Choose Your Own Subject
As part of the Transition Year curriculum the school operates an ‘It’s Your Choice’ module. English, Irish & Maths lessons are timetabled concurrently and students can choose which lesson to attend each day.
There is an on-line booking system in place and students must sign up each evening for the classes they are attending the following day. Over the half term students are expected to rotate through these areas, taking responsibility for the emphasis, pace and direction of their learning.
The benefits have been multitudinous. Initially, the level of interest and excitement generated for these core subjects by the introduction of the new system alone was encouraging. However, the real benefits emerged as students began to engage with each subject on their own terms and at their own pace. In groups, pairs or independent, TY Choose Your Own Subject has allowed some students to focus on projects with intensity while for other students, mixing the subjects regularly kept them on task and interested.
The option to attend, for example, an English lesson to review the topic for that half-term and then leave it for a few days has seen students’ ideas germinate, students doing preparatory work in their own time such as researching and reading texts at home, or up-skilling their videography competency.
The model involves the teacher preparing an innovative course and uploading resources to our online learning platform. In designing and planning the modules of work teachers have to be mindful that the cohort of students in their classroom will never be the same on any given day. This is a truly personalised approach to learning, students working at their own pace and completing their assessments when they feel confident to do so.
There are sets of deadlines within each modules to give students and parents the confidence of knowing that whilst their teachers trust them to be autonomous as learners they also want to challenge them.
There is an on-line booking system in place and students must sign up each evening for the classes they are attending the following day. Over the half term students are expected to rotate through these areas, taking responsibility for the emphasis, pace and direction of their learning.
The benefits have been multitudinous. Initially, the level of interest and excitement generated for these core subjects by the introduction of the new system alone was encouraging. However, the real benefits emerged as students began to engage with each subject on their own terms and at their own pace. In groups, pairs or independent, TY Choose Your Own Subject has allowed some students to focus on projects with intensity while for other students, mixing the subjects regularly kept them on task and interested.
The option to attend, for example, an English lesson to review the topic for that half-term and then leave it for a few days has seen students’ ideas germinate, students doing preparatory work in their own time such as researching and reading texts at home, or up-skilling their videography competency.
The model involves the teacher preparing an innovative course and uploading resources to our online learning platform. In designing and planning the modules of work teachers have to be mindful that the cohort of students in their classroom will never be the same on any given day. This is a truly personalised approach to learning, students working at their own pace and completing their assessments when they feel confident to do so.
There are sets of deadlines within each modules to give students and parents the confidence of knowing that whilst their teachers trust them to be autonomous as learners they also want to challenge them.
The student is introduced to the course by the teacher on a 1:1 basis through video or face to face and the goals are indicated. From this point on the student takes ownership over their learning journey. It is then essentially a flipped learning experience with the teacher present to facilitate and mentor the student’s progress, if and when appropriate. The students have the initiative.
A result of such empowerment has seen students research related topics and suggest follow on projects. Using the model in the TY programme has been a perfect combination, allowing the curricula freedom to truly educate through lighting fires rather than filling pails. |
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Teachers organisation of the learning is different across all three subjects, there are elements of flipped learning and project work, across the three subject areas there is an emphasis on encouraging creative and critical thinking.
Across all three modules the students experience learning in a different way. more diverse way, In English they have used GarageBand to create sounds in the world of a poem or a novel, chronicled their own stories using iMovie and created an ebook anthology of their collective work. In Irish they have worked through uploaded teacher produced videos, created their own audio, designed Comic Strips as Gaeilge and worked in teams to create graphic novels. An entirely ‘homemade’ version of the Cube gameshow in was one of the outputs in Maths. By-products of the model include increasing organisation skills and differentiated resources and tuition.
Attendance data from the initial pilot indicate that the students divided their time relatively evenly between all three subjects. As with all new initiatives there have been challenges. The workload involved in the initial set up was significant for teachers and the students needed support and encouragement at the outset to book their lessons and meet their deadlines.
Our aim to provide our students with a truly personalised learning experience inspires and sustains the TY Choose Your Own Subject initiative. The success of this curricular innovation would not have been possible without the iPad and suite of Apple apps which supported the delivery of the module, the student engagement and the assessment.
Across all three modules the students experience learning in a different way. more diverse way, In English they have used GarageBand to create sounds in the world of a poem or a novel, chronicled their own stories using iMovie and created an ebook anthology of their collective work. In Irish they have worked through uploaded teacher produced videos, created their own audio, designed Comic Strips as Gaeilge and worked in teams to create graphic novels. An entirely ‘homemade’ version of the Cube gameshow in was one of the outputs in Maths. By-products of the model include increasing organisation skills and differentiated resources and tuition.
Attendance data from the initial pilot indicate that the students divided their time relatively evenly between all three subjects. As with all new initiatives there have been challenges. The workload involved in the initial set up was significant for teachers and the students needed support and encouragement at the outset to book their lessons and meet their deadlines.
Our aim to provide our students with a truly personalised learning experience inspires and sustains the TY Choose Your Own Subject initiative. The success of this curricular innovation would not have been possible without the iPad and suite of Apple apps which supported the delivery of the module, the student engagement and the assessment.
Shoes that Fit - A reflection on 'TY Choose Your Own' presented at Féilte, the festival of Education in Learning & Teaching Excellence, by our TY Coordinator
“Imagine yourself at the starting line of a 100m sprint.
Your coach hands you the shoes you’ll be running in.
You squeeze both your feet into them - they’re far too small.
Your coach hands you the shoes you’ll be running in.
You squeeze both your feet into them - they’re far too small.
The gun goes off and you struggle to get up to top speed - though you try, the restriction of the tight shoes is holding you back - FRUSTRATION
Fast forward a few weeks, and it’s race day number 2. Your coach hands you a different pair of shoes. 10 seconds to the gun BUT you feel more like a clown than an athlete. On your marks, get set, GO! (gun) You’re tripping over these shoes that are far too big, you’re now so far behind the pack that you consider GIVING UP, you’ll never be good enough. |
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Then comes the 3rd race of the season.
A new coach, a new way and a new pair of shoes. The race begins, you start well, much improved, you’re feeling good and its bearing fruits on the track You cross the line with a new PB. ELATION.
The problem before - shoes too small, shoes too big.
The SOLUTION, shoes that fit!
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
In the world of running and feet OR in the world of education - in teaching, in learning, even timetabling!
When shoes are too small, we limit our students especially the gifted & talented - ‘Well done on completing that work, just wait there now for the class’ or ‘have another go at that there while you’re waiting’ - Frustration sets in.
When shoes are too big, students can feel disheartened, although perhaps well intentioned, the student doubts they’ll ever ‘grow’ into this size shoe - they’re too far behind. they certainly wont be performing at their best and progress at their most efficient rate.
BUT when shoes fit - the student is progressing at their optimum with their coach or teacher adjusting their shoe size to help them as they run their race of learning. I believe this is greatest benefit of technology in education. Just as olympic teams use technology to adjust minute details of their approach, so to can the teacher for each of their students. Technology makes it easy.
This goal of providing our students with shoes that fit inspires and sustains the TY Choose Your Own Subject initiative. The model provides the students with shoes that fit but it also also creativity flourish as the goal can be a figurative ‘gold medal’ with the student enjoying the freedom to even choose their event!
A new coach, a new way and a new pair of shoes. The race begins, you start well, much improved, you’re feeling good and its bearing fruits on the track You cross the line with a new PB. ELATION.
The problem before - shoes too small, shoes too big.
The SOLUTION, shoes that fit!
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
In the world of running and feet OR in the world of education - in teaching, in learning, even timetabling!
When shoes are too small, we limit our students especially the gifted & talented - ‘Well done on completing that work, just wait there now for the class’ or ‘have another go at that there while you’re waiting’ - Frustration sets in.
When shoes are too big, students can feel disheartened, although perhaps well intentioned, the student doubts they’ll ever ‘grow’ into this size shoe - they’re too far behind. they certainly wont be performing at their best and progress at their most efficient rate.
BUT when shoes fit - the student is progressing at their optimum with their coach or teacher adjusting their shoe size to help them as they run their race of learning. I believe this is greatest benefit of technology in education. Just as olympic teams use technology to adjust minute details of their approach, so to can the teacher for each of their students. Technology makes it easy.
This goal of providing our students with shoes that fit inspires and sustains the TY Choose Your Own Subject initiative. The model provides the students with shoes that fit but it also also creativity flourish as the goal can be a figurative ‘gold medal’ with the student enjoying the freedom to even choose their event!