the resources here.
Anti-Bullying: Thurs 5th Novemberis International Day against violence and bullying at school including cyberbullying. UNESCO is supporting this initiative and a relevant resource can be downloaded here.
28/10/20
The National Conference of the Association will now take place on Sat 7th November 10.30 am - 12.30 pm.
This event will be online and the theme is: "Digital Resources and Global Citizenship Education" - Innovative Technologies/Methodologies for the Pandemic Classroom. The event is being organised in conjunction with Trócaire. Registration is through Eventbrite and early booking is advised. Click here.
14/10/20 Conference Postponed
The Annual Conference of the Association has been postponed until Sat 7th November. Further details of programme and booking facility will follow soon. One-off workshops also coming in November.
Arts and Human Rights Festival
Of interest to CSPE teachers - Smashing Times and Front Line Defenders in partnership with Amnesty International, Fighting Words, ICCL, NWCI, & Trócaire will implement the 2020 Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival to showcase and highlight the extraordinary work of human rights defenders in Ireland and around the world, past and present, and the role of the arts and artists in promoting human rights today. The festival will run for ten days from Friday 16 October to Sunday 25 October 2020. More info here.
7/10/20 Secret Street Tours - is a non-profit social enterprise offering you a new way to discover the streets of Dublin through the eyes and experiences of someone who has been affected by homelessness. The tours are developed in partnership with their guides who will share their story as you explore the cultural and historic landmarks of their local area. Secret Street Tours is now starting again the in-person homeless walking tours this month! They’ll also keep offering interactive digital experiences with the guides virtually.
30/9/20 The Association now offers online membership payments - check it out on our membership page.
The JCT Whole-School Team has repurposed 24 of the existing teaching and learning strategies for students and teachers in the physically distanced classroom and for students engaging with online learning from home. They are available for download in PDF format. This will support all students in the progression of their learning in the unusual circumstances that present this year. Check out the resources here.
23/9/20
JCT has released a new video for CSPE teachers, exploring the teaching of controversial issues in CSPE. It is presented by Mella Cusack and Thomas Gleeson, and explores planning considerations, values, approaches and methodologies, unit planning and more. It can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ8oeRlAYSg
16/9/20
ECO-UNESCO’s Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) is an all-Ireland environmental awards programme that recognises and rewards young people who raise environmental awareness and improve the environment. The YEA programme aims to empower young people to become better citizens, to build awareness of environmental issues in the community and promote local actions and lifestyle changes to improve the environment Info and registration here.
9/9/20
In response to queries about CBAs for the school year 2020/2021 please consult the relevant document from the NCCA - 'Revised arrangements for the completion of Classroom-Based Assessments for the cohort of students 2018-2021'. It can be downloaded here.
'Exploring Democracy' is a module for CSPE developed by the education service of the Oireachtas. There are worksheets, videos, class checklists. Recently added is a checklist which serves as a guide to the Exploring Democracy series. You could print the checklist and use it to document your class's progress through the course. The module is available here.
1/7/20
The new cabinet has been announced, and the names are given in this graphic. The Association will produce a Powerpoint on the information in time for the new school year. [Note: The Minister for Agriculture is now Charlie McConalogue - updated 2/9/20]
TV Programme The School That Tried to End Racism is a 2-part documentary series shown on Channel 4. Episode 1 was on last Thursday 25 June, Episode 2 is on tonight at 9 pm. Both should be available on All4.
24/6/20
Financial Justice Ireland has produced a new resource aimed at the Maths curriculum but very relevant for CSPE.
'We Can Solve It!' contains a huge amount of relevant information and lots of classroom exercises. The resource can be downloaded here.
28/5/20 Circular re revised arrangements for assessments/CBAs:
The NCCA has released a document relating to Classroom Based Assessments (CBAs) for Junior Cycle. It applies to all relevant subject including CSPEs . This is the blurb: 'The very real challenges that school closures have created and the ongoing efforts by teachers and schools to continue to plan lessons and, where possible, provide online resources and lessons for your students are very much appreciated. We are aware that, where it was feasible, students may have been asked to continue working on Classroom-Based Assessments (CBAs) with guidance from their teachers. Please note that for students currently in second year (2019/20) revised assessment arrangements for the completion of CBAs will now apply. In summary, in the exceptional circumstances prevailing, students from this cohort will be required to complete one Classroom-Based Assessment in the subjects taken rather than the usual two'. The full document can be downloaded here.
Virtual Outings?
Google is offering a range of online training opportunities at the moment. Among these is a webinar this week (Thurs 3.30 pm) on creating a Virtual School Trip using Google tools for Education. Here is the blurb: 'Join the Google for Education Team and Google Certified Trainers to learn about how G Suite tools can be used to facilitate distance learning. In this session we will be using fantastic Google tools such as Google Earth, Google Maps and Expeditions, to explore the wider world and discover new places of interest. Students can then capture their findings in a Google Slides to share with teachers, families and friends.' It wouldn't be too hard to see how this approach could facilitate virtual CSPE related outings as part of a citizenship action. You can access the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A5UFlCMyz4
*Previous webinars, which will include the above after Thurs, are available here: https://events.withgoogle.com/distance-learning-webinar-series/past-webinars/#content
Important Circular on Junior Cycle Assessment under Covid-19 conditions
The Department of Education has released an important circular on assessment arrangements for Junior Cycle 2020. It includes the following: '...while many students have completed most of their classroom-based assessments (CBAs), short courses and/or priority learning units (PLUs), the normal range of assessment activities cannot be concluded consistently for all students.
In this context, the use of the Junior Cycle Profile of Achievement (JCPA) is not appropriate as a reporting and certification mechanism in 2020'. The guidelines go on to outline the revised arrangements procedure. The document can be accessed here: https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Curriculum-and-Syllabus/Junior-Cycle-/assessment-and-reporting-on-students-learning-at-junior-cycle-may-2020.pdf
Better Zoom Presentations
CSPE teachers may well have to do some of their teaching online in the next school year, and whether it's done through Zoom, MS Teams or Google Classroom/Meet the advice is usually the same. Integrated Media Solutions are offering a free webinar on the topic on Thursday 28 May at 3.00 pm. Register here: https://ims.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m2LFJMg0RsaCsUXOVgI7bg
20/5/20
Webinar on Blendspace
On Thurs 21st May we are running a webinar on the use of Blendspace for CSPE teaching. Also known as TES Teach this is a free and intuitive online tool for creating, gathering and presenting resources. It can also do simple quizzes. It's on at 7.30 pm, and if you're interested please use contact details above and we'll send Zoom link on Thursday afternoon.
Suggested Online Meeting on Planning and CBA's
One of our members is wondering if any other members are interesting in getting together online for a meetup re planning and CBA's for CSPE. We are happy to facilitate this if there's an interest. Please use contact details above to express an interest.
Webinar on Trócaire
On Thurs 28th May from 7 pm we are facilitating a webinar given by Trócaire on games based learning in CSPE. It's an approach that can be cross curricular. If you're interested please use contact details above and we'll send Zoom link nearer the time.
JCT Webinar on CSPE
JCT ran a webinar on CSPE back in March. It is not yet available conveniently, but JCT have told us: 'Teachers who wish to view back the event can do so by registering their detail at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3220449071793646348. It will playback for them on registration.'
8/3/20 CSPE Webinar Mon 23rd March, dealing with assessment and reporting. Theme:
Theme: CSPE - Effective Reporting on CSPE Within Wellbeing
Register here.
26/2/20 ***Postponed: The Association of CSPE Teachers is running a new workshop on Classroom Based Assessments (CBAs) in CSPE. It will take place on Mon 9th March 5-7 pm in Dublin West Education Centre. Early booking advisable as places are limited. The course is free.
Expected Learning Outcomes: Clarity for teachers on the features of the course they are following. Knowledge of how to conduct and present CBAs. https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/managing-cbas-and-assessments-in-cspe-tickets-96618056207
20/11/19
This year's One World Week takes place 1st-8th Dec. The theme is Climate Action and the Sustainable Development Goals. Throughout the week young people and youth organisations will take part in local and regional activities. Activities include the Climate Summit in the RDS on 5th December. More info here.
By-elections will take on Nov 29th in the constituencies of Dublin Mid-West, Dublin Fingal, Cork North Central and Wexford. These provide useful opportunities for citizenship actions in CSPE class - both for the campaigns and the post election counts. Detail results will appear in local and national media, providing examples of the PR voting system in action.
6/11/19 Regional Inservice. The Association is organising a new round of inservice this November. The theme is: Creative ideas for managing, recording and reporting on CSPE actions and projects.
Actions are always relevant in CSPE, pursuing old syllabus or new Specification, whether for formal assessment or not. The workshop will explore ideas for managing actions, recording and reporting on actions through a Citizenship Action Record. Venues and booking details as follows:
11/9/19
The Dept of Education has issued an important new circular 0055/2019. Relating to Junior Cycle arrangements It has relevance for Wellbeing and CSPE. It is available for download at https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0055_2019.pdf
Searching 'CSPE' within the document will show the relevant references.
2/9/19
The National Conference and AGM of the Association of CSPE Teachers will take place on Sat 19th Oct in Leinster House. There will be
workshops on Digital Citizenship, Climate Change, Human Rights, CSPE Short Course, Action Record and CBAs, Managing Actions in CSPE and Laying the Foundations for Politics and Society. Guest speakers are Barry Andrews MEP and Lisa Walsh (NUIG). Booking through Eventbrite at link below. Early booking advisable as the National Conference booked out last year. https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/national-conference-association-of-cspe-teachers-tickets-70914343711
5/6/19
Response of Association of CSPE Teachers to CSPE Exam Paper 2019
'We welcome today’s CSPE paper, although there were some challenging aspects to the exam. Section 1 offered some well-known ministerial faces and their job titles, as well as an interesting collection of short questions. Some of these were challenging – e.g. asking how many stars were on the European Flag.
Section 2, the stimulus-based questions, were very topical: the first on Bring Your Own Cup and microplastics, related to stewardship and the environment. The question on Trocaire and the Development Goals was relevant, but the final question which asked students to “explain why the world is failing in the goal of no hunger” was difficult, and despite being a higher-order question was valued at only 3 marks. The third option, which addressed the issue of voting at age 16 was certainly interesting, however the final question here featured a rather tenuous link to “fake news”. The last question in this section dealt with cycle safety, which could have been better linked to the law or the environment, but seemed to me more focused on health and safety, which is not directly connected to this subject area.
The longer questions in section 3 were varied, featuring topics such as One World Week, issues of concern to young people, the free travel pass for 18 year olds, and the UNCRC. We felt that the #DiscoverEU question was more connected to tourism than any CSPE concept. The final question in this section was particularly significant, as it asked students to write a letter to the Minister for Education and Skills stating their opinions about the fact that 2019 is the final year that CSPE is being examined in the Junior Certificate.
The Association of CSPE Teachers is very disappointed that this is the last time that CSPE will feature on the Junior Certificate Examination timetable'.
4/6/19
Wed 5th June sees the last CSPE Exam in Junior Cycle. Members of the Association are invited to meet to review the exam paper in Blackrock Education Centre from 3.45 pm that evening.
19/5/19
Save the Date - the Annual Conference and AGM of the Association takes place in Leinster House on Sat 19 Oct. Planning is currently uner way and details will be posted here as they become available.
The last Junior Cycle CSPE Exam takes place on Wed 5 June 2-3.30 pm. The annual exam review meeting takes place in Blackrock Education Centre in Dublin from 3.45 that evening. All welcome.
10/5/19
The Association is running a new workshop on evaluation tools in CSPE - Blackrock Education Centre, Tues 21 May 4.30-6.30 pm. The workshop is free and will explore online tools for evaluation/assessment in CSPE - incl Quizizz, Google Sheets, Powerpoint and Quizzes in Blendspace. Booking and info at Eventbrite - click here.
1/5/19
The Association is running a workshop on evaluation tools in CSPE - Co. Wexford Education Centre, Thurs 16 May 5-7.30 pm. The workshop is free and will explore online tools for evaluation/assessment in CSPE - incl Quizizz, Google Sheets, Powerpoint and Quizzes in Blendspace. Booking and info at Eventbrite - click here.
*Cancelled
6/3/19
JCT is looking for part-time associates to join their team in several subject areas including CSPE. These associates will be required for up to 20 days in the school year to deliver inservice and more. Deadline is Fri 15th March. The advert, job description and application form are available here.
The 7th edition of the book 80/20 is now available. New and completely revised edition of the popular development education resource – now widely used at introductory university level, among teachers and students at senior post-primary level, by NGO personnel in education and training as well as in adult and youth education contexts. 80-20 introduces, explores and debates key issues and topics in human development, human rights and sustainability. Its 15 chapters define and debate development, climate change and sustainability, hunger, population, women’s rights, human rights, migration, the economics and politics of inequality and overseas aid. It is designed to be useful for CSPE and Politics and Society.
5/3/19 Fair Trade Fortnight is on from 25th Feb to 10th March. Resources for schools are available - click here.
4/3/19
CSPE Workshop - Laois Education Centre, Tues 19 March 5-7 pm
The objective of this workshop is to provide CSPE teachers with guidelines for managing and reporting on ‘actions’ or ‘action projects’ in the new CSPE Short Course Specifications or in the CSPE Syllabus. There will be advice on appropriate timetabling of CSPE, as part of Wellbeing, and the options for ongoing assessment arrangements into the future. For those currently working on Action Project Reports for the CSPE exam this June there will also be guidelines for effective completion. This will also be an opportunity to share experiences and resources.
Register at the Centre: https://www.laoisedcentre.ie/cpd-courses/post-primary-courses/1418-cspe-present-and-future-19-3-2019.html
8/2/19
CSPE Workshop - Kildare Education Centre, Tues 26 Feb 5-7 pm
The objective of this workshop is to provide CSPE teachers with guidelines for managing and reporting on ‘actions’ or ‘action projects’ in the new CSPE Short Course Specifications or in the CSPE Syllabus. There will be advice on appropriate timetabling of CSPE, as part of Wellbeing, and the options for ongoing assessment arrangements into the future. For those currently working on Action Project Reports for the CSPE exam this June there will also be guidelines for effective completion. This will also be an opportunity to share experiences and resources.
Register: https://www.eckildare.ie/coursebooking/post-primary-courses-eckildare/1392-19kec224-cspe-present-future.html
*Cancelled
6/2/19
CSPE Workshop - Dublin West Education Centre Tues 5 March 5-7.30 pm. The objective of this workshop is to provide CSPE teachers with guidelines for managing and reporting on ‘actions’ or ‘action projects’ in the new CSPE Short Course Specifications or in the CSPE Syllabus. There will be advice on appropriate timetabling of CSPE, as part of Wellbeing, and the options for ongoing assessment arrangements into the future. For those currently working on Action Project Reports for the CSPE exam this June there will also be guidelines for effective completion. This will also be an opportunity to share experiences and resources.
Register at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/cspe-present-and-future-dwec-tickets-55995517099
30/1/19 CSPE Workshop - Waterford Teachers' Centre Thurs 28 Feb 5-7.30 pm. The objective of this workshop is to provide CSPE teachers with guidelines for managing and reporting on ‘actions’ or ‘action projects’ in the new CSPE Short Course Specifications or in the CSPE Syllabus. There will be advice on appropriate timetabling of CSPE, as part of Wellbeing, and the options for ongoing assessment arrangements into the future. For those currently working on Action Project Reports for the CSPE exam this June there will also be guidelines for effective completion. This will also be an opportunity to share experiences and resources.
Register at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/cspe-present-and-future-wtc-tickets-55564830905
CSPE Workshop - Cork Education Support Centre, Thurs 7 March 6.30 pm - 9 pm. The objective of this workshop is to provide CSPE teachers with guidelines for managing and reporting on ‘actions’ or ‘action projects’ in the new CSPE Short Course Specifications or in the CSPE Syllabus. There will be advice on appropriate timetabling of CSPE, as part of Wellbeing, and the options for ongoing assessment arrangements into the future. For those currently working on Action Project Reports for the CSPE exam this June there will also be guidelines for effective completion. This will also be an opportunity to share experiences and resources.
Register at Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/cspe-cork-present-and-future-tickets-55563098724
25/1/19 CSPE Workshop - Co. Wexford Education Centre, (Enniscorthy) Tues 12 Feb 5- 7.30 pm. The objective of this workshop is to provide CSPE teachers with guidelines for managing and reporting on ‘actions’ or ‘action projects’ in the new CSPE Short Course Specifications or in the CSPE Syllabus. There will be advice on appropriate timetabling of CSPE, as part of Wellbeing, and the options for ongoing assessment arrangements into the future. For those currently working on Action Project Reports for the CSPE exam this June there will also be guidelines for effective completion. This will also be an opportunity to share experiences and resources.
Register at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/cspe-present-and-future-tickets-55333081737
CSPE Workshop - Navan Education Centre Thurs 31 Jan. 5- 7 pm. The objective of this workshop is to provide CSPE teachers with guidelines for managing and reporting on ‘actions’ or ‘action projects’ in the new CSPE Short Course Specifications or in the CSPE Syllabus. There will be advice on appropriate timetabling of CSPE, as part of Wellbeing, and the options for ongoing assessment arrangements into the future. For those currently working on Action Project Reports for the CSPE exam this June there will also be guidelines for effective completion. This will also be an opportunity to share experiences and resources.
Register at the Centre: https://www.ecnavan.ie/cpd-courses-ecnavan/post-primary-courses/249-cspe-present-and-future.html
10/12/18 CSPE Workshop
Blackrock Education Centre, Dublin, 5-7.0 pm Mon 17 Dec
* Managing Action Projects (whether following CSPE Syllabus or CSPE Short Course), for 1st, 2nd, 3rd Years
* CSPE and TesTeach/Blendspace - introducing a free, online, intuitive and versatile educational tool for gathering and presenting resources.
Also, discussion on CSPE into the future. Early booking advisable at Eventbrite. Click here.
23/10/18 CSPE Workshops:
Co. Wexford Education Centre, Enniscorthy, Wed 7 Nov 5-7.30 pm
* Managing Action Projects (whether following CSPE Syllabus or CSPE Short Course), for 1st, 2nd, 3rd Years
* CSPE and TesTeach/Blendspace - introducing a free, online, intuitive and versatile educational tool for gathering and presenting resources.
Also, discussion on CSPE into the future.
Early booking advisable at Eventbrite. Click here. *****Cancelled.
23/10/18
Léargas Forum 2018
Looking Forward: The Future of Europe
Annual Léargas Forum on Thursday 01 November 2018 in Dublin Castle Conference Centre, Dublin 2, from 9.15am to 3.00pm. Keynote address from Ruairí McKiernan, performances from Nigerian Carnival Ireland and Smashing Times Theatre Company as well as a panel discussion hosted by Una Mullally about the role of educational exchange and cooperation programmes in the future of Europe.
The Project Showcase will provide fine examples of the work being done through Erasmus+ and other Léargas programmes, and provide inspiration for those planning projects. At the Ask Léargas hub, our staff will help with questions about all our programmes and initiatives, including the 2019 Erasmus+ call for applications.
Register - click here.
5/9/18
The Annual Conference and AGM of the Association of CSPE Teachers will take place in Leinster House on Sat 20th Oct. The workshops are as follows: *UNICEF – Children Uprooted - the Impact of the Refugee and Migrant Crisis on Children;
*Re-inventing democracy – Fake News, Media Influence and Public Appetites; *CSPE Short Course and CBAs; *Managing Action Projects. Keynote speaker will be Senator Lynn Ruane, and there will be an exhibition: Votes for Women: Suffrage and Citizenship. There will also be presentations from Leargas, Amnesty, DSPCA and the Parliamentary Education Officer of the Houses of the Oireachtas. Places are limited - Registration is open now at Eventbrite. Brochure available for download here.
7/6/18
Press Release - Association of CSPE Teachers (ACT) Response to CSPE Exam Paper 2018
We welcome the CSPE paper overall and feel that for those sitting the paper, they requires more knowledge than previous papers and the paper is more challenging than in previous years. The paper would have rewarded students who have engaged in current affairs.
Section 1 Question 1 relating to Human Rights organisations is a good kick off to the paper.
We note that the paper has only two places where there are explicit references to Politics.
Section 2 Question 1 raises the question of where footballs come from. It is welcome to see a topical context - the World Cup. 75% of the world’s hands stitched soccer balls are made in Pakistan for which the stitchers earn very little – less than €2 a day. This is an important matter to bring to young people’s attention and is to be applauded, as is the inclusion in this question of the UN Conventions on the rights of the child and also gender inequality in sport. The United Nations should have been referenced.
Section 2 Question 2 on Coder Dojo. This question is asked in the context of computer technology helping communities to develop. We welcome also references to the ways in which social media can be used to raise awareness about community development. We welcome the way the question refers to educating young citizens for the digital age.
Section 2 Question 3. The question on the Good Friday agreement - The stimulus piece does provide most of the answers. We applaud how in 3(d) (11) the question links the promotion of peace and stability and respect for human rights on the island of Ireland. The Belfast Agreement is outside of the students’ lived experience and is more historical than current. 3(e) - A question on Brexit seems to make the question more topical but is in fact is a speculative question and asks lot of reflection on behalf of students for few marks.
In question 4 World Toilet Day - it is timely that the question reflects on the health and environmental problems caused by the lack of sanitation. It is a valuable question in that it links poor sanitation facilities with lost education - 4(d). It is important to highlight that one in three have no safe and secure private place to go to the toilet.
In Section 3 the longer questions - Question 1 - The Irish Coast Guard question – We would ask what are the explicit links to CSPE? The connection between the concepts of CSPE and the Irish Coast Guard could have been more explicit. It was an unusual choice of question. 1(a) asks for 4 different research methods to learn more about the Irish Coast Guard. This question would be challenging even for an adult to answer.
The Irish Traveller question (2) is an appropriate CSPE question that challenges prejudice.
The Mock trial question (3) is a good one and a lot of CSPE classes will have done it. In question 3(a) it would be challenging for a student to come up with three reasons why the Mock Trial is a good way to explore the concept of Law. ‘Why the concept of Law in society is important’ may have been a better question.
Question 4 – on Homelessness – has a good starting point - the fifteen year old making a difference by designing a sleeping bag for homeless people (a). The second part of question (b) is not a CSPE question. It is more a technical question about making a film. .
29/5/18 Annual exam review meeting, Wed 6th June 4 pm, Blackrock Education Centre. All members welcome.
16/4/18 The recent CSPE Webinar from JCT, live on march 21st is now available as a recording. It can be accessed here.
11/4/18 Regional CSPE Inservice/CPD April 2018 - Deadline for application end of day Fri 13 April.
1. Workshop on preparing for the CSPE Exam Paper.
2. Other CSPE Issues - Open Forum, Writing up Action Project, CSPE timetabling, CSPE in the future and more ...
Waterford Teachers' Centre Tues 17 April 5-7 pm
Book here:
Co. Wexford Education Centre, Thurs 19 April 5-7 pm here. ***Added 16/4/18: Unfortunately both inservices above have been cancelled.
Edco has published a new textbook for CSPE - 'A World of Wellbeing'. Blurb: 'New CSPE Text from Edco. Blurb: 'A World of Wellbeing is a new and engaging package for Junior Cycle CSPE Short Course with the most up-to-date material on current social and political issues. The package includes: A Student Textbook, A Student Reflective Journal, A Teacher's Resource Book, Free e-Book and Digital Resources'
7/2/18
The Ombudsman for Children's Office has produced resources for schools relating to education on children's rights.
The resource 'Making Children's Rights Real is available for download here.
For those needing CSPE resources in Irish there's 'Ar Scáth a Chéile' by Brendan Ó Dufaigh. It is available for download here. The Association of CSPE Teachers also has some Irish Language resources - two Powerpoints - one on 'Famous Faces' and one on 'CSPE Buildings'. These are are suitable for general CSPE work and especially for the first question on the CSPE paper in Junior Cycle exam. They are available from the Association on request to cspeteachers@gmail.com
23/1/18
CPD/Inservice - The Association is organising a series of CSPE workshops this February - each event will feature two topics - Reporting on Action Projects and Future Arrangements for CSPE in the light of the Junior Cycle Framework and the Wellbeing Guidelines.
*Thurs 8 Feb, Co. Wexford Education Centre, Enniscorthy, 5-7.30 pm. These courses are free. Early booking advisable. Register here. Or search 'CSPE on Eventbrite.com.
*Tues 20 Feb, Waterford Teachers Centre, 5-7.30 pm. Booking
here.
25/10/17
CPD Workshops - In November the Association of CSPE Teachers is running a series of workshops. Each event will feature two workshops - Managing Action Projects and Using Powerpoint in CSPE Teaching.
Venues are as follows:
Co. Wexford Education Centre, Enniscorthy, Tues 14 Nov 5-7.30 pm Booking at Eventbrite.
Waterford Teachers' Centre, Tues 21 Nov 5-7.30 pm Booking at Eventbrite.
Blackrock Education Centre, Thurs 23 Nov, 4.30 pm to 7 pm. (Tea/coffee on arrival). Booking at Eventbrite. Added 8/11: Cork Education Resource Centre, Tues 28 Nov, 7-9.30 pm. Booking at Eventbrite.
At our Annual Conference last weekend some of the committee and participants were interviewed by Youth Media - interviews are available here: http://ymt.fm/
11/10/17
ECO-UNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards 2018
Registration is now OPEN for the Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) 2018! We're calling all young people aged 10-18 across Ireland and Northern Ireland who want to make a difference, learn new skills, make new friends, and have fun! The YEA is the biggest and longest running Eco-Action programme that recognises and rewards young people who raise awareness of local and global environmental issues and promote practical actions to improve the environment for all. Register your group online (http://ecounesco.ie/register-now) for your free information pack with everything you need to know to get started and run a successful eco-action project!
Timeline
1. Registration (Registration Deadline 24 Nov 2017): Interested groups register online: http://ecounesco.ie/register-now.
2. Training (Oct 2017): Registered groups take part in free '6 Steps to Success' regional training: http://ecounesco.ie/regional-training.
3. Submission (Project Submission Deadline 16 Feb 2018): Registered groups submit their ECO-action projects.
4. ECO-Dens (Mid-Late Mar 2018): Shortlisted groups are invited to pitch their projects to a panel of expert regional judges at ECO-Den semi-final rounds in Leinster, Munster, Connaught, and Ulster.
5. Showcase & Awards Ceremony (22 May 2018): Finalists showcase their project and celebrate their achievement at the national YEA Showcase and Awards Ceremony.
5/10/17 Politics and Society - The Department of Education has issued circular 0059/17 in relation to Politics and Society – from September 2018 this new Leaving Cert subject will be available to all schools, but applications must be made by Fri 27th Oct 2017. This is what it says about teachers for the subject – “Typically teachers will have: · Expressed a genuine interest in teaching Politics and Society; · Studied sociology, politics, philosophy, or anthropology (or related areas) as part of their primary degree or post-graduate studies; · Relevant teaching experience of a cognate area, such as history, CSPE, economics or have experience of working in this field e.g. in Transition Year modules or projects, or have carried out research in a relevant area; · Be willing to undertake CPD to prepare for the implementation of the specification and to investigate specific methodologies aligned with the specification.”
The circular can be viewed at this link: https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0059_2017.pdf
Tutors Wanted by Hibernia - Hibernia College is currently seeking experienced professionals to work as tutors on the Professional Master of Education in Post Primary Education (PMEPP), including in CSPE. Tutors will work through evening webinars and face to face sessions which are held on Saturdays throughout the year. https://hiberniacollege.com/careers/tutor-opportunities/#pme-post-primary
1/9/17 'Are you a post-primary teacher who wishes to obtain Teaching Council registration for History, English or CSPE? Are you seeking to study for personal enjoyment? ' - DCU is offering a Connected Arts Single Module with relevance for CSPE teachers. For more detailed info click here.
29/8/17 Our Annual Conference for 2017 takes place on Sat 21st Oct in the Castletroy Park Hotel, Limerick. Workshops include Rights, Responsibilities and Restorative Practice, CSPE and Wellbeing, The Media in a Democracy, Stewardship and Sustainability, The Convention on the Rights of the Child, Action Projects. Guest speaker is Mary Lawlor, Founder of Frontline Defenders. The Conference is free and traveling expenses can be applied for. Booking form and brochure click here.
7/6/17
Response to today's CSPE Exam Paper
We give the paper a broad welcome, there is good variety, and it is quite manageable for a wide range of abilities. The basic seven concepts of CSPE are well covered.
The 'Dublin Zoo' picture question, representing stewardship, was quite quirky and unexpected.
The use of first-letter prompts in the short questions in Section 1 Question 2 possibly made the questions too easy, but, also in this section, requiring the name of the new Secretary General of the UN was challenging, not just to guess it but to spell it. The question on Dáil na nÓg was somewhat dated as this initiative hasn't happened since 2015.
Section 2 questions were very topical (eg the results of Census 2016 and Fair Trade). In the Fair Trade question the sub-question about tweeting should have been manageable even if the student wasn't that familiar with tweeting - the word 'message' was used and the grind contained just the right number of boxes. The question on Waste Prevention was a more sophisticated way of dealing with the issue than just couching it in terms of recycling.
The long questions in Section 3 were varied and gave good variety of choices. The question on the European Youth Parliament was welcome, but in Section (c) there was a reference to a 'European Union election', which presumably should have read 'European Parliament election'.
21/5/17
Secondment opportunity: An opportunity is available for a post-primary teacher to be seconded to the Houses of the Oireachtas as Parliamentary Education Officer. The duration of the secondment is one year. Closing date: 6 June 2017. More info click here.
3/4/17 The latest round of CSPE regional inservice run by the Association will take place after the Easter holidays. The topics will be Preparing for the written paper in CSPE and Timetablin Issues in Schools, especially in the light of the new Wellbeing Guidelines. Details:
Co. Wexford Education Centre, Enniscorthy, Thurs 27 April 6.30 to 9 pm - Resgister at Eventbrite here.
Waterford Teachers' Centre Tues 2nd May 6.30 to 9 pm - Register at Eventbritehere.
Blackrock Education Centre Thurs 4 May, 4.30 to 7 pm - Register at Eventbrite here. (Updated 6/4/17) Update 26/4/17 Enniscorthy Workshop cancelled)
Exam News: This year's deadline for completion of CSPE Project work is Fri 28th April. The CSPE written paper takes place on Wed 7 June at 2 pm (a departure from previous scheduling).
13/2/17
The 2017 annual conference of the Computers in Education Society of Ireland (CESI) will take place on Saturday 4th March at the St. Patrick’s Campus of Dublin City University. The conference will be preceded by the now-traditional TeachMeet CESI event, which will be held on the evening of Friday 3rd March at the Regency Hotel, Dublin 9. For more information and booking click here.
26/1/17 Regional Inservice: Currently in planning for February, a round of inservice workshops - Reporting on Action Projects and ICT Activities for CSPE. Co. Wexford Education Centre, Wed 15 Feb, 5-7.30 pm; Dublin West Education Centre (Mon 13 Feb 6.30-9.00 pm): Waterford Teachers' Centre (Wed 1st March 5 pm); Cork Education Resource Centre (date to be confirmed).
Further info to follow.
Register for the Co. Wexford workshops (Enniscorthy) here.
Register for the Dublin Workshop here.
For Waterford Workshop email name and contact details, incl mobile if possible, to cspeteachers@gmail.com
16/1/17
The School Education Gateway section on Citizenship Education has lots of resources, along with funding and project opportunities. This is connected to Leargas programmes like Erasmus and eTwinning. Click here for more information.
15/1/17 The Annual Conference of the Association of CSPE Teachers will be on Saturday 14 Oct 2017. It is at the early planning stage at the moment and more details will follow soon.
22/11/16
Conor Harrison is running a CSPE CPD in Dublin West Education Centre on Sat 10 Dec. The topic is Active Learning Methods, the cost is €50 which includes tea/coffee, light lunch and DVD toolkit of resources. Email (with CSPE CPD - Active Methodsin subject line) cjhedconsulting@gmail.com
18/11/16 There is a double workshop in Waterford Teachers'Centre on Mon 5th Dec 5.00 to 7.30 pm. There will be two 1-hour sessions - one on IT and CSPE and one on Managing Action Projects. To book please email name contact details to cspeteachers@gmail.com indicating Waterford as your choice of venue (please note other venues below). Places are limited so early booking is advised.
****Note: this workshop has been cancelled - if interested please apply for same course in Enniscorthy - see below.
23/10/16 More CSPE Inservice. The Association of CSPE Teachers is running a series of workshops in the coming weeks. There is a double workshop in Dublin West Education Centre on Thurs 1st Dec 4.30 to 7 pm. The session will start with tea break and discussion of matters of interest relating to CSPE. Following that there will be two 1-hour workshops - one of IT and CSPE and one on Managing Action Projects. For booking go to this Eventbrite Page. Places are limited so early booking is advised. More workshops to follow. Watch this space for details.
The same inservice as above will also take place on Wed 30 Nov in Co. Wexford Education Centre, Enniscorthy, 4.30 to 7 pm. In this case please register at this Eventbrite Page.
29/9/16 CSPE Inservice - There will be a CSPE Inservice at Racket Hall, Roscrea, on Thurs 13 Oct
7-9 pm. This workshop will examine general guidelines for the Written Paper and the Report on an Action Project (RAP) with a focus on "suitable topics, types of action, concepts, summaries of information and reflections." Booking is through Laois Education Centre - click here.
ECO-UNESCO is calling on schools to enter the Young Environmentalist Awards 2017!The Young Environmentalist Awards (YEA) 2017 registration is now officially open, and inviting young people across Ireland to enter Ireland’s biggest ECO-Awards scheme for young people!Now in its 18th year, the YEA is open to young people aged 10-18 across the island of Ireland who are passionate and want to take action to protect the environment. This exciting programme sees groups from schools, youth and community organisations come up with real solutions to a host of environmental issues, often benefitting their schools, communities and having impact on global environmental issues.Last year, thousands of young people from all across Ireland entered the YEA. There were hundreds of project entries shortlisted to just 80 finalists following some very competitive regional ECO-Dens, our regional semi-finals. Having impressed the expert judging panel with projects ranging from creating and selling organic and eco-friendly beauty products, to delivering environmental workshops in schools, to building community gardens, to lobbying politicians for change; the 80 groups went on to attend the national YEA Showcase and Awards Ceremony on 18th May at the Mansion House in Dublin. YEA Step by Step: Registration (Registration Deadline 25 Nov 2016)
Interested groups register online: http://www.ecounesco.ie/register-now. Training (Oct-Nov 2016)
Registered groups take part in free ‘6 Steps to Success’ regional training: http://ecounesco.ie/regional-training. Submission (Project Submission Deadline 24 Feb 2017).Registered groups submit their ECO-action projects. ECO-Dens (Mar-Apr 2017)Shortlisted groups are invited to pitch their projects to a panel of expert regional judges at ECO-Den semi-final rounds. National Showcase & Awards Ceremony (May 2017)
Finalists showcase their project at the national YEA Showcase and Awards Ceremony.
Teachers and youth leaders can register groups of 2-25 young people by visiting http://ecounesco.ie/register-now or by contacting Ji (YEA Programme Coordinator) at 01 6625491 or yea@ecounesco.ie.
20/9/16
PDST has launched an online CPD course for CSPE. This online course provides participants with an introduction to, and an overview of, the Junior Cycle Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) course.
The course focuses on:
§ the key elements of subject knowledge
§ the use of active learning methodologies in order to enable the development of skills, attitudes and dispositions
§ the importance of taking action and acting responsibly
The course concludes with an overview of the three assessment instruments used in CSPE: the Report on an Action Project (RAP), the Course Work Assessment Book (CWAB), both worth 60% of the marks awarded and the written examination paper, worth 40% of the marks.
5/9/16 Our Annual Conference and AGM will take place on Sat 15 Oct in the Red Cow Moran Hotel, Naas Rd Dublin. Brochures will arrive in schools early September and is available for download here.
13/6/16
CSPE Exam 2016Press Release .. Response of the Association of CSPE Teachers
We give the paper a broad welcome but there some unusual questions, like the one on dog fouling and the choice of photos of prominent people, which included Arlene Foster who wouldn’t be that well known in general, and Emily Logan who wouldn’t be as well known in her current role. They should be much more prominent public figures.
Some questions were very topical e.g. the Refugee Crisis, the Election, the Census, and Garda Commissioner Noirin O Sullivan who was included in the picture question.
The paper was well-balanced - between the 7 concepts of CSPE - human dignity, stewardship, development, democracy, interdependence, rights and responsibilities and law.
More detailed analysis:
Section 1
Q1. Pictures:
These were challenging and unusual choices - esp Arlene Foster and Emily Logan.
Some would be guessed by verbal clues - e.g. Garda Commissioner guessed by uniform, Joanne O’Riordan guessed by ‘youngest ever …’
Process of elimination would also help in guessing the correct answers.
The selection was not gender balanced, only women included.
Q2. Census question was topical.
Questions included political jargon that students should know.
Ceann Comhairle and Ombudsman questions wer harder, the question on the Euro currency rather peculiar and dated but easy.
Q 3. Energy sources - easy, relevant and topical question.
Section 2.
Stimulus material
Q1. Dog walkers .. students would have done animal rights projects but dog fouling is rather left field? - Peculiar considering other more pressing environmental challenges..
Q2. Winter burglary...question… could be broader on concept of law, especially (e) on bravery very broad - better to have something on concept of law.
Q3. Refugees’ journey - very topical and very welcom human rights emphasis.
Q4. Foroige - youth organisation… an easy question, concentrating on citizenship and young people..
All these questions manageable
Section 3
Easter 1916 … Topical question.
Asking for six steps to organise parade was stretching it .. better to have four.
There should have been an opportunity for reflection on whether 1916 was justified.
Could have asked question .. do you have to be patriotic to be a good citizen?
Not closely enough linked to CSPE.
UN Day question was fine. T here was a welcome opportunity to do a poster.
Local Development .. question OK but asking for 6 steps to organise a parade too much - better to do four.
Voting - Topical because of recent election. Good that it allowed to some extent for a contrary view - i.e. advice for someone contemplating not voting.
8/6/16 Following the CSPE Exam on Mon 13th June there will be an exam review meeting at 4 pm in the Blacrock Education Centre. All welcome.
9/5/16
With the new cabinet in place there's a useful quiz on the new cabinet members and duties in a recent Irish Times. It can be accessed here. The Association of CSPE Teachers also has a 'Famous Faces' Powerpoint, which includes the new cabinet members, available on request from act@esatclear.ie.
7/4/16 Resources for the 2016 Census are now available at www.census.ie and are available in English and Irish. The actual resource pack tailored for use in CSPE class, with lots of information, images and activities is available for download here. There's also an Irish language version here. The pack was revised and updated by Conor Harrison.
4/4/16
Regional Inservice
This April 2016 we will be offering regional inservice in Dublin, Wexford, Waterford and Cork.Topics will be as follows: Preparing for CSPE Exam Paper and Active Learning in CSPE. The choice of location is due to ACT having branches in these areas. If any member in other parts of the country is interested in setting up a branch please let us know using the email address above.
Details as follows. To book, email cspeteachers@gmail.com giving name, contact details including mobile number if possible and desired venue.
Thurs 14th April – Dublin West Education Centre 5-7.30 pm;
Tues 19th April – Waterford Teachers’ Centre 5-7.30 pm;
Thurs 21st April - Co. Wexford Education Centre, Enniscorthy 5-7.30 pm.Please check back here for any updates on times and venues.
Thurs 28th April - Cork Education Resource Centre 6.30 pm to 9 pm. [added 16/4/16]
12/1/16
Inservice: The Association is poviding workshops in four venues as follows:
In each case the topics are Reporting on Action Projects and Numeracy in CSPE
Tues 19 Jan - 5-7.30 pm
Co. Wexford Education Centre, Enniscorthy
Thurs 21st Jan 6.30-9 pm Waterford Teachers' Centre
Tues 26th Jan Blackrock Education Centre 5-7.30 pm
Thurs 4th Feb Cork Education Resource Centre 6.30-9 pm (changed from 28th Jan)
Booking: email name and contact details, incl mobile number if possible to cspeteachers@gmail.com
9/11/15 Course of interest to CSPE teachers - Making an Advocacy Video: This course would be particularly useful to CSPE teachers, but is of relevance to all. It will provide you with a basic ‘tool kit’ of skills for making a digital project with your class PC. You will be guided, step by step, through the stages of a project, using easily available or free resources and looking at ‘workarounds’. We will cover basic audio, image, video use and online publishing. Blackrock Education Centre Wed 11th and Wed 18th Nov 5.30 to 8 pm. Booking here. *Postponed.
2/11/15
Update on our regional inservice - the double workshop on Managing Action Projects and Using IT in CSPE will take place in Co. Wexford Education Centre on Tues 17th Nov 5-7 pm, in Waterford Teachers' Centre on Tues 24th Nov 5-7pm and in Cork Education Support Centre on Thurs 3rd Dec 7-9 pm. To book , email cspeteachers@gmail.com giving contact details, incl mobile if possible, and indication of which venue you choose.
20/10/15 Our next Inservice ... double workshop: Managing Action Projects and Using IT for CSPE. Blackrock Education Centre Tues 3rd Nov 4.30 pm - 6.30 pm. Booking: send name and contact details incl mobile to cspeteachers@gmail.com ... same workshops coming soon to Cork, Enniscorthy and Waterford.
13/10/15 At our Annual Conference in Leinster House on Sat 10th Oct the new online resource of the Oireachtas Communications Office was launched. The resource explores many aspects of political education relating to the Oireachtas. There are videos narrated by students, pdfs of the lessons, action project ideas and much more. The resource is now available online here: education.oireachtas.ie
5/9/15 The brochure and booking form for our annual Conference, this time taking place in Leinster House on Sat 10 Oct, has been sent to schools and is available here.
From Nov 2015: Regional Inservice - Dublin, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, details coming soon.
Nov: IT in CSPE and Managing Action Projects
Feb: Assessment for Learning (AFL) in CSPE and Reporting on Action Projects.
April: Numeracy in CSPE and Preparing for CSPE Exam Paper
21/8/15
Great news for our 2015 Conference – it will take place in Leinster House on Sat 10 Oct, so keep the date reserved. Our plenary sessions will be held in the Seanad chamber. At the moment we are finalising workshop details and the brochure will be arriving in schools soon. The brochure will also be available for download here shortly.
26/10/14 In September 2014 the Association conducted a survey
among members to ascertain what was happening with CSPE in the current school year. The Association wishes to express its gratitude to those 86 teachers who responded. In brief the results are as follows:
Question: What is the status of CSPE in your school for first years 2014-2015?
One class per week - 80;
more than one class per week - 1; CSPE not timetabled - 3.
Question:
Where CSPE is timetabled what approach is followed?
Current CSPE Course - 71; NCCA Short Course - 1; Short Course designed in school - 5; Short course designed by outside body
- 1.
Plans, if any, for the future?
Continue with current CSPE and await developments - 37; Continue with current CSPE this year and just fulfil Statemts of Learning after that - 3; No plans as yet - 34.
Future plans re assessment?
Assess CSPE as part of new Junior Cycle Award - 8; Do CSPE on timetable but not assess as part of JC Award - 3; No plans yet - 65 A Powerpoint presentation giving more details of the results is available by clicking here.
21/10/14 The Association of CSPE Teachers was referenced in an Irish Times article today concerning the future of CSPE. Check it out here.
Graduate.ie has launched a CSPE related competition. Check out the details here.
20/10/14
Nov
2014: Digital
Literacy and E-portfolios in CSPE - Workshop
Co. Wexford Education Centre Enniscorthy Thurs 6th Nov 5-7pm
Waterford Teachers' Centre, Thurs 13th Nov 5-7pm
Blackrock Education Centre Thurs 20th Nov 5-7pm
Cork Teachers' Support Centre Thurs 27th Nov 7-9pm
Bookings to act@esatclear.ie
, giving name, contact details and required venue.
12/10/14
PRESS RELEASE
THE ASSOCIATION OF CSPE TEACHERS CONFERENCE SUPPORTING CITIZENSHIP
EDUCATION IN IRELAND
At its Annual Conference in Airfield, Dundrum, on Saturday 11th October,
the delegates expressed support for CSPE as a subject in the Junior
Certificate. They stressed the importance of mandatory citizenship
education for all students in the country. The Chairperson of the
Association, Jeanne Barrett stated that "government plans to downgrade
the status of CSPE by making it an optional short course will undermine
citizenship education in Ireland. This would be the first time since
1966 that Civics/CSPE would not be an essential part of every students'
education at Junior Cycle." The open forum session of the conference
was addressed by the Presidents of both Second Level Teachers Unions.
Philip Irwin, President of ASTI noted, "' the exceptional quality
of the educational experience in CSPE, as evidenced by the high placing
of Irish students in the International Civic and Citizenship Study
(ICCS) 2011 report''. He further noted the," innovative emphasis on
project work (60% of total marks) and the fact that CSPE was externally
assessed gave it credibility and integrity." Gerry Quinn, TUI President
highlighted the importance of the TUI and ASTI cooperating as Trade
Unions against the attempted imposition of unsound changes to the
Junior Cycle by the Government. He also stated that "subjects including
CSPE show how teachers are already using progressive and imaginative
teaching and learning strategies". The conference was also addressed
by Médecins Sans Frontieres, UNICEF, ICTU's Youth Connect, The Human
Rights Commission, The Red Cross, Young Social Innovators, Concern,
The Equality Authority, and The Holocaust Education Trust of Ireland.
27/8/14 The brochure for the Annual Conference
is now available for download here.
Those wishing to sign up can email their application to act@esatclear.ie
giving name, school, mobile and workshop preferences. Workshops include
- It's About Us: Beyond the Millennium Goals - UNICEF; Humanitarian
Law and Action Projects - Red Cross; 'The Working World - a guide
to a CSPE 'Decent Work' Action Project - Youth Connect/ICTU; Managing
Action Projects, Reporting on Action Projects. Guest
speaker will be Jane-Ann McKenna of Medecins Sans Frontieres.
31/7/14 Save the date!
Our Annual Conference for 2014
will take place on Sat 11 Oct In Airfield House, Dundrum,
Dublin. Workshop details will be available shortly.
17/5/14 This year's CSPE Exam is on
Mon 9th June at 2 pm. As usual our meeting to assess and respond to
the paper will take place in Blackrock Education Centre that evening
from 3.45 pm. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
22/3/14 Essay Competition
Dublin City Libraries are running an Essay Competition for teenagers
(closing date Saturday 12th April).The theme is 'Challenges and Change:
40 Years of EU Membership' - the challenge is to 2nd level students
in Dublin City to impress with their writing style and their research
skills. The competition will be judged by author and academic Conor
Kostick and the winners in two age categories will each receive an
iPad mini. Interactive entry forms and a downloadable entry form along
with a copy of the competition rules are available - email act@esatclear.ie
or find these downloads here: Entry
Form, Interactive
Entry Form, Competition
Rules. Note: the original closing date for this competition was
14th March - but this is now extended to 12th April. More info: Anne
Gannon, Development Office, Dublin City Public Libraries, 01 6744851.
Oxfam Campaign
Oxfam Heroes is a new campaign which is about promoting gender equality
and celebrating inspirational women. Oxfam has developed a resource
pack for schools as part of awareness raising around women's rights
and the Heroes campaign. The resource pack covers four topics; How
NGO's Work, Land Rights for Women, Girls and Education, and Sustainable
Livelihoods. These topics complement and fall within the remit of
the concepts of Human Dignity, Rights and Responsibilities and Development
as outlined in the CSPE syllabus. For more information contact Oxfam
at: Heroes Team, Oxfam Ireland, 2nd Floor, Portview House, Thorncastle
Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4, Contact: Ph: (01) 6350 418.
11/3/14 Online Petition: The 'Just Forests' initiative
is organising an online petition to have CSPE retained as a core area
of the curriculum in the new Junior Cycle. The petition can be seen
and signed here.
The relevant
web page at Just Forests includes a recent letter from the Citizenship
Edication Network about the place of CSPE in the reformed Junior Cycle.
Politics and
Society: in a recent Dáil answer Minister Ruairi Quinn
said he would be introducing Politics and Society as an optional subject
at Leaving Cert level. The syllabus can be viewed here.
PDST
(Professional Development Service for Teachers) has redesigned
its website. The CSPE section is now here,
and features sections on News, Curriculum Resources, Evaluation and
Assessment, Events Calendar, Literacy, Numeracy, Key Skills, Official
Documents and more.
10/2/14 ACT Workshops: Action Projects
and IT - a hands-on course exploring the use of IT resources and
techniques useful for Action Projects. Topics will include use of
cameras, basic video editing, use of presentation software, internet
video and more. Venues: Co Wexford Eucation Centre, Enniscorthy Mon
10th March 5 pm to 7 pm; Blackrock Education Centre, Tues 18th March
7 pm to 9 pm. Bookings to act@esatclear.ie
- sent your name and contact details and specify which venue.
22/1/14 Evening Workshops: CSPE ACTION
PROJECTS & ASSESSMENT
This evening workshop will explore CSPE Action Projects and reporting
on them.
Part One: Action Projects in CSPE In Part 1 appropriate CSPE Action
Projects will be explained from initiation through to completion.
Participants will have opportunities to share Action Project ideas
and to discuss the various tasks and skills that make up successful
Action Projects. Participants will also explore the 6 Step Approach
to Action Projects.
Part Two: The Report on an Action Project (RAP) and the Course Work
Assessment Book (CWAB) Part 2 will focus in detail on the RAP and
CWAB. Approaches and strategies for guiding students through the report
writing process will be explored, including the use of Effective Questioning
and Providing Feedback to students on their work. Participants will
explore the RAP and CWAB page-by-page.
Dates & Venues: Mon, 24th February Laois Education Centre; Thurs,
6th March Drumcondra Ed Centre; Mon, 10th March Cork Ed Support Centre;
Mon, 24th March Co. Wexford Ed Centre (Enniscorthy); Tues, 25th March
Sligo Ed Centre; Wed, 26th March Galway Ed Centre.
All workshops start
at 7:00 pm and finish at 9:30 pm For information about the Education
Centres follow this link
http://www.ateci.ie/education-centres.html.
Outline of Workshop Please Note: Please make all bookings online at
www.pdst.ie/node/152
and clearly identify the Date & Venue of the course you wish to attend.
Please do not attend a course unless your place has been confirmed
by e-mail.
7:00 pm Registration & Tea/Coffee; 7:15 pm Action Projects Explored;
8:15 pm CSPE and Assessment (Effective Questioning and Providing Feedback),
including the RAP & the CWAB; 9:15 pm Evaluation & Form Filling. Please
pass this information on to your CSPE teacher colleagues and friends!
PDST is funded by the Teacher Education Section (TES) of the Department
of Education and Skills (DES) The service is managed by Dublin West
Education Centre
15/12/13 It's
About Us! is a set
of new interactive CSPE resources from UNICEF to inform young people
about the world we live in and inspire them to create their vision
for the future. The workshops have been designed to inform and inspire
young people to take part in discussions about the world they want,
particularly in the context of the closing stages of the Millennium
Development Goals. The ten workshops are available online at www.unicef.ie/itsaboutus
and are designed to cover the core concepts of the CSPE curriculum.
Students will be introduced to children from around the world who
are suffering the worst effects of poverty, conflict and disaster.
Students will explore how, together, young people can build a new
vision for the future.
14/12/13 The deadline for consultation on
the new CSPE Short Course is Fri 17 January. You access the
relevant info and consultation options here: http://www.juniorcycle.ie/Curriculum/Consultation/Short-Courses/Civic-Social-and-Political-Education
Note that the 'draft specification' includes the assessment modes
- at this stage this involves 20% for a Reflective Journal, and 30%
and 50% each for two 'action records'. We would urge all members to
take part in the consultation.
18/11/13 'Express Yourself' is an
initiative for CSPE students by the Irish Human Rights Commission.
Students produce images and words that illustrate a human rights and
equality issue. This will lead to an exhibition in the Lighthouse
Cinema, Smithfield, Dublin 7 from 25 March to 6 March 2014. Closing
date for entries is Wed 29 Jan 2014. More info at: www.ihrc.ie/cspe
Note
also: the IT and CSPE Course in Enniscorthy this Tues 19 Nov
has been cancelled. However the same course will take place Wed 27
Nov in the Blackrock Education Centre 5pm to 7pm. Number of booking
is already sufficient to run the course. Limited places. Book by sending
your details to act@esatclear.ie .
28/10/13 The new draft syllabus in CSPE
(a 'short course') is now available for consultation and we would
urge all CSPE teachers to read the draft and engage with the consultation.
The draft and an introductory video are available here.
23/10/13 Promoting entrepreneurship and
citizenship in schools: Léargas is holding an eTwinning Professional
Development Workshop in Dublin (city centre: Brooks Hotel) for post-
primary teachers. The workshop will include post-primary teachers
from Finland and it is a great way for you to link up with Finnish
teachers and develop an eTwinning project. The cost of participating
at the seminar is covered in a grant from Léargas. The aims of the
seminar are: to encourage teachers to develop eTwinning projects on
the theme of citizenship and entrepreneurship to share best practices
to experience and share new teaching methodologies. More info and
application details here.
9/10/12 The Association is running courses
on 'IT and the CSPE Concepts' this Autumn. The courses will
link the seven concepts of the CSPE Syllabus with hands-on IT training
that has practical application in the classroom for CSPE teachers.
Dates are as follows: Mon 21st Oct Cork Education Centre 8 pm to 10
pm; Thurs 14th Nov Waterford Teachers' Centre 5 - 7pm; Tues 19th Nov
Co. Wexford Education Centre 5-7 pm; Wed 27th Nov Blackrock Education
Centre 7 to 9pm. For booking send email to act@esatclear.ie
giving name and contact details, one week before course date.
2/10/13 Useful course coming up in
Co Wexford Education Centre - on Using Internet Video and Making better
Powerpoints. This is open to teachers of all subjects, but will have
practical benefit to CSPE teachers. It is a practical hands-on course
in the centre's computer room and teachers should go away with classroom
ready resources. This course is not related to Junior Cycle reform
and is not school organised or nationally mandated CPD. Early booking
is advisable so that the course will not be booked out (places are
limited) or cancelled due to lack of, or late, interest. Contact:
Caroline Wheelock (Secretary) 053-9239101 caroline@ecwexford.ie
More info here.
19/9/13 We
now have a Facebook Group, 'CSPE Teachers' for members. Send email
request using 'contact' link above if you wish to join the group.
10/9/13
ECO-UNESCO – Supporting teachers
to bring ECO-Action into education! The 2013/14 academic year marks
the 15th year of ECO-UNESCO’s youth eco-action programme, the Young
Environmentalist Awards (YEA). With secondary school students now
returning after their summer holidays, ECO-UNESCO is calling on schools
to register to the programme and undertake a positive action project
in their school or local community. Participation in the programme
is a great way to engage students to learn about environmental issues
which link into the school curriculum, as well as developing key personal
skills through their action-project. CSPE Links; The YEA is designed
to work with secondary school curricula and links with Geography,
Science, SPHE, CSPE, Mathematics and Art syllabi. Participation in
the YEA can be utilised as a recognised CSPE action project connecting
to several CSPE concepts including; Stewardship, Interdependence and
Rights and Responsibility. Participants choose their own topics under
a range of themes including, biodiversity, climate change, energy,
waste and water to name a few. In this way, projects can be tailored
to link in strongly with students’ formal studies. Successful projects
from 2013 explored issues such as water conservation; how home grown
fruit and veg can help mitigate climate change; the importance of
bees to biodiversity, re-using ‘waste’ material to create jewellery
and art sculptures and educating peers on composting, waste and recycling
and a lot more besides!
Free Training: Free training to get groups up and running is being
offered by ECO-UNESCO throughout September and October and can be
delivered in the classroom upon request. To book and for full details
on the programme visit www.ecounesco.ie or look out for the YEA information
pack sent to your school. Kind Regards, Nora Ide McAuliffe Communications
& Fundraising Officer ECO-UNESCO 'the greenhouse' 17 St Andrew St.,
Dublin 2 Ireland T: 00 353 (0) 1 6625491 F: 00 353 (0) 1 6625493 e:
communications@ecounesco.ie w: www.ecounesco.ie
9/9/13 A full list of official inservice
dates for all subjects and programmes has been released by PDST.
It's available as a pdf download here.
The details of CSPE courses are on our calendar
page.
Contact Details - Administration: Angie Grogan Dublin West Education
Centre Old Blessington Road Tallaght Dublin 24, Email: angiegrogan@pdst.ie
3/9/13 Our
Annual Conference and AGM will take place in the Radisson
Hotel Galway on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th October. Our guest
speaker on the Saturday morning will be Marian Harkin MEP. In a change
of timing this year the AGM of the Association will be on the Friday
night at 8pm, and on Saturday we will have an Open Forum on the place
of CSPE in the Junior Cycle reform. By that stage the new CSPE short
course should be out for consultation. Workshop topics will include
Water as a Resource, for the UN Year of Water Cooperation (Trocaire),
EU - Year of the Citizen - (Pat Cahill), A Matter of Life and Death:
- Death Penalty Issues - (Amnesty); The Role of the Houses of the
Oireachtas; along with our usual workshops on Action Projects, Co-Ordination
and Inspection, and using IT in CSPE. The programme and booking form
can be downloaded here,
and will be arriving in schools shortly.
26/6/13 Proudly Made in Africa: A Business Studies and Development Education
Transition Unit - While the Proudly Made in Africa resource has
been produced with Business Studies teachers/students in mind, it
has explicit links to a number of other curricular areas, including
CSPE and Geography (at Junior and LC level). As a development education
resource it focuses on the development of key skills including critical
and creative thinking, collaborative research and taking action. Student-centred
learning methodologies are central to this unit and the Student Portfolio
includes different approaches including reflective self-assessment.
The material can be used by any teacher. It does not require specialised
knowledge of Africa, trade or global development issues.
The Resource can be downloaded here
Additional related resources and information here.
16/6/13
Where There's Well is a new documentary about providing wells
to small communities in Africa, focussing on the charity 'Wells
For Zoe' . This film gets its first public showing at the Sugar
Club in Leeson St, Dublin 2 0n Thurs 4th May at 9 pm, as part of the
10 Days in Dublin Festival. The film will be introduced by John Waters,
and is particularly appropriate as 2013 is the 'UN Year of Water Co-operation'.
Bookings and more info on the event: http://www.10daysindublin.com/programme/where-theres-a-well-by-teds-beard-productions/
CSPE on Newstalk
again!
After the controversy about last Monday's CSPE paper CSPE was back
on the radio again on Thursday when our Vice Chair Philip Irwin spoke
to George Hook about the new Junior Cycle reform in general and the
place of CSPE in particular. The clip starts at 5.46 here: http://www.newstalk.ie/player/listen_back/9/1843/13th_June_2013_-_The_Right_Hook_Part_1
Also on yesterday's Irish Times (Fri 14th) that paper apologised for
making a mistake as to the function of the Referendum Commission -
the same mistake that was made on the CSPE paper last Monday!
12/6/13
CSPE on Newstalk: CSPE has featured in the media more than
ever. First there was the error on the CSPE Paper, noted in last email,
and then, yesterday on Newstalk's Right Hook there was a parent complaining
about how easy one of the questions was. Our PRO Brendan O'Regan was
also a guest on the show and you can listen to the discussion here:
http://www.newstalk.ie/player/listen_back/9/1795/11th_June_2013_-_The_Right_Hook_Part_1
The item starts at 3 mins 10 seconds in.
11/6/13 Members of the Association met at Black Education Centre
yesterday to review the CSPE Paper. Our initial response is
below. We'd like to hear opinions from other members also. We sent
our comments to the media so we're assuming some of these will be
reported in today's papers. We note also that is the first time we
can remember that the CSPE paper hit the headlines - because the inaccuracy
in the Referendum Commission question (see below).
ACT
Response to CSPE Paper June 2013
Overall we thought the CSPE paper was well balanced between the different
elements of the course. There was a good spread of issues, many of
them topical. On the whole the paper was well differentiated for different
ability levels. There was plenty of visual content, and students had,
in some questions, an opportunity to be visually creative.
Detailed
commentary:
Section
1: Question 1 – identifying famous political faces. We note that
all the individuals to be recognized were men – an ironic commentary
on the nature of political leadership in the world? Question 2
– Cloze test. Many of the questions required a good knowledge of political
terminology – e.g. Returning Officer, Attorney General. Some questions
were very topical e.g. the Irish Presidency of the EU and a difficult
question on the European Year of the Citizen (which we had flagged
in our March Newsletter).
Question
3 – another welcome visual question.
Section
2: Question 1: Question on the Paralympics, focusing on disability
rights. Question (e) in this section was challenging – discussing
a metaphor on disability by TV critic A.A. Gill. A well designed webpage
accompanied this question.
Question
2: A question on rights of young people to education, and therefore
very relevant to our young students. Question (d) allowed students
to name other children’s rights, though there was no mention of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child. Question 3:– Question on a
cross border bridge – we welcome the inclusion of a Northern Ireland
dimension on the paper. Question 4: – on the Irish Prison service.
A welcome topic, but we did have issues with Question (d) – refers
to our justice system ‘that tries to rehabilitate prisoners’ (begs
a few questions) in contrast with a system that ‘executes … tortures
… or uses physical punishment on prisoners’. We thought the contrast
was too extreme. More useful and topical would have been questions
on prison overcrowding and sentencing issues.
Section
3: A good spread here. The question on ‘The Gathering’ brought
in the community dimensions of the course, the Eco-Unesco question
dealt with the environment/stewardship, the Bothar question focused
on development, but there was a problem with the Referendum Commission
question. The question opened with a statement about the Commission’s
role that was inaccurate. The question states that the Commission
‘has the job of presenting both sides of a proposed change to the
Constitution’. In fact it used to have this role, but since 2001 its
role has been as follows: ‘to explain the subject matter of referendum
proposals, to promote public awareness of the referendum and to encourage
the electorate to vote at the poll’ (see www.refcom.ie). However,
an understanding of the true nature of the Commission’s work was not
required in the question as a whole. The focus was on democracy in
school, which was welcome, but the use of the Referendum Commission
approach wasn’t necessary and made the question more awkward than
it needed to be.
3/4/13 Congratulations to our Vice Chair Phillip Irwin who has
been elected Vice President of the ASTI for the school year
2013/2014.
Deadline: This
year's deadline for completetion of RAP and CWAB booklets is
Fri 26th April. The relevant circular is here.
4/1/13 Study
Visit to Berlin - Teacher Education Programme - Continuous Professional
Development 02-05 April 2013. This programme involves visits to authentic
Holocaust sites and is an intensive course which will introduce teachers
to some aspects of the complex and challenging subjects of the Holocaust.
Lecturers, seminars and interactive workshops will feature on this
programme. Visit includes: Topography of Terror Exhibition Walking
Tour of Berlin with a focus on historical sites and commemoration
of Nazi victims - Memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe, House
of the Wannsee Conferenc,e Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial,
The Anne Frank Centre, Berlin. Places limited. For further information,
please contact the Trust office: T: 01 6690593 E: info@hetireland.org
W: www.hetireland.org
On
10th December the death occured of Zoltan Zinn-Collis, a Holocaust
survivor living in Ireland. Zoltan was very generous with him time,
visting many Irish schools and speaking of his experiences.
29/12/12 The
Irish Human Rights Commission is inviting Civic, Social and Political
Education (CSPE) students to make human rights the focus of their
CSPE Action Project and to play their part in creating a society that
recognises that human rights are everyone's rights. As part of the
Action Project we are asking students to help us promote human rights
more widely by creating images that depict human rights in Ireland
for display at Express Yourself! a National Exhibition organised
by the IHRC at the Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin 7 from 27 February to
6 March 2013. The deadline for applications/submissions is Wed 16
Jan and all information is available here.
Application form here.
2013 is the European Year of Citizens, organised
by the European Commission. Contact details for this event in Ireland:
Europe for Citizens Point Ireland IPA (Institute of Public Administration)
57-61 Lansdowne Road Ballsbridge, IE- Dublin 4 Tel : +353/124 03 600
Fax: +353/16689135 Contact: Ms Teresa Casserly Web: www.ipa.ie
Email: europeforcitizens@ipa.ie More information on this initiative
is available here: http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/european-year-of-citizens-2013/index_en.htm
The official launch of the European Year of Citizens 2013 takes place
in Dublin on 10 January at a ceremony in Dublin Castle.
Ireland's presidency of the EU is starting in January, and there's
a dedicated wbsite up and running now - http://www.eu2013.ie/
2013 is also the 40th anniversary of Ireland's membership of the EU.
26/10/12
CSPE Teaching Vacancy Loreto College - Cavan Loreto College
Cavan invites applications for a maternity leave commencing December
3 rd , 2012 for the following position, German, French and SPHE to
Leaving Certificate higher level, also CSPE to Junior Certificate
level. Please forward CV (hard copy only) and evidence of Teaching
Council Registration to The Principal, Loreto College, Cavan, Co.
Cavan on or before Monday 5 th November 2012 by 4pm.
25/10/12
The Children's Rights Referendum takes place on Sat 10th November.
The Referendum Commission's dedicated website for this referendum
is now available at www.referendum2012.ie.
Our own guide to tackling a referendum in class (possibly as an action
project) is here. A public information
video from the commission can be viewed on our home
page.
7/10/12 Internationally acclaimed Human Rights scholar to speak
at UCC (Monday 8 October) - A distinguished US scholar on diplomacy,
international relations, and human rights will offer a lecture entitled
“The Conscience of Mankind” at UCC on Monday 8 October 2012. Dr. Paul
Gordon Lauren is the Regents’ Professor at the University of Montana,
one of UCC’s most significant institutional partners in the US. Comments
Dr. Lauren: “There has been a revolution in the international protection
of human rights. Throughout most of history, victims of human rights
abuses had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Today many do. My lecture
will address why this dramatic change has taken place, focusing particularly
on the role of conscience and the human sense of responsibility for
the well-being of others". More info here.
17/9/12 This year, 2012, the International Day of Peace
is on a Friday, 21st Sept, special activities and celebrations will
take place all across the world over the 2012 Peace Day Weekend, including
festivals, concerts, a global Peace Wave with moments of silence at
noon in every time zone, and much more. It was established by a United
Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General
Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982. In
2002 the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the
permanent date for the International Day of Peace. By creating the
International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace
and encouraged all of mankind to work in cooperation for this goal.
During the discussion of the U.N. Resolution that established the
International Day of Peace.For
more info: http://internationaldayofpeace.org/
16/9/12 A letter has been sent to schools from Focus
Ireland, offering guest speakers on theissue of homelessness.
Focus Ireland has previously sent their CSPE Resource pack, "Without
Your Home Your Life Develops Differently", to schools, but if
you do not have a copy you can still get one by contacting Natasha
McAvinney on 01-8815942. The resource can also be accessed and downloaded
from here.
10/9/12 Booking forms and brochure for our Annual Conference
in Cork on Sat 13th Oct are now in schools and can be downloaded here.
See also entry below for 20/6/12.
Inservice
from the CSPE Support Service - Induction Days for Teachers new to
CSPE: Mon, 15th October 9:15 am to 4:00 pm Athlone Education Centre;
Thurs, 18th October 9:15 am to 4:00 pm Cork Education Support Centre;
Tues, 23rd October 9:15 am to 4:00 pm Drumcondra Education Centre;
Tues, 23rd October 9:15 am to 4:00 pm Limerick Education Centre; Wed,
24th October 9:15 am to 4:00 pm Dublin West Education Centre; Thurs,
25th October 9:15 am to 4:00 pm Sligo Education Centre. Booking forms
in booklet sent to schools and at pdst.ie. More info: Cultural & Environmental
Education National Co-ordinator Conor Harrison - 087 - 2405710 . conorharrison@pdst.ie
20/6/12 We are happy to announce that our Annual Conference
for 2012 will be held for the first time in Cork. Details are
as follows - venue will be the Gresham
Metropole Hotel, Cork City, on Saturday 13th October. We will
have workshops on Environmental Action Projects, Changing the World
from the Classroom - Amnesty International, Development Education
- The Millenium Development Goals (presented by Trócaire
and Studio
Globo from Belgium), the Referendum and the Constitution, reporting
on Action Projects, Co-Ordination and Inspection, CSPE and IT. Mr
Simon Coveney T.D. , Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine.
Further information and booking forms will be sent to schools in early
September.
18/6/12
Response of Association of CSPE Teachers to CSPE Paper Junior
Cert 2012:
The Association gives a broad welcome to the paper. We found it well-balanced
between the different elements of the CSPE course, and manageable
for broad range of students.
On Section 1 for the first time interiors of significant buildings
were shown in the picture question that usually involves famous political
figures, though exteriors of such buildings were given previously.
Visual clues were helpful, e.g. flags in each chamber. Prompts were
also given - i.e. the names of the chambers were given in random order.
Section 1 had strong political content, so students needed
to have studied the political system well to be able to answer - knowledge
of the coalition parties, the register of electors, and what a referendum
is. There was an interesting question on recognising what Government
Departments do. Again the verbal clues were helpful in this case.
In Section 2, Question 1 there was an interesting question
on gardai carrying arms, whether it was a good or bad idea. Question 2 on Charity Shops was weak - e.g. asking why they
were so successful. This was not closely related to CSPE - didn't
make the connection to, say, the CSPE concept of community. Question 3 was a topical question on the voting age, though
it would have been preferable if one of the questions had given the
students the option of listing the pros and cons or saying whether
they agreed with the idea of lowering the voting age. Question 4 was a good question on the environment - specifically
the question on battery recycling, an issue relevant to young people
. Section 3: Question 1 - Good to have a question on human rights,
and topical as it dealt with children's rights as there is a referendum
coming up on the issue. This question lent itself to a poster but
there was no poster option. Question 2 - was primarily a fund raising question and not
explicitly linked to a CSPE concept. Question 3 - Community based , and a good question on a Youth
Centre. Question 4 - Question on Fair Trade. It was too narrowly focused
on a survey only There could be better questions on the Fair Trade
issue - e.g. the interdependence aspect could have been explored more.
The exam paper can be accessed at www.examinations.ie
by following the link to Archived Exam Material.
10/6/12 Members have already been informed in the past two newsletters
- EGM of the Association to discuss CSPE Exam Paper and adopt
new Constitution, Mon 11th June 3.30 pm, Blackrock Education Centre,
Dublin. Open to all members. Draft Constitution available here.
25/4/12 Re: the Fiscal Compact Referendum due on 31 May
check out www.refcom.ie
which has planty of background info on referenda. For this particular
Referendum there will be a special website: www.referendum2012.ie
, which is expected to go live next week. If anyone takes this on
in CSPE class, especially as an Action Project we'd like to hear from
you - maybe you could write it up for a future edition of the Activate
Newsletter! Our guide to tackling a referendum in CSPE class is here:
http://www.cspeteachers.ie/referendum.html
Reminder:
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
27/2/12
Knowing Dublin Event: Central library, Ilac Centre presents
Engineering the City on Wed 29th Feb at 1pm Michael Phillips, Dublin
City Engineer presents this talk on knowing Dublin, Engineering the
City. How does a city obtain water, gas, and electricity? Where do
these services come from? How are they transported? The answer is
infrastructure, or the inner, and sometimes invisible, workings of
the city. In this illustrated presentation, Michael Phillips, Dublin
City Engineer, highlights what engineers and technicians have achieved
for Dublin, helping to create a city where people work, live and relax.
This talk will be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about
the operation of the City’s services. Admission free booking recommended
centrallibrary@dublincity.ie
or 01 8734333
16/2/12
Inservice on Active Learning Methods and Resources:
A series of
Evening Workshops has been organised for all teachers of Civic, Social
and Political Education who are interested in finding out about and
experiencing active learning methodologies and in seeing a number
of really useful CSPE resource packs: Don’t Close Your Eyes to
Slavery, Take 10 and Spotlight on Stereotyping.
This course provides teachers hands-on opportunities to experience
a variety of active learning methods for use in the CSPE classroom
and beyond. Perhaps you have some methods that you’d like to share
with your CSPE colleagues too? Participants will receive a copy of
a number of resource packs to bring back to their classrooms. If you
are interested in participating in any of these CSPE professional
development opportunities please identify clearly the course (including
the date and the venue) you wish to attend by completing and returning
a copy of the Booking Form. Click to download Information
Booklet and Booking
Form. Send to: Ms. Catherine Begley Cultural & Environmental Education
Administrator,01 - 435 8585 01 - 435 8596 catherinebegley@pdst.ie
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.
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------`
National Spring Clean this year is from 1st - 30th April. Info
has been sent to schools, but is also available at www.nationalspringclean.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
New Workshop for September: There will a CSPE workshop in September organised by the Clare Education Centre and presented by Gearóid O'Brien. 'From Learning Outcome to Lesson - Approaches to Teaching CSPE'. The broad learning outcomes in CSPE can make it difficult to decide what content to teach in the subject. This seminar will give suggestions on how to plan lessons to teach learning outcomes using the key junior cycle skills. Sample materials for teaching the lessons will be used to give practical examples of how to teach these lessons. The workshop will be online, and will take place Thurs 22 Sept 7-8 pm. Info and booking at 
Join the World Wise Global School team to support the integration of Global Citizenship Education in post-primary schools across Ireland. WWGS does this mainly through building the capacity of teachers to explore Global Citizenship Education in their schools. Current Vacancies: We are hiring an Education Officer (Munster). Closing date is Friday 16th July 2021 at 5pm
Secret Street Tours - is a non-profit social enterprise offering you a new way to discover the streets of Dublin through the eyes and experiences of someone who has been affected by homelessness. The tours are developed in partnership with their guides who will share their story as you explore the cultural and historic landmarks of their local area. Secret Street Tours is now starting again the in-person homeless walking tours this month! They’ll also keep offering interactive digital experiences with the guides virtually. 
Fair Trade Fortnight is on from 25th Feb to 10th March. Resources for schools are available - click 
JCT are organising a Webinar on CSPE, 'Engaging with the CSPE Short Course Specification'. March 21st 7-8 pm. The event is live and free. Register here.
Edco has published a new textbook for CSPE - 'A World of Wellbeing'. Blurb: 'New CSPE Text from Edco. Blurb: 'A World of Wellbeing is a new and engaging package for Junior Cycle CSPE Short Course with the most up-to-date material on current social and political issues. The package includes: A Student Textbook, A Student Reflective Journal, A Teacher's Resource Book, Free e-Book and Digital Resources'
It's
About Us! is a set
of new interactive CSPE resources from UNICEF to inform young people
about the world we live in and inspire them to create their vision
for the future. The workshops have been designed to inform and inspire
young people to take part in discussions about the world they want,
particularly in the context of the closing stages of the Millennium
Development Goals. The ten workshops are available online at 
Our
Annual Conference and AGM will take place in the 
Study
Visit to Berlin - Teacher Education Programme - Continuous Professional
Development 02-05 April 2013. This programme involves visits to authentic
Holocaust sites and is an intensive course which will introduce teachers
to some aspects of the complex and challenging subjects of the Holocaust.
Lecturers, seminars and interactive workshops will feature on this
programme. Visit includes: Topography of Terror Exhibition Walking
Tour of Berlin with a focus on historical sites and commemoration
of Nazi victims - Memorial for the murdered Jews of Europe, House
of the Wannsee Conferenc,e Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial,
The Anne Frank Centre, Berlin. Places limited. For further information,
please contact the Trust office: T: 01 6690593 E: info@hetireland.org
W:
The
Irish Human Rights Commission is inviting Civic, Social and Political
Education (CSPE) students to make human rights the focus of their
CSPE Action Project and to play their part in creating a society that
recognises that human rights are everyone's rights. As part of the
Action Project we are asking students to help us promote human rights
more widely by creating images that depict human rights in Ireland
for display at Express Yourself! a National Exhibition organised
by the IHRC at the Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin 7 from 27 February to
6 March 2013. The deadline for applications/submissions is Wed 16
Jan and all information is available 
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