Circular Letter M21/02
To Management Authorities of Second Level Schools
Provision of Curriculum Support for Teachers
In circular M12/02 of March, 2002, the Department of Education and Science stated that a range of support materials and resources for teachers was being prepared by the subject and programme support teams established under the aegis of the In-career Development Unit of the Department. Details of these support materials and resources are given below:
Biology
Ø June, 2002: A video to introduce the syllabus will be available. This video will inform teachers of the aims and objectives of the revised syllabus and highlight the benefits and opportunities offered by the syllabus to teachers and students. It will also help teachers to explore the changed emphasis in teaching methodology, practical activities and assessment.
Ø September, 2002: A set of teacher guidelines, prepared by the NCCA, will be available. They will contain an introduction to the syllabus and class preparation material or Unit One: The Study of Life, Unit Two: The Cell and Unit Three: The Organism. They will also contain information on resources for the teaching of Biology.
Ø September, 2002: An interactive website will be set up by the Education Centre, Tralee. It will be administered by the Biology Support Service and will include all the teachers' questions that were asked in the first two in-service cluster meetings and the answers given to these questions. An e-mail system for new queries will be devised.`
Ø Òctober, 2002: A second video and practical guidebook will be available. These materials will cover laboratory management, health and safety issues and the changed emphasis in the revised syllabus on the prescribed practical activities.
The Biology Support Service can be contacted through the Education Centre, Dromtacker, Tralee, County Kerry. Contact Jackie Sheehan Tel: 066 7195050, Fax 066 7195090. E-mail:
Home Economics
Ø May, 2002: The handouts prepared for the second series of cluster meetings will be made available by the Support Service on request.
Ø May, 2002: A Support Service website will be set up by the end of the month. It will contain the following units: contact details for support service team; an introduction to the revised syllabus, the structure of the syllabus and changes in syllabus content; course support materials; exemplars of active teaching methodologies; practical coursework - areas of practice and examples of coursework assignments; a list of resources (reference books, resource packs, web addresses etc.) and a notice board..
Ø June, 2002: The NCCA guidelines to supplement the syllabus will be made available to schools.
Ø September, 2002: The Support Service will publish a booklet that will contain comprehensive guidelines for teachers on the planning, implementation and recording of exemplar course work assignments.
Ø October, 2002: A CD Rom containing the web site materials will be prepared and issued to schools.
Ø Early 2003: A video will be prepared to illustrate the implementation of specific areas of the syllabus that are new to teachers, e.g. Sensory Analysis, Textiles Elective.
The Support Service can be contacted through County Wexford Education Centre, Milehouse Road, Enniscorthy, County Wexford. Contact Angela Thompson, Tel: 054 39121, Fax: 054 39124. Email:
Curriculum Support for other Programmes/Syllabi
Details of the materials and resources being prepared by the teams included under the Second-level Support Service, i.e., those serving the Junior Certificate School Programme, the Civic, Social and Political Education syllabus, the Teaching English Support Service, the Transition Year Programme, the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and the Leaving Certificate Applied, and by the Religious Education and Physics and chemistry teams will be sent out to schools in early May by the Support Services themselves.
These materials and resources will include as appropriate:
Ø Websites
Ø Newsletters
Ø Parents' guides
Ø Videos
Ø Resources specifically designed for use in disadvantaged schools
Ø Induction Packs
Ø Student Brochures.
Details of the Education Centres and Curriculum Development Centre/Unit hosing the various services were given in circular M12/02.
You are requested to bring this circular to the notice of the teachers concerned.
Please provide a copy of the circular to the appropriate representatives of parents and teachers for transmission to individual parents and teachers.
John Dennehy
Secretary General
May, 2002