social and environmental studies in primary … · social and environmental studies was introduced...
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Irish National Teachers' Organisation
Head Office
35 Parnell Square
Dublin 1 Tel: 722-533
General Secretary
Senator Joe O'Toole
Cumman Muinteoirf Eireann
Ard Oifig
35 Cearn6g Pharnell
Baile Atha Cliath 1
Tel: 722-533
Ard Rl1naf
An Seanad6ir Joe O'Toole
Page
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
1 SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
1.1. Social and Environmental Studies
1.2. Objectives and Aims
1.3. Component Subject Areas
1.4. Historical Overview
1.5. The Local Environment and the 1971 Curriculum
1.6. Review of the Social and Environmental
Programme since 1971
1.7. Conclusion
2 HISTORY
2.1.
2.2.
2.3
2.4.
2.5.
2.6.
Approaches to History Teaching
Current Practices
Local History
Line of Development Studies
Patch Studies
Project Work
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2.7.
2.8.
Texts
Conclusion
GEOGRAPHY
3.1. Introduction
3.2. The Child's Experience
3.3. Fieldwork
3.4. Integration of Geography
3.5. Resources
3.6. The Local Environment
CIVICS
4.1. Introduction
4.2. Civics Defined
4.3. Objectives
4.4. Integration of Civics
4.5. Review of the Civics Programme
4.6. The Future of Civics
NATURE STUDY AND ELEMENTARY SCIENCE
5.1. Introduction
5.2.
5.3.
5.4.
Historical Overview
Content and Approach
Conclusion
NEW SUBJECT AREAS
6.1. Heritage Studies
6.1.1. Rationale for the Inclusion of Heritage Studies
in Social and Environmental Studies
6.1.2. Review of the Curriculum
6.1.3. Towards Conclusions
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6.2. Development Education
6.2.1. Definition
6.2.2. Historical Background
6.2.3. Recent Projects in Development Education
in Primary Schools
6.2.4. Summary
6.3. Peace Education
6.3.1. Introduction
6.3.2. Definition of Peace Education
6.3.3. Living in Harmony with Oneself
6.3.4. Living in Harmony with the Environment
6.3.5. Living in Harmony with Others
6.3.6. Conclusion
7 INTEGRATION - A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
7.1. The Principle of Integration
7.2. Definitions of Integration
7.3. Integration and Social and Environmental Studies
7.4. Integration in Practice
7.5. Project Work
7.6. Theme Approach
7.7. Cross Curricular Themes
7.8. Cross References/Perspectives
7.9. Acquisition of Skills and Forming of Attitudes
7.10. The Need for Inservice
8 RESOURCES
8.1. School Texts
8.2. Educational Broadcasting
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9. DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
9.1. Curriculum Development 54
9.2. Integration 55
9.3. Resources 57
9.4. The Local Environment 59
9.5. Inservice 61
APPENDICES
Appendix I - Review of the Social and Environmental
Programme Since 1971 63
Appendix II - Organisations that Promote the Environment 66
Appendix ill - Cross Curricular Themes in Northern Ireland 71
Appendix IV - Useful Addresses 77
REFERENCES 86
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A child's environment, be it social or physical, has a major influence on his or her learning and development. The introduction of Social and Environmental Studies to the primary school curriculum in 1971 was an attempt to enable teachers adapt learning programmes to children's individual needs and to suit the local environment of individual schools.
Society is continuously developing and changing. The curriculum of the primary school should reflect changes in society while at the same time preserving and promoting the nation's traditions and values. The increasing demand for the introduction of new subjects or new topics to the primary school curriculum needs to be addressed in the context of planned and coordinated curriculum development.
Teachers are central to the successful implementation of all primary school programmes. The INTO is represented on the curriculum committees of the NCCA. These committees are currently working on developing syllabi in various curriculum areas, among them Social and Environmental Studies. Teachers' input into curriculum development is essential, but it is equally important that the inservice needs of teachers, created by ongoing curriculum development, are also met.
The CEC would like to thank the members of the Education Committee and also Mr. Henry Goff of St. Senan's National School, Enniscorthy who contributed to the History aspect of this report.
Senator Joe O'Toole, General Secretary October 1992.
Social and Environmental Studies was introduced into the primary school curriculum in 1971, as a new subject. The new programme for Social and Environmental Studies incorporated History, Geography, Civics, Nature Study and Elementary Science, subjects which had been a feature of the primary school curriculum in either obligatory or optional form since the beginning of the century.
Teachers, in the early 20th century were concerned about curriculum overload as the programmes for instruction for national schools included many obligatory subjects and practically no freedom of choice for teachers. There were insufficient hours in the school day to cover the whole syllabus in all subjects, leading to frustration among teachers.
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation, at their Annual Congress at Easter, 1920 directed their Executive "to take steps to convene a representative conference in order to frame a programme or series of programmes, in accordance with Irish ideals and conditions - due regard being given to local needs and views"!. As a result of this conference a new national programme of Primary Instruction was drawn up in 1922 reducing the number of obligatory subjects. Subjects such as Nature Study and Rural Science became optional, and the History and Geography programmes were modified to constitute one subject.
Further minor changes were made throughout the years that followed, until the curriculum, currently in use in schools, was introduced in 1971. By introducing Social and Environmental Studies to the 1971 Curriculum, it was intended to avoid curriculum overload by incorporating History, Geography, Civics, Nature Study and Elementary Science as subject areas
under the general heading of Social and Environmental Studies. Content guidelines were provided to allow teachers adapt programmes to the particular needs of their own school. Integration of the component subject areas with each other and with other areas of the curriculum was the key to the implementation of the Social and Environmental Studies programme.
There has been an increasing pressure on schools in recent years to introduce new subject areas leading inevitably, to the overloading of the curriculum. Many of these 'new' subject areas or topics would require an extension of the current programme in Social and Environmental Studies. The general objectives of Peace Education, Development Education, Heritage Education, and Health Education correspond with the general objectives of Social and Environmental Studies. However, the introduction of additional separate content guidelines for these topics would constitute curriculum overload.
Pilot projects in various curriculum areas have been introduced to primary schools in recent years. The Development Education Support Centre (DESC) in conjunction with the Department of Education organised pilot projects on Development Education. The Mid Western Health Board and the North Western Health Board have organised pilot projects in their respective areas on Health Education. The Gardaf are currently piloting a safety course with 5th class pupils in a number of areas, and the Stay Safe Programme, initially piloted by the Eastern Health Board has been introduced on a nationwide basis this year as a personal development programme for children. Schools have certainly benefited from their participation in these various pilot projects. There is no end to the possibilities for pilot projects in primary schools, however, there is a limit to the capacity of schools to cope with additional topics in the curriculum.
The report on the pilot project on Development Education which took place in schools in 1988/89 recommends that Development Education should be introduced into the Primary School Curriculum. The Health Boards also recommen" 'hat Health Education should be more prominent in primary education. One does not doubt that Development Education or Health Education are worthwhile and valuable areas to introduce to the primary curriculum, however an equally valid case could be made for the introduction of many other topics such as Peace Education and Heritage Education to the primary curriculum. There is a tendency to turn to the
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school to address issues that become important as society develops and changes.
Social and Environmental Studies, being a broad subject embracing many aspects of a child's social and physical environment, is perceived as ideal for introducing new topics and concepts in addition to the current content guidelines outlined in Curaclam na Bunscoile 1971. Although, Social and Environmental Studies should remain central to the primary school curriculum, its objectives and content must be realistic, feasible and flexible enough to allow teachers devise their own programmes according to the interests and needs of their own school.
This report addresses the current position of Social and Environmental Studies in the primary school curriculum. Social and Environmental Studies as an overall subject is discussed initially. Each component subject area is then addressed separately. Chapter 6 looks at the issue of introducing new topics to the current curriculum. The report concludes with discussion and recommendations.
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1.1. SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
"Social and Environmental Studies are primarily concerned with human activity, with the child's physical surroundings and the natural phenomena with which s/he is familiar. The child has a natural urge to explore and investigate his/her own environment and thus it is good educational practice to direct and channel his/her curiosity so as to enable him/her to differentiate his/her experiences, to organise knowledge and to form a satisfactory concept of his environment"1.
The introduction to the Social and Environmental chapter in the 1971 Curriculum Handbook, outlined above has been generally welcomed by primary teachers.
In 1971, Social and Environmental Studies became an integral part of the primary school curriculum. The introduction of the Social and Environmental Studies programme was a major step forward from the Curriculum of the primary certificate era where the main emphasis was on Irish, English and Mathematics, especially in the senior classes in primary schools. The new change introduced in 1971 provided great opportunities for teachers to develop the social aspects of education and this area of the Curriculum was to become one of the greatest successes of the 1971 Curriculum.
1.2. OBJECTIVES AND AIMS
The aims of the Social and Environmental Programme are as follows;
1. To cultivate in the child a humane attitude to living things and
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develop an appreciation of nature as the work of God.
2. To illumine and enliven other areas of the Curriculum.
3. To provide valuable leisure time activities which may lead to worthwhile hobbies for life.
4. To provide the children with many opportunities for planning and working together and give valuable training for citizenship.
5. To provide motivation for expressive and creative work in Language and in Art and Craft Activities and offer opportunities for wide ranging sensory training.
6. To encourage the use of reference books for identification and research and thus foster favourable attitudes towards books as sources of information and stimulation.
7. To provide an introduction to the understanding of one's physical self and an essential form of approach to the science of life. 2
1.3. COMPONENT SUBJECT AREAS
Social and Environmental Studies, as an area of study, incorporates History, Civics, Geography and Elementary Science, as illustrated in the diagram below:
SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Social Studies Environmental Studies
History Civics Geography Elementary Science/ Nature Study
(Curriculum Handbook 2)
A child's natural curiosity, experiences and unorganised knowledge are the basis of many fields of study, ideally served by an integrated curriculum. Social Studies is a term used to designate the school stlbjects
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which deal with human relationships. In terms of content, Social Studies is focussed on human beings, on relationships between them and on the society in which they live. The centre of emphasis is upon relationships rather than in individuals'. Environmental studies embraces the school subjects which deal with the child's environment as in Geography, Nature Study and Elementary Science.
Social and Environmental Studies is about developing concepts, acquiring skills and forming attitudes, rather than memorising facts. Children are encouraged to develop a sense of identity as individuals and members of a community. An integrated, thematic approach to Social and Environmental Studies is a help to children in understanding and appreciating their environment.
1.4. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Although Social and Environmental Studies was introduced into the primary school curriculum as a new subject in the Curriculum of 1971, the component subject areas, i.e. History, Geography, Nature Study and Elementary Science, were separate subjects in the primary school curriculum since the early century. In the "Programme of Instruction for National Schools 1921 - 1922", Nature Study had a detailed syllabus set out for all grades. Nature Study included school gardening, hygiene, plant life, animal life, elementary science and temperance. Nature Study was also included in the National Programme of Primary Instruction of 1922, as were History, Geography, Elementary Science, Rural Science and school gardening. Each subject had its own specific syllabus for each grade. It is noted that History and Geography were to be taught through the medium of Irish. One of the chief aims of the teaching of History was considered to be the development of the best traits of the national character and to inculcate national pride and self respect' Lessons in citizenship were part of the History programme. The Nature Study programme encouraged the use of the environment through organising lessons based on the phenomena within the pupils' common experience. Teachers were encouraged to give a local bias to their teaching as will connect the school work of the pupils with their surroundingss. When Nature Study and Elementary Science were no longer obligatory subjects, teachers were encouraged to cover health and nature topics in the reading material selected for their classes. The European dimension of Education, considered very important today, was also featured in the 1922
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programme in that teachers were encouraged to promote the reading in English of works of European authors, both ancient and modem, in order to bring the pupils as far as possible into touch with European thought and culture.6
History and Geography were still obligatory subjects in the fifties while Rural Science, which incorporated Nature Study and Elementary Science was an optional subject. There was a basic syllabus in all subjects for each grade, which did not differ greatly from the programme of 1922. The use of the local environment in the teaching of all subjects was again stressed. Special consideration was to be taken of the life of the locality in the choice of readers and of subjects for conversation, and teachers were encouraged to invite qualified persons from the locality to give 'interesting talks' to the pupils. Local History was emphasised in the History programme, and teachers were recommended to bring their pupils on visits to the industrial concerns of the neighbourhood e.g. creameries, factories, museums etc. as part of the Geography programme.
1.5. THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE 1971 CURRICULUM
The use of the environment as a pedagogical principle was highlighted in the 1971 Curriculum. History, Geography, Nature Study, and Elementary Science were no longer separate subjects, but formed a part of a broader course on Social and Environmental Studies, with the child's environment an essential feature of the new programme. The environment had always been an important element in teaching but the philosophies of child centredness and integration - key features of the '71 Curriculum, enabled teachers to use the environment more naturally as part of their teaching.
The Social and Environmental Studies programme as envisaged in the 1971 Curriculum, develops from the children's own environment. Teachers are encouraged to bring pupils out of doors to observe as much as possible in the natural environment. First hand experience by the pupils is vital to the success of the programme. The more a child knows about the environment the more likely slhe is to appreciate it and feel responsible for aspects of it. The child's perception will be sharpened considerably and the child will come to appreciate the need for careful observation and accurate simple recording. Through the child's own experience, observation and discovery, slhe will come to understand the cycle of nature and dependenCies in that cycle with the sun as the chief source of
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energy. The link between the sun, planets, crops, animals and humans will soon become apparent. The different seasons will suggest specific items of study. Winter may suggest a study of weather, spring the season of growth and autumn the time of harvesting and ripening.
The local environment is the starting point for most aspects of Social and Environmental Studies. Environments may vary in the degree of stimulation they provide but most schools can relate many aspects of the Curriculum to their own particular environment. All learning is enhanced if it is related to the child's environment and experiences as a member of a local or extended community. The local environment serves as a base for the broadening out of the learning area until relevant aspects of the world at large are brought within the ambit of the child's experience. Therefore, use of the environment as a pedagogical principle must be maintained and enhanced. Practical work, both indoor and outdoor should inform the general area of study and field work, projects and sample studies are very much part of the programme.
The cause and effect aspects of Social and Environmental Studies is another worthwhile area of note. The History and Geography of Ireland would provide several examples as would many of the present day world wide happenings. Drought as a cause of famine and the reverse where flooding can cause devastation would also be part of children's awareness. Their response to such can be at the very core of studying Social and Environmental Studies and the development of social conscience.
The language and vocabulary elements of Social and Environmental Studies enrich and inform both English and Irish. Oral language is especially well catered for through discussion, reporting and description. Reporting on or writing about aspects of Social and Environmental Studies can lead to care and conciseness in written work.
The programme contains many elements which have a definite scientific base. These aspects may need highlighting and a fAllow on to a more definite scientific conclusion. The area of growth is a case in point where simple experiments can illustrate the need for heat, light and moisture and the principles established can then be related to the seasons.
Formal lessons in Civics and Health Education can develop naturally from
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the normal attitudes to cleanliness, punctuality and good manners which are part of other areas of the Curriculum. The key element is inculcating a sense of responsibility in children and helping the real growth which is internal and corresponds directly to the growth of the child's intellect and thirst for knowledge. The child becomes j!JN'are of its place in society, what society does for it and also its own responsibility to that society.
1.6. REVIEW OF THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME
SINCE 1971
The success of the Social and Environmental Programme of the 1971 Curriculum has been measured in various surveys carried out by the INTO, An Roinn Oideachais, the Conference of Primary Teaching Sisters and the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum. The main points of these surveys are outlined in Appendix 1.
1.7. CONCLUSION
The position of Social and Environmental Studies in the primary school has been given added importance by the changes which have occurred in post primary curricula and the drift away from History and Geography in favour of commercial and scientific programmes of study. In the current Educational climate, where the findings of both the Review Body of the Primary Curriculum and the Primary Education Review Body are to hand, with the NCCA examining curricula, and the recent publication of a green paper on Education, there is need for heightened awareness of the central importance of Social and Environmental Studies in the Curriculum for our schools.
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2.1. ApPROACHES TO HISTORY TEACHING
The introductory section, aims and approaches to History, Chapter X in CuracIam na Bunscoile affirms that a sequential approach to the teaching of History, suitable to the developmental needs of pupils, should obtain in the primary school and that this will prepare the child for a chronological approach of a later stagel • This is wholly admirable but underestimates, perhaps, the potential of some children before the end of primary schooling to appreciate a fuller chronological treatment of some historical periods, particularly those close to the present. It is important that the chronological character of historical development should be a part of the pupils' historical consciousness as early as he/ she is able to assimilate it.
A proposition altogether more damaging to a proper conception of History is betrayed in the phrases:
• the child's imagination may be fired by the 'habitual vision of greatness'2
and
• to foster a proper admiration for those who served Ireland in humbler ways'
Despite the minatory injunction that 'care should also be taken that in the presentation of facts there is no distortion or suppression of any truth", the implicit assumption of these phrases is a view of History which is celebratory rather than analytical, not to say critical.
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It is surely the function of any History teaching, even at such a rudimentary level as that suited to primary school children, to reflect, even to some basic extent, current historical analyses and deconstruction which constitute the contemporary aspiration to a balanced view of historical development.
Whatever the methodology used in the primary school, and this is distinctly an educational rather than a historical question, it must surely be the function of History teaching to present some coherent and balanced view of the various events, developments and currents of thought -cultural, social, political, militaristic and constitutional that have been interwoven in the Irish, and indeed, European historical experience.
It has been an unfortunate consequence of the celebratory and unanalytical approach to History teaching in the past, and not just at primary school level, that a mythological view of Irish historical experience has been constructed in the public consciousness at the expense, not just of truth, but of the will to question the myth itself.
The inability of the Primary School child, and even the child in the Junior stages of second level education, to comprehend the more sophisticated complexities of historical development and a natural taste for the cruder dramatic elements in the historical narrative leaves them all the more vulnerable to the myth constructions of inadequate History teaching, but it does not absolve the primary curriculum or its professional practicioners from their duty to lay the foundation of a balanced historical perspective in the pupils they serve.
2.2. CURRENT PRACTICES
Research has indicated that pedagogical practice in primary school is at variance with the theoretical approach as described in Curac1am na Bunscoile INTO (1986)5 and Department of Education (1983)6. The weight of opinion among teachers seems to indicate that they disagree that primary school children are too immature to be taught History in a chronological manner and they believe that pupils should be led to see how events and forces in the past have come to shape the present. It would also seem that the vast majority of teachers use a balance of direct and indirect teaching styles and that they believe that local History should receive a central place in the teaching of History in primary school,
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although this aspiration is somewhat less than convincing in the light of the all-pervasive reliance on the general textbook.
It would seem that, in the vast majority of schools, History is taught by using a combination of methods which include local History, line of development studies, patch studies and the teaching of a broad outline of Irish History without any great emphasis on chronological sequence.
2.3. LOCAL HISTORY
The importance of local History is difficult to over emphasise. Rooted as it is in familiar or easily accessible geographical locations, often with surviving physical historical evidence, and dealing with figures and names that are already familiar to the children, if only in the nomenclature of local sights and streets and districts, the tangible and concrete basis these afford for the exploitation of particular historical events and developments is in accordance with the soundest pedagogical practice. However, the effect of this immediacy of access will only be fully exploited if the local connection is developed and expanded to explicate the more general historical context in which it has its place. It goes without saying, of course, that local History can be used properly only if the approach to it involves visits to relevant historical sites.
2.4. LINE OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Line of development studies are valuable in that they are most often concerned with features of what is often called social History. Starting as it can do with a feature of life common to the pupil this approach is also rooted in the concrete and in the everyday experience of the child. It also provides an invaluable background to the everyday conditions of particular periods of History which can be an important element in giving the more obvious political events a more tangible and realistic background. Another important advantage of this approach is that it illuminates the evolutionary nature of History - of one development growing from a previous condition - and that is the key to broader historical understanding.
2.5. PATCH STUDIES
The opposite of the line of development approach is the patch study, the
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close examination of a particular period or movement. The emphasis is not on the evolutionary nature of History but on the many interlocking features of a particular period or movement which combine to give it its characteristic effect. The advantage of this method is the importance it places on the wholeness of historical conditions and the interconnection between the cultural, the social, the poli tical, the religious and the constitutional. Such a comprehensive approach can make a particular period very alive and vibrant to children. Its weakness lies in the tendency to treat periods of History in isolation, and if overused, it can leave the pupil with the impression of History as a series of unconnected islands in time.
2.6. PROJECf WORK
History is particularly amenable to project work and can provide the child with an introduction to some of the basic historical skills - the collection and collation of material from various sources and the recording of conclusions. It can be of particular value if, in the course of his/her research, the pupil can be directed towards perspectives on the subject which are at variance with one another thereby introducing him/her to the concept of historical interpretation. It must be said, however, that an indiscriminate and unplanned approach to project work can do little to foster these skills.
2.7. TEXTS
The all pervasiveness of History textbooks inhibits a creative approach to the teaching of History in primary school. Local History, line development studies, patch studies and successful project work depend for their effectiveness on the initiative of the teacher and the extent of their own knowledge of History. History and historical textbooks have little to contribute to these strategies.
That less than 30% of students now take History as a subject at Leaving Certificate must be a cause of concern. Many entrants to the Colleges of Education will only have an understanding of History at Junior Certificate or Intermediate Certificate level. This can only result in greater reliance on the class text. It would be as unrealistic to expect teachers to dispense entirely with textbooks as it would be unfair to the better content of some of these books, but a vibrant and successful approach to History teaching
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in the primary school must have its roots in a knowledge of History and an appreciation of historical thought and method far beyond the simplicity of the class textbook.
2.8. CONCLUSION
A judicious mix of the strategies outlined, set against a background of a general, evolutionary, chronological overview would seem to be the most effective way to approach the teaching of History in primary school. Such a chronology must, of course, relate to the child's stage of development but without some such framework the essential nature of historical experience as an interrelated series of developments, cultural, social and political leading to the contemporary Irish and European condition will be denied to primary school pupils.
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:.:-
,- - --.::'
, :;,
3.1. INTRODUCTION
"Geography is mainly concerned with the relationship between people and the environment in which they live"l.
The basic objectives of Geography include the development of certain concepts, such as an understanding of direction, ability to read maps, understanding of space relationships, a knowledge of climate and weather, natural resources and their use and of course the human element of Geography. A balance must be maintained between the acquisition of knowledge, both geological and locational, and the development of attitudes such as tolerance and empathy. The teaching of Geography should aim to help pupils relate to and cope with the environment rather than inculcate a body of knowledge about the environment.
Physical Geography Encompasses:
Geomorphology Mathematical Geography Oceanography Meteorology
Climatology
Biogeography includes:
Plant Geography
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mountains, valleys etc; space, time, seasons, maps; oceans, waves, tides, currents; weather, wind, rain, cloud, temperature; study of climates as to locations features;
study of climate and soil conditions which determine a
Animal Geography
Human Geography
Demography
Economic or Commercial Geography covers:
and
Political Geography relates to
3.2. THE OnLD's EXPERIENCE
regions plant life;
deals with animals/birds etc. distribution, use, migration;
deals with people and their environment, characteristics, language, religion, occupation needs;
deals with populations, trends and other data;
industry, agriculture, raw materials, minerals, resources, trade, transportation.
Governments, trade agreements, boundaries, effects on history or the reverse.
Certain elements of Geography are within the child's experience from a very early age and much of the early Geography in primary schools is based on the child's own experiences. The child's understanding of the subject will depend to a large extent on age and intellectual development, hence elements touched on in junior classes can be extended considerably in senior classes as the child grows in understanding and experience.
Local Geography is central to the teaching of Geography in the primary school. Since Geography is, to a degree, based on a child's experiences (rain, sun, heat, wind, growth, flowers etc) the obvious starting point is the local environment. This should then expand outwards covering the county, the children's own country and then from their nearest neighbours to the world at large. The child's knowledge of Geography will expand through observation and investigation and from class work, books,
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photographs, maps, films, diagrams and charts. The child's own interests and contacts with people can add considerably to his or her knowledge and experiences.
3.3. FIELDWORK
Fieldwork is an integral element of Geography and can be either demonstrational or investigational. The extent of field work can vary greatly from one area to another and from country area to city area. The out of doors Geography is stimulating to children and allows them to experience learning at first hand. Preparation beforehand is necessary so that children are clear on the scope and boundaries of the particular study. Recording findings is an important aspect of field work and care must be taken that the information recorded is accurate. Surveys carried out by the INTO (1985)2 and by the Department of Education (1983)3 show a low percentage of teachers bringing children on walks or trips in the locality. Difficulties encountered by teachers in organising fieldwork must be overcome in order to promote the first hand experiences of children and studies of local Geography.
3.4. INTEGRATION
Integration of Geography with other areas of the curriculum is inevitable, and is often done through project work which is encouraged in the 1971 Curriculum. Conservation, Heritage Studies and Civics are all integral to Geography and through these areas children come to an understanding of a sense of place and a wish for its conservation and development along lines beneficial to the community and reflective of the traditions of the area in question. Geography based projects often incorporate aspects of History, Nature Study, Mathematics or Science. General projects, on historical, nature or civic themes may also incorporate aspects of the Geography programme. Discussion and reading arising from field work or project work contribute to language development.
3.5. RESOURCES
The teaching of Geography in primary schools suffers from the poor funding of schools. Schools are not often in a position to purchase the necessary equipment e.g. audio visual equipment, basic science instruments or library books needed to enrich the teaching of Geography.
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Recent years have seen a tremendous expansion in the provision of audio visual materials in Geography which cannot be availed of by schools due to underfunding. It is also unfortunate that in many areas, the service provided by county libraries to primary schools is relatively non existent or of very poor quality through being deprived of funding especially in latter years. The development and funding of the appropriate resources would greatly assist teachers in the teaching of Geography in the primary schools.
3.6. THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
The report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum states that good Geography teaching is firmly rooted in the child's environment, providing a groundwork for an understanding of regions, country and world Geography'. An important development, in the teaching of local Geography would be the production of simple and practical, local books on Geography. With the expansion of teacher centres countrywide and a harnessing of local skills and expertise, both inside and outside the teaching fraternity, these could become a reality and a major boost to the confidence of teachers in the use of the local environment as the fundamental base for their Geography teaching.
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4.1. INTRODUCTION
While the Irish State did not institute from its inception special programmes in education for citizenship, the social dimensions and objectives of the educational process were pursued through the extrinsic contributions of school subjects such as Irish History, An Ghaeilge, Religious Education and Geography as part of a primary school curriculum reorientated "in accordance with Irish ideas and conditions". The 1922 National Programme of Primary Instruction conference report made explicit reference to the development of civic attitudes during the course of History classes and it recommended that specific lessons on citizenship should feature in the sixth and higher grades of primary schools. The 1950 Council of Education rejected the view that the formal teaching of Civics should feature in the school curriculum, and recommended that Civics "be taught incidentally in the course of Religious Instruction, Language Teaching, History, Nature Study and other subjects which lend themselves to the introduction of questions of citizenship"!.
Curaclam na Bunscoile, included Social and Environmental Studies embracing History, Geography, Civics, Nature Study and Elementary Science, as an integral part of the "new curriculum". For the first time an official separate syllabus for Civics '··as provided. The Curriculum Handbook for teachers stressed that this provision was not to be viewed in terms of an innovation but as "in the main, a rationalisation of what already exists and of what always was, unconsciously, perhaps, an integral part of the child's education",2 and as an indication of the importance of this aspect of the child's education. Civics is presented in the Handbook as
an element of Social Studies which focus on human beings, on relationships between them and on the society in which they live.
4.2. CIVICS DEFINED
Civics is defined in the Curriculum Handbook in the following terms:-
"Civics is that part of school activity which helps the child to become a better member of society and to appreciate his rights and his obligations towards it. The main concern is not, however, with instruction on the rights and duties of citizenship but with the development of acceptable social and moral attitudes which take into account the rights of other members of society"3.
To many people, the term Civics suggests a somewhat detailed study of political institutions, whether local, national or international. This adult interpretation of Civics is unsuitable for children. Civics when applied to children must be much closer to their own lives and reflect their own interests and experience. Those interests do not necessarily include public affairs and abstract political concepts. The syllabus as outlined in Curaclam na Bunscoile deals with topics which can be made interesting and relevant to young children.
4.3. OBJEcnVES
The aim of Civic Education is to form attitudes. Teaching and learning of factual data are not primarily important. Furthermore, an over reliance on textbook material is too theoretical an approach to Civics and likely to prove ineffective in cultivating appropriate attitudes. Knowledge acquired through the child's personal experience and discovery is likely to be more meaningful and purposeful than information acquired at second hand.4
The Curriculum recommends practical approaches to education for citizenship; project and field work and visits by people who fulfil important functions in the community are also recommended.
It is suggested in the Curriculum that, in classes from infants to IV, Civics as such should not be formally taught, but that "the incidental fostering of the values, habits and attitudes of the good citizen should form an essential part of the approach to all aspects of ti'2 curriculum"5. This incidental development of habits should also form an important element
17
in the approach to Civics in senior classes, where a more rationalistic and formal approach to the curriculum is expected. The junior programme would focus upon the child's family and local environment while the senior programme would progress from the local to the national community.
4.4. INTEGRATION OF CIVICS
The desirability of integrating Ovics with other areas of the curriculum is stressed in the Curriculum. This integration takes place in two senses, in a training sense and in a content sense. In a training sense, Civics is present in all areas of the curriculum; but some areas have a higher Civics content than others6• There is a close affinity for example between Religious Education and Civics, as Religious Education and Civics share some common ground in the attitudes and virtues they seek to develop in children. There also has been a traditional affinity between History and Civics, however, the introduction of the Civics syllabus in the Curriculum acknowledges the contribution of all aspects of the curriculum towards the development of enlightened and conscientious citizens.
In recent years, schools have become the focus of many organisations and interest groups seeking to promote particular programmes designed to combat various ills of society. There is a tendency to exaggerate the influence of schooling and a danger of over emphasising the capacity of teachers and educational programmes to succeed in changing behaviours in isolation from society as a whole. The Civics programme notes, however, the important influences of home, friends and community on the formation of the child's values and moral principles in the preschool years and the continuing considerable influence of the home in subsequent years. It stresses that the training of young people for citizenship does not assume that a school course in Ovics alone will produce good citizens no matter how well that course be designed and presented. What civics sets out to do, within the framework of Social and Environmental Studies is to supplement and complement the work of home and other influences.
Schools have a role in cultivating self discipline and in encouraging a gradual assumption of responsibility in the child for his/her own behaviour. The school's approach to discipline and authority and the teacher's relationships with pupils, influence children's behaviour and attitudes. A school's ethos should reflect the values and social attitudes
----------------------------------------18
that it is trying to cultivate in its pupils as an important preparation of the child for adult life.
The introduction of the new Ovics syllabus and of the other Social and Environmental Studies syllabi led to the organisation of Summer Courses for teachers, the establishment of study groups and the production of new materials including film strips, slides, charts, resource books and school texts. Social and Environmental Studies as approached in the curriculum gives teachers wide discretion, encourages flexibility and has proven to be a stimulating departure from the pre 1971 approach to education.
4.5. REVIEW OF THE CIVICS PROGRAMME
Little infonnation on Civics can be gleaned from surveys of the curriculum undertaken after 1971, as Ovics was generally subsumed under the Social and Environmental Studies title. However, given the level of teacher support for the principles of the curriculum, it is noteworthy that educational walks in the school environs were infrequently undertaken, and that participation in visits to art galleries, exhibitions or theatres were less frequent still7• In 1983, the Curriculum Unit of the Department of Education, in its study on the implementation of the Social and Environmental Studies area of the primary curriculum, reported that 48% of teachers of middle and senior classes taught Civics fonnally while 58% integrated Civics with other areas of the curriculum.8 Civics in junior classes was usually taught incidentally rather than formally.
Civics was also addressed in a survey carried out by the Conference of Convent Primary Schools in Ireland in 1975. Respondents were asked if they thought that the present spate of vandalism was due to "neglect of formal Ovics in the 'old' curriculum". The majority of respondents (74%) rejected this view. Other reasons stated to be the cause of the present spate of vandalism were the social environment (89%), peer group association (86%), lack of preparation for leisure activities (92%), and lack of parental control (96%)'. No other question relating to Civics was addressed as part of the survey.
The report of the Review Body on the primary Curriculum described the main aims of Civics as attitudinal rather than cognitive and stated that there is a need to think of new ways of bringing about the desired outcomes, at a time when there is a great need to promote positive civic
19
attitudes including the concept of civic responsibilities.
In relation to Civics, the Review Body recommended:-
(i) That, in the context of developing positive civic attitudes, including the concept of civic responsibilities, there should be opportunities for pupils to get involved in local projects in the community, and the school timetable should be flexible enough to accommodate this.
(iD That those State and Semi-State agencies that are also concerned with civic attitudes should have an involvement in schools. There should be coordination of this involvement and provision for suitable training for personnel involved.
(iii) That attention should be given to children's understanding of the mass media and their influences.10
4.6. THE FUTURE OF CIVICS
The Fourth Atlantic Education Study Conference held in Strasbourg in 1962 defined the general objectives of citizenship as, not only the love and understanding of one's own home community - village, town, province or region - and one's own country, but also a fair knowledge of the part played by one's country in the life of the world and therefore a knowledge of the main characteristics of other nations. The SyIlabus for Civics for VVI classes makes a brief reference to "The move towards European Unity" and to "Ireland and the United Nations"l1. The dramatic changes in Ireland's role in Europe, and the extensive media coverage of Ireland's participation in European and World structures and organisations, have added new dimensions to the perceptions and awareness of primary school pupils, their parents and teachers which need to be addressed in the preparation of the young for citizenship in a changing world.
With specific reference to Europe, the Government's 1992 Green Paper on Education states that until now, Irish education was concerned only with educating Irish citizens. Now, as the pace gathers towards European Union, it must educate Irish young people to be European citizens as weII.12
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5.1. INTRoDUcnON
Nature Study and Elementary Science have been a feature of the primary school curriculum since the early century. One of many subjects in the curriculum, usually under the heading of Rural Science it was at times compulsory and at other times optional. The syllabus has changed and developed since the early twenties to the present where Nature Study and Elementary Science are incorporated into the Social and Environmental Studies programme.
The study of animal life, plant life, natural phenomena and basic science form the core of the Nature Study and Elementary Science programme. Guidelines are provided for teachers under the general heading of Social and Environmental Studies rather than as a separate subject as in the case of History and Geography.
The stated aim of Curac1am na Bunscoile as regards Social and Environmental Studies is "to stimulate and foster in the child an interest in the world around him and to answer in a natural way many of the questions he may ask about things which confront him in everyday life".' This is a change from the syllabus oriented Nature Study IRural Science programme of the 1920's. Teachers are free to devise their own programmes taking into account factors such as seasons, the environment and the interests of the children, using the guidelines presented in the Teachers' Handbook. One of the many advantages which accrue to the -:hild from the Social and Environmental Studies programme is "the cultivation in the child of a humane attitude to living things and the
21
development of an appreciation of Nature as a work of God"2. The emphasis is on guiding the children's learning rather than imparting factual knowledge.
5.2. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
A detailed syllabus for Nature Study and Rural Science was laid out in the "Programmes of Instruction for National Schools for the School year 1921-22". The title "Nature Study" covered elementary science, hygiene, plant life, school gardening and temperance. Nature Study in the infant years through to second class was informal and it was based on simple plant life and children's observations. There was a separate syllabus for each class from third class upwards, with sections on general science, hygiene, and plant life. School gardening was introduced in fourth standard. There were separate syllabi in Nature Study for girls and boys in seventh standard.
The Department of Education issued regulations and explanatory notes for teachers based on the syllabi in Rural Science and Nature Study contained in the report and programme presented by the National Programme Conference in 1926. It was stated that Rural Science should "appeal to the senses and thereby develop habits of careful observation, enquiry and clear thought".' The practical illustration of the subject was greatly emphasised. Rural Science and Nature Study were considered synonymous terms, incorporating elementary science and school gardening, whose object was "to supply a concrete medium for the general development of the intellect and the character of the pupils and which at the same time will bring their education into relationship with their lives and surroundings".4 Rural Science or Nature Study was obligatory or optional depending on the size or composition of the school. The efficiency of the instruction was to to be judged "less by the amount of acquired knowledge than by the success of the teacher in arousing the children's curiosity and in stimulating their interest in the facts of nature".5 The syllabus in Rural Science covered subject areas such as matter, air, water, temperature, soil, plant life, animal life, food, hygiene and temperance. These are topics covered tod" j under Elementary Science, Health Education, Civics, Geography and Nature Study.
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5.3. CONTENT AND APPROACH
The content guidelines of the Social and Environmental Studies programme focus on the human environment, animal life, plant life, natural phenomena and elementary science. The guidelines in relation to the human environment are supported by separate guidelines for the teaching of History, Geography and Civics in the senior classes. The area of Nature Study is included in the guidelines for the study of animal life and plant life in all classes. Guidelines in the area of Elementary Science are provided under the heading of Natural Phenomena in senior classes with additional guidelines under the heading of Elementary Science in the fifth and sixth class programme.
To the adult mind, very often nature study is regarded solely in terms of the study of birds, animals and wild flowers. However, all things are new to children. Living creatures are of great interest to them and they also delight in the change of seasons, the wonders of the heavens, heat and cold and physical factors and properties. The teacher can help satisfy the natural curiosity of the child by encouraging a spirit of investigation at all times. The study of Nature in the primary school naturally encompasses Elementary Science. Nature Study and Rural Science have been combined as one subject since the early century. The litmus test of the success of the Nature Study and Elementary Science programme will be the extent to which children are encouraged and inspired to become true seekers of knowledge.
The main emphasis in the programme on Nature Study and Elementary Science in the primary school seems to be on the study of biology and botany. Other aspects of Science such as physics and chemistry are included in the curriculum under the heading of Natural Phenomena. Guidelines under this heading include the study of space, the solar system, water, air, sound, light, gravity, temperature and weather. It is significant that the guidelines provided are not as comprehensive as those provided for the botany and biology aspects of the programme. The currriculum emphasises the 'scientific approach' i.e. the conducting of experiments to discover scientific principles. The Teachers' Handbook clearly states that it is not intended that teachers cover all aspects of the syllabus in Elementary Science, but that topics should be selected which reflect the pupils' interests and which are interrelated with other areas of the curriculum. The content of an Elementary Science programme has
23
therefore been left to individual teachers to devise.
Nature Study as envisaged in the 1971 curriculum, is a study of the natural environment of children. A scientific approach to the study of Nature is advocated by the curriculum. This type of an approach is concerned principally with the process of observation, questioning and discovering answers through practical activities under the guidance of teachers. Children are encouraged, for example, to study local plant life and to learn how plants grow and breathe. The different functions of roots, stems and leaves are examined using simple experiments to understand the process of water absorption and food storage.
Themes such as conservation, pollution, local industry and employment provide ample opportunities for project work, incorporating elements of Nature Study, Geography, Civics, Elementary Science and History. Environmental Education and issues of environmental concern are becoming more relevant and topical as society becomes more aware of the effects of industry, chemicals, economic development, waste and pollution on the environment. Children may study these issues in global terms and in relation to the effects in their own locality.
Nature expeditions are an integral feature of the programme as the cultivation of an enquiring attitude of mind is more important than the acquisition of factual information. Nature expeditions should be carefully planned, and their purpose clearly understood by the children, in order to maximise the benefit of field trips to pupils. It is unfortunate that the lack of guidelines and the lack of inservice for teachers in the teaching of Science, has resulted in a concentration on Nature Study in the primary school. While skills of observation, recording, identification, hypothesising and investigation may be developed, children are not necessarily engaged in a scientific approach.
5.4. CONCLUSION
The inclusion of Nature Study and Elementary Science as an aspect of Social and Environmental Studies and the approaches recommended were among the most distinctive features of the 1971 Curriculum. According to surveys carried out by the INTO (1985), and by the Department of Education (1983), the teaching of Nature Study is quite successful, especially in junior classes. For example, 87% of teachers surveyed
24
reported the presence of a nature table in their classrooms. However, less than half of the respondents included Elementary Science in their programmes and only 31 % had their pupils conducting simple scientific experiments.6
It is evident from these surveys that teachers themselves must have a clear understanding and a working knowledge of science and of scientific investigation and that they also require content guidelines, inservice education and adequate materials and resources if the Elementary Science aspect of the Social and Environmental Studies programme is to be implemented successfully.
It is interesting to note that the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum recommended that the existing Nature Study and Elementary Science programme be integrated to form'a new Science programme.
There is a need for education in environmental affairs and for widespread dissemination of factual information on the preservation of the environment. Educating the general public on environmental issues is crucial, but it must be borne in mind that the environmental problems of the world cannot be solved in the primary school. The curriculum aims to stimulate in the children an interest in nature and in their environment, so that they can develop an appreciation of nature and an awareness of their own environment. In turn, this may lead to environmentally aware adults keen on conservation, appreciative of their heritage and culture and interested in developments that enhance rather than destroy the environment.
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Heritage Education, Peace Education and Development Education are addressed in this chapter as they are current topics of interest to society. Various agencies and organisations, both voluntary and statutory, are promoting these topics and providing information and resources to the general public and to schools. Schools are greatly under resourced, therefore, teachers often welcome resources provided by outside agencies to assist them in their teaching of Social and Environmental Studies. Pressure is being put on primary schools to adopt new topics such as Heritage, Peace and Development Education, as part of the curriculum. The addition of new topics such as these, while beneficial to the pupils and worthwhile in themselves, create a situation where curriculum overload is inevitable. The current demands of the curriculum cannot be ignored when discussing the introduction of new topics to the primary school programme.
6.1. HERITAGE STUDIES
6.1.1. Rationale for the inclusion of Heritage Studies in Social and Environmental Studies at Primary Level.
Knowledge of natural and built heritage develops self knowledge, a sense of identity, pride and self confidence and develops a sense of responsibility for and an appreciation of that which is durable, creative and worthwhile in our environment, both past and present and which can be shared internationally.
The successful management and conservation of the environment for the present and for future generations depends on an educated sense of
26
responsibility based on knowledge and awareness of natural and built heritage. Heritage represents the following assets for Ireland:
(a). the focus of active and growing public interest and enjoyment
(b). a ready made resource for education
(c). a vital resource for historic and scientific research
(d). an important attraction for tourists.!
Social and Environmental Education, including 'heritage' education should, through direct experience, lead to a knowledge and appreciation of human interdependence on land, inland water and marine flora and fauna. The flora and fauna can survive without mankind - mankind cannot survive without the flora and fauna.
The concept of Heritage Education is difficult to define in absolute terms because of the many aspects of Heritage Education - cultural, natural and built, all of which are interrelated and integrated. Cultural heritage might include literature, the visual and performed arts, folklore, scientific achievement and language and the history of their developments. The natural heritage includes the natural and exotic flora and fauna, fresh water, salt water and terrestrial - their habitats and associated ecologies, areas of scenic, scientific or geological interest - those areas which by their physical beauty or remoteness give society an understanding of undisturbed nature, a sense of well being and a sense of social history, settlement and development, by contrast to modern urban development.
The built heritage is an expression of ancestorial aspirations and evidence of their culture. It is a direct expression of society's social and historic past. It includes ancient monuments and sites, museum collections, industrial archaeology, archaeology in general, including marine archaeology, national parks and reserves, historic houses and gardens. An invaluable source of education, "they offer endless potential for learning outside the classroom .••• ey offer an introduction to Ireland's great artistic, botanical, zoological, entomological and geological wealth, giving pupils an insight into social history with a better sense of their own culture identity"2.
Society's heritage is evident both in archaeological sites and in the
27
environment, e.g. the varying patterns of stone walls in the west of Ireland and thatched houses. Heritage is often interpreted in theme and folk parks, which are becoming more important in developing an understanding of society's social and historic past. "In an age of standardisation, when social patterns are becoming the same the world over, and when building methods are similar from one end of the earth to the other - historical buildings and sites have a completely new function as a witness of the history of the peoples and of the art of past centuries. It is their presence that gives each country a cultural soul and individuality"3.
A knowledge and appreciation of cultural, natural and built heritage is the birth right of all Irish children. The continued existence of the very rich and unique Irish heritage depends on educated and appreciative local and national communities. There are laws to protect the heritage, but a sense of Irish identity and a civic responsibility towards the protection of society's Heritage will contribute more effectively to protecting that heritage for future generations. It is generally acknowledged among experts and groups concerned with the conservation of heritage that it is the responsibility of Governments to legislate for the protection of society's heritage on a sustainable basis compatible with development but that education plays a vital role in creating an awareness and appreciation of heritage that will lead to its preservation. Society's heritage, properly cared for and suitably developed can bring many and continued benefits to present and future generations.
6.1.2. Review of the Curriculum
The 1971 Curriculum while making no specific reference to 'heritage' did recommend attention to specific elements of society's heritage on an integrated basis. This approach is consistent with the principle of an integrated curriculum - considered by An Taisce 'as the greatest asset within the formal education system". It is child centred and integrated with Social and Environmental Studies having a central role.
In general terms syllabi under Social and Environmental Studies refer to the observation and study of flora and fauna. The Geography Programme stresses the importance of the locality, stating that the home region should occupy a central position throughout primary school Geography. The History Programme also states that, 'the importance of the local
28
•
•
,
environment cannot be over stressed and it should hold a central place in the study of the historical's. The study of the historical would inevitably include all evidence of 'heritage'. Including geological evidence, settlement evidence and ancient monuments. Visits to and the study of ring forts, burial mounds, historical sites, battle grounds, monastic settlements, viking/norman settlements, historic houses and gardens, national parks and museum collections in the immediate environment are central to the study of the 'historical'. The Governments's Green Paper on Education 'Education for a Changing World', published in 1992, states as one of its aims 'Ensuring that Ireland's young people acquire a keen awareness of their national and European heritage and identity'6.
The Report of the "Review Body on the Primary Curriculum 1991", makes a specific reference to 'heritage', stating that the programme in social and Environmental Studies should emphasise environmental awareness and the understanding of heritage both built and natural'. The Report also recommended visits to historic remains in the neighbourhood and that appropriate attention should be given to basic geological information as a component of physical Geography. This specific reference to 'heritage' in the 1991 review of the curriculum takes into consideration developments since the mid 1960's; the publication of the deliberations of two world conferences on 'heritage presentation and interpretation', in Canada in 1985, and in England in 1988, the publication in Ireland of such reports as "the Protection of the Natural Heritage", (An Foras Forbartha 1969), "Heritage at Risk", (An Taisce 1977), "Our Natural Heritage", (Union of Professional and Technical Civil Servants, 1987) and the appointment of the National Heritage Council in 1988.
6.1.3. Towards Conclusions
The 1971 Curriculum made no reference as to how the aspirations expressed therein might be implemented through inservice, preservice training or the provision of teaching materials and resources. The National Heritage Council (NHC) in a response to the Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum stated that "Well informed and appreciative teachers are a crucial element in increasing awareness and appreciation of the heritage" and recommended that "teacher preservice courses should have an obligatory heritage studies content and that inservice courses for teachers at all levels should have a heritage studies element"'. The implementation of any curriculum, its renewal or its development is
29
dependent on the preservice education of teachers in colleges of Education and on appropriate inservice education for serving teachers. It is also dependent on the availability of appropriate up-to-date teaching materials and constant information services relating to resources.
Heritage Education is not neglected in Irish schools as a glance through some school texts would prove. History books and reading materials include many articles on various aspects of Heritage. Teachers create their own resource packs and other materials. Trails have been developed by Teachers' Centres and many heritage related inservice courses are offered and taken by teachers at their own expense. (In 1992, 48 heritage/environmental inservice courses were offered). However, there is no structured approach to Heritage Education. '1nitiatives, are scattered, unevenly spread and under publicised"'. The Heritage of Ireland, both natural and built is a rich resource in the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies in the primary school. By including heritage as part of History, Geography or Civics, children's experience is broadened and enriched, enabling them to develop an awareness and an appreciation of their own heritage and identity.
6.2. DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION
6.2.1. Definition
According to the United Nations definition Development Education seeks to enable people to participate in the development of their community, their nation and the world as a whole and that it is concerned with raising awareness of issues of human rights, dignity, self reliance and social justice both in developed and developing countries.
In its report on the Pilot Project on Development Education in Primary Schools (1990), the Development Education Support Centre (DESC) interprets Development Education as follows:
"Develapment Education is (therefore) not merely about problems and poverty in the Third World, it is about developing a "One World" concept: Development Education is therefore about:
(a) an approach to learning which incorporates a global perspective;
30
•
•
(b) a process which prepares pupas for living in an interdependent world; (c) understanding the causes of development in both "developed" and
"developing" countries;
(d) a process which enables children to develop a sense of responsibility towards their own society in a wider world;
(e) an appreciation of different cultures;
(t> an educational process incorporating an integrated learning approach rather than a separate area of the curriculum;
(g) a child centred approach to learning which grows out of the child's own environment and as s/he develops leads on to an understanding of broader issues;
(h) activity based learning involving the child in discovering knowledge and in developing skills and attitudes;
(i) knowledge gained regarding issues of human rights, social justice, self reliance and global interdependence;
(j) developing skills of empathy with people in different situations and cultures;
(k) developing skills of listening to different viewpoints and recognising their validity;
(l) developing skills of cooperation in class, at home, in the community and in the wider world;
(m) developing a sense of fairness extended to include a global perspective;
(n) pupils' responsibility for themselves, their relations with others, their role in protecting the environment and in the development of their own society in the context of global development;
(0) developing an understanding of how attitudes are formed and of the influences of home and media etc;
31
(q) fostering tolerance towards others.
Development Education is therefore a process which promotes the knowledge, attitudes and skills which are relevant to living responsibly in a multicultural and interdependent world"'.
In their descriptive account of the Primary School Development Education Project a similar concept is expressed thus:
"A major purpose of the project is to facilitate and support teachers in introducing global and justice perspectives into the work of the Primary School through the provision of inservice education and curricular rnaterials"2.
6.2.2. Historical Background
During the sixties, agencies involved in Third World Aid came to realise that financial and technical aid were not sufficient in themselves to resolve the problems in under developed countries. In addition those countries were pointing out that justice and the recognition of global interdependence were essential and that this could only be achieved through education. Initially this was directed at adults. In 1973, the Irish Government Bilateral Aid Programme was founded and in 1974, the Agency for Personal Service Overseas was established. In the same year the Irish Government signed the UNESCO recommendation concerning education for international understanding, cooperation and peace and education relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms:
The signatories agreed:
• to increase efforts to develop "an international and intercultural dimension" in schools;
• to encourage teaching about human rights, injustice, inequality, war, disarmament and the environment;
• that "education should bring every person to understand and assume his or her responsibilities for the maintenance of peace".
32
•
,
,
•
•
The Department of Foreign Affairs introduced a grants system for Development Education in 1978. The same department set up the Development Education Support Centre (DESC) in 1986. During the nineteen seventies and eighties a number of non-Governmental Agencies were involved in Development Education. These included bodies such as Tr6caire, Concern, Comhlamh, The Irish Commission for Justice and Peace and various missionary orders.
Of these, Tr6caire had the greatest input into primary schools through its Lenten Campaigns. The materials they circulated to schools had the objective of raising funds for the Third World while simultaneously sensitizing Irish children and their parents to the problems of developing countries.
Tr6caire in cooperation with the Curriculum Development Unit, Mary Immaculate College of Education, DESC and Comhl;lmh have for some years been involved in the organisation of inservice courses for teachers.
6.2.3. Recent Projects in Development Education in Primary Schools
In 1988, DESC in conjunction with the Curriculum Unit in the Department of Education launched a pilot project on Development Education in 8 schools over a period of one year.
The aims of the project were:
(a) to pilot the inclusion of a Development Education perspective in the primary school curriculum.
(b) to do so in a variety of primary schools using a whole school approach .
(c) to examine the outcomes of the project with a view to making a proposal to the Department of Education on the integration of a Development Education perspective into the primary school curriculum.
The final report on this project is available from DESC and a submission based on its findings has been made to the NCCA
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In 1986, Tr6caire and the Curriculum Development Unit, Mary Immaculate College of Education embarked on a three phase project to be completed in 1995.
The aims of this project are:
(i) to involve teachers, curriculum specialists and development educationalists in an examination of the possibilities for Development Education at primary level;
(iD to conduct a number of inservice courses with a view to designing and pilot testing curricular materials;
(iii) to evaluate these materials in the light of such use and to revise them for publication;
(iv) to devise and implement a strategy for dissemination of such materials to a wider range of schools and teachers;
(v) to make recommendations to appropriate bodies and organisations on future work at primary level.
A descriptive summary of progress to date is available from Mary Immaculate College of Education.
Understandably there is no direct reference to Development Education in Curac1am na Bunscoile (1971) as it predates the movement towards Development Education in this country which may be said to have begun in 1973 when the Irish Government's Bilateral Aid Programme was founded.
However, the germ of the idea may be discerned in chapter XI dealing with Civics where reference is made to "the common bond of humanity'" and it is suggested that "the more violent aspects of history should not be stressed and the real value to humanity of men and women of peace and progress such as Edmund Ignatius Rice, Madame Curie and Mahatma Ghandi should be placed in proper perspective"'.
In 1985, the Curriculum and Examination Board published a discussion paper on primary education. In its section on Environmental Studies it
34
I
•
states: "Material which has been developed by various agencies on Development Education also seems to have a potential place in the Primary Curriculum"5.
Among the recommendations made in section 7 of this document is the following:
"Deuelopment and pilot projects which are being carried out in the following areas of the curriculum should be monitored and evaluated with a view to assessing their potential for inclusion in the curriculum of all primary schools".: Among the areas mentioned is Development Education.
The term Development Education is not used in the Environmental Studies section of the Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum 1990. However, the concept is clearly encompassed in the following recommendations:
"That the content of the programme should be re-examined with due regard for deuelopment in other countries and for deuelopment up to the present time".
"That attitude objectives should focus particularly on tolerance and empathy and on combating prejudice"7.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) was established in 1987. In November 1991, the first NCCA primary curriculum committees met. The terms of reference of the curriculum committees stated that; "In the course of their deliberations the curriculum committees should be guided by the Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum (May 1990) with particular reference to its appropriate recommendations and, also by the Teachers' Handbook (Curaclam na Bunscoile, parts 1 and 2)"8.
The Review Body had invited submissions from all individuals and groups interested in the development of primary education. DESC was the only group of those involved in Development Education to make a submission.
6.2.4. Summary
While submissions to the curriculum committees of the NCCA are
35
welcomed it is important to bear in mind that Curalam na Bunscoile (1971) and the Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum (1990) are the critical reference points for the work of the NCCA. Many teachers, sensitized by the mass media and by agencies involved in Development Education, currently adopt a one world perspective in their approach to Social and Environmental Studies. The methodology recommended by the development educationalists is to a large extent that recommended in Curraclam na Bunscoile. Central to it is the use of activity based learning and the principle of integration. However, the inspectors' report on the implementation of the curriculum (1983) and that of the INTO (1988) indicate that many teachers have difficulty in implementing an integrated, activity based learning programme. It is therefore, unrealistic to propose the extension of the current curriculum to include Development Education unless appropriate inservice education is made available to all serving teachers.
6.3. PEACE EDUCATION
6.3.1. Introduction
There are many organizations and agencies, both nationwide and worldwide, promoting peace and cooperation between peoples. Consideration of Peace Education is relevant at a time when there is an increasing thrust towards peace. There are continuous concentrated efforts to resolve peacefully conflicts in many parts of the world and here at home. People are becoming more concerned about issues such as injustice, poverty, inequality and human rights. Conservationists are anxious to improve the physical environment and to make the world a better place in which to live.
Peace Education is not a subject in the primary school curriculum. There is no reference to Peace Education in the Teachers' Handbook or in the Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum. While it may not be feasible in the context of an overloaded curriculum to have a separate programme for Peace Education, educators should become familiar with the concept of Peace Education, its aims and how those aims might be implemented. This topic could be dealt with as a cross curricular theme or in education for citizenship (Civics). The teacher could focus on and bring together all the elements in the current curriculum that promote understanding, harmony and peace. Peace Education, the.,.,fore, is
36
essentially integral to Social and Environmental Studies.
6.3.2. Definition of Peace Education
Peadar Cremin in his discussion document on, "Peace Education in Ireland"l, presents the definition which follows in an effort to set a foundation for the approaches to Peace Education which are most likely to succeed in the context of the Irish education sector:
"Peace Education is a global term applying to all educational endeavours and activities which take as their focus the promotion of a knowledge of peace and of
I peace building and which promote in the learner, attitudes of tolerance and empathy as well as skills in conflict avoidance and conflict resolution so that learners will have the capacity and motivation, individually and collectively to live in peace with others".
Peter Mullan, (REd. Dip. Ed. Admin. in Peace Education) in outlining a case for the inclusion of Peace Education in the Irish primary school curriculum, states:
"Looking at the historical development of the notion of Peace Education one finds that the concept was initially concerned with such issues as violence and war and consequently peace was considered as the absence of war and success was defined in these terms. Developments in recent cases have led to a broadening of the concept to include other forms of violence such as racism, sexism, human rights abuses along with social, economic and political oppression. Success would thus be measured not only in terms of the absence of war but in the creation of a more just and equitable society"'.
The idea of Peace Education may best be considered in the context of the full and harmonious development of each child as an individual and as a
• member of society. Peace Education is helping children to develop in harmony with themselves, with their environment and with others. Peace Education is not just a set of rules. It is not merely the imparting of
f knowledge. It is not something static; it is dynamic. It involves such ideas as moral behaviour, justice, truth and fairness not merely as topi-- for discussion or as values to be cherished, but as activating forces that influence people in their individual behaviour and in their interpersonal relations.
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The philosophy behind Peace Education in the broadest sense corresponds to some of the aims of the primary curriculum as set out in the Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum (May 1990).
• To help children to understand the society and environment in which they live, the interdependence of peoples and nations and to foster a spirit of cooperation and the capacity and willingness to contribute in a critical but positive manner towards the development of society.
• To help children to respect, appreciate and understand their own and other cultural identities.
To help children to acquire and develop moral and religious values and a respect for the beliefs and values held by others.
• Develop a positive awareness of self and a sensitivity to others, and a respect for the rights, views and feelings of other people'.
Arising from these aims and objectives of the curriculum, Peace Education in the Primary School may be considered under three headings.
1. Living in Harmony with Oneself 2. Living in Harmony with the Environment 3. Living in Harmony with Others
6.3.3. Living in Harmony with Oneself
Fundamental to Peace Education, social development and peaceful co existence is personal development. When a person infringes the rights of others, s/he is trying very often to satisfy some deficiency in his/her own personality. A person's self concept has a major influence on his/her ability to relate to others.
"Self esteem is essential in dealing with differences whether racial religious, sexual or economic. Bigotry and hatred flourish in the minds and actions of those who have a low sense of self. They look for another person or group to be a scapegoat or to put down". (Katherine McGuinness)!.
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I
r
I
Peace Education in this instance is developing self esteem, self confidence and security through affinnation and praise, challenge and achievement. It involves developing trust and meeting the needs of the child at the personal, social and intellectual levels. This aspect of Peace Education is taking place already in schools. When these needs are not met, or when children are not affirmed or praised, prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination may arise. The teacher should always be aware of expressions in class. S /he should monitor the language used by the children and discuss with them the examples of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination that s/he encounters.
Emotional development and moral fonnation are also features of Peace Education. Helping children to cope with negative feelings such as fear, anger, hatred, frustration, jealousy or pride is part of Peace Education. The Eastern Health Board's Stay Safe Programme is currently being extended nationwide as a personal development course for children and teachers can also draw from the Religious Programmes used in the schools.
6.3.4. Living in Harmony with the Environment
"All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life., he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself". (Chief Seattle, of the Duwamish tribe when the V.S. Government was forcing the purchase of his tribe's land in 1854)5.
There is an environmental aspect to Peace Education. Care and conservation of the environment have a positive effect on the social advancement of humanity. The interdependence of all living things becomes apparent to children as their understanding of the life cycles of insects, animals, birds and humans grow. Therefore, by destroying the environment, children will begin to understand that they are destroying themselves. Solving the litter problem, care of plants and animals and respect for property is Peace Education as well as Environmental Education. Pupils will readily understand how pieces of broken glass in the school yard or field can cause damage, pain and suffering. Bottle caps in a neighbour's field can cause damage to cattle thus giving rise to acrimony and conflict. The damage caused by effluent and slurry in lakes and rivers adversely effect the livelihood and past time activities of fishermen. On the positive side pupils can be shown the peace value of
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tidy town endeavours and of recycling projects.
6.3.5. Living in harmony with others
"The human body had two hands;
With (one) hand I can make a fist .... I can hit .... I can destroy .... I can make a wasteland about me And with (the other) hand I can play a piece of music .... I can make a friend I can create .... I can paint a picture .... But above all: I can contain (the fist),'6.
Brian Keenan's quotation given at the press conference after his release from 5 years in captivity, expresses the idea of being creative and cooperative rather than destructive in dealing with others. Activities such as group games, sharing and caring develop self discipline and respect for others. The creative arts, an important aspect of the primary school curriculum are a building force between peoples. Music and art for example, transcend national boundaries.
In Peace Studies, the idea of solidarity is important. Children could examine situations where basic human needs are not being met. They could look at aspects of poverty such as lack of material wealth, hunger, deprivation and unemployment and at ways of reaching a solution. In senior classes children wiIl have come to realise the effects of poverty from study of the famine in Ireland. They may discuss ways of meeting basic needs of people in the world today, in their own community and in the third world. The role of the Churches and organizations such as Trocaire/Goal/Concem is relevant. References could be made to people like the late Sean McBride or Mother Teresa, who have made outstanding contributions to peace. Peace gestures in the liturgy or in the moral/religious programme could be discussed. Racism in Ireland in relation to how Travellers are treated could be considered. A historical perspective on racism as experienced by the Irish in England and
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)
"
•
,
•
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America, 'No Irish need apply', could be given. This could be broadened to include a study of apartheid and how and why it should be abolished. The study of the exploitation of people by the media is another possibility.
Group activity can lead to conflict and individual acts carried out in isolation can affect others. Consideration of practical examples in school could be a stepping stone to show how conflicts arise in the wider communities.
"In the school the individual encounters society. The classroom presents a web of relationships and tensions as formidable and possibly as threatening for the young learner as any that s/he will have to cope with in later life. The teacher who is attuned to the constructive possibilities offered by the classroom milieu will recognise the potential of what otherwise, might be part of a hidden curriculum. Learners can discover the values of cooperation as opposed to competition. Pupils can be taught to cope with potential conflict laden situations. In short, learners can develop the personal skills which they may later apply in the world outside school"7.
6.3.6. Conclusion
The approach to Peace Education as outlined above is an integrated one. Many aspects of Peace Education are undertaken at present in the primary school curriculum, especially in the area of Social and Environmental Studies. Therefore, Peace Education in itself, is not a new phenomenon. Peace Education is about developing attitudes and behaviour and the skills to live in harmony with ourselves and others. It should be considered a cross curricular theme, promoted through the various component subject areas of Social and Environmental Studies. It may add a new dimension to the teaching of all areas of the curriculum by making them more relevant to modern living. Peace Education directs the learner's idealism towards altruistic concerns and issues, and challenges him/her to take positive action on behalf of others thus making him/her an active agent in the promotion and maintenance of peace.
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7.1. THE PRINOPLE OF INTEGRATION
The principle of Integration is a key element of the 1971 Curriculum. The decision to construct an integrated curriculum is based on the theses that "as the child is one, however complex his/her nature, so also must his education be one, however complex its nature"!.
The young child is not conscious of subject barriers, but views knowledge as a key to life and questions concerning the world around him/her range over the whole field of knowledge. The curriculum should reflect this attitude of the child and be seen more as an integral whole rather than as a logical structure containing conveniently differentiated parts".
The Integration of the curriculum may be seen:
a. in the religious and civic spirit which animates all its parts;
b. in its recognition of language, mathematics and artistic expression, not merely as specific areas of knowledge and activity but even more essentially as the means by which all knowledge and experiences are organised and made meaningful;
c. in its emphasis on the fact that the child's environment provides the most congenial ground in which the seeds of
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knowledge may be sown and its organic growth fostered; d. in its acknowledgement of the fact that school education and
out of school education must be clearly seen to complement each other if the child is to live a full life as a child and later, a full and useful life as an adult in society3.
Social and Enviromnental Studies, being primarily concerned with human activity, with the child's physical surroundings and with the natural phenomena with which s/he is familiar, can be the focal point for planning an integrated curriculum in a school.
7.2. DEFINmoNs OF INTEGRATION
There are various interpretations and understandings of integration, and what it means in the context of primary school education. The Curriculum Handbook states, in its broadest definition, "integration conveys the idea of unification of diverse elements to form a cohesive whole"'. It goes on to state, that in itself, "the social and physical environment constitutes a closely woven pattern of natural and human forces and the observation of this pattern is bound to promote in the minds of the pupils the idea of the interdependence of various processes and activities"5.
In the report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum (1990), the Review Body takes the view that integration should be thought of as a pedagogic principle, and as such it suggests that links should be established between the various areas and aspects of the curriculum. Before the introduction of the 1971 curriculum there was a tendency for rigid time tabling to dominate the school schedule. In this context, the integration principle provided a flexibility that was widely welcomed. The Report endorsed activity and guided discovery methods and the value of the local environment as a resource, in particular, in relation to Social and Environmental Studies. The report also emphasised the potential of the enviromnent as a useful integrating factor, and as an antidote to the over reliance on textbooks".
Integration is described by Dyrnphna McCartney, in "Enviromnental and Social Studies" as "a strategy, a device for an activity based methodology. Integration presupposes that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts and students see and understand that many disparate disciplines must be focussed on an issue. The learning process is not narrowly applied to any
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particular structure of knowledge (subjects) but upon people as communities sharing common characteristics and inhabiting the one planet Earth"'. "Environmental and Social Studies", is a new syllabus within the Junior Certificate course. The philosophy behind the definition is equally relevant to the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies in the primary school.
7.3. INfEGRATION AND SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
The 1971 Curriculum introduced for the first time, a syllabus for the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies.
The syllabus for infants includes guidelines for study on the human environment, animal life, plant life, nature walks, language development and recording. The syllabus for first and second class is an extension of the infant syllabus. Natural phenomena is introduced in the third and fourth class syllabus, and Elementary Science is introduced in the fifth and sixth class programme. In addition to the syllabus on Social and Environmental Studies, however, there are separate guidelines relating to the teaching of History and Geography from third class upwards and in Civics for fifth and sixth classes. As a child's learning is based more on the immediate environment in the junior classes, integration between the various components of Social and Environmental Studies occurs naturally. As pupils progress through the school system, their thinking processes develop and subject areas are more likely to be recognised as separate disciplines. In Curaclam na Bunscoile, the four main areas of History, Civics, Geography and Nature Study/Elementary Science are identified as natural developments of Social and Environmental Studies. Science remains an integral part of the general Social and Environmental Studies programme, when History, Geography and Civics are regarded as separate subject areas, warranting separate syllabi in the senior classes. This lack of core content in Science may be a reason for the low level of Science teaching in schools as shown in the surveys on the curriculum carried out in the seventies and eighties.
The Report of the Primary Curriculum Review Body also stresses the importance of maintaining a differentiation between the various subjects in the curriculum as children get older, in line with stages of development in their thinking. Recognising integration as a pedagogic principle, does not mean that the traditional divisions between subject disciplines should
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be discarded. The curriculum at infant level would consist of broad areas, among them Social and Environmental Studies. As the pupils progress through the system, " the curriculum divisions will tend to correspond more closely to traditional subject disciplines. Thus what was Social and Environmental Studies in the infant classes develops into (i) History, (ii) Geography, (iH) Civics, (iv) Elementary Science. These developments arise both from pedagogic principles relating to the ever increasing capacity for learning of the growing child and also from epistemic principles relating to the logical classification of content areas as the acquisition of knowledge progresses towards ever higher levels of specialisation" •. Therefore, the nature of integration in the senior classes would be different to that of the junior classes.
7.4. INTEGRATION IN PRAcnCE
The extent to which subject areas are integrated in the primary school varies from school to school and is also influenced by factors such as the experience of the teacher, class levels, class sizes, and location of school (urban/rural). Levels of integration between aspects of the curriculum indicated by respondents in the INTO Survey on Curriculum (1986) ranged from over 60% who integrated Art and Craft with Environmental Studies to just under 2% who integrated Geography with P.E.'. The Department of Education also examined the integration of various subjects in their report on "Daoneolas agus Eolas Irnshaoil" (1983). According to this report, Social and Environmental Studies is most commonly integrated with Religion, English and Art and Crafts with Music, Mathematics and Physical Education occasionally integrated. Stories, poetry, music, drama, and written work are also used extensively to support the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies. Approximately, half the number of teachers surveyed, stated that they often integrated the component subject areas of Social and Environmental Studies. According to the inspectors surveyed, 62% of teachers integrated History with other areas of the curriculum, 66% integrated Geography and 84% Nature Study. The report recommended an extended use of integration as a teaching method, and recommended also that integration as a concept form a part of future inservice courses for teachers'o.
The practice of integration differs according to subject area and ages of children. The whole process of integration can begin in the junior classes when children discuss the importance of various people in their li ves such
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as parents, teachers, clergy, doctors, shopkeepers and gardaf. The infant curriculum consists of Language, Mathematics, Social and Environmental Studies and Creative and Expressive activities. Integration will be a key feature within and between these broad areas. For example, language development plays an important part in all activities in infant classrooms, transcending Mathematics, Nature, Reading, Art, and Physical Activities. The inspectors' report on the implementation of the principles of the Curriculum suggests that the most common form of integration practised in schools is that characterised by the deliberate introduction of some cross subject workll . Project work and theme work are other approaches used by teachers as a means of integrating subjects.
7.5. PROJECf WORK
The majority of children participate in project work at some time in primary school, many doing two or three projects a year in senior classes. Many aspects of Social and Environmental Studies are very suitable for project work and will span, very often, the various subject areas of History, Geography, Nature Study, Civics, Health Education, Science and Heritage.
A case in point could be a visit to a Meat factory. The Geography element will deal with location and resources necessary for establishment of the particular industry. History can include the details of the establishing of the industry and any traditions associated with it. Nature Study will deal with its affect on local plant and animal life. Health Education will deal with any pollution dangers, smells, clean air and its importance. The Science element could include a study of water and its purification or soil studies which relate to the farming style in the surrounding areas, something which may have been a factor in the establishment of the industry. All the conditions necessary for growth could be explored and brought to a scientific conclusion. Civics could cover the importance of the industry to the local economy, and employment and unemployment patterns in the locality.
Projects are often organised on a thematic basis and can be very educational and informative, as children, under proper direction, can cover a wide field of study and gain considerably from the social element of team work. However, project work can easily lead to an over extension of a topic well beyond the understanding of those involved and
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eventually end up as an almost useless exercise in transcription. Projects, to be meaningful should be (a) of interest to the pupils, (b) relevant to their course of study, (c) kept within reasonable bounds of scope and understanding and (d) should give the pupils experience in research and refining of data and also in recording and illustrating the findings. Discussion on findings among participants and by a whole class is educationally beneficial. Topics approached in this way will lead children to an understanding of the complex nature of life around them and to the interlinkage of the various strands.
7.6. THEME ApPROACH
Many themes present themselves for study in the primary school curriculum. Popular themes would include pollution, conservation, water, peace, employment, industry and health. Projects could be done on any of the themes, referring to the various aspects of the theme in the various subject areas. Alternatively, themes could form the framework for a school year plan or term plan, the chosen theme being addressed in all areas of the curriculum by all classes.
A theme approach to pollution, would involve different aspects of the theme being addressed in the various areas of the curriculum, e.g. causes of pollution, types of pollution, responsibility for pollution, the local situation, the national situation, and the global situation. The geographical, historical, scientific and civic aspects of the theme are studied, therefore, according to the developmental stage of the children.
7.7. CROSS CURRICULAR THEMES
Topics may be introduced to a curriculam through a cross curricular theme approach. Objectives would be established for each cross curricular theme, and the attainment of these objectives would be promoted through the core subject areas of a curriculum. "To integrate the themes into their work successfully, all teachers should have a clear understanding of the purposes and objectives of each of the themes and the significance of the themes within the context of a whole curriculum which is designed to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult Iife"l2. Teachers would also need an understanding of how the cross curricular themes can be built into the core or contributory subjects.
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Civics is usually taught as a cross curricular theme in junior classes in national schools. It is rarely found as a timetabled subject, and yet, children are encouraged through their other activities to develop a sense of national pride and civic responsibility. The main concern of Civics in the primary school is with the development of acceptable social and moral attitudes which take into account the rights of other members of society, through the incidental fostering of the values, habits and attitudes of a good citizen, e.g. safety, caring for people, honesty etc.
A cross curricular theme approach has recently been introduced to the curriculum in Northern Ireland, in order to introduce topics on subject areas such as Health Education, Cultural Heritage, Information Technology and Education for Mutual Understanding to the primary curriculum. An explanation of this approach as defined in Northern Ireland is given in Appendix IV. Objectives have been stated for each educational or cross curricular theme and appropriate elements of the themes have been incorporated into the programmes of study and attainment targets which have been drawn up by the Northern Ireland Curriculum Council.
7.8 CROSS REFERENCES/PERSPECTIVES
Subject areas are more inclined to be differentiated in the senior classes of the primary school. Guidelines are provided in the 1971 curriculum in the subject areas of History and Geography in addition to the guidelines under the general heading of Social and Environmental Studies. As reported by the Inspectors of the Department of Education, integration through the use of cross references between different subject areas is the most common form of integration practiced in schools. A History lesson would often include references to the geographical aspect of a particular topic, for example the study of World War II, could include a geographical study to some degree of the countries involved. A Geography lesson on a particular country may include a study of the country's music, culture or History. A Science lesson on gases may refer to the usage of gases or to the effects of various gases on one's health. Introducing perspectives is also a form of cross referencing. A peace perspective or a development education perspective may be introduced to topics such as farming or water, by discussing farming methods in third world countries, or the causes and the effects of drought and flooding. However, for the
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introduction of perspectives and cross referencing to be successful, there must be some form of content guidelines in the various subject areas, so that teachers can plan schemes and lessons incorporating content form different areas of the curriculum.
7.9. ACQUISmON OF SKILLS AND FORMING OF ATI1TUDES
The teaching of skills and forming of attitudes, are central to the primary curriculum. Language skills are acquired in all areas of the curriculum, through reading, discussion and writing in the various subject areas. Mathematical skills of computing, observation, problem solving and recording will also fearure in Geography and Science. The scientific skills of observation, discovery and investigation will be integral to Geography, Nature Study and Mathematics. The development of self esteem, confidence, tolerance and empathy, are fearures of peace education, moral formation, religious education and personal development. Interpersonal skills are promoted through group work and team work in alI subject areas. Civic attitudes are developed through the study of History and heritage as welI as Civics. Therefore, the concept of integration further enhances the acquisition of skills and forming of attirudes among primary school children.
7.10. THE NEED FOR INSERVICE
The 1975 INTO survey of the Curriculum showed that 85.8% of teachers surveyed agreed that an integrated Curriculum is more meaningful than teaching subjects separately. The 1986 INTO survey saw this percentage drop to 55% in general support for the principle of integration. The 1986 INTO survey offered no reasons for the decline but did surmise that over dependence on text books in planning schemes of work could be a contributing factor. The need for extensive treatment of integration in inservice education was stressed. Integration in the area of Social and Environmental Studies and in the broader Curriculum should be a natural element of the curriculum and not a contrived platform through which it is achieved. Careful and guided planning are essential to the successful implementation of the principle of integration.
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8.1. SCHOOLS TEXTS
There is a high level of reliance on the use of school texts in the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies in primary schools. According to the INTO Report on School Texts, (1989)1, textbooks are used by 94% of teachers in History, by 93% in Geography, and by 40.8% in the area of Elementary Science/Nature Study. It also shows that textbooks have a significant influence on teachers' schemes of work. Such a high rate of usage leads to an over dependence on school texts and this in turn may have a detrimental effect on the usage of other resources including the school's own environment within the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies. School texts are produced nationally and therefore cannot serve to highlight what is unique in a particular area.
The Department of Education's study on "Daoneolas agus Eolas Imshaoil" (1983)', agrees broadly with the findings of the INTO survey. The Department's report states that the prominence given to the use of textbooks in the teaching of History and Geography effects the use of fiImstrips, libraries and the environment as resources in the teaching of these subjects. The most common practice in the use of textbooks is that of reading the textbook in class, with discussion and debate following. The sequence or order of topics in the textbooks is also strictly followed. The importance given to textbooks reduces activity and discovery based learning in the environment. The report recommends that the use of textbooks should be a subject for preservice and inservice education for teachers.
On the use of textbooks, the curriculum handbook in referring to
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Geography, states that textbooks are intended to reinforce activities, to give further experience of ideas already explored, to act as sources of information on matters and places outside the actual experience of the pupils and to stimulate and supplement the work of the teacher. Over dependence on a textbook, however, will stultify a teacher's whole approach to geographical activities.
The INW Curriculum Survey of 1986, reported that the level of use of the environment in the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies was disappointing, though 80% of the teachers surveyed agreed with the principle of activity and discovery methods and basing learning in the environment3• The support given to the principle of integration at 55% is lower than that given to it in the 1975 survey, (86%)4. The reported level of dependence on textbooks is considered a factor in this change. Almost all textbooks sanctioned for use in schools focus on one specific subject area/topic with very little attempt made to integrate that particular subject area or topic with other aspects of the curriculum.
The INTO School Texts Report recommends that in order to switch the focus on to the pupils' own environment the development of adequate resource material relating to environmental studies on a county by county basis be undertaken. This would help to ensure the use of that which is unique to a particular locality in the education of the children of that area. Such resource material would not have the extensive sales possibilities of pupils' textbooks and would cost more to publish, a subsidy from the Department of Education would seem to be essential for its development.
Alternatives to texts should be developed in Social and Environmental Studies. State funding is necessary to facilitate the research and development of publications in this area. Clusters of schools coming together to draft common curriculum in the area of Social and Environmental Studies, exploiting the resources presented by their own environment is a welcome development. Teachers' Centres can act as focal points for this type of activity. Such developments would help to counter the current problem of over dependence on textbooks and would highlight for schools the unique aspects of their own environments.
8.2. EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING
In the spring of 1937 schools radio broadcasting started in this country.
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The programmes included Music, Irish Language and Proverbs, Historical Ballads, Religious and Bible Stories, Irish Poetry, Nature Study, Folklore, Travellers' Tales and Childrens' Choirs and Bands. Booklets were issued by Radio Eireann to accompany some of the programmes. The programmes were scheduled for the late afternoon of each school day. Unfortunately equipment was in short supply in the schools and no grant was made available to purchase it. The outbreak of World War I, together with the Department of Education's refusal to recognise the use of broadcasting as a legitimate part of the school day also contributed to the early demise of the service in 1941. Incredibly, the last 51 years have failed to produce radio broadcasts to mainstream primary schools. In 1964, Teleffs Scoile started broadcasting with the Department of Education accepting financial responsibility. The programmes were planned as a supplement to the examination courses in post primary schools and many interesting and high quality programmes were produced. By 1975 however, the Department of Education decided to cease funding educational broadcasting claiming that costs should be borne by the national network. Hereafter, Teleffs Scoile began to struggle and was finally terminated in 1981. A properly established and funded educational broadcasting service would greatly enhance and support school programmes on Social and Environmental studies in primary education. The value of educational broadcasting has been recognized in many reports on the subject including the report of the Committee on Educational Broadcasting in 1982. It would be a major help in overcoming the difficulties imposed on many schools by such physical limitations as location, poor environment and lack of materials.
Television in particular, offers an ideal audio-visual medium of bringing outdoor life, landscapes, historical features and other countries into the classroom. The study of subjects such as History, Geography, Nature Study, Science, Heritage Education and Health Studies, would all be greatly enhanced by the provision of such a service.
A great number of primary schools are already using the educational broadcasting services of our near neighbours as part of their environmental education programmes. While school programmes currently received from abroad are excellent and of high quality and teachers who use them are pleased to have them available, there are cultural implications for Irish Education. It is true that we do not possess the same resources as cross channel stations, but it is vital that we serve
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the needs of the school curriculum by the provision of educational broadcasting which is firmly rooted in the environment of the children whom we teach.
The cost of the provision of such a service is often greatly exaggerated as R.T.E. have accumulated a wealth of archival material since their inception, a lot of which could be edited and rescripted to make it highly suitable for use in primary schools. It is a disgrace that such resource materials lie untapped while schools try to rely on the small amount of material produced in this area by the Department of Education in the late 70's and early 80's. The provision of a broadcasting service to national schools would also help counteract the over dominant influence currently enjoyed by school texts. Properly set up and organised, such a service would help broaden and enrich the present Social and Environmental Studies programme using a medium well tried and tested at holding Children's attention and concentration. The service would have to include the provision of comprehensive teachers' notes to accompany each series as preparation for the broadcasts chosen is an essential ingredient of their success.
Local and national radio stations should also be given a role in educational broadcasting. Radio is a relatively inexpensive medium and with the proper provision of back up materials could make a significant contribution to Social and Environmental Studies. The ad vent of local radio in particular, presents a fine opportunity to promote what is unique within the environs of each county. Sufficient expertise from within the teaching profession could be recruited by local stations to ensure that the educational programmes produced reflect the local culture and environment. Educational broadcasting both local and national, on either radio or television could be worthwhile, effective and stimulating to children, and provide an excellent resource in the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies.
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9.1. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
Social and Environmental Studies, as envisaged in the Curriculum of 1971 and as described in Chapter 1 of this document, is a broad, comprehensive area of study. Geography, History, Civics and Nature Study, are the key curriculum areas of Social and Environmental Studies. However, the nature of a broad area of study such as Social and Environmental Studies, which is concerned with human activity, with the child's physical surroundings and with the natural phenomena with which s/he is familiar, is such, that it can include any area of interest to the children, to their parents, and to their teachers. This may cause problems for schools, as increasing demands are made to include new topics in the Social and Environmental Studies programme.
There are a growing number of agencies interested in influencing the content, methodology and development of the primary school curriculum. Health Education is being promoted by the Health Boards, Safety Education by the National Safety Association, Development Education by Development Agencies and Environmental Education by conservation agencies. Whereas all these areas are of interest and of benefit to pupils in primary schools it is necessary to maintain an appropriate balance between all aspects of the curriculum. Many bodies are currently making inputs into school programmes "'ithout consideration of the totality of the curriculum. There is a limit to what can realistically be achieved within the confines of the primary school timetable, given that the curriculum and in particular the programme in Social and Environmental Studies is already quite demanding. In an extremely under resourced system of education teachers often welcome
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support materials and resources from groups whose main consideration may not necessarily be the implementation of a balanced curriculum.
Change and innovation must be coordinated, in a structured and democratic manner. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) who is, at present, responsible for all aspects of curriculum development at primary and post primary levels, is the body through which groups or individuals should attempt to effect change and influence the development of the primary school curriculum. It is through the INTO that teachers are uniquely empowered to influence the development and implementation of curriculum. It is now vital that policy on curriculum matters be formulated by the organisation since teachers representing the INTO on NCCA Curriculum Committees are otherwise operating in a vacuum. The Education Committee recommends that:
1. Since the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, is at present responsible for all aspects of curriculum development at primary and post primary levels, all bodies and agencies interested in effecting change and influencing the curriculum should be obliged to submit proposals on curriculum changes to the NCCA for consideration. In this way, change and innovation can be brought about in a structured and coordinated manner in the context of the whole curriculum.
9.2. INTEGRATION
Social and Environmental Studies incorporates both social studies and environmental studies. Geography, Nature Study and Science are considered Environmental Studies whereas History, Heritage Education, Civics, Peace Education and Development Education may be regarded as social studies. The 1971 Curriculum includes content guidelines for History, Geography and Civics in the senior classes, while Nature Study and Elementary Science are covered broadly under the general heading of Social and Environmental Studies. It is essential that a broad subject area such as Social and Environmental Studies should have general objectives. The format of the 1971 Curriculum contains general objectives and guidelines for Social and Environmental Studies with further objectives and guidelines for the different curricular areas within it, History, Geography and Civics, with the exception of Nature Study and Elementary Science.
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The Education Committee supports the concept of integration particularly in relation to Social and Environmental Studies. However, in order for integration to take place it is necessary to formulate content guidelines for all the various aspects of Social and Environmental Studies programme. These guidelines should be sufficiently flexible to enable teachers to adapt content to suit the local environments and the needs of individual schools. Within Social and Environmental Studies, these content guidelines should include History incorporating Heritage Studies, Geography, Elementary Science and Nature Study and Gvics.
The objectives of Peace Education and Development education are mainly attitudinal and many of the aspirations of the Peace Education and Development education programmes are currently integrated with the various elements of Social and Environmental Studies in an incidental manner.
If curricular areas such as Peace Education, Development Education, Heritage Studies, Elementary Science and Health Education are to become an integral part of the school curriculum great care must be exercised to avoid overloading the curriculum. Cross curricular thematic approaches are being considered in order to incorporate additional subject areas into the primary curriculum. This involves setting out objectives for the teaching of these curricular areas and allowing them to be implemented through the content guidelines of Social and Environmental Studies and through Language and the Arts. The proponents of this type of an approach argue that the school curriculum can be broadened without introducing new additional subjects. This is a debatable point and warrants careful consideration in the light of the many organisations and agencies which are currently vying for the inclusion of their particular areas of concern on an already overloaded curriculum. The NCCA must take control over the area of Social and Environmental Studies in order to ensure that curriculum overload does not occur.
The implementation of any new programme is contingent upon the development of a school plan in each school. In this way individual schools may guard against too many pressures on curricular input. Each school is in a unique position to determine its own ability to meet the demands of a broadened curriculum. It is through the school plan that a school designs its own comprehensive, coordinated programme in Social and Environmental Studies, suited to local requirements and to the
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various ability ranges and interests of pupils and at the same time ensures that the objectives of the curriculum are being met.
The Education Committee recommends that:
(i) Content guidelines in the curricular areas of History, Geography, and Civics in the senior classes should remain an essential feature of the Social and Environmental Studies Programme. Content guidelines, along similar lines to the suggestions which are contained in the Teachers' Curriculum Handbook for the other curriculum areas of Social and Environmental Studies should be introduced for Elementary Science and Nature Study. Each school should have the freedom to adapt the Social and Environmental Studies programme to suit the needs of its own pupils and its own local environment.
(m The organisation continues to support the use of integration as a teaching method. In order to assist teachers in the implementation of this principle, the process of integration should be covered in the inservice education programme.
(im Heritage Education should be included as part of the History, Nature Study and Geography Programmes.
(iv) Areas such as Peace Education and Development Education should be introduced by integrating perspectives of Peace Education and Development Education into all aspects of Social and Environmental Studies.
9.3. RESOURCES
The provision of adequate resources is the key to the successful implementation of the Social and Environmental Studies programme. Local authorities provide information on an ad hoc basis. State and semi State agencies provide information and educational materials concerned with their own areas of work. The National Heritage Council supports and suggests the coordination of all resources and the compilation of a list of local places of interest on a county by county basis as a guide for teachers and as a basis for resource development for schools. It is necessary, therefore, to compile an inventory of all documented resources, both human and physical, in each locality.
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The Textbooks currently in use in primary schools are produced on a national basis. In order to encourage the use of the child's own environment, resources must be produced to reflect the environment. The availability of resources for the teaching of environmental studies is improving gradually due to the work of environmental organisations and local teachers' centres. However, all teachers do not know of or have access to available resources. The Education Committee recommends that:
(i) Teachers should be seconded by the Department of Education as resource teachers, whose responsibility it would be to coordinate and provide constantly updated information on locally available resources to schools and to take part in locally based curriculum development initiatives in Social and Environmental Studies at county or regional levels.
(ii) Teachers' Centres should play a central role in providing resource packs for teachers on local Geography, local History and other local studies. The Centres should also have a role in coordinating and collating locally available resources with the assistance of the local authorities, and other statutory and voluntary organisations and in providing information for teachers on local resources. A comprehensive network of Teachers' Centres should be developed and funded by the Department of Education to take on this role. Teachers with expertise in various areas of the curriculum should be seconded to the Teachers' Centres, to provide advice and guidelines to schools and to assist in the preparation of resource packs.
(iii! A comprehensive Schools' Educational Broadcasting Service should be established as a matter of priority. Educational Broadcasting and daily newspaper publishing have an invaluable contribution to make to the Social and Environmental Studies Programme. There is a wealth of Irish heritage, historical, geographical and nature study material already recorded and broadcast by RTE but unavailable to schools as it is broadcast after school hours and is not available on video or sound tape. Suitably adapted audio visual material - slide and video tape - should be prepared and made available to schools through the national and community broadcasting service as a valuable backup resource to the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies.
(iv) All school text books, but in particular, text books in Geography and
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History, English and Irish reading schemes and extension reading material (class and library), should include topics that would inculcate a knowledge and appreciation of Irish History, Geography, Nature Study and Heritage and which would also contribute to the general objectives of Peace Education, Development Education and Civics.
(v) A comprehensive resource pack for the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies should be developed, to provide supplementary reading and activity material to all aspects of the Social and Environmental Studies programme. Such a resource pack would provide for a structured, integrated approach to Social and Environmental Studies while also developing reading and language skills. Topics such as Health and Safety, Irish Heritage, Irish myth and legend, Peace Education, Development Education, Science, History, Geography, Nature, Conservation, the Arts and Sport should be covered.
(vi) Teacher manuals should be made available with suggested activities and information in relation to specific topics and on the various aspects of the content guidelines within Social and Environmental Studies, e.g. History, Geography, Civics, and Elementary Science and Nature Study.
(vii) The Department of Education should provide the necessary resources and funding to allow the school library service to provide a backup resource to the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies.
(vii) Recognising that there are over 100 primary schools in the Gaeltacht, up to 70 primary schools teaching through the medium of Irish in the galltacht and a number of schools which teach some aspects of the curriculum through the medium of Irish, resources should be provided in both Irish and English.
9.4. THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT
The Education Committee endorses the view that the local environment is a valuable resource in the teaching of ""cial and Environmental Studies. However, studies conducted by both the INTO (1986) and the Department of Education (1983), show that the environment is not used as extensively as it could be in the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies, especially in the senior classes. It is important that pupils should be aware of the central role of the
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environment in the life cycle, and of the importance of maintaining balance in the environment. Individual and community responsibility should be highlighted with each individual appreciating his/her responsibility for the various aspects of the environment and its inhabitants. Moving from an understanding and appreciation of the local environment to the world at large, a child's ultimate perception should be a global one. Pupils need to understand that the deprived child or adult in distant lands is as much a brother or sister as those who live in the neighbourhood.
In order to extend the use of the local environment as a resource in the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies, the Education Committee makes the following recommendations:
(i) Pre and inservice courses should equip teachers in the use of the local environment as a spring board for studying all aspects of Social and Environmental Studies.
(ii) Schools should be assisted in overcoming barriers militating against the use of the local environment and the organisation of field trips. Funding should be provided for schools in order to enable them organise school field trips, as necessary. Disadvantaged schools in particular, should be provided with extra financial assistance.
(iii) The main emphasis in the teaching of Geography and History, should be on local History and Geography.
(iv) Heritage Studies, with an emphasis on local heritage, should form a part of the History programme.
(v) The local environment should be the focus for the introduction of curriculum guidelines in Primary Science and Nature Study.
(vi) An inventory of available resources should be compiled on a county or area basis. The information should then be available to teachers through the teachers' centres.
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9.5. INSERVlCE
The INTO has consistently called for the establishment of a comprehensive inservice education system for teachers. Teachers are conscious of the increasing demand made on them to include additional topics and subject areas in their timetables. As the demands and priorities of society grow and change, the need for inservice education for teachers becomes more acute. Through the introduction of comprehensive inservice programmes, teachers could adapt and change their current practice to emphasise new priorities and to introduce new perspectives to their teaching. In this way, the need for introducing additional subjects to the curriculum is reduced and may even be avoided. The current provision of inservice education includes a number of courses on Social and Environmental Studies. However, in the absence of a comprehensive inservice system, the effect of these courses on the Social and Environmental programme in schools is minimal.
There is no reference in the current curriculum Handbook to the necessary inservice education needs of teachers nor to the need for a local resource development agency to equip teachers with the skills necessary to implement the curriculum. Recent Surveys carried out by both the INTO (1986) and the Department of Education (1983) show that overall, the 1971 Curriculum is generally being implemented successfully. However, the principles of and use of the local environment, while generally accepted by teachers as desirable, are not as successfully implemented. A clear need emerged for inservice education for teachers in these areas.
The Education Committee recommends that:
(i) A comprehensive inservice education system should be established for primary school teachers on all aspects of primary education.
(ii) All inservice courses relating to Social and Environmental Studies, should address the process of integration and the use of the local environment as central issues in teaching at primary level.
(iii) A National Programme of Inservice courses on the teaching of Primary Science in the primary school should be introduced.
(iv) If teachers are to address issues such as Development Education and
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Peace Education as part of Social and Environmental Studies, inservice courses on the introduction of new topics within the confines of the curriculum need to be organised.
(v) As local resources play a key role in the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies, inservice courses should be provided for teachers on research techniques, the production of their own resource materials and on the use of locally available resources.
(vi) Inservice courses on the teaching of History should include Heritage Education as an integral part of the History programme.
(vii) Preservice courses for student teachers on Social and Environmental Education should incorporate all relevant aspects of the above recommendations.
(viii» The universities should introduce masters degree programmes in various aspects of primary education, including Local Studies and Primary Science.
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REVIEW OF THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMME SINCE 1971
The success of the Social and Environmental Programme of the 1971 Curriculum has been measured in various surveys carried out by the INTO, An Roinn Oideachais, the Conference of Primary Teaching Sisters and the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum. The main points of these surveys are outlined below.
THE INTO CURRICULUM SURVEY 19751
The 1971 Curriculum was in operation for four years when the INTO conducted the first survey on its implementation. Over 7,000 (64.7%) teachers responded to the survey. 93.5% of the teachers who replied to the questionnaire taught Social and Environmental Studies. Only 69.5% of these teachers felt that they taught the subject satisfactorily. Two of the main reasons cited for this were inadequate materials and large classes.
THE INTO CURRICULUM SURVEY 19862
In May 1985, the INTO decided to undertake a study of members' attitudes to the primary school curriculum. A questionnaire was designed to elicit teachers' responses to the application of the new curriculum's principles in their own classroom situation. The most radical departure from the existing curriculum in 1971 was the inclusion of the various
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elements of Social and Environmental Studies. The vast majority of the respondents to the survey agreed with the philosophy of the curriculum. 80% of teachers responded positively to the activity and discovery methods of learning and basing learning in the environment, even though 60% reported a preference for a didactic approach to teaching. The level of use of the environment as a resource was disappointing and conflicts somewhat with the reported level of agreement with the principle of basing learning in the environment. Deficiencies in preservice teacher education, the lack of inservice education, the dependency on textbooks and size of class are all factors which can be reasonably assumed to contribute to this discovery. A minority of teachers (14%) took their pupils on educational walks in the environs of the school once a month or more often. Only one in five teachers kept attainment records on individual pupils in this area of the curriculum and about the same number used textbooks.
CONFERENCE OF CONVENT PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN IRELAND -
EVALUATION OF THE NEW CURRICULUM FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS (1975)3
According to this report teachers reacted very positively to the introduction of Social and Environmental Studies to the curriculum. 97% of teachers stated that this aspect of the curriculum awakened in the pupils an interest in the world around them. Field work was considered valuable as were local history, historical stories, and the local environment.
AN TAoNAD CURACLAIM - AN ROINN OIDEACHAIS 19834
A working group of inspectors was set up in the Department of Education in 1980 to investigate and evaluate the implementation of Social and Environmental Studies in Curaclam na Bunscoile. A report was compiled arising out of the responses to questionnaires sent to teachers and to inspectors.
The survey referred to the extent the environment was used, teachers' attitudes and opirtions, curriculum, allocation of time, preparation, teaching/learning methods, textbooks, projects, integration with other subjects and field work. The survey also examined the individual components of Social and Environmental Studies with specific references to History, Geography, Nature Study and Civics. In most junior classes
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much of the teaching of Social and Environmental Studies is based on the school environment, extensive use being made of the nature table, weather recording and indoor gardening. The environment is also given a significant place in the teaching of Nature Study in the middle and senior classes. However, 30% of junior class teachers and 20% of middle/ senior class teachers do not take their class on outings in their environment. Many teachers also see the teaching of local History or Geography as separate to the main programmes of History and Geography. Lack of confidence, time, information and resources are the main reasons given for this situation. There is very little teaching of Science and teacher rate their success with the separate aspects of Social and Environmental Studies in the following order (a) History, (b) Geography, (c) Nature Study, (d) Civics, (e) Basic Science. Visual aids such as pictures and charts are used extensively in junior classes, but there is an over reliance on textbooks in the senior classes. Children frequently engage in project work especially in the upper level of the primary school.
REPORT OF THE REVIEW BODY ON THE PRIMARY CURRICULUMS
This report endorses the aims and objectives of Curaclam na Bunscoile 1971, in relation to Social and Environmental Studies. It also endorses the view that the local environment is a resource and that its use is a valuable pedagogical principle, especially in relation to Social and Environmental Studies. The report also called for the revision of the various chapters on Social and Environmental Studies contained in the Curriculum Handbook:
(i). to give a more detailed specification of aims and objectives;
and
(ii). to indicate skills and attitude objectives.
The Review Body saw the development of school plans as vital to the promotion of suitable programmes in Social and Environmental Studies.
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ORGANISATIONS WITH RESPONSIBILITIES OR SPECIAL INTEREST IN HERITAGE
1. NATIONAL HERITAGE COUNCIL
The National Heritage Council (NHC) was appointed by the Taoiseach in 1988 with responsibilities relating specifically to the physical heritage i.e. archaeology, architecture, flora and fauna, landscape, heritage gardens and certain inland waterways, e.g. (canals).
Objectives:
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• to formulate policies and priorities to identify, protect, preserve, enhance and increase awareness of Ireland's physical heritage.
• to promote among the general public an interest and pride in the heritage and to facilitate the appreciation and enjoyment of it.
• to work closely with and to make recommendations to Government Departments, planning authorities, public bodies and State companies in relation to all matters coming within
the Council's general area of responsibility and to ensure the coordination of all activities in the heritage field.
• to decide on the distribution of monies allocated for heritage work subject to the approval of the Taoiseach and to decide on the priorities for such expenditure.
• to advise the Government on the legislation to establish a statutory Council.
The establishment of the NHC is the first time that a single organisation was appointed with a policy and funding role for both the natural and built heritage. The Council is not a representative body - each member is appointed on the basis of her or his own expertise or interest. It is funded from the National Lottery allocation to heritage and since its appointment 114 projects have been offered grant assistance. The NHC made a submission to the Primary Curriculum Review Body and to the NCCA and responded to the report of the Review Body on Primary Curriculum.
2. OFFICE OF PUBLIC WORKS (OPW)
The Commission of Public Works have general responsibilities for providing and maintaining property used by Government departments in Ireland and abroad as well as specific responsibilities for:-
• the National Parks and Wildlife Service which manages and maintains national parks and wildlife reserves including the conservation of wild flora and fauna and their habitats.
• the managment and maintenance of national monuments, historic properties in State ownership, the Grand and Royal Canals and the Shannon Navigation.
• the compiling and updating of inventories of sites relating to the areas of responsibility~' the Commissioners.
The OPW also has a function in promoting awareness and appreciation of heritage among the general public. This function is fulfilled through on site interpretation and publications, guided tours, information leaflets and audio visual! computer interpretation installations at visitor centres, wall
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charts and news letters to schools. Since 1990 the OPW have organised a National Heritage Day on which all OPW sites are open free to the public. OPW has a full time Education Officer contacted at their head office.
3. IRISH HERITAGE EDUCATION NETWORK
Irish Heritage Education Network is a voluntary body, established in 1991 by the Education Officer of the National Gallery. The IHEN aims, to promote Heritage Education in Ireland including the activities of Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Arts centres and to develop contact, support and assistance between those working in museums, galleries and other organisations concerned with heritage in Ireland and internationally. IHEN also aims to monitor and influence education policy, to emphasise the role of museums and the museum profession and to encourage the use of museums by all sections of the community.
4. ANTAISCE
An Taisce is a voluntary body founded in 1948. Its principal aim is to conserve and develop the nation's physical heritage, land and water including places of outstanding beauty or of historic/scientific interest, buildings, wildlife and flora. It is organised in nationwide associates and is authorised by articles of association to accept and administer properties for the benefit of the nation, for pleasure, recreation or scientific purposes. It is also active in combating pollution. An Taisce is a proscribed body under the planning Act.
5. HISTORIC IRISH TOURIST HOUSES AND GARDENS ASSOCIATION
(HITHA)
HITHA represents some of the outstanding houses, castles and gardens in Ireland, which reflect interesting architectural features, interior decoration, collections of works of art, notable literary associations, unique Irish manuscripts, books on aspects of Irish folklore/life and prehistoric dwellings. Some gardens contain magnificent specimens of trees and shrubs.
6. IRISH GEORGIAN SOCIETY (lGS)
IGS is dedicated to the preservation of the best of Georgian architecture in
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Ireland as well as engaging in research on Irish Decorative Arts especially of the 18th century. The Society arranges exhibitions, lectures and tours.
7. ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY
The Royal Irish Academy was founded in 1785 for the promotion of science, literature and antiquities and subscription to the purchase of objects of archaeological importance which were transferred to the National Museum in 1890 under an agreement of "charge and custody". The Academy still plays a role in relation to excavation and research and advises the OPW on allocation of funds for research and excavation.
8. IRISH TREE COUNCIL
The Irish Tree Council was inaugurated in 1984. The aim of the Council is the promotion of the propagation, planting, management and conservation of trees and their care. The Council promotes the family tree scheme, friends of the Council and organises National Tree Week.
9. IRISH WILDBIRD CONSERVANCY
Irish Wildbird Conservancy is an independent charity formed in 1968 and is primarily concerned with conservation, education and research in relation to wild birds and their environment. The IWC manages a series of nature reserves and undertakes national surveys of birds and their habitats, defends threatened wildlife areas and runs protection schemes for vulnerable bird species.
10. ENFO
ENFO is an environmental information service established by the Government to promote knowledge and care of the environment by providing access to wide ranging and authoritative information which is published and available free in leaflet form. ENFO places particular emphasis on the opportunities for individuals to be 'environmentally friendly' and how they can play an active part in protecting the environment.
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11. IRISH PEATLAND CONSERVATION COUNCIL
The Irish Peatland Conservation Council is a voluntary organisation campaigning for the conservation of a representative sample of Irish bogs. Its activities include, lobbying, education and publicity, promoting environmental awareness, provision of information and encouraging the protection and conservation of our natural heritage for the common good. The Council's work is divided broadly into two roles, conserving peatland habitats and their unique wildlife and informing and educating the public. The Council has prepared a range of educational resources including a video, wail chart, fact sheets, books and various brochures and has organised inservice teacher training courses and field studies programmes.
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CROSS CURRICULAR THEMES IN NORTHERN IRELAND
INTRODUcnON
The Curriculum Reform of Northern Ireland 1989 introduced educational themes for the first time. Each educational theme, also referred to as a cross-curricular theme, has its own objectives.
There are six educational themes and they are considered important strands of learning to be taught mainly through the contributory subjects of the curriculum and religious education. Together they help to prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.
THEMES
The six Cross Curricular themes in the curriculum of Northern Ireland are as follows:
• Information Technology • Education for Mutual Understanding • Cultural Heritage
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• Health Education o Economic Awareness and • Careers Education.
The first four themes must be included in the curriculum of both primary and post-primary schools. The remaining two - Economic Awareness and Careers Education, must be included in the curriculum of post-primary schools only.
Some of the themes overlap in terms of content as weIl as aims and skills. For example, many of the objectives for Education for Mutual Understanding and Cultural Heritage have similar elements. Teachers have been issued with guidelines in relation to how to introduce crosscurricular themes into their teaching. The objectives of the cross-curricular themes are delivered through the core subjects of the curriculum.
AIMS
There are aims which are common to several of the educational crosscurricular themes. These aims should form part of the whole curriculum in schools and all teachers should take responsibility for implementing them. Pupils should have opportunities to:
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o learn to respect and value themselves and others;
• appreciate the inter-<iependence of people within society;
• enable them to achieve their physical, psychological and social potential and to improve their self-knowledge and selfesteem;
• develop knowledge and understanding of themselves and others as individuals, their strengths and limitations, personal qualities, interests, abilities, skills, potential, values, motivation and needs.
DIMENSIONS OF 1HE THEMES
Each of the educational cross-curricular themes has two dimensions:
• skills, knowledge and understanding;
• personal qualities, attitudes and inter-personal skills.
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
Appropriate elements of the skills, knowledge and understanding relating to each of the themes were built into the programmes of study and attainment targets for the contributory subjects. When pupils are engaged in learning activities and experience provided by the programmes of study for these subjects they should have opportunities to consider the objectives of the themes.
PERSONAL QUALITIES, ATTITUDES AND INTER-PERSONAL SKILLS
The dimensions of the themes which relate to personal qualities, attitudes and inter-personal skills are matters of general concern and all teachers should be aware of their importance in the curriculum. Through their teaching methods and classroom management teachers should develop in their pupils skills and attitudes relating to self, relationships and interpersonal skills.
Schools should ensure that provision is made for the two dimensions of each of the themes throughout the whole curriculum.
THEME ONE - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Information Technology is concerned with the handling of information which may consist of text, numbers, pictures, sound and other signals and involve creating, collecting, storing, organising, processing, presenting and communication of information in a variety of electronic forms.
OBJECTIVES
1. Knowledge, understanding and skills in Information Technology
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2. Application of Infonnation Technology.
3 Enhancing the quality of learning, living and working through Infonnation Technology.
4. Evaluating the impact of Infonnation Technology.
THEME Two - EDUCATION FOR MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING
Education for Mutual Understanding is about fostering self-respect, respect for others and the improvement of relationships between people of different cultural traditions.
OBJEcnVES
1. Fostering respect for self and others and building relationships.
2. Understanding conflict.
3. Interdependence.
4. Cultural traditions.
THEME THREE - CULTURAL HERITAGE
The theme, Cultural Heritage, is concerned with enabling pupils to know about, understand and evaluate
• the common experiences of their Cultural Heritage;
• the diverse and distinctive aspects of their culture;
• the inter dependence of cultures.
OBJEcnVES
1. Interaction, inter dependence, continuity and change.
2. Shared, diverse and distinctive features.
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3. International and transnational influences.
The combined objectives of Education for Mutual Understanding and Cultural Heritage would refer to the following:
• interdependence within the family, the community, within these islands and beyond these islands
• global interdependence and responsibility,
• Cultural Heritage and traditions,
• the family in local context, and in regional, Irish and British contexts,
• trans-international and transnational influences upon our Cultural Heritage.
THEME FOUR - HEALTH EDUCATION
Health Education includes all those planned or incidental learning opportunities which can be used to develop behaviour which is conducive to good health. Responsible attitudes and the skills necessary to make informed decisions in matters relating to health are the intended outcome of Health Education in the curriculum.
The three main aspects of Health Education relate to:
• personal development;
• social development and
• the environment.
OBJECTIVES
1. Health in the context of personal development.
2. Health in the context of social dE ~elopment.
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3. Health in relation to the environment.
THEME FIVE - ECONOMIC AWARENESS AND THEME SIX - CAREERS
EDUCATION
These themes are for Secondary Schools only.
The core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science, Technology and Design, History, Geography, Irish (as a medium), Language Studies, Art and Design, Music, and Physical Education all contnbute to the promotion of the objectives of the cross-curricular themes. For example, the theme on Education for Mutual Understanding would be promoted mainly through English, History, Geography and Irish. Cultural Heritage would also be promoted through these subjects as well as through Art and Design and Music. Health Education would be promoted mainly through Science supported by English, Irish and Physical Education. Information Technology objectives would form part of the Mathematics and the Technology and Design programmes. Most subjects can promote the objectives of the cross curricular themes in some form or other.
Many of the objectives in the cross-curricular themes are similar to the objectives of the Civics programme in primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. Similarly, many of the objectives, as outlined in Peace Education and Development Education would correspond with the objectives of some of the cross-curricular themes in the Northern Ireland curriculum.
The principle of a cross-curricular theme approach has recently been introduced into the curriculum of Northern Ireland. Its success has yet to be measured.
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Arts Council 70 Merrion Square Dublin 2 Tel: 01-611840
, Bord F<ii1te Eireann Baggot Street Bridge Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 765871 Fax: 01-764764
Bord lascaigh Mhara Crofton Road Dun Laoghaire Co. Dublin Tel: 01-2841544 Fax: 01-2841123
BordnaM6na Lower Baggot Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 688555 Fax: 01- 601800
An Bord PleanaIa Floor 3, Blocks 6 & 7 Irish Life Centre
Lower Abbey Street Dublin 1 Tel: 01- 728011
Central Fisheries Board Head Office Balnagowan Mobhi Boreen Dublin 9 Tel: 01- 379206 Fax: 01- 360060
Coillte Teoranta Spruce House Leeson Lane Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 615666 Fax: 01- 798527
Department of Agriculture and Food Kildare Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 789011 Fax: 01- 616263
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Department of Education Marlborough Street Dublin 1. Tel: 01- 734700 Fax. 01-729553
Department of Education Comamaddy Athlone Co. Westmeath Tel: 0902-74621 Fax 0902-78024
Department of Energy Clare Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 715233 Fax: 01- 773169
Department of the Environment, Custom House Dublin 1 Tel: 01- 793377 Fax: 01- 789527
Department of Foreign Affairs 80 St Stephen's Green Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 780822 Fax: 01-717149
Department of Health Hawkins House, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-714711 Fax: 01- 711947
Department of Labour Davitt House MespilRoad Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 765861 Fax: 01- 603210
Department of the Marine LeesonLane Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 785444 Fax: 01- 618214
Department of Tourism & 'fransport Kildare Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01-789522 Fax: 01-763350
Electricity Supply Board Lower Fitzwilliam Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01-765831 Fax: 01-615376
Environmental Research Unit, St Martin's House Waterloo Road Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 602511 Fax: 01-680009
EOLAS (Irish Science & Technology Agency Glasnevin Dublin 9.
Tel: 01- 370101 Fax: 01-37%20
Forest Service Department of Energy Spruce House Lesson Lane Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 615666 Fax: 01- 789527
FAs Training & Employment Authority, 27-33 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01- 685777 Fax: 01- 682691
Geological ~urvey of Ireland Beggars Bush Haddington Road Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 609511
Health Research Board 73 Lower Baggot Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01-761176 Fax: 01- 611856
Irish National Commission for UNESCO Department of Education, Marlborough Street Dublin 1 Tel: 01-734700
Meteorological Service Glasnevin Hill, Dublin 9. Tel: 01- 424411 Fax: 01- 375557 Climatological Division Tel: 01- 375436 Central Analysis Forecast Office Tel: 01- 424655 Fax: 01- 375780
Four Courts Dublin 7 Tel: 01-733833 Dublin CasUe Dublin 2 Tel: 01-792777 Ext 2518
National Botanic Gardens Glasnevin Dublin 9 Tel: 01-374388
National Heritage Council Department of An Taoiseach Government Buildings Upper Merrion Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 689333
01-763546
Association for Adventure Sports House of Sport Long Mile Road Dublin 12 Tel: 01- 509845
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ENFO, The Environmental Information Service 17, St. Andrew Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01-6793144
Office of Public Works SI. Stephen's Green Dublin 2 Tel: 613111
Agricultural Science Association Irish Farm Centre Bluebell Dublin 12 Tel: 01- 501166
Badgerwatch Ireland Drurnrnond House Martin's Row Chapelizod Dublin 20. Tel: 01- 6268479
Botanical Society of the British Isles Irish Regional Branch clo Wildlife Service Sidmonton Place Bray Co Wicklow Tel: 01-2867751
Comhcairdeas (Irish Workcamp Movement) 7 Lr Ormond Quay Dublin
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Tel: 01- 729681
Conservation Volunteers Royal Dublin Society, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 681228
Co-operation North Ltd 37 Upper Fitzwilliarn Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01- 610588
Corrib Conservation Centre RosscahiIl, Oughterard, Co. Galway. Tel: (091}-80164
Crann (Oakglen) 32 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4. Tel: 01- 603921
Crann Woodland 1h1st Aughavas via Cavan, Co. Leitrim. Tel: (078)-36020
Dublin Bay Environment Group clo Dublin Naturalists Field Club. (see Below)
Dublin Naturalists Field Club I RutIedge Terrace, South Circular Road, Dublin 8.
Earthwatch (Friends of the Earth Ireland) Harbour View, Bantry, Co Cork. Tel: (027)-50968
ECO Youth Environmental Conservation Organisation, 10 Cope Street, Dublin 2. Tel: 01-6799673
Energy Conservation & District Heating Ireland Clo 22 Clyde Road Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 684341
Environmental Health Officers Association clo Anne Deacon Secretary County Clinic Wexford.
Environment Policy Committee Confederation of Irish Industry Confederation House Kildare Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 779801
Eol-Oidi na hEireann Irish Science Teachers Association clo Honorary Secretary CBS Secondary School Wexford
Farming & Conservation Liaison Group clo David Hickie An Taisce, Tailors Hall Back Lane Dublin 8 Tel: 01- 541786
Federation of Local History Societies Laurel Lodge, Carlow Tel: 0503-31746
Geographical Society of Ireland Clo Department of Geography Trinity College Dublin 1 Tel: 772941
Greenpeace 44, Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2 Tel: 01-610814
HITHA Historic Irish Tourist Houses & Gardens Association 3A Castle Street Dalkey Co Dublin
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Tel: 01-2859323 01-2801185
Inland Waterways Association of Ireland clo Stone Cottage, Oaremont Road Killiney Co. Dublin Tel: 01-2852258
Institute of Biology of Ireland clo Dr Carmel Mothershill Nuclear Energy Board Beggars Bush Dublin 4 Tel: 01-609511 Ext: 420
Institute of Landscape Horticulture of Ireland clo RDS Merrion Road Ballsbridge Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 680645
Irish Architectural Archive 63 Merrion Square, Dublin 2. Tel: 01- 763430
Irish Biogeographical Society clo National Museum of Ireland Natural History Division, Kildare Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 611811
82
Irish Biological Records clo Wildlife Service, Office of Public Works Bray CoWickIow Tel: 01-2867751
Irish Country Women's Association 58 Merrion Road Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 680453
Irish Deer Society clo Honorary Secretary Mr Matt Hyland Aravale Park, Blackrock Co Dublin Tel: 01- 2887575
Irish Farmers Association Irish Farm Centre Bluebell Dublin 12 Tel: 01-501166
01-501022
Irish Garden Plant Society clo National Botanic Garden, Glasnevin Dublin 9 Tel: 01- 374388
Irish Geological Association clo Geological Survey of Ireland Beggars Bush Dublin 4
Tel: 01-609511
Irish Georgian Society 42 Merrion Square Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 767053
Irish Grassland & Animal Protection Association c/oTeagasc BelcJare Tuam Co Galway Tel: 093-55455
Irish Heritage Education Network (!HEN)
C/o National Gallery of Ireland Merrion Square West Dublin 2 Tel: 01-615133
Irish Museums Trust c/o Arts Administration Studies, Library Building Belfield Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 693244
Irish Organic Farmers & Growers Association 56 Blessington Street Dublin 7.
Irish Orienteering Association House of Sport Longmile Road Dublin 12 Tel: 01-509845
Irish Peatland Conservation Council 3 Lower Mount Street Dublin 2. Tel: 01- 616645
Irish Planning Institute 8 Merrion Square Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 762310
Irish Ramblers Club Conservation Office, 102 Meadow Park, Churchtown, Dublin 14.
Irish Underwater Council The National Maritime Museum, Haigh Terrace Dun Laoghaire Co. Dublin Tel: 01-2844601
Irish Tillage & Land Use Society c/o Teagasc Oakpark Co Carlow Tel: 0503-31425
Irish Wildbird Conservancy Ruttledge House 8 Longf. J Place Monkstown Co Dublin Tel: 01-2804322
83
Irish Wildlife Federation 132A East Wall Road Dublin 3 Tel: 01- 366821
Landscape Institute clo 26 Temple Road Dartry Dublin 6 Tel: 01- 979651
Maritime Institute of Ireland Haigh Terrace Dun Laoghaire Co Dublin Tel: 01-2800969
Mountaineering Council of Ireland House of Sport Longmile Road Dublin 12 Tel: 01- 509845
Muintir na Tire Canon Hayes House, Tipperary Tel: 062-51163
An6ige (Irish Youth Hostelling Association) 39 Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1. Tel. 01-363111
Regional Studies Association Irish Branch clo Department of Property
84
College of Technology, Bolton Street, Dublin 1. Tel: 01- 727177
Royal Dublin Society Merrion Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 680645
Royal Horticultural Society Swanbrook House Bloomfield Avenue, Morehampton Road Dublin 4 Tel: 01- 684358
Royal Irish Academy 19 Dawson Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01- 764222
01-762570
Royal Town Planning Institute Irish Branch Southern Section 5, Wilton Place Dublin 2
Royal Zoological Society of Ireland Phoenix Park, Dublin 8. Tel: 01- 771425
Salmon Research Agency of Ireland Inc Farran Laboratory Newport Co Mayo
Skerries Coastwatch Strand Street Skerries Co Dublin Tel: 01-8492268
01-354370
Society of Irish Foresters CloRDS BaIlsbridge Dublin 4
Speleological Union of Ireland Willow Mews ' StAlbans Sandymount Dublin 2
Students Against the Destruction of Dublin 7 Rostrevor Road Rathgar Dublin 6 Tel: 01-970331
An Taisce (The National Trust) Tailors Hall, Back Lane Dublin 8 Tel: 01-541786
Guild of Thatchers in Ireland Clo Mr Gabriel Dennison Dublin County Council PameIl Square Dublin 1 Tel: 01- 727777
Trees Council of Ireland 33 Botanic Road, Glasnevin Dublin 11 Tel: 306996
Trees for Ireland Clo Honorary Secretary 22 Cabinteely Green Dublin 18 Tel: 2857543
Youth Science Ireland C/oECO 11 Cope Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01-6799673
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INTRODUCTION
1. The National Programme Conference, (1922), "National Programme of Priamry Instruction", Dublin, The Educational Company of Ireland Ltd. p. 3.
1. SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
1. An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Ldmhleabhar an Oide, Cuid 2", Baile Atha Cliath, Brun agus 6 Nuallain, p. 11.
2. Ibid., p. 12. 3. Waldron A, (1971), "Social Studies in the Primary School, A Teachers'
Guide", Dublin, Fallons. 4. National Programme Conference, 1922; "National Programme of
Primary Instruction", Dublin, The Educational Company of Ireland, p. 5.
5. Ibid., p. 5. 6. Ibid., p. 5.
2. HISTORY
1. An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Ldmhleabhar an Oide Cuid 2", Baile Atha Cliath. Brun agus 6 Nuallain, p. 87.
2. Ibid., p. 87. 3. Ibid., p. 87 4. Ibid., p. 87
86
5. IN1D (1988), "Primary Curriculum and Related Matters Report of a Conference", Dublin, INW.
6. An Roinn Oideachais (1983), "Daoneolas agus Eolas Imshaoil, -Tuairisc ar Fheidhmiu an Churaclaim sna Bunscoileanna", Baile Atha Cliath. An tAonad Curaclaim, An Roinn Oideachais.
3. GEOGRAPHY
1. An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Lamhleabhar an Oide, Cuid 2", Baile Atha Oiath, Brun agus 6 Nuallain, p. 133.
2. IN1D (1988), "Primary Curriculum and Related Matters Report of the Conference", Dublin, IN1D.
3. An Roinn Oideachais, (1983),"Daoneo/as agus Eo/as Imshaoil Tuairisc ar Fheidhmiu an Churaclaim sna Bunscoileanna", Baile Atha Oiath, An tAonad Curaclam, An Roinn Oideachais.
4. "Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum", (1990), Dublin, NCCA.
4. CIVICS
1. Fahy, Mairtin, (1984), "Some Curricular Aspects of Social and Civic Education in Ireland, 1966-1984". "Irish Educational Studies", Vo!. 4, No. 1, p. 146-8
2. An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Lamhleabhar an Oide, Cuid 2", Baile Atha Cliath, Brun agus 6 Nuallain, p. 115.
3. Ibid., p. 115. 4. Waldron J. (1971),"Social Studies in the Primary School, A Teachers'
Guide," Dublin, Fallons. 5. An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Lamhleabhar
an Oide, Cuid 2", Baile Atha Cliath, Brun agus 6 Nuallain, p. 118. 6. Ibid., p. 116. 7. INTO (1988),"Primary Curriculum and Related Matters Report of a
Conference" Dublin, INTO, p. 27. 8. An Roinn Oideachais "Daoneolas agus Eolas Imshaoil, Tuairisc ar
Fheidheidhmiu an Churaclaim ", Baile Atha Cliath, An tAonad Curaclaim, An Roinn Oideachais.
9. Conference of Convent 11imary Schools in Ireland, (1975), "Evaluation of the New Curriculum Jor Primary Schools", Dublin, p. 29.
87
10. "Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum", (1990) Dublin, NCCA p. 58.
11. An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Lamhleabhar an aide, Cuid 2", Baile Atha Cliath, Brun agus 6 Nuallain, p. 121.
12. Rialtas na hEireann (1992), "Education for a Changing World - Green Paper on Education", Baile Atha Cliath, Oifig an tSolathair, p. 86.
5. NATURE STUDY
1. An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Lamhleabhar an aide, Cuid 2", Baile Atha Cliath, Brun agus 6 Nuallain, p. 11.
2. Ibid., p. 12. 3. Department of Education, (1926), 'The Teaching of Rural Science
and Nature Study in Primary Schools - Regulations and Explanatory Notes for Teachers", Dublin, Oifig an tSolMhair, p. 3.
4. Ibid., p. 4. 5. Ibid., p. 5 6. INTO (1988),"Primary Curriculum and Related Matters" - Report of a
Conference, Dublin, INTO, p. 31.
6. NEW SUBJECT AREAS
6.1. Heritage Studies 1. An Foras Forbartha (1969),"The Protection of the National Heritage".
Dublin, An Foras Forbartha. 2. An Taisce 1977, "Heritage at Risk", Dublin, An Taisce. 3. An Foras Forbartha (1969),"The Protection of the National Heritage". 4. An Taisce, "Environmental Education in Ireland" Dublin, An Taisce. 5. An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Lamhleabhar
an aide, Cuid 2", Baile Atha Cliath, Brun agus 6 Nuallain, p. 11. 6. Rialtas na hEireann(1992), "Education for a Changing World - Green
Paper on Education", Baile Atha Cliath, Oifig an tSolathair, p. 34. 7. "Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum", (1990)
NCCAp.56. 8. An Taisce, (1990) "Response to the Report of the Reoiew Body on the
Primary Curriculum", Dublin. 9. McMorrow, (1988), "National Heritage Council", Survey, Dublin,
An Taisce.
88
6.2. Development Education
1. Department of Education Curriculum Unit/Development Education Support Centre, (June 1990)."Final Report on the Pilot Project on Development Education in Primary Schools". Dublin, DESC.
2. Ibid. 3. An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Ltimhleabhar
an Oide, Cuid 2", Baile Atha Cliath, Brun agus 6 Nuallrun, p. 116-117.
4. Ibid., p. 116 -117. 5. Curriculum and Examinations Board, (1985). "Discussion
Document on Primary Education", Dublin, Curriculum and Examinations Board.
6. Ibid. 7. "Report of the Review Body on Primary Curriculum", (1990), NCCA,
p.57. 8. "NCCA Primary Curriculum Committees", Terms of Reference.
6.3. Peace Education
1. Cremin, P., (1991). "Discussion Document on Peace Education in Ireland", Limerick, Mary Immaculate College of Education
2. Mullen, P., (1992), "Peace Education: A case for the Inclusion of Peace Education in the Primary School Curriculum", Dublin. {Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Masters Degree in Education} .
3. "Report of the Review Body on the Primary Curriculum", (1990), Dublin, NCCA.
4. Larkin, T., and McAndrew P., (1989), "The Gateway Series", Columban Fathers and Sisters, p. 12.
5. Ibid., p. 12 6. Ibid., p. 7. 7. Cremin, P., (1991), "Discussion Document on Peace Education in
Ireland".
89
7. INTEGRATION
1.
2. 3. 4.
5. 6.
An Roinn Oideachais, (1971), "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Uimhleabhar an Oide Cuid 1." Baile Atha Oiath, Brun agus 6 NualIain Ibid., p. 19 - 20. Ibid., p. 19 - 20. An Roinn Oideachais, "Curaclam na Bunscoile, Uimhleabhar an Oide, Cuid 2", p. 15, Brun agus 6 Nuallrun. Ibid., p. 15. "Report of the Reveiw Body on Primary Education" (1990), NCCA p. 19.
7. McCarthy, D., (1992), "Environmental and Social Studies", Compass Volume 20 No. 2, Journal of the Irish Association for Curriculum Development, Dublin p. 39.
8. "Report of the Review Body on Primary Education", (1990), NCCA, p. 19.
9. INTO, (1988), "Primary Curriculum and Related Matters" - Report of a Conference, p. 27.
10. An Roinn Oideachais, (1983), "Daoneolas agus Eolas Imshaoil -Tuairisc ar Fheidhmiu an Churaclaim sna Bunscoileanna". An Roinn Oideachais, Baile Atha Cliath, p. 26.
11. An Roinn Oideachais, (1987), "Implementation of the Principles of the Curriculum - An Inspector's Report", Dublin, An Roinn Oideachais.
12. Northern Ireland Curriculum Council, (1990), "Cross Curricular Themes Guidance Materials", Belfast, NICC.
10. RESOURCES
10.1. School Texts 1. INTO (1989), "Report on School Texts", Dublin, INTO. 2. An Roinn Oideachais, (1983), "Daoneolas agus Eolas Imshaoil -
Tuairisc ar Fheidhmiu an Churaclaim sna Bunscoileanna", B.A.c., An Roinn Oideachais.
3. INTO (1988), "Primary Curricululm and Related Matters - Report of a Conference", Dublin, INTO.
4. INTO (1975), "Survey on the Primary School Curriculum", Dublin, INTO.
90
•
•
•
APPENDICES
1. INTO, (1975), "Survey on the Primary School Curriculum ", Dublin, INTO.
2. INTO, (1988), "Primary Curriculum and Related Matters - Report of a Conference", Dublin, IN1D.
3. Conference of Convent Priamry Schools in Ireland, (1975), "Evaluation of the New Curriculum for Primary Schools".
4. An Roinn Oideachais (1983), "Daoneolas agus Eolas Imshaoil -Tuairisc ar Fheidhmiu an Churac/aim sna Bunscoileanna ", Baile Atha Cliath, An Roinn Oideachais.
5. "Report of the Reveiw Body on the Primary Curriculum ". (1990). Dublin, NCCA.
91