1. Fís Foghlaim Forbairt www. pdst. ie © PDST 2014 This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ie/. You may use and re-use this material (not including images and logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike Licence.http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ie/

2. www. pdst. ie Writing the Transition Year Programme Brendan Waldron

3. www. pdst. ie Part One: General Introduction to the School’s TY Programme Part Two: Programmes for individual subjects & modules Part Three: Organisational Details Writing the TY Programme

4. www. pdst. ie The written programme should outline the structure and timetabling of the TY programme for the academic year. Factors: Financial Timetabling Resources TY Programme Design

5. www. pdst. ie Whole School Approach

6. www. pdst. ie Four Layers of a TY Programme “The Onion”

7. www. pdst. ie Four Layers CoreSamplingSpecificOnce-Off MathsAccountingSelf DefenseWork Experience Irish/ Celtic Studies DCGECDL / ICTMusical EnglishArtChineseTrip/School Tour

8. www. pdst. ie Aims & Mission Statement – Why TY in this school? – Three circles – Relate to the Mission of TY – Relate to the national guidelines – Relate to the School Mission Statement – Take into account needs of pupils/parents Part 1: General Introduction

9. www. pdst. ie AIMS of Transition Year Education for MATURITY with emphasis on social awareness & increased social competence Education Through experience of ADULT & WORKING LIFE as a basis for personal development & maturity Promotion of general, technical and academic SKILLS with an emphasis on interdisciplinary and self-directed learning

10. www. pdst. ie Assessment Policy Evaluation of TY Enrolment Policy School Self Evaluation Part 1: General Introduction

11. www. pdst. ie Agreed format Well thought out coherent programme Subject in terms of contribution to overall aims of TY Focus on students needs Interdisciplinary learning Part 2: Individual subjects & Modules

12. www. pdst. ie 2.1 Title of Subject or Module 2.2 Approximate duration of Module 2.3 Aims 2.4 Course Outline: – Learning Intentions – Teaching and Learning Strategies – Resources – Success Criteria – Assessment 2.5 Cross-curricular Links 2.6 Evaluation Part 2: Individual Subjects

13. www. pdst. ie The Transition Year Programme Design DeliveryAssessment Evaluation

14. www. pdst. ie What this subject is about – why it is being taught? How contributes to overall programme Provides a framework for the organisation of the subject General statement of intent – Aspirational 2.3 Aims

15. www. pdst. ie Learning Intentions Teaching & Learning Methodologies incl. Numeracy and Literacy ResourcesSuccess Criteria Assessment 2.4 Course Outline

16. www. pdst. ie Learning Intentions What you want the students to be able to do at the end of the module Will determine what and how we teach Should be linked with assessment, resources and teaching methodologies Should be stated in terms of “On completion of this module students will be able to …” Learning Intentions

17. www. pdst. ie On conclusion of this module the student will be able to: Make a 5min presentation on … write a report compare and contrast … Sample Learning Intentions

18. www. pdst. ie Learning Intentions solve …. imagine.… summarise … appreciate … experience… analyse… organise…. define … identify … list… name…. outline ….. make … calculate… select… distinguish …. explain…. interpret… co-operate … predict …. express …. compile… understand…

19. www. pdst. ie A key feature of Transition Year should be the use of a wide range/learning methodologies and situations Where Leaving Certificate material is chosen for study it should be done so on the clear understanding that it is to be explored in an original and stimulating way that is significantly different from the way it would have been treated in the two years to Leaving Certificate (Transition Year Programme Guidelines for Schools 1995) Link T&L methodology to Learning Intention Teaching & Learning Methodologies

20. www. pdst. ie Teaching & Learning Methodologies Negotiated Learning Formal input by teacher Practical Work Classroom Discussion Group work Project work Visiting Speakers Oral Presentations Use of Audio/Video tapes Research Pair-work Demonstrations Interviews Collaborative work Debates Practical Work Field Trips Role-play

21. www. pdst. ie Experiential Learning Teacher Facilitated and student directed Active and participative Ownership by students of the lesson Teamwork and collaboration Students responsible for their own Learning Decision making by the student The importance of evaluation is recognised Teaching & Learning Methodologies

22. www. pdst. ie Resource linked to learning intention Resources: – Hyperlink to shared folder or website PDST developed resources NCCA Transition Units Teacher/school developed Other sources Resources

23. www. pdst. ie What will the students need to do to achieve the learning intentions? How will you and they know what has been achieved? Can be: – a series of steps/sequence of instructions – a list of options/menu from which the students can choose – Students must/should/could Success Criteria

24. www. pdst. ie Assessment is about gathering, interpreting and using information about the processes and outcomes of learning (NCCA 2003) Assessment should be an integral part of the learning process in Transition Year not separate from it (TYP Guidelines) Assessment

25. www. pdst. ie Effective Feedback – Oral – most powerful impact – Marks/grading only- does little to improve learning – Written comment - quality more important than frequency Ongoing Assessment

26. www. pdst. ie Agreed structure: – Credits – Rating scales – Merit/distinction/pass When to assess – Ongoing, – End of term – End of module – Project/assignment completion Are all aspects of TY Assessed? TY Summative Assessment

27. www. pdst. ie Written & Practical Oral & Aural Project work Portfolios/folders ePortfolios Student logs or diaries Work experience Exhibition of work Student participation of the process Interviews Assessment methods

28. www. pdst. ie Balance in TY

29. www. pdst. ie TY is not part of the L. Cert. Programme Augment LC – laying down skills and solid foundation Focus is on the process not on the content Balance in TY

30. www. pdst. ie “In planning and reviewing programmes more attention should be given by schools to an interdisciplinary, cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning. This is perhaps the aspect of Transition Year which requires greatest development” (Recommendation 2.2, Department of Education Inspectorate Evaluation of Transition Year 1994-1995) 2.5 Cross Curricular Links

31. www. pdst. ie Cross Curricular Competencies..How ? By Teaching Methodology …Projects By Theme … Justice, Bogs By Event … School musical Cross-curricular work in T.Y.

32. www. pdst. ie Evaluation is: “A process of obtaining information and using it to form judgements which in turn are to be used in decision making” Evaluation may be : External - conducted by Inspectorate Internal - conducted by the School 2.6 Evaluation

33. www. pdst. ie A necessary evil for forward planning Generally and usually very affirmative Prevent staleness Provides vital feedback and data Encourages learning from experience Facilitates continual improvement Necessary for ongoing course design Identifies and consolidates strengths Helps to diagnose difficulties Initiates the reflective process 2.10 Evaluation

34. www. pdst. ie Overall effectiveness of the programme Relevance of original goals of the TY programme Breadth and balance within the programme Teachers’ level of satisfaction with their subjects / modules Application of active learning approaches Use of learning resources Effectiveness of student induction programme Allocation of resources What to look for?

35. www. pdst. ie Management and Transition Year Teams responsible for this section Work in Progress until Transition Year Programme is finalised Part 3: Organisational Details

36. www. pdst. ie 3.1 Names of coordinators and core team members 3.2 Names of students, including class groupings 3.3 List of subjects and modules, core and optional, including the weekly timetable 3.4 Main calendar features 3.5 Assessment and certification details 3.6 Finances 3.7 Evaluation 3.8 Other relevant material Part 3: Organisational Details

37. www. pdst. ie In groups What went or worked well? – 2 Stars Want can be improved? – 1 wish Recommendations? Reflection