Notice for Primary NQTs undertaking Droichead as a route of Induction:

NQTs who are engaging in theDroichead process must attendone 2-hour cluster meeting per termfor the duration of theirDroicheadprocess.

Cluster meetings may be attended only by NQTs who have applied for Droichead to The Teaching Council via ‘My Registration’ portal on its website (www.teachingcouncil.ie) and received a confirmation email.

The National Cluster Meeting Schedule will accompany the confirmation email and NQTs must register with the Education Centre to attend a cluster meeting.

All NQTs engaging in the Droichead process must attend Cluster Meeting 1 before attending Cluster 2 and/or 3.

At cluster meetings, NQTs will present Form D to be stamped by the facilitator as proof of attendance. Form D is available at www.teachingcouncil.ie.  Please have this form with you on the night.

In addition to cluster meetings, NQTs who are engaging in the Droichead process should also engage in one other professional learning activity. This may include attendance at an NIPT workshop which NQTs must register with the EC to attend.

The Teaching Council now allows that NQTs who have fulfilled the 20-hour Induction Workshop Programme requirement prior to applying for Droichead are required to attend Cluster Meeting 1, only.

Please find below the timelines for the incremental growth of Droichead in primary schools.  If they wish, schools in any category may opt in to Droichead, prior to the dates set out below.

Further information, including the Droichead policy, is available on www.teachingcouncil.ie

NEPS Limerick will be presenting: “A Developmental Approach to Spelling: An Introduction to the Words Their Way Programme”. The Words Their Way Programme adopts a word study approach to spelling which moves away from the traditional system of spelling teaching, instead emphasising the value of teaching pupils processes and strategies for examining and thinking about the words they spell, read and write. Words Their Way is an open-ended individual process. An assessment is given to determine where to begin instruction. Based on assessment results pupils are given words to study in order to discover the common attributes. In this manner pupils are actively constructing their own knowledge of spelling patterns. Pupils learn features by completing activities such as word sorting, word hunts, games and drawing and labelling. Pupils work individually, with partners, and in small groups to encourage cooperative learning.

NEPS has overseen the implementation of this new approach to spelling in a number of Dublin schools and it has had some very positive outcomes.

This spring, the PDST are delighted to offer the next phase of Physical Literacy training for primary schools – Seminar 4 which focuses on developing pupil’s motivation and confidence to participate in physical activity. In this seminar, participants will explore a variety of strategies that can be easily implemented in PE lessons to motivate and develop pupils’ confidence to improve participation in the PE lesson and also in physical activity within and outside of school. Developing motivation and confidence is a key element of every child’s physical literacy development.

This seminar builds on the content of our 3 previous seminars which focused on movement competence through the fundamental movement skills.  Research shows that being physically active later in life depends on feeling confident in an activity setting; and that confidence, as an adult, most often comes from having learned Fundamental Movement Skills which are the basic building blocks of movement and are an essential part of everyday life and recreational activity.   It is only when these skills are mastered that a child can go on to develop specialised movement skills, which will allow them to reach their potential in sports-specific endeavours. 

This seminar is limited to two teachers per school registering on the PDST online booking system.

Go to http://www.pdst.ie/onlinebooking

iPad opens up new, engaging ways of teaching and learning. It includes a collection of apps and features for doing everyday things - and no-so-everyday things - in ways that are intuitive, simple and fun. We’ll explore how an iPad can turn into a book, a video camera, a lab assistant or a sketchpad for students and support learning in the classroom.

Notice for Primary NQTs undertaking Droichead as a route of Induction:

NQTs who are engaging in theDroichead process must attendone 2-hour cluster meeting per termfor the duration of theirDroicheadprocess.

Cluster meetings may be attended only by NQTs who have applied for Droichead to The Teaching Council via ‘My Registration’ portal on its website (www.teachingcouncil.ie) and received a confirmation email.

The National Cluster Meeting Schedule will accompany the confirmation email and NQTs must register with the Education Centre to attend a cluster meeting.

All NQTs engaging in the Droichead process must attend Cluster Meeting 1 before attending Cluster 2 and/or 3.

At cluster meetings, NQTs will present Form D to be stamped by the facilitator as proof of attendance. Form D is available at www.teachingcouncil.ie.  Please have this form with you on the night.

In addition to cluster meetings, NQTs who are engaging in the Droichead process should also engage in one other professional learning activity. This may include attendance at an NIPT workshop which NQTs must register with the EC to attend.

The Teaching Council now allows that NQTs who have fulfilled the 20-hour Induction Workshop Programme requirement prior to applying for Droichead are required to attend Cluster Meeting 1, only.

Please find below the timelines for the incremental growth of Droichead in primary schools.  If they wish, schools in any category may opt in to Droichead, prior to the dates set out below.

Further information, including the Droichead policy, is available on www.teachingcouncil.ie

Playful Learning and the Curriculum

 Due to high demand we will run Aistear programme again.

Interested in finding out about playful learning experiences for teaching language and maths? If so, then register for these lively Workshops, which have been developed by theEducation Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) in collaboration with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). 

The Workshops link with the Primary Language Curriculum, which emphasises the importance of playful learning experiences for all children.  They provide ideas for developing young children’s oral language and emergent writing, as well as mathematical learning, in a playful way. This is a great way to get started in thinking about play and appropriately playful learning experiences. 

This course draws on the key ideas in Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (2009) and provides lots of practical ideas for using these in your infant classroom. Take a look at other teachers’ resources for play and find out how they plan for, resource, support and assess learning through child-led play. You will also hear about a variety of resources available on the NCCA’s website.

Workshop 1 - An Introduction to Aistear Wednesday 11th March 2020 Time 4.30pm-6.30pm

Workshop 2 - Language and Literacy through Play and Playful Activities Thursday 26th March Time 4.30pm-6.30pm

Workshop 3 - Planning and Organising for Play and Playful Activities Tuesday 21st April Time 4.30pm-6.30pm

Workshop 4 - Maths through Play and Playful Activities Tuesday 5th May Time 4.30pm-6.30pm