28/8/2018 Competition time: Facebook competition to win a free place on the course of your choiceRead Now.Autumn Term Adult Education courses are now enrolling across our network, and to celebrate we’re offering a free place on the course of your choice* (some restrictions apply, see T&C’s below. QQI and other certified courses do not apply) via a competition over on our Facebook page. To enter the competition, please do all of the following: 1. 'Like' AND 'Share' the pinned post on our Facebook page 2. 'Comment' on the post with the school and course you would like to win a free place on 3. Make sure that you 'Like' our page The full list of schools is on our homepage. You'll find their courses by clicking on the school image. Pottery at Cabinteely CS, Furniture Restoration at Gorey CS and Guitar at Hartstown CS; so many classes to choose from! Terms and Conditions• Closing date for entries is Wed 12th Sept.
• All completed entries will be entered in a draw, and the winner will be selected at random. • Winner will be notified by Fri 14th Sept. • The competition only applies to non-certified Adult Education courses at NACED member schools (i.e. schools listed on our homepage) • QQI, ECDL, NUI Maynooth, and all other certified course are not included. • Free place must be used in Autumn 2018 or Spring 2019. • Prize is subject to places available on the course of your choice. • If the winner has already enrolled on an Autumn 2018 course he/she can choose to (i) have their fee refunded, (ii) be enrolled on an additional Autumn 2018 course or (iii) use their free place for Spring 2019. • No cash alternative will be offered.
0 Comments
Portmarnock Community School is a co-ed school in north Dublin which opened in 1979. Under principal Eithne Deeney and Adult Education Director Michael McNeive, Adult Education has flourished there, particularly in the last few years. Lifelong learning “Adult education is hugely important for the school to promote lifelong learning in our community,” said Eithne. “And it’s important for the students to see that education doesn’t finish with the Leaving Cert or with college. “The night classes also show that education is not just academic, that it’s about creativity, sociability, nurturing, and encouraging people to live healthily.” Whilst Michael has overall responsibility for the promotion of the night classes - both online and in print - the day school emails parents when the print brochure is issued. “It’s a great way of showcasing the school, both when people see the facilities we have and when they meet teachers who are either tutoring in an area of interest or attending a class.” Range of classes For Michael McNeive, the last number of years have seen the number of night classes grow to 31. Most classes take place on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings, with some other sports and exercise classes taking place on other nights. Covering hobbies, leisure, exercise, self-development and languages, the programme has something for all interests. Some of the more popular courses of late have been Pottery, Improvers Bridge and Baking. “Pottery and Baking have really taken off and it’s great to see students return for a few terms when they get hooked on a new passion. It also has the advantage of allowing the students to take home their finished products. Bridge on a Wednesday afternoon proved really popular as well and helped get some not-so-experienced players into the local bridge scene in a more concrete way”. QQI options With an eye on the local economy, Michael is keen to explore the QQI options in childcare and healthcare support. Indeed, the new Autumn term will see QQI courses in Child Psychology and SNA being offered in conjunction with the College of Progressive Education. “We have a big population here with numerous childcare facilities and with nursing homes set to increase, those are worth exploring.” For now, it’s about expanding his marketing skills, particularly in social media! Portmarnock Community School's Director of Adult Education, Michael McNieve (left) and Principal, Ethne Deeney (right)
Carina McEvoy is passionate about mental health, children’s in particular. Currently self-publishing a book entitled, ‘Sometimes I worry, how about you?’ – a book to help children manage anxiety, she is also set to deliver night classes in Understanding and Managing Childhood Anxiety in Gorey Community School. “The night class is to help adults – parents or guardians – to help their children manage their low-level anxiety in the home,” says Carina, a former business and geography teacher who’s looking forward to getting back into the classroom. Night classes Carina will deliver two classes: An Introduction to Understanding Children’s Anxiety explores a child’s development in relation to personality and transitional milestones also. And An Advanced Course to Understanding and Managing Children’s Anxiety includes 17 simple strategies to manage anxiety levels. Carina firmly believes that childhood anxiety is an epidemic but also believes that empowered and aware parents and guardians can make a huge difference. That’s why her children’s book on managing anxiety – featuring Mo! – also has a support booklet for parents to read alongside the children’s book. Own experience
Carina knows what she’s talking about when it comes to anxiety – as a teenager, she went through a maelstrom of depression, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder, and anxiety. “When I was a teen, I suffered badly with mental health issues – the internet had just started, and we had none at home. I had no one to talk to, no stories of other people to read. So, I thought I was alone – and going crazy.” College brought access to the internet where research on self-harm made her realise just how common it was – “I got great relief from knowing that I wasn’t the only one. That knowledge was healing for me.” Writing therapeutic As a teen, she took up writing to express her emotions and now has a published novel, To Have, Not Hold, to her credit! “I found writing therapeutic – I wrote poetry and enjoyed getting lost in trying to find words to express my feelings.” Now, she is keen, through her night classes and her new books, to make parents aware that low-level children’s anxiety can be managed. “Children can have a lot of general anxiety, with no specific cause or anxiety behind it. Between being so busy going from one thing to another – and being constantly stimulated by social media – they have no time to get bored or to manage boredom. That sense of being ‘on’ all the time and getting everything ‘now’ doesn’t help.” Her hope is that her night classes in Gorey Community School will help. Community schools still have a vital role to play in adult education and lifelong learning. That’s according to Dr Leo Casey, Director of the Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching in the National College of Ireland.
“Recent strategy documents are based on the premise that the sole purpose of education and adult education is to prepare people for employment, through pre-employment skills or upskilling,” he said. “What about lifelong education? What about people who participate in non-work activities, who are active at community level, in micro enterprises or sustainable development.” Community link Educators – including community schools and adult education directors – should not necessarily follow the labour-market driven and qualifications approach slavishly. “The very name ‘community schools’ indicates a link between the school and society – that the school is a part of its local community.” This closeness to its community allows schools to inhabit the space of lifelong education, whereby the needs of people change from practical career or parenting concerns to larger societal issues as they get older. Citizenship Community schools are satisfying the need for lifelong learning. “That might not be in vogue, but it’s not wrong,” he said, adding that lifelong learning – in topics such as psychology, social justice, mentoring – contribute towards democracy by facilitating people to engage in active discourse and to make complex decisions about their lives and society. “Is it possible to have a functioning democracy without open, informed and truthful discourse among the citizenship? Perhaps we are so busy ‘training’ people to develop instrumental, economically viable skills that we overlook the ‘skills of democratic participation’ such as reasoning and critical literacy.” And, those values are in danger of being forsaken. “I’m very much in favour of qualifications but not an over-engineered approach to delivery and outcomes – that’s a flawed approach.” Instead, it would be better if we regard “learning as part of life itself, it is something that we continue to do so long as we live. Learning may be regarded as a gift we give to our future selves and, so long as we have a future, we will need to learn.” This article originally appeared in the NACED May 2016 newsletter 17/8/2018 Collaboration Counts: Wexford and Dublin schools join forces to enhance the adult education experienceRead NowSchools within the NACED organisation often co-operate on classes. In fact, in April 2018, St Colmcille’s Community School in Dublin’s Knocklyon and Gorey Community School, Co. Wexford collaborated on a Saturday workshop in metalcraft. Twelve men from the Metalcraft class in St Colmcille’s travelled to Gorey to receive instruction in traditional ironcraft from master blacksmith Finin Liam Christie. Finin runs a very popular night class in metalcraft in the north Wexford school. Based in Coolgreaney, Co Wexford, he is passionate about traditional steel and ironworks - nothing is welded. He makes traditional gates, railings, tools, swords, axes, commissioned sculptures, bottle openers, hammers and train sets. For the Dublin class, this was a great opportunity to learn from an internationally renowned craftsman, who sells to Australia, Brazil, the UK, the US, Germany and further afield - all from his Facebook page! The class proved a great hit and is an example of how schools can collaborate with each other – to the benefit of class participants! Pictures above (left to right) Blacksmith Finin Liam Christie passing on his skills to the Metalcraft class from St Colmcille’s Community School in the Gorey Community School workshop where Finin is a tutor; Just one of the pieces produced at the workshop; No class is complete without a cup of tea! Categories All |