It is now mid September and already it feels like you have been back for ages already. It is such a busy month at so many different levels, you have to move from first to fifth gear in an instant and today you have to try to stay in top gear for the rest of the year.
September is also of course a very important month for Transition Year. It is when you hope to lay down the foundations and expectations for the coming year. At this stage the Junior Cert results have come and gone thankfully. It would be so much better if these arrived at the end of August but that is a debate for another day.
Having a good induction programme is vital to kick start the year. It provides the students with the opportunity to bond as a group, to understand the concept of Transition Year and to lay down the goals and expectations for year ahead.
The nature of the induction very much depends on school resources and needs and has to be tailored accordingly with much of the preparation having probably been put in place last May. Most are a combination of in house and out of school activities but it is essential to put time and effort into the preparation. The PE department is often very helpful in laying out induction and teamwork activities. I think it is helpful if the students create their own motto for the year to capture their aims and expectations and to give an added sense of ownership.
There are any number of service providers who provide a wide and varied range of induction and teambuilding programmes across the country, all you have to do is look at the listing on the site. In recent years in Ashbourne Community School we used Causey Farm in Kells, Celtic Adventures in Clogherhead and Carlingford Adventure Centre, all of which offer excellent and different programmes. Look up what is available in your area, see what other TY co ordinators are doing. This is where the teacher review facility on the site for each service is going to be very important in helping to inform and guide decisions.
There is also the option of getting in some groups to facilitate TY induction on site . Again look up the listings and also see what is working for others.
At this stage there will always be some students , where you have more than one class, who want to change class groups because they “want to be with their friends”. This is usually a bigger issue at the end of August, when the class groups are first announced, but even now you may still be getting the emails and phone calls from concerned parents. I have found that if you make it clear from the outset that there will be no changes for the first four weeks it enables students to settle in and form new friendships without any need for change. Indeed the friendships formed in TY tend to be the most enduring ,lasting well beyond secondary school. I saw a group recently who had a ten year reunion not for their Leaving but rather for their Transition year. That says so much about the lasting value of TY.
There must be a separate and distinct Transition Year journal or diary as I prefer to call it. The conventional school journal does not fit the needs and demands of TY. Again this has to be based on the aims and ideals of each school and TY programme .As with everything this takes time and effort but it is so beneficial if done properly .It can become a core part of the TY portfolio and essentially be a diary of achievement for each student. It can include much of the documentation for work placement, cutting down on all of that photocopying! This also enables you to tailor assessment methods according to each subject department if required and result in it being much more user friendly for both student and teacher alike.
Next time around I hope to talk a little about the TY programme and the schemes of works. In the meantime if I can be of any help then simply post your concern on the TY Advice section on the Home Page menu .
Take care, Finian.
September is also of course a very important month for Transition Year. It is when you hope to lay down the foundations and expectations for the coming year. At this stage the Junior Cert results have come and gone thankfully. It would be so much better if these arrived at the end of August but that is a debate for another day.
Having a good induction programme is vital to kick start the year. It provides the students with the opportunity to bond as a group, to understand the concept of Transition Year and to lay down the goals and expectations for year ahead.
The nature of the induction very much depends on school resources and needs and has to be tailored accordingly with much of the preparation having probably been put in place last May. Most are a combination of in house and out of school activities but it is essential to put time and effort into the preparation. The PE department is often very helpful in laying out induction and teamwork activities. I think it is helpful if the students create their own motto for the year to capture their aims and expectations and to give an added sense of ownership.
There are any number of service providers who provide a wide and varied range of induction and teambuilding programmes across the country, all you have to do is look at the listing on the site. In recent years in Ashbourne Community School we used Causey Farm in Kells, Celtic Adventures in Clogherhead and Carlingford Adventure Centre, all of which offer excellent and different programmes. Look up what is available in your area, see what other TY co ordinators are doing. This is where the teacher review facility on the site for each service is going to be very important in helping to inform and guide decisions.
There is also the option of getting in some groups to facilitate TY induction on site . Again look up the listings and also see what is working for others.
At this stage there will always be some students , where you have more than one class, who want to change class groups because they “want to be with their friends”. This is usually a bigger issue at the end of August, when the class groups are first announced, but even now you may still be getting the emails and phone calls from concerned parents. I have found that if you make it clear from the outset that there will be no changes for the first four weeks it enables students to settle in and form new friendships without any need for change. Indeed the friendships formed in TY tend to be the most enduring ,lasting well beyond secondary school. I saw a group recently who had a ten year reunion not for their Leaving but rather for their Transition year. That says so much about the lasting value of TY.
There must be a separate and distinct Transition Year journal or diary as I prefer to call it. The conventional school journal does not fit the needs and demands of TY. Again this has to be based on the aims and ideals of each school and TY programme .As with everything this takes time and effort but it is so beneficial if done properly .It can become a core part of the TY portfolio and essentially be a diary of achievement for each student. It can include much of the documentation for work placement, cutting down on all of that photocopying! This also enables you to tailor assessment methods according to each subject department if required and result in it being much more user friendly for both student and teacher alike.
Next time around I hope to talk a little about the TY programme and the schemes of works. In the meantime if I can be of any help then simply post your concern on the TY Advice section on the Home Page menu .
Take care, Finian.