TÁ AN LEATHANACH SEO AR FÁIL FOSTA I: nGAEILGE

Aims

Transition Year in Coláiste Oiriall has the following aims:

• Present an understanding of personal, social, educational and professional growth and development.
• Enable students to become independent and responsible as they embark on their future.

A bridge between the junior and senior cycles.

1. It provides a safe space to gain understanding of the importance of being self-aware.
2. It provides opportunity to enable students to establish new friendships.
3. It seeks to show students how to recognise personal strengths and weaknesses by placing an emphasis on self-evaluation and self-assessment.
4. It develops speaking, writing and presentation skills.
5. It allows students to gain experience in a vocational and professional capacity.
6. It affords students to engage directly with working professionals.
7. It encourages students to access information about wider subject areas and gain experience at third level institution,
8. It informs potential career choices as they move towards the Leaving Certificate.
9. It gives a chance to work in a team and to promote positive mental and physical health and well-being.
10. It hopes to instill confidence, courage and ambition in students.

Programme Outline

• Core-subjects – Mathematics, English and Irish
• Emphasis on Practical Subjects
• Sampling of ALL Leaving Certificate subjects
• Religion and Health Education
• Physical Education/Sport & Leisure
• Information Technology
• Career Guidance
• Well-being

Modules

• GAA Future Leaders
• MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist – international IT qualification)
• TEG ( Teastas Eorpach Gaeilge – international Irish language qualification)
• Rewrite Climate online programme
• Raidió RíRá broadcasting workshops
• Tour to Belfast’s Gaeltacht Quarter
• Foreign Tour
• Public Speaking
• Cookery
• Drama
• First Aid
• Drawing/Painting/Sculpture
• Céilí Dancing
• Dancing Workshop with Tura Artura
• GAISCE Presidents Award

Learning & Development

Students will

• Become responsible for their learning
• Learn through enquiry
• Establish cross-curricular links
• Work as a member of a team
• Discuss and debate
• Undergo an interview
• Engage in self-reflection and goal-setting

Students will learn about

• Personal Development
• Understanding oneself
• Self-respect
• Respecting others; peers, teachers, employers.
• Social Conscience
• Cooperation
• Developing practical and communication skills

Students will

• Present work to peers
• Undertake research and project-work
• Go on educational tours
• Provide a service to school/local community
• Carry out 2 weeks of work experience

Teachers seek the following from TY students:

• Maturity
• Personal develpment
• Respect
• Effort
• Motivation
• Interest
• Compromise
• Enjoyment
• High attendance

Work Experience

• One full week prior to Halloween break.
• One full week prior to February mid-term break.
• Students are to obtain their own work placement. Parents are encouraged to afford son/daughter to do so.
• A variety of placements are acceptable: Hospitals, Schools, Factories, Pharmacies, Hairdressers, Computer companies, Veterinary Surgeries, Accountants, Law firms, Retail outlets.
• Employers complete a report detailing student progress over course of week.
• Students complete a company profile and outline daily activies on a Work Experience Diary.

Sport & Leisure

• Swimming
• Golf Driving Range
• Pitch and Putt/Tennis
• Indoor Bowling/10-pin Bowling
• Horse-riding
• Orienteering
• Handball and Racquetball
• Step-aerobics and Circuit Training

Tours

• Dublin Castle
• Croke Park
• Boyne Valley: Newgrange and Knowth Burial Sites.
• Circuit Court

Assessment and Certification

• Formal interview with external interviewers.
• Students have to complete their online portfolio by the interview date as it is used as a tool in interview to help engage student and afford them an opportunity to openly discuss their TY experience.
• There is a set criteria of assessment for this interview which is made available to students one month prior to interview date.
• Questions will arise that will require the student to think on their feet; much like a real-life interview.
• There will be a prize at the end of year for the Best TY Interviewee. 

Students must

• bring updated CV to interview.
• Present themselves correctly in full school uniform.
• Be prepared: questions are given to students 2 weeks before interview.

Online TY Portfolio

Students keep an ongoing record of various activities over the course of Transition Year. This is maintained on a personal TY site designed specifically by each student to which the Coordinator has continued access. The following headings feature on the Online Portfolio:

• • Personal achievement  
  • School Tours
  • Workshops
  • Participation at school/in local community
  • Subject summaries
  • Work experience
  • Voluntary Work
  • Correspondence courses
  • Third Level access
  • Extra-curricular

Photographs, Videos, Diagrams etc. are stored in a common folder to which each student has equal access and can be used as evidence to support recorded activity on their personal portfolio. The TY Online Portfolio functions as a crucial assessment tool. Students are provided with a list of criteria and a rubric that outlines the highest standards that can be achieved.

When does assessment take place?

• Assessment generally takes place at different stages during the school year depending on subject and activity being assessed.
• A teacher can assess development of student based on evidence of the work done.
• Students can undertake self-assessment throughout the year on an on-going basis. This is done formally and informally when students look at their own progress over a set period, acknowledge strengths, make recommendations based on their own (and teacher feedback), set goals and make plans to achieve those goals by a certain time.

How does assessment take place?

• Formal assessment takes place at the end of a project, the end of term or at the end of the year when there is evidence of established learning by the student presented to the teacher.
• Informal Assessment:
• Informal assessment takes place during a period of learning when the teacher makes sustained observations of working methods and approaches of the student, notes developing practical, communication and interpersonal skills, individual participation in group activity, attitude, motivation and general behaviour while consistently providing feedback that informs student which can encourage, motivate or in cases help re-engage student.

• Peer- and Self-Assessment.
• Peer assessment takes place when students assess each other’s work.
• Self-assessment takes place when students assess their own work. See above.

Methods & Approaches

• The student’s attitude, motivation and general participation are constantly assessed throughout Transition Year. The Transition Year Team will have daily discussions in relation to students attitudes and behaviour.
• Both students and teachers collect evidence and make a record of progress, development and self-awareness of students on an ongoing basis.

There are a variety of strategies used by TY teachers in their approach to assessment:

• Class work: general work done in class in all subject areas.
• Project: Cooperative/Individual performance in group where success criteria such as planning, compromise, goal-setting are set as core objectives which are to be achieved.
• Interview Success criteria presented to students.
• Participation: How student might contribute to school-life e.g. team/individual school sports, debating, public speaking, TY Assistant scheme, Choir, etc. traditional/contemporary music groups
• Online Portfolio Culmination of work, summaries of modules, outline of school trips, personal experiences etc.

Credit System

There is a broad spectrum of assessment areas in Transition Year, all of which utilise the Credit System from which students can earn credits in each subject area as well as additional credits for areas outlined below. The Final TY Assessment encompasses the following:

• Online Portfolio 100
• Subject Assessment: Christmas and Summer Credit score 100
• Core subject examinations (Christmas and Summer) 75
• Participation 100
• CV and Interview 50
• Attendance and Punctuality 25
• Behaviour 50

What does Credit-score 1 to 5 mean?

Teachers will award the student a credit score between 1 and 5 based on evidence. Below details a general guide but it will be subject specific.

5 = Very diligent; independent; self-directed homework; general maturity

4 = Diligent; Homework completed regularly

3 = Genuine effort made with teacher assistance; average standard achieved in homework

2  = Little effort made: homework seldom done

1 = No effort: little or no effort made to complete homework.

Assessment in Modules/Subjects Examinations in the core subjects (Irish, Maths, English) determine the level that students would take at Leaving Certificate. It is important, not to mention compulsory that each student sit these exams.

TY Scorecard

The TY Scorecard is a record maintained by each subject teacher and each student that records the credits obtained throughout the year. The average credit score at Christmas is added to the average credit score in the Summer assessment to give the total credit score for the year. TY Final Assessment Every part of TY is assessed and presented as below:

 TY Final Assesment

*Genuine explanation necessary for exemption.