a blueprint for an educate together second-level school

Taking the Next StepA Blueprint for Educate TogetherSecond-level Schools

Educate Together8Ha Centrepoint Business ParkOak DriveDublin 12Ireland

Written by Fiona Richardson, Educate Together Second-level Education Officer

Publisher: Educate Together

Design: www.slickfish.ie

© 2009 Educate Together

Tel: + 353 1 4292500Fax: + 353 1 4292502

[email protected]

Company Registration No: 656183Charity Registration No: CHY 11816

Ta k i n g T h e N e x t S t e p • A B l u e p r i n t Fo r E d u c a t e To g e t h e r S e c o n d - l e v e l S c h o o l s

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ContentsForeword ivAcknowledgements vi

1. Introduction 11.1 Educate Together at Second-level 21.2 Vision & Mission 21.3 Blueprint Overview 31.4 Structure 3

2. Curriculum, Teaching & Learning 52.1 Curriculum Change 62.2 Junior & Senior Cycle Programme 72.3 Skills & Competences in the Curriculum 92.4 The Adolescent Learner 112.5 Organising Curriculum & Learning 122.6 Organising Learning & Transfer 132.7 Organising Learning & Inclusion 142.8 Pedagogy 162.9 Visible Teaching and Learning 172.10 The Visibility of Student Voice in Learning 182.11 The Visibility of Diversity 192.12 Assessment 202.13 Conclusion 21

Key Questions 223 The Ethical Curriculum 23

3.1 The Four Strands 243.2 Best Practice in Learning Together 253.3 Conclusion 26

Key Questions 284. Leadership, Management & Structure 29

4.1 Board of Management 304.2 Leadership 304.3 Student Voice 334.4 Parent Voice 354.5 Conclusion 35

Key Questions 365. The Built Environment 37

5.1 Educate Together Principles in Practice 385.2 Student Input 385.3 The Building as a Learning Resource 395.4 Conclusion 40

Key questions 406. Conclusion 417. References 428. Appendix 52


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Foreword This blueprint for Educate Together second-levelSchools has been developed following extensiveconsultation and discussion with pupils, parents,teachers and friends of Educate Together primaryschools. It brings the vision, mission, values andcommitments of Educate Together, as laid down inits 1990 Educate Together charter, into the contextof second-level education in Ireland.

The first Educate Together primary school openedjust over 30 years ago and today there are 56 suchschools in the system, with an enrolment of over10,000 students. A survey (Seery et al.) carried outon behalf of Educate Together in 2008 providedclear evidence that parents who send their childrento Educate Together primary schools would sendthem to an Educate Together second-level school ifone existed. Since the early days of the sector,parents have expressed an interest in having afollow-through of the Educate Together ethos intosecond-level education, and it is a tribute to thecurrent Educate Together Executive Committee andits Chief Executive Paul Rowe, that this interest isnow being capitalised on and that a comprehensiveblueprint has been developed.

The four core principles of Educate Together –multi-denominational, co-educational, child-centredand democratically run – as implemented in asecond-level context, are explored in thisdocument, which is organised under the followingkey headings:

• Curriculum, Teaching and Learning

• The Ethical Curriculum

• Leadership, Management and Structure

• The Built Environment.

In relation to curriculum issues, the blueprintrecognises the flexibility and potential which existswithin the existing (national) second-levelcurriculum. It refers to the NCCA review of theJunior and Senior Cycle curriculum which isintended to create a better balance betweenknowledge and skills, as well as promote a varietyof learning strategies that will enable learners toparticipate in a 21st century knowledge society.

It recognises that current and future generations ofyoung people will be faced with new and excitingchallenges in an increasingly complex world andthat the education system must prepare them tomeet these challenges. It emphasises theimportance of developing lifelong learning skillsthat will enable the graduates of Educate Togetherschools to be active and responsible citizens, andreminds the reader that the curriculum of theseschools will be underpinned by the principles ofdemocracy, participation, advocacy, inclusion andequality.

The blueprint also refers to the many goodteaching and learning practices which exist insecond-level education in Ireland andinternationally. It draws on a wide range ofinternational research and reiterates the need forstaff and students to engage in a deep andmeaningful way with the knowledge, skills andvalues inherent in the National Curriculum and inthe Educate Together ethos. To do this effectively,co-operation across subject areas is encouraged,and an approach that encompasses multiple areasof expertise and ways of knowing needs to beincorporated into curriculum organisation andplanning. It refers to Howard Gardner’s theory ofMultiple Intelligences, which underpins the work ofmany Educate Together primary schools, andsuggests that this theory can provide a frameworkfor second-level schools to help them to provide alearning environment in which no young person isan outsider. It states that teachers in an EducateTogether school will use strategies and learningactivities to facilitate curriculum differentiationstating that “children already come to usdifferentiated. It just makes sense that we woulddifferentiate our instruction in response to them”(Tomlinson 1999).

The section on the Ethical Curriculum reiterates theunderlying principles of the Educate TogetherEthical Curriculum for Primary Schools and remindsthe reader that the values inherent in the principles– respect, equality, rights and responsibilities, justiceand dignity – should underpin and permeate allschool policies and practices. It states that theEthical Education Curriculum at second-level will bea development of the curriculum at primary level.

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In relation to Leadership and Management, theblueprint indicates that an Educate TogetherSecond-level school will promote the fullestparticipation by parents, students and teachers indecision-making processes and will promote agenuine creative partnership between parentalinvolvement and the professional role of theteachers. There will be a shared vision, a sharedpurpose and shared values. An important role ofthe Principal will be to keep the ethos and vision ofthe school visible, tangible and alive for everyone sothat the ethos can be experienced by all membersof and visitors to the school. The various schoolstructures will provide opportunities for membersof the school community to be involved in theacademic and social aspects of school life.

This comprehensive blueprint is both visionary andrealistic. It is an excellent document which willprovide an invaluable guide and support forfounders, parents and teachers in future EducateTogether Second-level schools. It covers the keyissues which a new school will need to address,and provides answers to many of the concernswhich might be raised. It also provides a useful setof questions at the end of every section – whichwill help focus the mind of the different partnerson the various issues. Educate Together owes adebt of gratitude to the author of this document,Fiona Richardson, and I have no doubt that thisblueprint will underpin the development of EducateTogether Second-level schools for many decades tocome.

All that now remains is for the Department ofEducation and Science to grant recognition toEducate Together to act as Patron of EducateTogether Second-level Schools and to providegrant-aid to the various founder groups around thecountry to enable them to get their second-levelschools up and running. This blueprint provides acompelling case for such recognition. There is noexcuse any more for the Department’sprevarication.

Áine HylandFormer Professor of Education and Vice-President,University College Cork.


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Acknowledgements In order for this document to come into being a great deal of talking had to be done by a large number ofpeople. Contributions have taken the form of submissions, reports, meetings, workshops, discussions,informal chats, phone calls, emails, and passing comments which have taken place over the past ... well,thirty years. The number of people who have contributed is uncountable but every contribution has beenvaluable and is greatly appreciated.

We are particularly grateful to those who have contributed their time and energy to our working groupsover the past fourteen months, as well as those in local start-up groups around the country. Thesevolunteers have not only enabled us to clarify what direction Educate Together second-level educationshould take, but helped us to draw linkages with relevant Irish and international research.

Our thanks also go to members of the Advisory Panel to the Second-level Project (see appendix) whovolunteered their time to read the blueprint and offer feedback before its publication.

The author would particularly like to thank Aengus Carroll for his editorial assistance and support.

Drawing together the views expressed, forming a coherent picture of what a Second-level EducateTogether school will look like, and putting that picture into words was a mammoth task and we are hugelygrateful to Fiona Richardson, Second-level Education Officer for carrying it out in such a thorough andprofessional manner.

We hope that this blueprint accurately represents the aspirations of those who have contributed and that itwill act as a springboard for further discussion of second-level education both within and outside theEducate Together network.

Emer NowlanSecond-level Project Manager

1For 30 years Educate Together has successfully developed a unique, inclusive and

equality-based ethos at primary level. The Educate Together model is founded on alegal commitment to parents1, staff and children to run a school based on equality andrespect irrespective of social, cultural or religious background - the founding conceptsare those underpinning human rights discourse and equality policy.

There are now 56 Educate Together National Schools, educating over 10,000 students,across 18 counties, with 25% of schools operating in the DEIS scheme for disadvantagedschools and 14% of schools having dedicated autism units - the network is diverse,nationwide and mainstream. Involved in running these schools are approximately15,000 parents and 1,400 staff members. In 2008 a feasibility study carried out byTrinity College Dublin (Seery et al) provided clear evidence that parents who sendtheir children to Educate Together National Schools would send them to an EducateTogether second-level school if one existed. The report on the feasibility study alsohighlighted that 97% of Educate Together parents surveyed said that their childrenwere happy at school, and in particular parents were happy that their children weretreated with courtesy and respect. Parents felt that Educate Together schoolsprovided a balance between academic development and social well-being and it isthis balance and respect that parents also wanted to see carried through to second-level.

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Introduction

1 Parent/s when used in this document refers to birth parent/s or adoptive parent/s or a legal guardian/s.

1.1 Educate Together at Second-level

Educate Together is now responding to thedemand from parents and students involved inEducate Together National Schools, as well as othereducators, academics and stakeholders, to promoteits philosophy in the wider context of post-primaryeducation provision. As at primary level, an EducateTogether second-level school will be guided by thefour core principles as laid down in the EducateTogether Charter (1990):

1) They will be multi-denominational in character,ensuring that children and young people of allsocial, cultural and religious backgrounds haveequal access to and rights within the school;

2) They will be co-educational, therebyencouraging children and young people to learnand live together;

3) They will be child-centred, respecting individualstudents’ abilities to learn in unique ways;

4) Finally, Educate Together schools will be run on ademocratic basis, encouraging activeparticipation by parents and students in the dailylife of the school whilst positively affirming theprofessional role of the teachers.

1.2 Vision & MissionThis blueprint brings the vision, mission, values andcommitments of Educate Together into the contextof second-level education in Ireland. These weredefined in the organisation’s business plan TheFuture Starts Here Every Day (2006) in thefollowing terms:

Vision: Educate Together is working towards anIreland in which all people have access to anexcellent education that is inclusive of all,irrespective of belief system, race, ethnicity, class,culture, gender, language, lifestyle and ability.

Mission: Educate Together will be an agent forchange in the Irish State Education System seekingto ensure that parents have the choice of aneducation based on the inclusive interculturalvalues of respect for difference and justice andequality for all. In Educate Together schools, everychild will learn in an inclusive, democratic, co-

educational setting that is committed to enablingand supporting each child to achieve their fullpotential while at the same time preparing them tobecome caring and active members of a culturallydiverse society.

Values & Commitments: Educate Together iscommitted to:

• Placing the child and young person at the centreof the educational process;

• Respecting and celebrating the different andunique identities of all;

• An educational philosophy that promotes thevalues of justice, equality and human rights forall children and young people, and challengesinjustice and unfair discrimination;

• Providing children and young people with theknowledge, skills, dispositions and attitudes thatthey need, enabling them to make informedmoral decisions and preparing them to becomecaring members of society;

• Empowering children and young people to takean active role in society and in the stewardshipof the environment;

• Working in a democratic way that embraces theinput from children, parents, teachers andsupporters to enable the highest level ofpartnership and participation;

• Working together and with other educationalpartners in a consultative and collaborative way;

• Building school communities which engagewith, and work meaningfully with, the localcommunity;

• Ensuring that this type of education is providedby the State and available to all families whowish to access it.

These commitments are reflected in the followingmottoes: “Learn Together to Live Together”“No Child an Outsider”

An Educate Together second-level school willaim to provide an education that will enableall students to contribute meaningfully totheir communities, embrace the rights andresponsibilities of citizenship in a democraticsociety and develop the knowledge and skillsnecessary to live their lives and to build theircareers in the 21st century.


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1.3 Blueprint OverviewTo ensure this blueprint reflected the ethos ofEducate Together and the expectations of familiescampaigning for Educate Together second-levelschools, a collaborative and consultative processwas embarked upon. To assist Educate Together inthe development and articulation of its second-levelmodel:

• A Feasibility Study for the Opening of a Second-level School by Educate Together (Seery et al.2008) and a Draft Curricular Framework for anEducate Together Second-level School (Geraghty2008) were commissioned and published.

• Four working groups were assembled, each onecharged to examine a specific area of schooling -Management & Structure, Campus & BuiltEnvironment, Curriculum, Teaching & Learningand the Ethical Curriculum.

• General members meetings of the organisationprovided an opportunity for the broad EducateTogether community - teachers, parents, pastpupils and others involved in education, to meetand discuss key issues in relation to second-leveleducation and explore how the EducateTogether ethos would be visible in the policiesand practices of a second-level school.

• An Advisory Panel was established to ensurethat policy was developed in the most informedmanner possible, with reference to all keystakeholders, academics and other interestedparties in education, both in Ireland and abroad.

• Parents involved in the second-level start upgroups throughout the country, who championthe parental right to choose the most suitableeducation for their children and who tackle thedifficult and complex task of attempting toestablish an Educate Together second-levelschool, explored how the unique EducateTogether ethos would develop in their particularcommunities.

This blueprint encompasses and articulates a visionfor an Educate Together second-level schooldrawing on the expertise of these variousgroupings as expressed through their discussionsand documentation, as well as national andinternational research. It aims to provide a basis forthe development of the Educate Together model atpost-primary level that educators, families and thewider community will continue to contribute to anddevelop into the future. The blueprint should beseen as a work in progress.

1.4 StructureThe four core principles of Educate Together –multi-denominational, co-educational, child-centredand democratically run – and how these will begiven effect in an Educate Together second-levelschool are explored in this document through fourkey areas, sections 2-5.

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Curriculum, Teaching & Learning

An Educate Together second-level school will provide acurriculum and learning environment that equipsstudents for the challenging world of the 21st century.The school will ensure that students are supported totake responsibility for their own learning, theirphysical, personal and social wellbeing, theirrelationships with others and their role in their local,national and global communities.

By integrating 21st century teaching and learningstrategies comprehensively and purposefully into thecurriculum, and by assessing not only what studentslearn but how they learn, schools will nurture criticalthinkers, problem solvers, effective communicators,creators and innovators.

The Ethical Curriculum

An Educate Together second-level school will providean ethical curriculum that focuses on the ethical,moral and social development of young people. It willprovide the knowledge, skills, values and attitudesthat young people need to enable them to makeinformed moral decisions and prepare them for life ina pluralist society which embraces diversity.

The ethical curriculum will be part of the daily life ofthe school, part of every subject, visible in curriculumresources and woven into the very fabric of all schoolprocesses, policies and practices.

Leadership, Management & Structure

In an Educate Together second-level school theinclusive and democratic principle will extend to thevarious sets of relationships in the school. Schools willpromote collective responsibility for the developmentof a shared vision and purpose. Underlying everydecision taken in the school will be the need toprovide the best learning environment, where allstudents can achieve and become enthusiastic,independent lifelong learners.

The fullest participation by parents, students andteachers in decision-making processes will bedeveloped. The management of the school will reflectthe belief that leaders come from many places in anorganisation.

The Built Environment

An Educate Together second-level school communitywill consider how the built environment influencesstudents’ academic performance and well-being inschool. The learning environment will express theEducate Together ethos and the physical setting willenhance and support the way students learn, teachersteach and the wider school community interacts.

The Educate Together ethos and principles in schoolbuilding design will address such issues as efficiencyand sustainability, functionality and flexibility, buildingin context, accessibility, democratised spaces andaesthetic quality.

Curriculum, Teaching& Learning

The EthicalCurriculum

The BuiltEnvironment

Leadership,Management &

Structure

Blueprint for Educate Together Second-level Schools:Key Areas

Key QuestionsEach section concludes with a series of questions for discussion, reflection and further

exploration by parent groups and education partners.

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2An Educate Together second-level school will provide an education that will enable

students to contribute meaningfully to their communities, embrace the rights andresponsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society and to develop the knowledge andskills necessary for their lives and careers in the 21st century. Central to this will be thedevelopment of a curricular framework that has the key principles of the EducateTogether Charter (1990) at its core, while fulfilling the requirements for second-levelschools as outlined in the Rules and Programme for Second-level Schools (DES2004/5). The curricular approach adopted by Educate Together schools will be anongoing process and will develop over time in conjunction with all other schoolpolicies that aim to provide an approach to education based on the core values ofmutual respect, dignity and critical awareness. The specific ways in which thesevalues find expression in an individual school will be guided by dialogue betweenthe school and its community.

The question of what type of curricular approach would best embody the EducateTogether ethos at second-level has been widely explored through working groups,members’ meetings and research. How the national curriculum, as well as the schoolcurriculum, can equip students for the challenging world of the 21st century andensure that students are supported to take responsibility for their own learning,their physical, personal and social wellbeing, their relationships with others andtheir role in the local, national and global communities was pertinent to thisexploration.

From the Trinity Feasibility Study (Seery et al. 2008) it was clear that parents who areinterested in sending their child to an Educate Together second-level school wouldplace academic achievement high on their list of priorities, but they would do thiswithout compromising the importance of Educate Together’s inclusive values andthe holistic development of the young person. Facilitating fully holistic and inclusiveapproaches and preparing young people for life and work in the 21st century willmean reorganising and refocusing educational content, pedagogies and assessmentmodes at second-level. An Educate Together second-level school’s curriculum will bebased on a clear and shared understanding of how learners learn and willrecognise the dynamic interplay between content, pedagogy and assessment.

Curriculum,Teaching &Learning

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2.1 Curriculum ChangeThe UNESCO International Commission for the 21stCentury suggested that curriculum should berestructured around four pillars of learning:‘learning to know, learning to do, learning to livetogether, and learning to be’ (Delors 1996). TheCommission believed that striking a balancebetween these four pillars would enable individualsto achieve their full potential as citizens. Enablinglearners to become not only successfullearners but also responsible members ofsociety, effective workers, caring members ofthe community and lifelong learners in aninterdependent world, will be central to theEducate Together ethos at second-level. EachEducate Together second-level school will examinethe learning opportunities available and provide acoherent, relevant learning experience both in andout of class, by creating the supports necessary foryoung people to ‘learn to know, learn to do, learnto live together and learn to be’.

Refocusing and renewing curriculum has beencentral to international efforts to improve thequality of education generally, and has been afeature of the Irish educational landscape over thelast number of years. At senior cycle the NationalCouncil for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA)review of existing subjects, the development ofnew subjects, short courses, transition units and the

introduction of a focus on key skills, is intended tocreate a better balance between knowledge andskills, as well as promote a variety of learningstrategies that enable learners to participate in a21st century knowledge society. At junior cycle thecurriculum builds on the learning of the primarycurriculum and aims to provide students with abroad and balanced programme of study, in order

to prepare them for transition to senior cycleeducation. As part of its ongoing review of thejunior cycle, the NCCA has been rebalancing juniorcycle syllabi with the aim of reducing overloadwithin (and overlap between) subjects, andattempting to provide more space and time to havethe quality of learning engagement with studentsthat teachers would like (NCCA 2006).

The NCCA review (2005), as well as organisationssuch as the Combat Poverty Agency and Forfás,criticised the dominance of information recall andthe lack of congruence between goals andassessment at senior cycle. The NCCA senior cyclereview (2005) emphasised the importance ofassessing the development of key skills so allstudents can achieve their full potential. The fourpillars of learning (Delors 1996) also embody arange of key competences or skills required bylearners in the 21st century, consistent with theemerging consensus across western economies thatthe development of lifelong learning skills providesan important foundation for participation in theknowledge society. Governments and employersare looking for graduates, employees and citizenswith thinking and learning skills. There iswidespread belief that the 21st century presentshigh levels of challenge, complexity and individualresponsibility. This century also requires innovators,problem-solvers, communicators and effectivelearners. Schools need to strengthen the capacityof young people and develop in them the personalresources necessary to thrive in such a context(Claxton 2007). Educationalists are aware of theneed for teachers and students to understand thenature of learning and the need to learn how tolearn. However, Claxton in his keynote address atthe British Educational Research Association AnnualConference (2006) pointed out that even thoughthere is wide consensus on the importance of‘learning how to learn’, ‘on the ground it hasproved very hard to prevent these fine wordsslipping back into a concern with improvingexamination performance.’


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‘… not only successful learners but also responsible members ofsociety, effective workers, caring members of the community andlifelong learners in an interdependent world …’

‘… the importance of learninghow to learn …’

2 C u r r i c u l u m , Te a c h i n g & L e a r n i n g

2.2 Junior & Senior CycleProgramme

The NCCA report on the junior cycle (1999) notedthat, while some of what was envisaged in thedevelopment and introduction of the JuniorCertificate programme has been achieved, workremains to be done in the area of assessment. Thefailure to implement the wide range of modes andtechniques of assessment associated with the aimsand objectives of the Junior Certificate programmehas had a negative impact on the breadth andbalance of the curriculum at junior cycle and onteaching and learning. The background reportprepared for the Department of Education andScience by the Leadership Development for SchoolsProgramme, for the OECD ‘Improving SchoolLeadership Project’ (2007), also pointed out that inIreland the State Certificate Examinations are, in themain, once-off written examinations and reward

forms of learning that encourage recall and theability to organise and write answers toexamination questions in a relatively shorttimescale. Ramsden (1992) suggests that ‘ourchoice of assessment methods should beconditioned by our goals for student learning’ andthat assessment should be seen ‘less as a means ofgetting a single score for comparative purposes,and more as a means of providing opportunities forstudents to demonstrate how much theyunderstand’.

The proposed new senior cycle and the suggestedassessment changes in the draft rebalanced syllabiin junior cycle signals a move from a centrallydevised and marked terminal written examinationto a broader range of assessment modes andtechniques. However, the junior cycle programme isstill, in the main, a mirror image of the LeavingCertificate programme, where students andteachers must ‘cover’ large amounts of content inpreparation for State Certificate Examinations. Itcould be argued that the junior and senior cycleprogramme will continue to be the test and the

textbook until such a time as the assessmentmodes available facilitate deeper reflection, deeperunderstanding and engagement with theprocesses, topics and concepts of the curriculum.

Professor Tom Collins, National University ofIreland, Maynooth, has stated that, ‘they [second-level students] think like PowerPoint. They find itdifficult to construct a narrative; they return examscripts in bullet points. Second-level education isnot training them to link their ideas, to tell a story.They come to university singularly unprepared forthe intellectual challenge of adult life’ (Irish Times2007). Towards a National Skills Strategy (2007), areport by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs,showed that a ‘significant percentage of thecurrent workforce has low skills and qualificationsand a poor record of participation in lifelonglearning’. IBEC (Irish Business and EmployersFederation) has criticised the Junior Certificate,

saying it ‘stifles creativity and a spirit of inquiry inthe next generation’ and fails to produceindependent thinkers with an appetite to learn.Claxton (2008) suggests that across educationalsystems ‘we are now realising that education isabout becoming a Learner rather than aKnower and coming to see that developingpositive, transferable learning dispositions is asubtle but achievable goal that takes time,finesse, and a change of heart by those whorun and work in our schools’.

Recent ESRI research (2006) into the experiences ofjunior cycle students highlighted the need torefocus and restructure curriculum provision,pedagogy and assessment at junior cycle. Shiftingthe emphasis away from the Junior Certificateexam by refocusing and concentrating on thelearning outcomes and cross curricular linksinherent in junior cycle syllabi as outlined in theNCCA draft rebalanced syllabi would provide someflexibility to teachers and students to embed intothe curriculum those values, skills and strategiesnecessary for effective lifelong learning.

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‘… education is about becoming a Learner rather than a Knower …a change of heart by those who run and work in our schools’

The OECD Programme for International StudentAssessment (PISA), via its surveys of 15-year-oldsworldwide, aims to assess how students haveacquired some of the knowledge and skills essentialfor full participation in society. Reading,mathematical and scientific literacy are coveredboth in terms of mastery of the school curriculum,and in terms of important knowledge and skillsrequired for adult life. In Finland 15 year-oldstudents consistently score at the top or near top inPISA studies. For example, in 2003 Finnish 15-year-olds came first in reading literacy, mathematics, andscience, and second in problem solving. Fourfactors within the Finnish system said to influencethese results are highly qualified teachers; freedom

of curriculum; no streaming; and no mandatorytesting during the compulsory years of education(7-16yrs). In Finland 95% of students take theequivalent of the Leaving Certificate and 70% goon to further education (Valijarvi et al. 2002).

Until such a time as the assessment modespromoted through the junior cycle facilitate moremeaningful learning and teaching and develop‘learners’ as opposed to ‘knowers’, an EducateTogether second-level school may considerfollowing the junior cycle programme but notentering students for all or any of the JuniorCertificate subject examinations. While care wouldneed to be taken to ensure a range of accreditationoptions were available, so that no student wouldbe disadvantaged by not having received a JuniorCertificate, a policy of not entering students for thisexamination simply as a matter of course, wouldfacilitate a move away from the ‘coverage’ modelseen as necessary for ‘results’. This in turn would‘provide more space and time to have the quality oflearning engagement with students, that teacherswould like’ (NCCA 2006) and create the necessaryopportunities and time needed for learning how tolearn.

At senior cycle, the report from the Commission onthe Points System (1999) referred to the emphasisthe Leaving Certificate examination generated on a

narrow range of academic skills, to the detrimentof ‘many other qualities which young people needfor life and work’. Whilst offering the traditionalLeaving Certificate, Educate Together schools willsimultaneously draw out the key skills embeddedwithin the curriculum and provide otheropportunities for the development of lifelonglearning skills through the systems and structuresavailable to students, such as peer mentoring andteacher/student curriculum planning.

Having followed a junior cycle programme thatfocuses not only on content but also on learninghow to learn, senior cycle students will also be in abetter position to undertake the learning necessary

for success at senior cycle. Whatever theprogrammes of study available at senior cycle in anEducate Together second-level school, lifelonglearning skills that enable active andresponsible citizenship will be embedded inthe teaching and learning opportunitiesprovided and will be underpinned by notionssuch as democracy, participation, advocacy,inclusion and equality. The NCCA senior cycleproposed changes are a welcome development inthe educational landscape, incorporating many ofthe excellent learning opportunities that areprovided for in the Transition Year Programme,Leaving Certificate Applied and Leaving CertificateVocational Programme. These changes will, whenavailable, be embraced by Educate Togethersecond-level schools.

The breadth and balance of the junior and seniorcycle programmes offered by an Educate Togethersecond-level school, as explored in more detail inthe ‘Proposed Curricular Framework for an EducateTogether Second-level School’ (Geraghty 2008),should be defined by the school community notonly in terms of the different subject, unit or skillareas, but also by the approaches to teaching andlearning, assessment and assessment types. Theimportance of extra curricular activities in anEducate Together second-level school and theprovision of a variety of opportunities (sports,


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‘… teaching and learning opportunities … underpinned by notionssuch as democracy, participation, advocacy, inclusion and equality’


dance, drama, music, visual arts, environmental,ICT, new media, community links, etc.) both withinthe formal and informal curriculum are alsooutlined in this proposed framework document.

The importance of providing as wide a range ofsubjects as possible will be an underlying principlefor an Educate Together second-level school.School curriculum design will involve makingdecisions about how to give effect to the nationalcurriculum in ways that best address the particularneeds, interests and circumstances of the school’sstudents and community. The formal andinformal curriculum in an Educate Togethersecond-level school will also nurture andsupport creativity and innovation and provideopportunities for all learners to discover andengage their creative capacities. How the widercommunity will be used as a resource to enrich thelearning experience, and how the school curriculumwill reflect the view that there are a range ofsettings that include the home, community and theworkplace where learning can take place, will alsoneed to be considered in Educate Together second-level schools’ curriculum design. Educationprogrammes that enrich and support thecurriculum, provided by organisations such asAmnesty International, Schools Across Borders,Yellow Flag Programme, Young Entrepreneurs,Young Social Innovators, Model United Nations,Green Schools Programme, The Arts Council,Poetry Ireland, NAPD arts/culture programme, AnGaisce, Foróige, etc. would all also be considered inthis context.

2.3 Skills & Competencies in theCurriculum

Hargreaves (2004) points out that learning how tolearn is a gateway to enhanced achievement and tothe independence in learning that is a crucialdevelopmental skill for students during the second-level years. The OECD report ‘What Works InInnovation In Education’, Motivating Students ForLifelong Learning (2000) suggests that lifelonglearning is not just about preparing young peoplefor a working life that will include several careerchanges, but that by ‘2010, many of today’s 18-year-olds will be doing jobs that do not even existat present’. So there is a need to ‘inculcate the

“zest for learning” that young people will need ifthey are to thrive in 21st-century post-industrialsocieties’. The integration of curriculum outcomeswith lifelong learning outcomes is seen as key tothe development of lifelong learners (Prendergastet al. 2005).

The principal objective of the junior cycle is forstudents to complete broad, balanced andcoherent courses of study in a variety of curricularareas and to allow them to achieve levels ofcompetence that will enable them to proceed tosenior cycle education (DES 2007). The NCCAreview (2004) suggested that an emphasis on skillsat senior cycle needs a foundation in the juniorcycle curriculum, if they are to form a significantpart of the learning experiences of students insenior cycle. Skills such as information processing,critical and creative thinking, communicating,

working with others and being personally effectiveare necessary for students throughout their second-level education. These skills enable students todevelop as effective learners, learning how to learnand developing those competencies necessary toproceed to and succeed in senior cycle.

There is general agreement that education must bea lifelong process if we are to have an inclusivesociety which can adapt successfully to meet thechallenges of a changing global economy. Thismeans students must be provided withopportunities throughout their schooling todevelop lifelong learning skills. For example, theskill of working together proposed by NCCA (2006)highlights ‘the role that working with others has forlearning and for reaching both collective andpersonal goals’ and is relevant at junior cycle. TheNCCA suggests that this skill is also ‘important forsocial cohesion and for engaging with diversecultural, ethnic and religious groups’ (Looney &Klenowski 2008). Equality and inclusion are

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‘the formal and informalcurriculum … will also nurtureand support creativity andinnovation …’

central to the Educate Together ethos anddeveloping skills so all young people canparticipate in an increasingly diverse society inan effective and constructive way will be animportant element of curriculum provision inan Educate Together second-level school.Therefore in an Educate Together second-levelschool the development of key skills, as outlined bythe NCCA, will be part of curriculum provision atboth junior cycle and senior cycle.

The knowledge, skills, values or competencies thatare embedded in the junior and senior cycleprogrammes and the Educate Together ethos,should be planned for and expressed in terms of

learning targets and learning outcomes forstudents. Educate Together second-levelschools will be learner centred and expressingstudent learning in terms of clearly statedlearning outcomes will enable students tohave greater ownership of, and activeparticipation in, learning. Clearly stating whatstudents are expected to know, understand or beable to do in order to be successful in a subjecttopic, unit of work or project, informs the learningexperiences. For example, in History, students mightbe asked to work cooperatively as part of a groupin the creation of a documentary that outlines themain causes of World War 1. The criteria forsuccess could include the ability to develop goodrelations with others to achieve a goal, managetime effectively, research and present a balancedsummary of the causes of World War 1 and linklearning from other subjects. By defining learningoutcomes, the teacher and crucially the learner

have a clear and shared understanding of thepurpose and goal of the lesson or the unit of workand what successful achievement of that goal willlook like. Learning outcomes allow for a morepersonalised and inclusive learning experience andprovide a fuller picture of student attainment asthey take account of the knowledge, skills andattributes students have gained. They also identifyfuture directions for personal and intellectualdevelopment.

Providing for the learning of key skills at junior cyclewill not only enrich learning at senior cycle but alsoprovide opportunities for teachers to becomeenablers and facilitators of learning, as they focuson helping students to develop skills intrinsic totheir subject specific study, their learning and theirlife e.g. formulating questions, creating hypotheses,working in teams, planning for and reporting onwhat has been learned, etc. If Educate Togetherschools decide not to enter students for the JuniorCertificate examination this could facilitate greaterinnovation in curriculum organisation and design,as well as deeper engagement with the knowledge,values and skills inherent in the junior cycleprogramme and the Educate Together ethos.

Embedding key skills across the whole curriculumboth inside and outside the classroom will require adeep understanding of, and a commitment to, theprinciples underpinning the curriculum and theapproaches to teaching and learning that areinherent in it. It also requires the development ofprocedures and structures within the school thatwill facilitate a process of consistent and on-goingcurriculum and organisational planning.Curriculum planning will also need toconsciously make links with the curriculumand teaching and learning strategies used atprimary level as a way of building onstudents’ prior learning and addressing thedisjuncture between students’ experiences atprimary and their experiences at second level.


10

‘…enable students to havegreater ownership of, andactive participation in, learning’

‘equality and inclusion are central to the Educate Together ethos …participate in an increasingly diverse society in an effective andconstructive way …’


It will require subject planning that refers toinclusion of all students, teaching and learningmethodologies, learning outcomes, assessment andthe integration of ICT. It will require a shared andclear vision of what a school community wants forall the young people in their school.

2.4 The Adolescent LearnerOver the last decade, much research has focusedon the particular needs of early adolescents and oneffective teaching and learning in the middle years(11yrs-15yrs) of schooling (Zemelman et al. 1998;Chadbourne 1999; 2001; Barratt 1998). The reportfrom the Carnegie Council on AdolescentDevelopment, Turning Points (1989; 2000)described adolescence as a ‘turning point’ whenyoung people develop sophisticated cognitive andsocial skills, and make choices that have an impacton the rest of their lives. In recognition thatadolescent learners are at a particularlysignificant stage of development schools inother countries have begun to develop andimplement innovative middle schoolingstrategies and organisational structures, inresponse to the need for a more stimulatingand nurturing environment for youngadolescent students (Prendergast et al. 2005).

The Turning Points report (1989; 2000) exploredstrategies to cope with the complexities andincongruities associated with educating youngadolescents. Amongst its recommendations toincrease the effectiveness and quality of learning atthis stage of schooling are:

1. Teach a curriculum grounded in rigorous,academic standards for what students shouldknow and be able to do, relevant to theconcerns of adolescents and based on howstudents learn best;

2. Use methodologies designed to prepare allstudents to achieve higher standards andbecome lifelong learners;

3. Staff the middle grades with teachers who areexpert at teaching young adolescents, andengage teachers in ongoing, targetedprofessional development opportunities;

4. Organise relationships for learning to create aclimate of intellectual development and a caringcommunity of shared educational purpose;

5. Govern democratically, through direct orrepresentative participation by all school staffmembers, the adults who know the studentsbest;

6. Provide a safe and healthy school environmentas part of improving academic performance anddeveloping caring and ethical citizens;

7. Involve parents and communities in supportingstudent learning and healthy development.

Educate Together second-level schools will becognisant of the needs of the adolescent learnerand respond to the unique educational and socialneeds of this age group. Creative timetabling,curriculum adjustments, flexible use of spaceand innovative teaming of teachers andstudents will be considered both toaccommodate the developmental needs ofyoung adolescents as well as to facilitatecontinuity of learning from primary to second-level and junior cycle to senior cycle.

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‘… make links with the curriculum and teaching and learningstrategies used at primary level as a way of building on students’prior learning …’

‘… adolescent learners are at aparticularly significant stage ofdevelopment … need for a morestimulating and nurturingenvironment …’

2.5 Organising Curriculum &Learning

Dewey, in 1938, suggested that ‘almost everyonehas had occasion to look back upon his school daysand wonder what has become of the knowledgehe was supposed to have amassed during his yearsof schooling… but it was so segregated when itwas acquired and hence is so disconnected fromthe rest of experience that is it not available underthe actual conditions of life’ (in Beane, 1997). Howthe curriculum is organised impacts on teachingand learning. Many schools provide opportunitiesthough programmes such as Junior CertificateSchool Programme, Transition Year, LeavingCertificate Applied Programme, for learners toengage in cross-curricular and project work thatcuts across subject boundaries and makes learningless segregated and more relevant. However, in themain, the majority of learning in post-primaryschools takes place in separate, timetabled subjectclasses. This can lead to a fragmented andincoherent learning experience, as well as overlapand/or omissions in learning, as one teacher rarelyknows what another teacher is doing.

The quality and relevance of the learningexperience schools provide will increasingly dependon the extent to which they prepare learners tomanage the demands of modern societysuccessfully (NCCA Strategic Plan 2003-2005). Welive in an interdisciplinary world. Organisingand planning the curriculum in a way thatcrosses subject boundaries is one approachthat an Educate Together second-level schoolwill take as a means of providing a morerelevant, connected learning experience forstudents. Educational systems in other countrieshave developed methods to organise and connectcurriculum in a variety of ways including:

• The provision of a multidisciplinary curriculumwhere two or more subjects are connectedaround a theme, issue or topic, e.g. geographyand science investigating sustainable energy.

• The provision of an interdisciplinary curriculumcreates new fields of inquiry. In aninterdisciplinary project the various subjectscombine to solve problems or consider issuesthat cannot be adequately addressed by any onesubject alone, e.g. our heritage.

• The provision of an integrated curriculumpromotes personal and social integrationthrough the organisation of curriculum aroundsignificant problems and issues, identified byteachers and learners. Projects and otheractivities involve integration and application ofknowledge and skills in the context of a theme.Content and skills are taught, learned andapplied as they are needed to work on particularthemes. While knowledge is drawn from thedifferent subjects (among other sources)students move from activity to activity, or projectto project, rather than from subject to subjectduring the school day.

In general, the definitions of an integrated orinterdisciplinary curriculum include a combinationof subjects; an emphasis on projects; sources thatgo beyond the textbook; relationships between

concepts; thematic units; flexible timetable andflexible student groupings. Through interdisciplinaryor integrated curriculum modules or projects, theoverall demands made on teachers and schools canbe reduced, the range of student capacities can be


12

‘… organising and planning thecurriculum in a way that crossessubject boundaries … means ofproviding a more relevant,connected learning experiencefor students’

‘creative timetabling, curriculum adjustments, flexible use ofspace and innovative teaming of teachers and students will …accommodate the developmental needs of young adolescents …’


developed and key skills such as reflection, problemsolving and creative thinking skills can beembedded in cross discipline understanding.Darling-Hammond, Ancess, and Ort’s (2002) seven-year study of the Coalition Campus Schools Projectin New York City describes how teams of teacherswho taught a thematic, interdisciplinary curriculumwith cohorts of students for two-year stints, in classperiods that lasted 70 minutes or more, enabledintensive study and research, improved attendance,increased performance on reading and writingassessments and college-going rates. Anintegrated, thematic approach has also beenshown to make the curriculum more accessible tostudents whose first language is not the languageof instruction (Blair 2002).

Hayes et al. (2006) suggest that deep knowledgecomes about through ‘systematic, integrated orholistic understandings of concepts’. An integrated

approach can facilitate multiple ways of teachingand learning and develop lifelong learning skills asstudents encounter knowledge and skills in anintegrated fashion, as they do in the real world,rather than in discrete, compartmentalised subjectareas. To facilitate deep and meaningfulengagement with the knowledge, skills andvalues inherent in the National Curriculum andthe Educate Together ethos, co-operationacross subject areas and an approach thatencompasses multiple areas of expertise andways of knowing needs to be incorporatedinto curriculum organisation and planning.

2.6 Organising Learning &Transfer

Research (ESRI 2004) investigating curriculumprovision and school integration among first yearstudents has found that students feel anxious andexcited about transferring to ‘big school’ and mayexperience difficulties in relation to the greaternumber of subjects, increased academic pressure,additional homework and a different relationship

with teachers in first year. Using an integrated orinterdisciplinary approach is seen to be beneficial inhelping students transfer from primary to second-level and adjust to their new school. It can be usedas a bridge between the primary school classroomand the subject-based teaching of second-level(DfES 2004).

Students’ preference for more practical subjects atjunior cycle was also highlighted in the ESRIresearch and by Harland et al. (2005), in theirlongitudinal study of the educational preferences ofadolescents in Northern Ireland. An integrated orinterdisciplinary curriculum can provideopportunities for first year students to experience avariety of subjects or ‘taster’ courses, as well asfacilitating flexible timetabling that canaccommodate the practical and creative areas ofthe curriculum such as ICT, technology, drama, art,music and ‘real’ life learning, etc. being

experienced by all students at junior cycle. Anintegrated curriculum will support the provision ofas wide a range of subjects as possible to beexperienced by all students in an Educate Togethersecond-level school.

The creation of smaller learning communitieswithin a large school can also address transferissues. Small learning communities, as defined bySammon (2000), are any separately defined,individualised learning unit, within a larger schoolsetting. Students and teachers are scheduledtogether and often have a common area of theschool in which to hold most or all of their classes.For example, the creation of a small learningcommunity for first years, who are moving from arelatively small and intimate educationalenvironment to a much larger, complex and moreimpersonal one, could ease transition. It is commonpractice is some countries (Prendergast et al. 2005)to create a certain amount of separation by physicalspace or by students having the same main teacher,or a pair of teachers, for at least the core subjectsof the curriculum. Mertens et al. (2001) found thatstudents in small learning communities with

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‘… co-operation across subject areas and an approach thatencompasses multiple areas of expertise and ways of knowing …’

interdisciplinary teaching teams outperformedstudents in schools without such organisationalarrangements.

Reducing the number of teachers for each classallows for pedagogical consistency, as well asincreasing the potential for curriculum integration.Creating smaller learning communities byusing small teams of teachers and integratingcurriculum has also been used to address thedistinctive developmental characteristics of

young adolescents. Equally, the needs of studentsat senior cycle, where there should be a greateremphasis on self-directed, independent learningand a culture where students ‘engage meaningfullywith a more mature, adult learning environment’(NCCA 2004) can be met by smaller learningcommunities within a school. Perry (2003) statesthat small school communities can provideopportunities for a more personalised learningenvironment as students interact more often andengage more deeply with their teachers, formallyand informally, on both school and non-schoolissues. Smaller learning communities also lendthemselves to greater parent involvement ascommunication between parents and teachers isoften more substantive, because teachers can getto know students better (Cotton 2001).

Felner et al’s (2007) research on high performinglearning communities suggests that the creation of

smaller schools within large ones, with teacher andstudent teams and other personalisation strategies,may engage socially and economicallydisadvantaged students better and improveacademic performance, reduce dropout rates,enhance developmental outcomes and close equitygaps. The teachers in Hargreaves’ (1994) studystated that conventional timetables with separateteachers, subjects, and short lesson periods,fragmented their relationships with students, andtheir preference was for more open time structuressuch as a core-blocked timetable that couldfacilitate their efforts to develop positiverelationships and emotional understanding withtheir students. An Educate Together second-level school will consider how to increase theeffectiveness and quality of learning bycreating small learning communities withinthe larger school context. This will enable thedevelopment of a school environment wherethe teacher–student relationship can beenhanced so all young people feel safe andare happy, motivated and engaged withlearning.

2.7 Organising Learning &Inclusion

The European Agency for Development in SpecialNeeds Education (1998, 2003, 2005) suggests thatinclusion generally develops well in primary, but inthe second-level sector serious problems emerge. Itcould be argued that increasing subjectspecialisation and the organisational strategies insecond-level schools create obstacles to studentinclusion. However, the Agency (2005) hashighlighted how some schools in EU countries areimplementing effective inclusive education atsecond-level. The case studies outline severaleffective practices within inclusive schools. Forexample:

• Luxembourg: Each class has the same group ofstudents for three years. There are a restrictednumber of teachers per class and each teachercan take on several subjects. The number of


14

‘creating smaller learningcommunities by using smallteams of teachers andintegrating curriculum …address the distinctivedevelopmental characteristicsof young adolescents’

‘… enable the development of a school environment where theteacher-student relationship can be enhanced …’


teachers is reduced to a minimum in order toensure a good atmosphere. A team of teacherscovers the lessons for three years in order tostrengthen the group and build up a betterrelationship between students and teachers.

• Sweden: The school has about 55 teachers. Theyare organised in five teams of 10-12 teachers.Every team has responsibility for 4-5 classes. Thestudents are in mixed aged groups with twoteachers teaching most of the theoreticalsubjects. In the Swedish model, while teachersare specialists in one or two subjects, they teachother subjects as well.

• Norway: The school emphasises that each classlevel must be a physical, social and academicunit where all students have a strong connectionto their class. The team of each class levelconsists of two to three class teachers, a specialeducator, resource or subject teacher, and socialeducator and/or assistant. The members of eachteam support each other, collaborate as theyplan the work, and co-operate with parents.

The report also noted that streaming in second-level education contributes to the marginalisationof students with Special Education Needs (SEN).Similarly, the ESRI (2004) found that streaming led

to lower achievement among students in bottomstreams and increased transition difficulties forstudents in higher streams due to academicpressure. Educate Together second-levelschools will not stream.

All students differ in learning preferences and needmultiple and varied avenues to learning. Gardner(2001) points out that ‘the biggest mistake ofpast centuries in teaching has been to treat allchildren as if they were variants of the sameindividual and thus to feel justified teachingthem all the same subjects in the same way.’Teachers in an Educate Together school will usestrategies and learning activities to facilitatecurriculum differentiation, for as Tomlinson (1999)points out ‘children already come to usdifferentiated. It just makes sense that we would

differentiate our instruction in response to them.’Differentiating the curriculum will provide a varietyof learning experiences where all students in theclass can be included, participate and learn andwhere the different learning needs of all studentsare met. Tomlinson et al (2003) definesdifferentiation ‘as a way of teaching in whichteachers proactively modify curriculum, teachingmethods, resources, learning activities, and studentproducts. The needs of individual students and/orsmall groups of students are addressed to maximizethe learning opportunity for each student in theclassroom.’ In an Educate Together second-levelschool differentiating classroom instruction andadapting curriculum will be the rule rather than theexception.

Inclusive education in an Educate Togethersecond-level school will mean the provision ofa learning environment within which allyoung people - whatever their ability,language, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic,social or cultural origin, will be provided withreal learning opportunities and classroompractices that explicitly take account of themultiple ways all students learn.Differentiated instruction and curriculumorganisation which supports the inclusion ofall students, which improves transfer fromprimary to second-level as well as engagingand motivating learners will be shared,developed, reviewed and evaluated as part ofschool curriculum planning.

15

‘… the biggest mistake of pastcenturies in teaching has beento treat all children as if theywere variants of the sameindividual and thus to feeljustified teaching them all thesame subjects in the sameway…’

‘Educate Together second-levelschools will not stream’

2.8 Pedagogy

An Educate Together second-level school willprovide an education that will enable students tocontribute meaningfully to their communities,embrace the rights and responsibilities ofcitizenship in a democratic society and develop theknowledge and skills necessary for their lives andfor their careers in the 21st century. To preparestudents for success in the world beyondschool they need to develop the capacity to becritical thinkers, problem solvers, effectivecommunicators, creators and innovators.Traditional teaching approaches, based ondirect instruction and textbook learning alone,will not adequately develop in students thesecapacities and improve achievement.A teaching philosophy based on the idea thatteaching approaches should vary, be flexible andadapt to the individual and diverse needs ofstudents is the fundamental belief of differentiatedinstruction (Tomlinson 2000) and in an EducateTogether second-level school this will be oneapproach that will provide the scaffolding thatstudents at different levels of readiness need inorder to prepare them for success in the worldbeyond school.

Teaching is a complex job. It requires a knowledgeof subject matter, pedagogical skills and classroommanagement techniques. Hattie (2003) suggests

that the major influence on student achievement,after the students themselves, is 'the person whogently closes the classroom door and performs theteaching act.’ Darling-Hammond’s (1996; 1998;2000) study of the restructuring of schools for theimprovement of student achievement, found thathigh quality subject and pedagogical knowledge, orquality teaching, proved to have the single greatestimpact on student success, when measured againsta wide array of other influencing factors. However,quality teaching is not restricted to pedagogicalapproaches and subject content alone. Theimportance of the student-teacher relationship andthe provision of a warm and caring environmenthas been shown to have a profound influence onstudent engagement with learning, achievement,motivation and behaviour, as well as being criticalin supporting the nurturing of the values anddispositions needed to accept personalresponsibility for life-long learning (Habermas 1972;Lovat & Smith 2003; Hattie 2004; Deakin-Crick andWilson 2005; Brady 2005; Noddings 1984; 1992;2002; Manen 1986). In an Educate Togethersecond-level school the teacher-student relationshipwill be viewed as integral to successful teachingand learning. Hansen (1998) suggests that ‘it is theperson in the role, not the role itself, who bringseducation to life in the classroom.’ Teachers inEducate Together second-level schools willactively develop a caring, nurturing, safe andsupportive environment, characterised bypositive teacher-student relationships andinteractions that bring education to life andsupport student learning and well-being.

Educate Together second-level schools will beprofessional learning communities where schoolstaff, including teaching and other staff, worktogether to achieve their collective purpose oflearning for all (DuFour 2004). Staff continuousprofessional development and the sharing of best


16

‘… learning opportunities and classroom practices that explicitlytake account of the multiple ways all students learn.Differentiated instruction and curriculum organisation whichsupports the inclusion of all students …’

‘to prepare students for success …need to develop the capacity tobe critical thinkers, problemsolvers, effective communicators,creators and innovators …’


practice across and between schools will bedeveloped and supported. A collaborative culturewill be nurtured and developed, where teachers’passion for learning can be sustained as they work,plan and problem-solve in teams, to developpractices that support the social, emotional andacademic needs of all learners. However, DuFour etal. (2005) point out that very often “what passes

for collaboration or collegiality in schools typicallylacks focus on achievement results.” Members ofan Educate Together school community shouldview themselves as ‘all playing on the same teamand working toward the same goal: a betterschool’ (Hoerr 1996). Through collective inquiry,shared responsibility, professional development andcommunity partnership, teachers and other staffwill be provided with opportunities to consider howbest to improve outcomes for all students andcreate learning opportunities where all students canexperience success.

2.9 Visible Teaching and LearningIn his synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses ofresearch related to what influences studentachievement, Hattie (2009) concludes that it iscritical that teaching and learning are visible in theclassroom. He highlights six signposts towardsexcellence in education:

1. Teachers are among the most powerfulinfluences in learning.

2. Teachers need to be directive, influential, caringand actively engaged in the passion of teachingand learning.

3. Teachers need to be aware of what each andevery student is thinking and knowing, toconstruct meaning and meaningful experiencesin light of this knowledge, and have proficientknowledge and understanding of their contentto provide meaningful and appropriatefeedback, such that each student movesprogressively through the curriculum levels.

4. Teachers need to know the learning intentionsand success criteria of their lessons, know howwell they are attaining these criteria for allstudents, and know where to go to next in lightof the gap between students’ currentknowledge and understanding and the successcriteria of: ‘Where are you going?’, ‘How areyou going?’, and ‘Where to next?’.

5. Teachers need to move from the single idea tomultiple ideas and to relate and then extendthese ideas such that learners construct andreconstruct knowledge and ideas. It is not theknowledge or ideas, but the learner’sconstruction of this knowledge and these ideasthat is critical.

6. School leaders and teachers need to createschool, staffroom, and classroom environmentswhere error is welcomed as a learningopportunity, where discarding incorrectknowledge and understandings is welcomed,and where participants can feel safe to learn,re-learn, and explore knowledge andunderstanding.

(Hattie 2009)

Educate Together second-level schools willintentionally and purposely employ effectiveevidence-based teaching and learningmethodologies and create challenging andcreative learning environments wheremistakes are welcomed and viewed aslearning opportunities. Teachers will besupported to develop ‘deliberate interventions toenhance teaching and learning’ (Hattie 2009) andincorporate strategies that are flexible andresponsive to the learning needs of students fromdiverse backgrounds and differing learning styles

17

‘… intentionally and purposelyemploy effective evidence-based teaching and learningmethodologies …’

‘… a caring, nurturing, safe and supportive environment, characterisedby positive teacher-student relationships …’

(Gardner 1993; Vygotsky 1978; Grasha 1996). TheESRI report (2005) highlighted the benefit ofinvolving students actively in their learning.Students expressed a preference for working ingroups as the sharing of ideas made the workeasier. Methodologies identified by students asconducive to learning included activity-basedlearning, discussions, teachers using differentteaching styles rather than teaching from the book,and teachers making the subject interesting. Tosupport the different ways of thinking andlearning, students will be provided in anEducate Together second-level school withmultiple opportunities to be activeparticipants in their learning.

Teachers will adopt practices built on evidence. Forexample, practices such as: using students' priorknowledge and skills to link new learning to old(including building on and linking with students’learning at primary); reciprocal teaching to improvereading and comprehension skills; metacognitionstrategies to develop students’ understanding ofhow they think and learn; problem based learningto nurture research skills; cooperative learningmethodologies to foster interpersonal skills; and theuse of effective feedback and formative assessmentto achieve learning goals. These are all part of arepertoire of teaching strategies that improvelearning outcomes. Hattie (2009) suggests that‘active teaching involves more backward design.Rather than starting from the textbooks, favouredlessons, and time honoured activities, startbackwards - from desired results (success criteriarelated to learning outcomes)’. As previously stated,in an Educate Together second-level school,curriculum planning will involve expressingstudent learning in terms of clear learningoutcomes and success criteria. For example, inplanning for learning, teachers will consider:

Expectations• What will students know and be able to do at

the end of the learning time (i.e. unit, topic orproject)?

Assessment & Evaluation• How will I determine that they have achieved

these expectations?

• What are the criteria for success?

• What are the key tasks or assignments that willallow each student to best demonstrate theexpectations?

• How will I collect a variety of data on how wellstudents are doing?

Teaching and Learning Strategies• What teaching and learning strategies will best

achieve the success criteria?

• What changes and adaptations will be neededso all students learn, achieve and experiencesuccess?

Resources• What resources do I have? (to include people

resources e.g. parents, community, business, 3rdlevel colleges, etc.)

• What resources do I need?

Curriculum planning, as well as knowledge ofindividual learners’ needs, will inform the range ofevidence-based pedagogical approaches adoptedby teachers to create an engaging and challenginglearning environment.

2.10 The Visibility of Student Voicein Learning

Educate Together schools are democratic andinclusive in nature. Booth (2003) outlines the kindof classroom which is helpful to all learners; ‘It[participation] implies learning alongside others andcollaborating with them in shared lessons. Itinvolves active engagement with what is learnt andtaught and having a say in how education isexperienced. But participation also involves beingrecognised for oneself and being accepted foroneself: I participate with you when you recogniseme as a person like yourself and accept me for whoI am’.


18

‘… students will be provided …with multiple opportunities tobe active participants in theirlearning’


At second-level, all students will be provided withopportunities to exercise choice and negotiate withteachers regarding the structure and content oflearning activities. The benefits of involvingstudents as partners in their learning and involvingstudents in authentic decision-making are welldocumented (Rudduck & Flutter 2000, 2004;Fletcher 2005; Fielding 2001). Listening to studentshas been shown to be of key importance in goodteacher-student relationships (O’Brien 2008).Educate Together second-level classrooms willbe places where the centrality of the student’svoice will be evident in teaching and learningpractices.

In Educate Together second-level schools, studentswill participate in decision-making about what andhow they learn and how their learning is assessed.Students will participate in curricular planningmeetings, be involved in teacher/student andstudent/student working groups on teaching andlearning and take part in teacher/parent/studentconferencing. Involving students actively in theirlearning, both at the planning, doing and reviewingstages, increases motivation, engagement andachievement and ‘the more the student becomesthe teacher and the more the teacher becomes thelearner, then the more successful are the outcomes’(Hattie 2009).

2.11 The Visibility of DiversityIn Well-Being and Post Primary Schooling (2008),O’Brien states that ‘to foster well-being, schoolsneed to become meaningful places for the diversityof young people they purport to serve’. In anEducate Together classroom the learningexperience will respond to and reflect diversity.Effective pedagogical practices ‘have shown how

education can play a major role in developing thekind of critical thinking and inclusive ethicalperspective that underpins respect for differences’(Lynch & Baker 2005).

In an Educate Together classroom theorganisation of the learning will incorporaterecognition of difference and will becharacterised by a teaching practice thataffords a visibility to diversity andacknowledges diversity as a learning resource.Students’ individual identities will be reflected inthe school environment and the curriculum, andthe diversity of students' lives and cultures

celebrated and seen as a resource. Lynch and Baker(2005) point out that ‘to educate people aboutinequality is to include members of oppressedgroups in the design of educational programmes’.Blair (2002) has shown how in schools which areparticularly effective for minority ethnic pupils,diversity in the curriculum is seen positively by allparents, teachers and students in relation to itsvalue for all children. Educate Together schoolswill challenge negative stereotypes and falseassumptions in relation to groupsexperiencing inequality. Teachers will choosecurriculum content and materials where ‘the livesof all peoples are allowed to be read, recognisedand critiqued in a critical inter-cultural manner’(Lynch and Baker 2005). For example, to reflect,explore and critique difference (in terms of gender,ethnicity, ability, social class, sexual orientation,diverse family units, etc.) will require, among otherthings, teachers considering what authors, images,music, films, scientists, mathematicians, artists, etc.are chosen for study and by what means they arerepresented in the learning.

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‘… the organisation of the learning will incorporate recognition ofdifference and will be characterised by a teaching practice thataffords a visibility to diversity …’

‘… classrooms will be places where the centrality of the student’svoice will be evident in teaching and learning practices …’

Educate Together school communities willendeavour to create a learning environmentthat is participatory, inclusive and valuing ofdiversity and will adopt policies and practicesto support this.

2.12 AssessmentEducate Together second-level classrooms willbe learner-centred, where students are the keyinitiators and architects of their own learning.Weimer (2002) identifies learner-centred teachingas encompassing a shift in the balance of classroompower from teacher to student, designing contentas a means to building knowledge rather than a‘knowledge end’ in itself, positioning the teacher asfacilitator and contributor, rather than the source ofknowledge, shifting responsibility for learning fromteacher to learner and finally promoting learningthrough effective assessment.

The UK Assessment Reform Group (2002) identifiesfive key factors which improve learning throughassessment:

• providing effective feedback to pupils;

• actively involving pupils in their own learning;

• adjusting teaching to take account of the resultsof assessment;

• recognising the profound influence assessmenthas on the motivation and self esteem of pupils,both of which are crucial to learning;

• considering the need for pupils to be able toassess themselves and to understand how toimprove.

Hargreaves (2007) suggests that assessment canshape ‘student learning in both positive andnegative directions. At worst, assessment methodsforce students into surface learning; facts arequickly acquired to meet examination pressures andjust as quickly forgotten. At best, assessmentmethods provide students with opportunities toapply their newly acquired knowledge to real and

challenging problems, and hence with the chanceto learn in depth and test the limits of theirunderstanding’. Black and William (1998) reviewed250 research articles relating to the role ofclassroom assessment in learning and concludedthat it ‘typically encourages superficial and rotelearning, concentrating on recall of isolated details,usually items of knowledge which pupils soonforget’. The UK Assessment Reform Group research(2002) also identified a number of risks with regardto assessment:

• valuing quantity and presentation rather thanthe quality of learning;

• lowering the self-esteem of students by over-concentrating on judgements rather than advicefor improvement;

• demoralising students by comparing themnegatively and repeatedly with more successfullearners;

• giving feedback which serves social andmanagerial purposes rather than helpingstudents to learn more effectively;

• working with an insufficient picture of students’learning needs.

Educate Together second-level schools willincorporate effective assessment approaches thatimpact positively on student learning using acombination of summative and formativeassessment methods.

Summative assessment is intended to summarisestudent achievement at a particular time, whereasformative assessment is intended to promotefurther improvement of student attainment (Crooks2001). Summative assessment or assessment oflearning is a common feature of second-levelschooling in Ireland. Students’ learning is measuredin order to generate a grade or mark that reflectsperformance at the end of a period of learning, forexample, school in-house examinations or theJunior and Leaving Certificate. As discussed earlier,


20

‘… a learning environment thatis participatory, inclusive andvaluing of diversity …’

‘… students are the keyinitiators and architects of theirown learning’


this form of assessment alone does not provideinformation about the full range of educationaloutcomes or encourage the development ofimportant lifelong learning skills or creativity.

What is assessed has a strong influence on what istaught. In an Educate Together school, it willbe crucial that assessment methods are linkedto the learning that is essential for youngpeople who live in a rapidly changing andinformation rich society. For example, higherorder thinking and questioning skills, anunderstanding of how to learn, the ability to workand learn collaboratively and independently, as wellas the capacity to adapt to changing circumstances,are skills needed for life and work beyond school.The NCCA (2004) point out that involving learnersin the ‘whole process of assessment gives clarityand direction to teaching and increases motivationin learners. Involving learners in assessing their ownand each other’s work affords the teacher greaterinsight into learner motivation and progress and isa source of valuable data for reporting to parents’.

Hargreaves (2007) states that research has shownthat assessment for learning can have a significanteffect on how well students achieve in terms oftheir attainment, behaviour, motivation,engagement and their ability to workindependently. The NCCA leaflet on assessment forlearning (2004) also highlights research evidencethat has ‘indicated improvements in the order of12% in test scores for students coming from“assessment for learning” classrooms’.

Quality feedback is essential for effective learningand teaching and by integrating assessment for

learning across every subject, students will developa deeper understanding of their learning as theyare given opportunities to discuss their learningwith their teacher and with their peers and plan fortheir next steps. Educate Together second-levelschools will be concerned with creatingindependent learners who take responsibilityfor their own learning and workcollaboratively with teachers to assess andprogress their learning. In an Educate Togethersecond-level school assessment for learning will beembedded into normal classroom practice as itimproves learning and achievement for all learnersas well as fostering those skills necessary forparticipation in the knowledge society.

2.13 ConclusionAn Educate Together second-level school willrecognise the dynamic interplay betweencontent, pedagogy and assessment. Throughthe integration of powerful pedagogies, witheffective assessment and a relevant schoolcurriculum, Educate Together second-levelschools will provide an engaging andchallenging learning environment where allstudents ‘learn to know, learn to do, learn tolive together, and learn to be’ (Delors 1996).Educate Together schools will provide aholistic and inclusive educational experiencethat will prepare young people to besuccessful learners, responsible members ofsociety, effective workers, caring members ofthe community and lifelong learners in aninterdependent world.

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‘… creating independent learners who take responsibility for theirown learning and work collaboratively with teachers to assess andprogress their learning …’

‘educate together second-level schools will provide an engagingand challenging learning environment where all students “learnto know, learn to do, learn to live together, and learn to be”…’

Key Questions for Reflection andFurther Exploration by SchoolCommunities:• Is our vision for our students and their learning

clear and shared?

• Does it express what we want for our youngpeople?

• How is our vision reflected in the design of theschool’s curriculum?

• How is our commitment to the principles of theEducate Together Charter demonstrated in ourcurriculum and classroom practices?

• Have we identified and agreed on those valuesthat we believe are important for everyoneinvolved in the life of our school?

• Do our values support and complement those inDES strategy documents and NCCA syllabi andguidelines?

• Does our school curriculum explain how ourvalues will be an integral part of teaching,learning and the daily life in our school?

• Is the school curriculum aligned with DESstrategy documents and NCCA syllabi andguidelines?

• Does the school curriculum explain howstudents’ learning and progress are monitoredand recorded in relation to learning objectives?

• How do we best provide a curriculum, learningactivities and school structures that meet theneeds of early adolescence? How do we know?

• How do we ensure that students experience asbroad a range of subjects as possible?

• Have we clarified which key skills we arefocussing on, the meaning that each shouldhave for our students and how they will bedeveloped?

• Does our school curriculum explain how thesekey skills are to be developed across all learningactivities and programmes in and out of theclassroom?


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• Does our school curriculum provide guidance onhow to help students monitor their developmentand demonstration of their learning?

• How will planning for connections across subjectareas, values and key skills be organised?

• Does our school curriculum explain howprogrammes are designed to meet the needsand interests of all students?

• Have we identified the characteristics of effectiveteaching and learning?

• How are the characteristics of effectivepedagogy reflected in our curriculum and ourpractice?

• What approaches and techniques are usedwhich set out to acknowledge and exploit thediversity of students in classrooms?

• How can we provide for the creative and culturaldevelopment of all students in the formal andinformal curriculum?

• How are ICT and new technologies incorporatedinto learning?

• How is a supportive classroom environmentmaintained?

• How does the teacher model the characteristicsand practices of the lifelong learner?

• How will teachers’ lifelong learning besupported?

• What professional development has beenplanned for – by whom and why?

• What timetabling and staff, student andcommunity organisational systems need to be inplace to foster lifelong learning?

• How are transitions in and out of the junior cycleand senior cycle catered for?

• What types of authentic assessment are in placeto cater for diverse learning and learners?

“Learning Together to Live Together” is the vision statement of Educate Together aspublished in its Strategy Statement (2000). Educate Together schools have been at

the forefront in developing intercultural education in Ireland. The four core principles, aslaid down in the Educate Together Charter (1990), are the foundation upon which aschool community builds an inclusive and intercultural learning environment. The valuesinherent in the principles – respect, equality, rights and responsibilities, justice, dignity –underpin and permeate all school policies and practices. The core Educate Togetherprinciples inform the culture and ethos of all Educate Together schools and guide thedelivery and content of an ethical education curriculum. The ethical curriculum, LearnTogether, is the curricular approach to delivering school ethos and a concreteexpression of Educate Together’s inclusive values.

The curriculum focuses on the ethical, moral and social development of children andyoung people in inclusive schools. It encourages learners to explore their ownspiritual identities in a safe and supportive environment, while also being aware ofand respecting the notion that other people may think differently to them. It enableslearners to appreciate, be informed and be comfortable with those of differing faithsto themselves and empowers them to critically interact across viewpoints within acommon language of human rights and respect (Mulcahy 2002). The curriculum atsecond-level will celebrate difference and provide the knowledge, skills, values andattitudes that young people need to enable them to make informed moral decisionsand live in a pluralist society, which embraces diversity.

[The Educate Together ethical curriculum] demonstrates that spiritual and ethicaleducation does not have to involve separate education. It identifies the commonvalues that we share in our humanity and offers a pathway for educating ourchildren to live in a pluralist Ireland. It integrates theory and action in spiritual andethical education. What is important about the curriculum is its truly holisticapproach to ethical education. Children will not just be educated about spiritualvalues or ethical principles emanating from their own belief or religious tradition.They will learn about the values, cultures and lifestyles of those who are differentto them. They will learn to name difference with a language of respect.

Professor Kathleen Lynch, 2004

Osler and Starkey (2005) point out that democracy is also about living together andthat ‘education is an essential component of democracy, as it is about learning to livetogether and the practice of living together.’ An Educate Together second-levelschool, through its ethos and ethical curriculum, will provide a pathway foreducating young people in a democratic society to live out the ideal of learningtogether to live together.

The EthicalCurriculum3

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3.1 The Four StrandsBanks (2009) states that an important part of anytheory of intercultural citizenship is to instill highlevels of intercultural skills and knowledge. Hesuggests ‘we should encourage individuals to havethe ability and desire to seek out interactions withthe members of other groups, to have curiosityabout the larger world, and to learn about thehabits and beliefs of other peoples’. The ethicalcurriculum provides learners with both knowledgeand a range of dispositions and skills to enablethem to participate in and contribute to thedemocratic process and become informed, sociallyresponsible and fair-minded citizens of the world.The theory underpinning the ethical curriculum isinformed and influenced by major theorists in thearea of the philosophy and psychology of theoryand learning, for example Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky,Bruner, Gardiner, Kohlberg and Gilligan. Thecurriculum also draws on the work of sociologistsand in particular critical theory in the areas ofequality and justice.

The Ethical Education Curriculum at second-levelwill be a development of the curriculum at primary,which is divided into four strands:

• Moral & Spiritual

• Justice & Equality

• Belief Systems

• Ethics & the Environment

The four strands are complementary, interlinkedand of equal importance. The aims and objectivesof each strand are underpinned by core values suchas respect for self, respect for others, respect forand knowledge of difference, gender equity,respect for the environment and the rights andresponsibility of being a citizen from a localperspective but also on a global level (Mulcahy2000). As with classroom practice in all Educate

Together schools, a wide range of methodologiesthat recognise the multiple intelligences and rangeof learning styles present in all classrooms will beused in the delivery of the curriculum. Through aschool’s learner-centred approach youngpeople will be encouraged to gain personalunderstandings in supportive, respectful,creative and engaging learning environmentsand to evaluate information, form judgmentsand articulate these judgments.

Within the school week time will be set aside todeliver the ethical education curriculum. Howeverthe teaching of the curriculum will also beintegrated and interdisciplinary in nature. Elementsof the curriculum will complement, link and extendexisting syllabi at junior and senior cycle such asReligious Education, Civic, Social and PoliticalEducation, Social, Personal & Health Education,Geography, Science, Art and Design, etc. Forexample, opportunities for a thematic explorationof identity and diversity could take place in thecontext of Art and Design by examining the use oficonography in visual representations of culturalidentity in world conflict situations, and in theLearn Together programme by exploring the partplayed by rights and differing belief systems inthose conflict situations and the implications of thisin terms of diversity in 21st century Ireland. Theethical curriculum at second-level will also nameand analyse ‘old’ familiar differences and socialdivisions in Irish society such as class, gender,sexuality, Traveller status, and dis/ability.

The ethical curriculum will directly promote life skillsthat are essential to a generation of young peoplegrowing up in diverse and varied socialenvironments, growing up in what Lynch et al.(1992) describe as a global society and world-wideculture. Promoting life skills through the ethicalcurriculum could, for example, involve a problem-based learning WebQuest on an area such as ethicsin politics, sport and business – or, the significanceand role of sacred places, persons and ethical codesin world religions – or, how the definition of rightsin different societies is influenced by their historical,economic and political experiences and presentreality. The incorporation of creative, cooperativeand active learning strategies into the teaching ofthe ethical curriculum will develop life skills such as:


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‘… young people will beencouraged to gain personalunderstandings in supportive,respectful, creative and engaginglearning environments …’

3 T h e E t h i c a l C u r r i c u l u m

• information and media literacy skills (access,manage, use, evaluate and interpret electronicforms of information);

• higher order critical thinking skills (collecting andanalysing material from different sources,identifying different perspectives, distinguishingbetween fact and opinion, detecting prejudiceand bias, critical reflection, reaching a balanced,informed conclusion);

• interpersonal skills (working and cooperatingwith others, taking and sharing responsibility,negotiating with others, taking constructivecriticism, using conflict resolution);

• communication skills (discussing, listening,respecting others opinions, summarising mainpoints, oral and written presentation).

However, learning about diversity will be mosteffective when integrated into the day-to-dayactivities and evident in both curricular and extra-curricular activities. The ethical curriculum in anEducate Together second-level school will bepart of the daily life, part of every subject,visible in curriculum resources and woven intothe very fabric of all school policies andpractices.

Gundara (2006), writing about inclusiveintercultural education, draws attention to theAfrican proverb that says that ‘it takes a village toraise a child’. Educate Together schools promotethe fullest participation by parents, students andteachers in decision-making processes and promotea genuine creative partnership between parentalinvolvement and the professional role of teachers.The ethical education curriculum will provideschools with an opportunity to involve parents,students and other members of the community inthe delivery of elements of the programme withinthe classroom or in related activities; for example,exploring cultural themes during assembly. Thecultural background of all learners and thewider school community will be used as a

significant resource to illuminate the EducateTogether core principles and the core values ofthe ethical curriculum. Links between schools,both nationally and internationally, will also be seenas a resource in the delivery of the curriculum.Fostering cross-school and cross-culturalconnections through visits, community links or webbased activities and forums has the potential forcreating authentic encounters, moving teaching

and learning beyond the walls of the classroom anddeveloping cross-cultural dialogue for learners andteachers. Networking with other schools also haswider school impact as it supports ‘improvementand innovation by enabling schools to collaborateon building curriculum diversity, extended servicesand professional support and to develop a vision ofeducation that is shared and owned well beyondindividual school gates’ (Hopkins 2007).

3.2 Best Practice in LearningTogether

Educate Together second-level schools will providea developmentally appropriate, relevant, learner-centred ethical curriculum where the language ofequality and respect are central.

‘To promote egalitarian ways of seeing theworld, students must be educated about thesubject of equality and other cognate conceptssuch as human rights and social justice. Inparticular, schools and colleges need to educatetheir staff and students about the equality-specific issues that arise in relations of social

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‘the ethical curriculum … will be part of the daily life, part of everysubject, visible in curriculum resources and woven into the veryfabric of all school policies and practices’

‘the cultural background of alllearners and the wider schoolcommunity will be used as asignificant resource …’

class, gender, colour, nationality, ethnicity, ability,religion and other differences. Syllabi should besocial-class-proofed, gender-proofed, abilities-proofed, etc. so that the lives of all peoples areallowed to be read, recognised and critiqued ina critical inter-cultural manner.’

(Lynch and Baker 2005)

Educate Together schools promote egalitarianways of seeing the world and at second-level,schools will provide an ethical curriculum thatidentifies the common values underpinninginternational human rights discourse,particularly those enshrined in the 1989Convention on the Rights of the Child. The‘lived’ ethos in the school will promote these valuesand build students’ understanding of and respectfor the diversity that surrounds them, recognisingsimilarities and appreciating different cultures,beliefs, ethnicities2, abilities, sexual orientations andsocio-economic backgrounds.

The NCCA guidelines (2006) on interculturaleducation state that ‘education not only reflectssociety but also influences its development. Assuch, schools have a role to play in thedevelopment of an intercultural society. Whileeducation cannot bear the sole responsibility forchallenging racism and promoting interculturalcompetence, it has an important contribution tomake in the development of the child’s interculturalskills, attitudes, values and knowledge’. TheEducate Together Learn Together Programme hasbeen recognised by the European MonitoringCentre on Racism and Xenophobia as an exampleof best practice in intercultural education (EMCUAnnual Report 2005) and the first MulticulturalIreland Award for Schools was awarded in 2002 toSwords Educate Together National School. TheEducate Together Learn Together ethicalcurriculum, that permeates all life in the school, hasdemonstrated that it is possible to build a schoolethos which genuinely provides equality of esteem

between differing religious, cultural, and ethicalviewpoints and develop learners’ intercultural skills,attitudes, values and knowledge.

Educate Together schools see interculturaleducation as important for all children irrespectiveof their nationality and as Banks (2009) states ‘Itenriches our lives to be able to have positiveinteractions with the members of other cultures: itexpands our horizons, provides new perspectives,and teaches us to reflect more critically on our owninherited traditions. It is, in short, an important partof self development.’ Educate Together second-level schools will continue to provide best practicein intercultural education, empowering all youngpeople in the school ‘to speak, to have a voice, toname their own world in respectful terms, and tocome to name the world of others who aredifferent from themselves in equally respectfulterms’ (Lynch 2004).

3.3 ConclusionAn Educate Together second-level schoolcommunity will be a vibrant and inclusive learningenvironment that promotes shared values that areguided by the Educate Together core principles. Hill(2004) defines values as the ‘priorities individualsand society attach to certain beliefs, experiences,and objects in deciding how they shall live andwhat they shall treasure’, while Halstead and Taylor(2000) describe them as ‘principles andfundamental convictions which act as generalguides to behaviour, the standards by whichparticular actions are judged as good or desirable’.However, Aspin and Chapman (2007) point outthat ‘unequal learning opportunities, inconsistentdiscipline, lack of follow up on absenteeism or lackof pastoral care will all speak volumes to studentsabout the real values in the school.’ The importancethe school community attaches to the values thatunderpin the ethical curriculum and the EducateTogether core principles will be obvious by both


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‘… promote egalitarian ways of seeing the world … the commonvalues underpinning international human rights discourse,particularly those enshrined in the 1989 Convention on the Rightsof the Child’

2 Travellers are recognised in this document as an ethnic group and as such are not singled out and named. This does not imply a lack of awareness of thespecific needs of Travellers as an ethnic group, or their historical marginalisation in Irish schools and society.

3 T h e E t h i c a l C u r r i c u l u m

their consistent expression in whole school policiesand practices and by their visibility in the dailyinteractions within the school. A school climate thatenshrines the Educate Together core principles andthe values inherent in the ethical curriculum willbest develop where both the student body and theschool staff reflects the diversity - in terms ofethnicity, religion, dis/ability, sexual orientation,social background, etc. - of the broader community,and where this diversity is highlighted and its valuespelt out.

The ‘living out’ of these shared values will bevisible in an Educate Together second-levelschool by the way all members of the schoolcommunity are on first name terms; by the useof mediation and conflict resolution indisputes; by a formal and informal curriculumthat gives voice to learners’ varied identities;by the use of respectful and inclusivelanguage by members of the schoolcommunity; and through the reflection inclassroom texts and resources and the school’sphysical environment of different cultures,beliefs, ethnicities, abilities, sexualorientations and socio-economic backgrounds.These practices will reflect what the schoolcommunity values and the intercultural andinclusive nature of the learning environment. The‘living out’ of shared values based on human rightsdiscourse in an Educate Together second-levelschool will ensure that a culture of equity existswhich encourages communities of practice whereeveryone can feel a sense of belonging, securityand esteem.

It will be the duty of the Patron to ensure that theLearn Together ethical curriculum reflects the ethosof the Educate Together sector. The curriculum atprimary level is subject to review and development

by the Educate Together Education Committee anddecisions at Annual General Meetings of theorganisation. This will continue to be the practice atsecond-level, and will enable the continueddevelopment of a curriculum that engages learnersin age appropriate issues, that fosters complex,creative, critical, reflective and ethical thinking, andthat develops intercultural and interpersonalcompetences so young people can participateeffectively and constructively in an increasinglydiverse 21st century Ireland. The ethical curriculumwill not trivialise and de-politicise immigrantcultures and identities by reducing interculturaleducation to a ‘focus on teaching the more exotic

and colorful aspects of other cultures, particularlytheir traditional holidays, costumes, dances andfood’ (Kymlicka 2003). In Educate Together second-level schools, by the provision of an ethicalcurriculum that is subject to review andevaluation, an inclusive, intercultural learningenvironment will develop that does not fallinto the trap of token ‘saris, samosas andsteelbands’ (Alibhai-Brown 2000) but wherestudents will critically interact acrossviewpoints within a common language ofrespect.

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‘… a formal and informal curriculum that gives voice to learners’varied identities… through the reflection in classroom texts andresources … of different cultures, beliefs, ethnicities, abilities, sexualorientations and socio-economic backgrounds’

‘… an inclusive, interculturallearning environment willdevelop that does not fall intothe trap of token “saris,samosas and steelbands”…’


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Key Questions for Reflection andFurther Exploration by SchoolCommunities:• What teaching and learning strategies support

the delivery of the ethical curriculum?

• Which assessment processes will be used tosupport the ethical curriculum?

• How do we create awareness and discussion ofthe school’s values among learners, school staffand the wider school community?

• How do we develop a shared set of values acrossthe school?

• In what ways can school policies and practicesreflect our shared values?

• What assessment and pedagogic initiatives needto be in place to support the delivery of theethical curriculum?

• What timetabling and staff/organisationalsystems need to be in place to enable thedelivery of the ethical curriculum?

• What professional development is needed tosupport the delivery of the ethical curriculum?

• How will we deliver a whole school approach?

• How will the ethical curriculum be reviewed andevaluated?

• How can school decision-making processessupport the values inherent in the ethicalcurriculum?

• How will we ensure that relationships in theschool reflect the values inherent in the ethicalcurriculum?

• How will we celebrate difference and diversity?

• How will we link with the wider communities ofwhich the school is a part?

4The Educate Together model is founded on a legal commitment to parents, staff and

children to run a school based on equality and respect irrespective of social, cultural orreligious background - the founding concepts are those underpinning human rights discourseand equality policy. Lynch and Baker (2005) point out that ‘there are two levels at whichequality of power is an issue in education. At the macro level, it concerns the institutionalisedprocedures for making decisions about school management, educational and curriculumplanning, and policy development and implementation. At the micro level, it concerns theinternal life of schools and colleges, in terms of relations between staff and students andamong the staff themselves’. An Educate Together second-level school will be characterised bythe culture that emerges from the structures, systems and practices that are shaped andguided by an ethos based on inclusion and equality. Each Educate Together second-levelschool will have a clearly articulated vision and shared set of core values, which will underpinall policies and practices as well as the management and structure of the school, and these willbe evident in the daily interactions of the school community.

The four core principles, as laid down in the Educate Together Charter (1990), will be thefoundation upon which the school community builds an inclusive and equality-basedlearning environment. All Educate Together schools:

1) are multi-denominational in character, ensuring that children and young people of allsocial, cultural and religious backgrounds have equal access to and rights within theschool;

2) are co-educational, thereby encouraging children and young people to learn and livetogether;

3) are child-centred, including and respecting individual student’s abilities to learn inunique ways.

4) Finally, Educate Together Schools are run on a democratic basis, encouraging activeparticipation by parents and students in the daily life of the school whilst positivelyaffirming the professional role of the teachers.

In an Educate Together second-level school the core principles will be clearly identifiableand will underpin the management, structure, policies and practices of each school, itsethos and its relationship with all communities in the neighbourhood. The approach toleadership, management and structure that would best embody the Educate Togetherethos at second-level has been widely explored through working groups and members’meetings. Central to this exploration has been how every Educate Together second-levelschool will develop its own unique response to its particular communities but the specificways in which the Educate Together principles and values find expression in an individualsecond-level school must be guided by the Educate Together core principles as well asthrough dialogue between the school and its community.

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Leadership,Management& Structure

4.1 Board of ManagementThe Board of Management of an Educate Togethersecond-level school will also evaluate itsperformance against the core principles at all levelsof school activity. The ethos of the Board ofManagement will be as important as the ethos ofthe school. The Board of Management of anEducate Together second-level school will berepresentative of its community - the schoolstaff, the student body, the parent body, thelocal community and the patron.

Banks (2009) points out ‘for students to internalisethe concept of human rights, they must haveexperiences in the school as well as in the largersociety that validate them as human beings; affirmtheir ethnic, cultural, racial, and linguistic identities;and empower them as citizens in the school and inthe larger society.’ The United Nations Conventionon the Rights of the Child (CRC), the most widelyratified international treaty and considered asrepresenting best international practice regardingchildren’s rights, states that ‘in all actions…the bestinterests of the child shall be a primaryconsideration; and that the child has the right toexpress their views in all matters that affect them’(Article 12(1)). As the founding concepts ofEducate Together are those underpinning humanrights discourse and equality policy, at second-levelstudents will participate on Educate Togetherschool boards of management as associatemembers. This will be one of several ways EducateTogether second-level schools will facilitate studentsto express their views in matters that affect them.Including students on boards of managements notonly gives a voice to young people on matters thataffect them, but also develops communication,reasoning, organisational and negotiating skills aswell as increasing a young person’s confidence intalking to other students and adults as they learn topositively influence school policy (Hannam 2005) –all necessary skills for lifelong learning.

4.2 Leadership Embodying an equality-based, culturally inclusiveand democratic ethos translates into action. Theethos of Educate Together second-level schools willbe seen ‘lived out’ in the ethical principles andeducational policies and practices upon which theschool strives to base all its activities. In EducateTogether second-level schools there will be a sharedvision, a shared purpose and shared values. Senge(1990) points out ‘when there is a genuine vision(as opposed to the all-too-familiar ‘visionstatement’), people excel and learn, not becausethey are told to, but because they want to’. In anEducate Together second-level school the Principalwill facilitate the clarifying, articulating and securingof a consensus as to the core values, vision andpurpose of the school. This will require a shareddecision-making process and shared leadership. Animportant role of the Principal will be to keepthe ethos and vision of the school visible,tangible and alive for everyone, so the ethoscan be experienced by all members of andvisitors to the school - as it will be the ‘naturaloutcome of what is actually happening within theschool’ (Hogan 1984).

Mulford and Silins (1998), in discussing schools aslearning organisations, point out that Principals notonly need to attend to vision and structure, but alsoneed to promote an atmosphere of caring andtrust, encourage staff to reflect on what they aredoing, model a personal commitment to learning,expect high standards of performance and takeaccount of broad staff opinion when makingdecisions. In an Educate Together second-levelschool the Principal will be aware of the keydimensions and multifaceted nature of the schoolleadership role and develop the knowledge, skills,attitudes, values and behaviours necessary forpersonal leadership; instructional leadership;transformational leadership; and organisationalleadership (Leadership Development for Schools,2002). Coolahan (2003) points out that high


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‘… keep the ethos and vision of the school visible, tangible andalive for everyone, so the ethos can be experienced by all membersof and visitors to the school …’

4 L e a d e r s h i p , M a n a g e m e n t & S t r u c t u re

quality school leadership is an essential pre-condition for effective and efficient schools and inan Educate Together second-level school thePrincipal will look within and beyond the school forsupport and expertise in developing andstrengthening these key dimensions.

Fullan (2005) suggests that the main mark ofeffective leaders is ‘how many effective leaders theycultivate and leave behind who can go even deeperthan they did’. Educate Together second-levelschools will be learning organisations whereleadership is distributed and where formal andinformal leadership roles are cultivated andsupported. The Principal will foster and encouragethe dispersal of the leadership roles throughout the

staff, in order to improve learning opportunities forall students and strengthen the school as aprofessional learning organisation. Hargreaves andFink (2006) draw attention to how research onteacher leadership has shown more significanteffects on student achievement than Principalleadership and that this has led to advocacy for thedevelopment of greater teacher leadership inschools. In an Educate Together second-levelschool staff will have a real opportunity toshare, contribute and take responsibility forcreating an inclusive, equality-based model ofeducation and a school culture where studentsare challenged and supported to engage inlearning and achieve. All staff, including teachingand other staff, will be involved in deliberately andsystematically developing a culture focused onimproving learning and the Principal, as the leadingprofessional in the school, by working with andthrough others, will establish an ethos thatpromotes excellence, equality and highexpectations for all students. The Principal willensure that the school is managed and organised inways that support the development of this cultureand in dispersing leadership roles throughout the

school will address some of the challengesdocumented in the Joint Managerial Body’s (JMB)Survey of Secondary School Principals (2005).

West-Burnham and O'Sullivan (1998) claim thatthose who are ‘responsible for student learningshould be learners themselves – not just subjectexperts but people who make mistakes, areanxious, are exhilarated by understanding and filledwith awe when something new is discovered’. Inan Educate Together second-level school thePrincipal will model an ongoing commitment tohis/her own learning and establish inclusivecollaborative structures and opportunities for staffto reflect on their professional beliefs, values,assumptions, goals and performance in relation to

student learning and the nature of effectiveteaching and learning. As a professionallearning organisation, there will be anexpectation in an Educate Together second-level school that all members are continuallyengaged in learning. Darling-Hammond (1996)suggests that students' right to learn is directly tiedto their teachers' opportunities to learn what theyneed to know and points to a number of factorsthat are important in enabling all students tosucceed:

• Structures for caring and structures for seriouslearning;

• Shared exhibitions of student work that make itclear what the school values and how studentsare doing;

• Structures that support teacher collaborationand focus on student learning;

• Structures for shared decision-making, andshared discourse about teaching and learning.

In an Educate Together second-level school thestructures, policies and practices will support and

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‘… school staff will have a real opportunity to share, contributeand take responsibility for creating an inclusive, equality-basedmodel of education and a school culture where students arechallenged and supported to engage in learning and achieve …’

develop the school as a caring and professionallearning organisation where staff collaborate onimproving student learning and well-being. Forexample staff will be involved in interdisciplinaryand curriculum planning teams, care teams,research teams, team teaching, peer support teamsand new staff induction programmes. Linking withthe wider community, other educationalorganisations and 3rd level institutions will also beseen as a resource that can enrich, support anddevelop the school as a learning community. In anEducate Together second-level school staff willbe supported to develop the necessaryknowledge and skills needed to understandand promote practices that respond to studentdiversity and foster participation of allstudents in their learning.

Coolahan (2003) points out that ‘good schoolplanning is likely to lead to an enhancement ofindividual effort and a strengthening of the schoolas a learning community’. In an Educate Togethersecond-level school, school developmentplanning will provide an opportunity topromote and plan for those policies andpractices necessary for the creation of alearning environment that is learner-centred,inclusive and equality-based. For example,school development planning will facilitate theevaluation of student participation across schoolactivities and subjects. This may mean examiningsuch areas as gender issues in relation to subjectpreference, or the participation by students withdisabilities in extra-curricular activities, or learningoutcomes for students with special educationalneeds and addressing these through theimplementation of specific school policies andpractices.

School development planning will also facilitate thedevelopment of policies and practices that ensurethe implementation of an ethical curriculum intothe day-to-day activities of the school that avoidswhat Kymlicka (2003) refers to as the‘commodification’ or ‘Disneyfication’ of culture –‘where a complex culture is reduced to a few ‘safe’items that can easily be understood and‘consumed’ by non-members, without reallyunderstanding the depths of a culture’s beliefs,hopes, loyalties, fears, and identities.’ Blair (2002)identifies leadership as a key issue in makingschools effective for students from minority ethnicbackgrounds. Blair’s research found that in orderfor minority students to achieve, the ethos of theschool must be based on diversity. For this to beachieved the leadership of the school should bedemocratic, but guided by a strong leader,generally the Principal.

The Educate Together inclusive and democraticprinciples will extend to the various sets ofrelationships in the school and will be built on abelief that leaders come from many places in anorganisation. An Educate Together second-levelschool will be participatory in both its formal andinformal structures and provide opportunities for allmembers of the school community to be involved,where applicable, in the academic, creative andsocial aspects of school life; in the full range oflearning experiences, both in the classroom and inextra-curricular settings; and in the decision-makingthat shapes the ethos of the school. An EducateTogether second-level school will also recognise‘that the quality of relationships betweenmanagement and staff, between school leadershipand staff, between staff members towards eachother and between staff and pupils is crucial to thedevelopment of a community ethos which gives asense of belonging’ (Coolahan 2003).

A particular strength of Educate Togethersecond-level schools will be the distribution ofleadership throughout the school community.Properly distributed leadership is not the delegationof some mundane tasks in order to lessen theworkload of Principals. It is not simply mutualcollaboration between teachers, or superficialconsultation with parents and students, although itencourages both collaboration and consultation. InEducate Together schools distributed leadership will


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‘… staff will be supported todevelop the necessaryknowledge and skills needed tounderstand and promotepractices that respond tostudent diversity and fosterparticipation …’


be understood as ‘leadership practice as stretchedover leaders’ (Spillane et al. 2005). It willconcentrate on ‘engaging expertise wherever itexists within the organisation’ (Harris 2004) and willinvolve the ‘interaction of multiple leaders’ (Muijs &Harris 2003). Distributing leadership in this way isnot only democratic, it also enhances capacitywithin the school (Fullan 2001, Stoll 2001, Harris2004), empowers members of the schoolcommunity (Muijs & Harris 2003) and facilitates thedevelopment of professional learning communities(Stoll & Bolam 2005).

4.3 Student Voice A school ethos that supports studentparticipation invests in young people’s well-being. Students’ active involvement in decisionsabout their lives enables them to becomesuccessful learners, confident individuals andresponsible citizens. To enable learners toparticipate in society and the wider world in aneffective and constructive way, an Educate Togethersecond-level school will foster democratic andinclusive values and support student participation.

Dewey (1916) highlights how ‘the democratisationof schooling relations is necessary because of itsintrinsic educational value’. In an Educate Togethersecond-level school the Principal and staff have acrucial role to play, along with the broader schoolcommunity, in fostering inclusive and democraticvalues and maintaining a democratically runlearning organisation. Apple and Beane (1999)suggest that educators, parents and the communitycommitted to creating democratic schoolsunderstand that doing so involves more that theeducation of students. Democratic schools are

democratic places where the idea of democracyextends to the many roles that adults play in theschool and ‘result from explicit attempts byeducators to put in place arrangements andopportunities that will bring democracy to life.These arrangements and opportunities involvecreating democratic structures and processes bywhich life in school is carried out and to create acurriculum that will give young people democraticexperiences’.

Educate Together primary schools involve studentsin authentic decision-making, with learnersinvolved in student councils, unions, committees orworking groups. The benefits of this participationhave been seen across a range of educationaloutcomes, including general attainment, personaldevelopment and well-being. At second-level,Educate Together will build on this experience andat the most basic level of participation, studentswill not only share their opinions andsuggestions on issues that affect themthrough student councils, but at a moresophisticated level of participation, studentswill share their voice by collaborating indecision-making with teachers and adults toimprove educational outcomes.

Rudduck (2003) points out that ‘the principles andvalues of pupil voice and participation must bethreaded through the daily interactions andcommunications of school life and reflect acoherent and widely supported set of values andprinciples’. The democratic and learner-centredprinciples that underpin the Educate Together ethoswill mean providing multiple opportunities forstudents to participate and influence school affairsat second-level. Booth (2003) points out theimportance of voice in inclusive education andstates that ‘those who are determined to addressinequalities may have a clear idea about whatneeds to be done, but inclusion is not somethingwhich can be imposed from outside, but must bebased on the views and perceptions of all thoseinvolved, first and foremost those of children and

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‘a school ethos that supportsstudent participation invests inyoung people’s well-being’

‘… at a more sophisticated level of participation, students willshare their voice by collaborating in decision-making withteachers and adults to improve educational outcomes …’

young people themselves’. The leadership,management and structure of an EducateTogether second-level school will facilitate,support and develop student participation inschool affairs and see listening to the voices ofthe students in the school as central to thedevelopment of the Educate Together coreprinciples. As there are some forms of‘participatory practice’ to be avoided – tokenism,manipulation and decoration – an EducateTogether second-level school community will useHart’s (1994) ‘Ladder of Participation’ oradaptations thereof, as a model for thinking aboutand planning for student participation that resultsin young people being empowered to influencedecisions that affect their lives.

Strategies enabling student voice, studentleadership and student participation are alsoeffective in challenging prejudice-related bullyingand promoting equality and diversity. Harnessingstudent voice as part of a whole school policyto counter bullying will be seen, in an Educate

Together second-level school, as an importantand effective element in the development of alearning environment where all students –irrespective of gender, ethnicity, dis/ability,social class, sexual orientation, etc. – aretreated with dignity and respect. The benefitsof involving students as partners in their learning,and involving students in authentic decision-making, are also well documented e.g. thedevelopment of critical thinking, advocacy and

influencing skills, heightened self-esteem or self-confidence and an increased sense of self-efficacyand personal and collective responsibility (Rudduck& Flutter 2000, 2004; Rudduck 2005; Fletcher2005; Fielding 2001; Mitra 2003). Each EducateTogether second-level school will have a policy onstudent participation, drawn up in consultationwith all members of the school community and willincorporate such practices as:

• students making decisions about what and howthey learn and how their learning is assessed;

• students participating in curricular planningmeetings;

• students co-creating new school designs;

• students taking part in teacher/student andstudent/student working groups on schoolimprovement;

• students linking with Boards of Management

• students contributing to the appointmentprocess for positions in the school.

(Grace 1999; Cruddas 2005; Jackson 2005)

In an Educate Together second-level schoolmeaningful involvement of students will mean‘validating and authorising them to represent theirown ideas, opinions, knowledge and experiencesthroughout education in order to improve ourschools’ (Fletcher 2005). At second-level, anEducate Together school will provide opportunitiesfor increased student involvement that extendsbeyond consultation over matters such as uniform,litter and fund-raising. The centrality of studentvoice in an Educate Together second-level schoolwill be visible in the day-to day practices of theschool, its management, structures and policies andclassroom practices and interactions. EducateTogether second-level schools, by facilitatingstudents’ age-appropriate active involvementin decisions that affect them, will develop in


34

‘… leadership, management andstructure … will facilitate,support and develop studentparticipation in school affairs …’

‘harnessing student voice … effective element in the developmentof a learning environment where all students – irrespective ofgender, ethnicity, dis/ability, social class, sexual orientation, etc –are treated with dignity and respect’


learners those competencies necessary forlifelong learning and active civic engagement.

4.4 Parent VoiceEducate Together schools are democraticallyorganised and governed. Educate Together schoolsare set up and developed by groups of parents in alocal area who wish to send their children to aschool that is intentionally and purposefully multi-denominational, learner-centred, co-educationaland democratically run. Parental participation is akey element of the Educate Together ethos. Themanagement, structures, policies and day-to-daypractices of Educate Together schools havedemonstrated the ways in which parents andteachers recognise their shared interests in, andresponsibilities for, children. The feasibility studycarried out by Trinity College Dublin (Seery et al.2008) provides clear evidence that parents whosend their children to Educate Together primaryschools wish to continue to participate in an activeway in their children’s second-level education.

Parental participation in Educate Togetherschools goes beyond parental involvement onBoards of Management and ParentAssociations and at second-level EducateTogether will continue to pioneer thispartnership approach in Ireland. Through thedevelopment of its democratic principle, ‘to enablethe highest level of participation and partnership’(Educate Together Charter 1990) Educate Togethersecond-level schools will continue to involveparents in the educational process and extend theeducational opportunities available to learners,while positively affirming the professional role ofthe teacher (Educate Together Charter 1990).A significant body of research over the last 30years indicates that parental participation has a

positive impact on student outcomes (Epstein2001; Henderson and Berla 1994; Flouri 2006; Tett2001; Hall et al 2008). Educate Together second-level school leadership, management and structureswill support parental participation both formallyand informally. Multiple opportunities forparticipation will be developed, from participationon boards of management, parent associations andschool committees, to involvement in everydayschool activities such as:

• participating in classroom activities;

• organising and facilitating extra-curricularactivities;

• supporting activities such as paired reading andpaired maths;

• developing and/or assisting with artistic, musical,dramatic, linguistic, or scientific andtechnological programmes;

• supporting the delivery of Educate Together’sdistinct ethical curriculum.

This unique partnership approach in EducateTogether second-level schools will be based onmutual respect and ‘a critical understanding ofequality, recognising that both the parent andteacher have a particular knowledge and expertiseto share’ (Dunst et al. 1992).

4.5 ConclusionThe OECD report Schooling for Tomorrow (2006)points out that the challenge for schools ‘is to allychoice with voice: voice for the pupil, voice for theparent. That is the new frontier for education.Personalised learning aims to engage everyparent and every child in the educationalexperience. Only if we offer the best to studentswill we get the best. And it means a school ethosfocused on student needs, with the whole schoolteam taking time to find out the needs andinterests of the students; with students listened toand their voice used to drive whole schoolimprovement; and with the leadership teamproviding a clear focus for the progress and

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‘… students’ age-appropriateactive involvement in decisionsthat affect them …’

‘parental participation …will continue to pioneer this partnershipapproach in Ireland’


36

achievement of each child.’ Educate Togethersecond-level schools, through their leadershipteam, school management and structures, willpromote collective responsibility within the wholeschool community for the development of a sharedvision and purpose, focused on creating the bestlearning environment where all students canachieve and become enthusiastic, independentlearners, committed to lifelong learning.

Key Questions for Reflection andFurther Exploration by SchoolCommunities:• What are the likely needs of those students who

become Associate Members of BoMs (Boards ofManagement) and how might these be bestmet?

• What are the pitfalls of Associate Membership,for young people or the wider BoM body?

• How does the school create a shared and clearlyarticulated vision, set of values and purpose andhow will the vision and values be demonstratedin everyday practices?

• How does the school make time available andbuild in structures for review and strategicthinking and planning?

• How will strategic planning take account of thediversity, values and experience of the schooland wider community?

• How will staff share best practice?

• How will school organisation, structures andpolicies support the implementation of a diverse,flexible curriculum and an effective assessmentframework?

• How will underperformance at all levels beaddressed and improvement supported?

• How will the school produce and implementclear, evidence-based improvement plans andpolicies for the development of the school?

• How is monitoring and evaluation of teachingand learning, and student achievements, builtinto school structures, policies and practices?

• How will the professional development needs ofall staff (including support staff and the Principal)be planned, organised and evaluated?

• How will leadership be distributed anddispersed?

• What are the barriers to sharing and distributingleadership and how can these barriers beovercome?

• How will staff responsibilities be acknowledgedand how will the achievements of individualsand teams be celebrated?

• How will the Principal ensure that effectiveplanning, clear delegation of tasks anddevolution of responsibilities are supported?

• What needs to be in place for a school climateto develop that encourages people to takecalculated risks and develop innovative andcreative strategies for school improvement?

• How will the Principal and school staff use andintegrate a range of technologies so the schoolis managed effectively and efficiently?

• How will the Principal balance the leadership aswell as administrative and management roles?

• What structures, policies and practices need tobe in place to support authentic studentparticipation?

• How will a diverse student voice be involved inthese structures?

• What are the barriers and pitfalls to studentinvolvement and how will these be addressed?

• What structures, policies and practices need tobe in place to support parental involvement?

• What are the barriers and pitfalls to parentalinvolvement and how will these be addressed?

• How will the school develop clearly articulatedguiding principles and practices for parentalinvolvement so the professional role of theteacher is positively affirmed?

• How will the school recruit, retain and deploystaff appropriately and manage their workloadto achieve the vision and goals of the school?

• How will the school collaborate with otheragencies in providing for the academic, spiritual,moral, social, emotional and cultural well-beingof students?

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5The BuiltEnvironment

In providing the best possible learning environment for young people an EducateTogether school community must consider how the architecture, layout, décor and

facilities of a school play a vital role in shaping the learning environment and how theyinfluence students’ academic performance and well-being in school. Researchdemonstrates that well-designed school environments help generate a positive schoolethos, effective learning and teaching, good health and well-being in students and staff,as well as supportive relationships with families and the surrounding community(Higgins et al. 2005; Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit 2005; Commission forArchitecture and the Built Environment 2002; Fisher 2000; Clarke 2002).

The working group on the Built Environment & Campus, as well as participants atGeneral Members’ Meetings, explored the importance of school design. A numberof core design concepts emerged from these discussions – school buildings shouldbe exciting, welcoming, light, flexible, well maintained and safe places for thosewho work, learn, play and socialise in them. Central to these discussions was howschool design can communicate the Educate Together ethos and how the EducateTogether core principles can be promoted through building design. In general termsbringing the Educate Together ethos and principles into school building design willrequire considering such issues as efficiency and sustainability, functionality andflexibility, building in context, accessibility, democratised spaces and aestheticquality.

5.1 Educate Together Principles inPractice

Educate Together schools are inclusive. Designing alearning environment that promotes inclusionmeans considering the different needs of thosewho will use the space. For example, physicalaccess, acoustics, signage and colour schemes areall factors in ensuring effective teaching andlearning for all students, but are essential for somestudents with disabilities or special educationalneeds. Educate Together second-level schools willbe learner-centred. Designing spaces thatincorporate moveable partitions can facilitate theuse of learner-centred active teaching and learningapproaches, allow for the creation of smallerpersonalised learning communities within a largeschool and support a collegial culture and not the‘egg box culture’ that leads to teacher isolation as

described by Hargreaves (1992). ‘Real life’ authenticlearning experiences can be facilitated by a designthat views the external school landscape as aresource that can enrich teaching and extendlearning beyond the walls of the classroom and thepages of the textbook. In the global, networkedenvironments of the 21st century, incorporatingtechnology into the design of learning spaces willbe vital so all learners can develop the skillsnecessary for success in their lives and careers. AnEducate Together school community will considerhow school design can enrich the teaching andlearning environment and support and develop theEducate Together core principles.

The NCCA (2004) pointed out that a changedschool culture at senior cycle will mean viewing thephysical spaces and facilities within schoolsdifferently and will necessitate investment inlibraries; ICT equipped learning spaces; socialspaces; and access to learning environmentsbeyond the school. These are seen as necessary inorder to accommodate the varied approaches tothe management and experience of learning forsenior students. In an Educate Together second-level school flexible learning spaces suitablefor personalised learning will be necessary forall learners.

An Educate Together second-level schoolcommunity will consider how to create a schoolbuilding for use beyond its conventional function.This will involve the school community and schooldesigners finding new and exciting ways forstudents, teachers, parents and the widercommunity to interact with those who design andbuild schools, and with those who work and learnin them.

5.2 Student InputWoolner et al. (2007) point out that there has beena change in the language surrounding educationalarchitecture, which privileges consultation andensures that in the initial stages of design teachers,parents and students are able to have a voice. It isinteresting to note that Principals consulted as partof the Trinity College Feasibility Study for theOpening of a Second-level School by EducateTogether (Seery et al. 2008) also highlighted thebenefit of involving students in school design.

The Sorrell Foundation, an education charity in theUK, has explored how listening to the voice ofstudents can improve school design. Through theirwork with students on how school design canimprove, the foundation discovered the foundationidentified some common concerns, including theserelating to the built environment:

• Colour: students want calming colours inlearning spaces but vibrant colours in socialspaces. They also like areas to be branded withthe school colours.

• Communication: websites should be easy to usewith links to homework sites and information onevents, clubs and up-to-date news.

• Dinner Halls: pet hates are long queues, toomuch noise and not enough choice.

• Learning Spaces: flexible spaces with goodacoustics and good ICT facilities are popular.

• Reception Areas: students want a friendly,comfortable reception area with space to displaythe work and achievements of the students.

• Reputation and Identity: they want their schoolto have a good reputation in their community.

• Senior Spaces: seniors want a more ‘grown-up’area that is distinct but still integral to theschool.


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‘… flexible learning spaces suitablefor personalised learning …’

5 T h e B u i l t E n v i ro n m e n t

• Social Spaces: students want more seats andsheltered areas and spaces where they canexercise.

• Storage: lockers are a big issue for students.They want a safe space to keep their belongings.

• Sustainability: they want environmentally friendlyschools that save energy, do more recycling andprovide bike sheds.

• Toilets: students are critical of poor toilet facilitiesand named them as places where bullying takesplace

• Furniture: a common theme was the need forsturdy, comfortable vandal-proof desks andchairs that can be adjusted and easily moved tobe used in different arrangements.

• Inclusion: the buildings need to be suitable forchildren with disabilities and welcoming tochildren of all nationalities and backgrounds.

• Safety and Security: students want places toreport bullying in confidence and securitymeasures that are effective without beingoppressive.

(Sorrell Foundation, 2008)

Internationally examples exist where studentcouncils have acted as consultants to architectscommissioned to design new school buildings andwhere teachers have used the design process todevelop student awareness of the builtenvironment and design issues (Rudduck 2003).

Other benefits of student participation in thedesign process include opportunities for developingskills such as creative thinking, problem solving,research, investigation, decision-making andworking in teams, as these are all elements of thedesign process. In an Educate Together second-level school (wherever possible and withinfinancial constraints), the design process andthe school building will be viewed as a richlearning opportunity and a teaching andlearning resource.

5.3 The Building as a LearningResource

Educate Together schools are learner-centred. Theteaching and learning methodologies used activelyinvolve students in their learning and reflect themultiple ways young people learn and engage withthe world.

The concept of using the school building as alearning resource is not new. Examples exist bothnationally and internationally where educators anddesigners have worked together to identify lessonsthe building can teach and provide new ways forstudents to interact and learn in school. Forexample windows arranged to suggest the musicalnotes of a song, floor patterns inspired bygeometrical shapes, school façades that reflect theculture and tradition of the communities they serve,can be incorporated into school buildings (OECD2005).

Other innovative designs use the different structuralsystems to provide lessons on how they work.Using features to enhance students’ understandingof how buildings work, as well as using the designand construction process as a teaching vehicle, arealso highlighted by Department of Education andScience school design guidelines (DES 2007). In anEducate Together second-level school some of theways building design and construction could beused in the curriculum and as a learning resourcecould include: strategically exposing structural

systems around the building and installing themwith learning tools such as meters and gauges forobservation and investigation; or using ‘truthwindows’ that show the construction of ductingand cabling behind walls; or displaying lines oflongitude and latitude in the hall or yard (OECD2005).

The outdoor landscape can also provide ‘a valuableresource for teaching and learning across the wholecurriculum, as well as for children’s emotional,social and cultural development’ (DES 2007). The

39

‘… the design process and the school building will be viewed as arich learning opportunity and a teaching and learning resource’

external landscape can provide an opportunity toextend learning by providing, for example, a settingfor hands-on lessons on science and ecology.Developing specialised outdoor learning areas suchas a water habitat or a community garden canprovide a rich resource for teachers and ‘real life’authentic learning experiences for students.

The school building design also offers anopportunity to teach about sustainability and abouthow buildings impact on the environment - theircarbon footprint, the effect of pollutants onclimatic change, wildlife and vegetation. In keepingwith DES guidelines, as well as the EducateTogether ethos, the design of an Educate Togethersecond-level school will ‘be developed onenvironmentally friendly and ecologically soundprinciples with genuine commitment tosustainability issues which conserve use of energy,water and other resources’ (DES 2007). Buildingdesign will be seen as an opportunity for anEducate Together second-level schoolcommunity to teach, practice and promoteenvironmentally sustainable behaviours.

5.4 ConclusionA school environment immediately conveyspowerful statements about learning and aboutwhat the school values and considers important. Atsecond-level school design will provide anopportunity for students, teachers, parents and thewider community to participate in creating a sharedvision for their school and create a building thatinspires teaching and learning and supportsparticipation and inclusion. Good school design willenhance the broader Educate Together aims atsecond-level, such as the inclusion of students withspecial educational needs, or the promotion oflearner-centred active teaching strategies or thedevelopment of student well-being through thecreation of smaller learning communities for 1stYears making the adjustment from the intimateatmosphere of the primary school environment.The built environment will express theEducate Together ethos and provide a settingthat enhances and supports the way studentslearn, teachers teach and the wider schoolcommunity interacts.

Key Questions for Reflection andFurther Exploration by SchoolCommunities:• How is the ethos of the school expressed and

supported by the design?

• How does the school environment provideopportunities for fostering good interpersonalrelationships – e.g. are there comfortable spacesto relax and socialise in?

• How well do the building and outdoor spacespromote an ongoing whole school commitmentto environmental sustainability?

• To what extent will the design of the buildingand outdoor spaces facilitate the elimination ofbullying?

• How will the design encourage all to bephysically active and to socialise?

• How do the school grounds enable the ‘outdoorclassroom’ approach?

• How can classrooms and other learning spacesbe designed so they are adaptable and support avariety of classroom organisationalarrangements, methodologies and the creationof smaller learning communities within a largeschool?

• How can the sports and recreational facilities bedesigned to meet the needs of all, takingaccount of issues such as privacy, disability andreligious beliefs?

• How does the building design support theintegration of ICT and new technologies intoteaching and learning?

• How does the building design maximiseopportunities for 21st century teaching andlearning approaches (e.g. team teaching, peertutoring, interdisciplinary curricula, multi-agegroupings, co-operative learning, project-basedlearning, and multi-media learning)?

• How will building design take account of‘student voice’?

• How will we want to use the building in 5 or 10years from now?


40

‘… provide a setting that enhances and supports the way studentslearn, teachers teach and the wider school community interacts’

6Conclusion The Educate Together model at primary level is mature and tested. Educate Together

now wants the opportunity to pilot this approach at second-level. The model isbased on robust legal foundations upon which has been built a philosophical approach,a management methodology and an internationally recognised ethical educationcurriculum. The Feasibility Study for the Opening of a Second-level School by EducateTogether (Seery et al. 2008) confirmed that there is no equivalent second-level modelcurrently operating in Ireland, and that the creation of such schools is feasible.

This blueprint is an overview of some of the key concepts involved in the EducateTogether model at second-level. It is a work in progress and will develop into thefuture and continue to be influenced by the broad Educate Together communityand by national and international research.

We understand that the approaches described in this document will require thesupport of many – students, parents and particularly that of pioneering teachersand educational leaders – who are excited to explore and develop this approachwith us. We look forward to working alongside many partners to support a cultureof sustained professional learning across the system for the benefit of all childrenand young people in our schools.

“We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.”

T.S. Eliot Four Quartets 4: Little Gidding

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This advisory panel was assembled to provide a sounding board of “critical friends” as Educate Togetherpolicy on second-level education develops. The aim of assembling an advisory panel is to ensure that theproject proceeds in the most informed manner possible, with reference to all key stakeholders, academicsand other interested parties in education, as well as with reference to current Irish and internationalresearch.

Members of the Advisory Panel to the Educate Together Second-level Project:

Denise Charlton, Chief Executive Officer, Immigrant Council of Ireland

Professor Sheelagh Drudy, Chair of Education, University College Dublin

Ruth Gallagher, Human Rights Education Officer, Amnesty International Irish Section

Dr Jim Gleeson, Senior Lecturer, Dept of Education and Professional Studies, University of Limerick

Sandra Gowran, Director of Education Policy, GLEN - Gay and Lesbian Equality Network

Annette Honan, Education Consultant

Professor Åine Hyland, Former Professor of Education and Vice-President, University College Cork andfounder member of the Dalkey School Project

Professor Kathleen Lynch, Professor of Equality Studies, University College Dublin

Dr Carmel Mulcahy, Head of Education Studies, Dublin City University

Dr Aidan Seery, Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Trinity College Dublin

Dr Emer Smyth, Senior Research Officer, Economic and Social Research Institute

Rose Tully, National Parents Council, Post-primary

Dr Fionnuala Waldron, Chair of Centre for Human Rights and Citizenship Education, St Patrick’s College,Drumcondra

Derek West, Arts Administrator for Creative Engagement [NAPD] and former Principal of NewparkComprehensive School

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Educate Together NationalSchools 2008-2009

Adamstown Castle Educate Together N.S., Station Road, Adamstown, Co. Dublin.

Ardee Educate Together N.S. Dundalk Road, Ardee, Co. Louth.

Aston Village Educate Together N.S.Dunlin Street, Aston Village, Drogheda, Co. Louth.

Balbriggan Educate Together N.S.Hamlet Lane, Moylaragh, Co. Dublin.

Belmayne Educate Together N.S.Belmayne, Dublun 13.

Blessington Educate Together N.S.Red Lane, Blessington, Co. Wicklow.

Bracken Educate Together N.S.Castlelands, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin.

Bray School ProjectKillarney Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow.

Carlow Educate Together N.SUnit 5, Shamrock Business Park, Graiguecullen,Carlow.

Carrigaline Educate Together N.SCarrigaline, Co. Cork.

Castaheany Educate Together N.S.Ongar Village, Dublin 15.

Castleknock Educate Together N.S.Beechpark Avenue, Castleknock, Dublin 15.

Claregalway Educate Together N.S.Cloonbiggen Road, Claregalway, Co. Galway.

Cork School ProjectGrattan Street, Cork.

Dalkey School ProjectGlenageary Lodge, Glenageary, Co. Dublin.

Donabate/Portrane Educate Together N.S.Ballisk Common, off Portrane RoadDonabate, Co. Dublin.

Dublin 7 Educate Together N.S.C/o St. Joseph’s, Navan Road, Dublin 7.

Ennis Educate Together N.S.Gort Road, Ennis, Co. Clare.

Esker Educate Together N.S.c/o Adamstown Castle ETNS, Station Road,Adamstown, Co. Dublin.

Gaelscoil an Ghoirt ÁlainnAibhinne Murmont, Gort Álainn, Corcaigh.

Galway Educate Together N.S.Thomas Hynes Road, Newcastle, Galway.

Glasnevin Educate Together N.S.Church Avenue, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.

Gorey Educate Together N.S.Kilnahue Lane, Gorey, Co. Wexford.

Greystones Educate Together N.SBlacklion, Greystones, Co. Wicklow.

Griffeen Valley Educate Together N.S.Griffeen Glen Boulevard, Lucan, Co. Dublin.

Griffith Barracks Multi-Denominational SchoolThe Old Guardhouse,South Circular Road, Dublin 8

Kilcolgan Educate Together N.SColgan Court, Kilcolgan,Co. Galway.

Kilkenny School ProjectSpringfield, Waterford Road, Kilkenny.

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Le Chéile Educate Together N.S.Mornington Rd., Drogheda, Co. Louth.

Letterkenny Educate Together N.S.Ballyraine Halls, Ballyraine,Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.

Limerick City East Educate Together N.S.C/o Young Munster Rugby ClubRosbrien, Limerick.

Limerick School ProjectO'Connell Avenue, Limerick.

Lucan Educate Together N.S.Mount Bellew Way, WillsbrookLucan, Co. Dublin.

Lucan East Educate Together N.SKishogue Cross, Off Griffeen Avenue, Lucan, Co.Dublin.

Maynooth Educate Together N.SCelbridge Rd, Maynooth, Co Kildare

Midleton Educate Together N.S.c/o Midleton Rugby Club, Towns Park, Midleton,Co. Cork.

Monkstown Educate Together N.S.Kill Avenue, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Mullingar Educate Together N.S.Rathgowan, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.

Navan Educate Together N.S.Commons Road, Navan, Co. Meath.

Newbridge Educate Together N.S.Rosetown, Newbridge. Co. Kildare.

North Bay Educate Together N.S.Greendale Avenue, Kilbarrack, Dublin 5.

North Dublin National School ProjectBallymun Road. Dublin 9.

North Kildare Educate Together SchoolClane Road, Celbridge, Co. Kildare.

Ranelagh Multi-Denominational SchoolRanelagh Rd, Dublin 6.

Rathfarnham Educate Together N.S.Loreto Avenue, RathfarnhamDublin 14.

Rush and Lusk Educate Together N.S.Rathmore Road, Lusk, Co. Dublin.

Skerries Educate Together N.SKelly’s Bay, Skerries, Co. Dublin.

Sligo School ProjectAbbey Quarter, Sligo.

Swords Educate Together N.S.Applewood, Swords, Co. Dublin.

Thornleigh Educate Together N.S.Applewood Village, Swords, Co. Dublin.

Tralee Educate Together N.S.Collis-Sandes House, Killeen Road, Oakpark, Tralee,Co. Kerry.

Tullamore Educate Together N.S.Collins Lane, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.

Tyrrellstown Educate Together N.SPowerstown Road, TyrrellstownDublin 15.

Waterford Educate Together N.S.Morrisons Avenue, TycorWaterford City.

Wexford Educate Together N.SSt Mary’s, Summerhill, Clonard, Wexford.

Wicklow Educate Together N.S.Marine House,The Murrough, Wicklow.


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a blueprint for an educate together second-level school

Documents