TRANSITION YEAR PROGRAMME. LORETO SECONDARY SCHOOL, FERMOY, CO. CORK.

TRANSITION YEAR one year school-based programme between Junior and Senior Cycle. designed to act as a bridge between the two levels of study. facilitates a move to the more independent, self-directed learning required for the Senior Cycle.

TRANSITION YEAR Why opt for Transition Year ? social, personal & economic challenges facing our young people. changing attitudes to education & skills based learning in the workplace. age profile of Irish students. time to mature and develop greater self- awareness, esteem & confidence. opportunity to sample Senior Cycle subjects to inform your daughter’s decisions and subject choices.

Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory in T.Y. We aim to develop the full range of nine intelligences through our students’ learning experiences within the Transition Year Programme. Bodily- Kinaesthetic –sport, body language, craft, drama, touch, sensory learning. Logical/ Mathematical – maths, science, debating, analysis, evaluation. Linguistic – languages, oral presentations, writing , poetry , novels, drama. Visual/ Spatial – graphics, maps, design, art, 3-D imagery, collage, presentations. Musical – music, learn/play instrument, write lyrics, languages, rhythm, dance. Interpersonal – teamwork, group projects, lead, mediate, share, motivate others. Intrapersonal- reflection, individual goals, self directed, self stimulated and motivated learning. Naturalist – environment, flora, fauna, animals, collections, sequence and series. Existential – spirituality, religion in my life, questioning the infinite or phenomena beyond sensory data or that which cannot be 'seen to be believed'. STUDENTS DEVELOP AN AWARENESS OF BOTH THEIR STRENGTHS AND AREAS THAT NEED EXTRA FOCUS IN RELATION TO THE NINE INTELLIGENCES.

T.Y. IS SCHOOL BASED 45 TIMETABLED CLASSES PER WEEK. TEACHERS’ EXPERTISE IS USED WITHIN AND BEYOND SUBJECT SPECIFIC AREAS. INDIVIDUAL SYLLABII WRITTEN WITH SENIOR CYCLE SKILLS PRIORITISED. VARIED TEACHING & LEARNING STRATEGIES. VARIED METHODS OF ASSESSMENT. SCHOOL-BASED CERTIFICATION. INSPECTORATE MONITOR T.Y. WITHIN ALL SCHOOLS:

PEELING THE LAYERS OF A T.Y. PROGRAMME. CORE SUBJECTS. eg: English, Irish, Maths 2. SUBJECT SAMPLING. eg: Geography, Biology, Physics, Art 3. T.Y. SPECIFIC SUBJECTS. eg: Film Production, Student Enterprise, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Social Innovation 4. CALENDAR OF EVENTS. Curricular and extra-curricular activities, workshops, trips and events throughout the academic year.

CORE SUBJECT LAYER ENGLISH – 3 classes per week. IRISH – 3 classes per week. MATHS – 4 classes per week. FRENCH or GERMAN – 3 classes per week. CAREERS – 1 class per week. P.E: 3 classes per week.

SUBJECT SAMPLING LAYER HISTORY. GEOGRAPHY. ECONOMICS. BUSINESS STUDIES. ACCOUNTING. MUSIC AND DRAMA. SOCIAL AND SCIENTIFIC. AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE PHYSICS. CHEMISTRY. BIOLOGY. ART.

TRANSITION YEAR SPECIFIC LAYER MINI-COMPANY. SOCIAL INNOVATION. FILM PRODUCTION. WEB DESIGN & GRAPHICAL SOFTWARE. REFLECTIVE JOURNAL. MANDARIN CHINESE. ITALIAN SPANISH LATIN CLASSICAL STUDIES. J.P.I.C. DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION. WORK EXPERIENCE. SOCIAL PLACEMENT. TYPING. COMPUTERS – WORD PROCESSING, POWERPOINT, SPREADSHEETS. DEBATING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 2012-2013. ORIENTATION DAY. BONDING AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY. TRIP TO MOOREPARK FOR SCIENCE WEEK TRIP TO U.C.C. ON AN OUTDOOR ART TRAIL. DEPORTMENT DAY. Y.S.I. ADVOCATES DAY. STUDENT COUNCIL INVOLVEMENT & EVENTS. FIELD TRIPS (LOCAL AND RELEVENT TO LOCAL AREA APPRECIATION). SOCIAL PLACEMENT (1 WEEK). FIRST AID ( 2-DAY PROGRAMME). PRIMARY SCHOOL BLITZES. CORK MENTAL HEALTH SEMINAR. COOKERY DEMONSTRATIONS. JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT WORKSHOPS. TRADE FAIRS WITH MINI-COMPANY. MISS ALICE COMPUTER PROGRAMMING COURSE. INTRODUCTION TO LAW COURSE (1 DAY COURSE). CORK HISTORY PROJECT & ONE GOOD IDEA COMPETITIONS. GAISCE. WORLDWISE CONFERENCE AND DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION WORKSHOPS. CORK FILM FESTIVAL TRIP. AXA ROAD SAFETY ROADSHOW. WORK EXPERIENCE PLACEMENT (1 WEEK). 2 DAY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AT BLACKWATER OUTDOOR ACTIVITY CENTRE. AWARE WORKSHOPS. FILM APPRECIATION WORKSHOP. MODEL UNITED NATIONS IN U.C.C. VISITING SPEAKERS (CONTINUOUS BASIS). OUTDOOR PURSUITS (3 DAYS/ 2 NIGHT AT STARSAIL, KENMARE). FRENCH & IRISH THEATRE WORKSHOPS. EASTER CAMP IN SHANGHAI/ BEIJING – 2 WEEK PROGRAMME.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 2011/12 continued! SPIRITUAL AWARENESS DAY. CONCERN DEBATES. J.P.I.C. CONFERENCE. U.C.C. CAREERS DAY. ROAD SAFETY DEMONSTRATIONS BY LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICES PROVIDERS. B.T. YOUNG SCIENTISTS COMPETITION. HORSERIDING – 6 WEEKS. SWIMMING – 8 WEEKS. ZUMBA DANCE WORKSHOP. SPINNING WORKSHOP. CIRCUIT TRAINING WORKSHOPS. JUNIOR ACIEVEMENT MOCK INTERVIEWS. PHILOSOPH DEBATING. MENTAL HEALTH PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITIONS. SOCIAL INNOVATION SHOWCASE. FRESH FILM FESTIVAL. DEPORTMENT & CULTURAL ETIQUETTE DAY. SCIFEST AND ECO-UNESCO COMPETITIONS. CEILI AND DANCE WORKSHOPS. TALENT SHOWS. ORGANISATION OF SPORTS DAYS FOR JUNIOR STUDENTS. U.C.C. T.Y. SHORT COURSES EG: PHARMACY & COMPUTER PROGRAMMING TRINITY COLLEGE YOUTH PHYSICS EXPERIENCE.. RIVER TUBING/ KAYAKING. WILDERNESS SURVIVAL SKILLS. FUNDRAISING/ AWARENESS RAISING CAMPAIGNS. H.S.A. SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE TRAINING. SELF DEFENCE CLASSES. RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION WORKSHOP. CLOYNE DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE – TRIP TO LOURDES.

METHODOLOGIES Active & learner-focused. Teacher as facilitator. Collaborative learning encouraged. Group work / Pair work. Role-play /simulations. Project work /Fieldwork. Out-of-school activities. Visiting speakers and workshops. Negotiated learning. Practical work. Skills based learning. Discussion and debate. Critical thinking around subject content. Practical application of theory. Self evaluation of performance at activities and project work. Learning pyramid This list is not comprehensive This is the aspiration! – actually is happening in classrooms though- and the re is a spill-over into other classes

ASSESSMENT. ‘Assessment should be an integral part of the learning process in Transition Year not separate from it.’ (D.E.S. Guidelines). Oral /Aural assessment – beyond just language subjects. Project work – written and creative - variety. Self-assessment by students through interviews. Peer-assessment through evaluation and discussion of learning outcomes. Written /Practical Class tests. Skills assessment – practical demonstrations of learning. Regular written evaluation of activities and learning outcomes from trips. Christmas and Summer reports. Certification at end of Transition Year.

HALLMARKS OF A SUCCESSFUL TYP? WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH SUPPORTED BY SENIOR MANAGEMENT. COMMITTED CO-ORDINATOR/ CORE TEAM. TIMETABLED PLANNING TIME. UPDATED WRITTEN PROGRAMME. BREADTH & BALANCE IN THE CURRICULUM. INNOVATIVE & CREATIVE TEACHING & LEARNING METHODS. VARIED ASSESSMENT METHODS.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF T.Y. BENEFITS. LEAVING CERTIFICATE 2013: Those students who completed our T.Y. programme achieved an average of 85 points more than those students who had moved directly from 3rd year to 5th year.