An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta

Department of Education and Science

 

Subject Inspection of Classical Studies

REPORT

 

St Flannan’s College,

Ennis, County Clare

Roll number: 61920N

 

Date of inspection: 10 November 2006

Date of issue of report:   22 February 2007

 

 

 

Subject inspection report

Subject provision and whole school support

Planning and preparation

Teaching and learning

Assessment

Summary of main findings and recommendations

 

 

 

 

Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in Classical Studies

 

 

Subject inspection report

 

This report has been written following a subject inspection in St Flannan’s College, Ennis. It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning in Classical Studies and makes recommendations for the further development of the teaching of this subject in the school. The evaluation was conducted over two days during which the inspector visited classrooms and observed teaching and learning. The inspector interacted with students and teachers, examined students’ work, and had discussions with the teachers. The inspector reviewed school planning documentation and teachers’ written preparation. Following the evaluation visit, the inspector provided oral feedback on the outcomes of the evaluation to the principal and subject teachers. The board of management of the school was given an opportunity to comment on the findings and recommendations of the report; the board chose to accept the report without response.

 

Subject provision and whole school support

 

St Flannan’s College, Ennis has a long and distinguished tradition in the provision of classical education. When Latin was no longer viable as an option in the 1980s, the school switched to Classical Studies in order to ensure the continuity of this tradition. Currently, St Flannan’s College provides Classical Studies in the Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate and Transition Year programmes. Teachers have, on occasion, taught Classical Studies during their free time to interested students whose subject choices precluded them from selecting the subject. This level of dedication and generosity deserves high commendation.

 

Parents of incoming students are informed of subject options at an open night. It is reported that Classical Studies is promoted on this occasion and this is very positive. Timetabling allocation of four periods per week in each of the three years of the Junior Certificate programme, and five in the two years of the Leaving Certificate programme, is adequate to meet the respective syllabus requirements. The distribution of two double periods per week in the junior cycle is not conducive to optimum learning conditions since frequency and continuity is essential for the incremental development of knowledge and skills. It is acknowledged that the school is constrained by the option band in which the subject is offered. In future, consideration could be given to a review of the option bands, taking due account of the necessity for the unusually high number of core subjects on offer in the junior cycle. Five single periods in the senior cycle represents good provision. Classical Studies is a core subject for one period a week in Transition Year and this affords students an opportunity to sample the cultural richness of the classical world. 

 

While boys outnumber girls in the school roughly two to one, the option bands as presently constituted tend to result in further gender imbalance in some classes, so that, for example, only three of the twenty-five first year students are girls. In the interests of equality of opportunity, the school should consider investigating ways in which to redress this imbalance. Uptake of the higher level is good. Academic expectations are high in St Flannan’s College and students are facilitated and encouraged to achieve their full potential.

 

Two experienced and enthusiastic teachers teach classical Studies. There is a strong professional commitment to the subject and an interest in continuous professional development. The teaching of the senior cycle is rotated where possible. There is good access to resources, for example, books, audio-visual equipment, overhead and slide projectors. Management is responsive to budgetary requests from the department. Information and communications technology (ICT) provision in St Flannan’s is good. There are two computer rooms each with thirty computers. Every classroom is internet ready. The school has just added seven digital data projectors to its existing stock of two in order to facilitate ease of access. This is very beneficial to the teaching and learning of Classical Studies since visual content is a significant element of both the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate syllabuses and a critical appreciation of such material is a syllabus requirement. A good deal of useful visual material is available on the internet and PowerPoint presentations could be generated to enhance the teaching and learning of a variety of topics especially those relating to art and architecture. The Classical Studies teachers could also keep a shared electronic folder containing resources such as questionnaires and worksheets. It is recommended that the use of ICT be fully integrated into the teaching and learning of Classical Studies.

 

Students with special needs receive a good level of support from the Classical Studies teachers. Some students have special needs assistants (SNAs). There is liaison with the learning support department. Differentiation is employed in a number of ways. Where students are experiencing difficulties, it is reported that teachers give them additional individual lessons to help them achieve. This represents an admirable commitment to students who find the subject challenging.

 

The Classical Studies department promotes the subject by means of a trip to Rome and Pompeii that is organised every other year. The tour is publicised in the school’s newsletter and this gives Classical Studies a good profile. Consideration could be given to identifying further ways of promoting the subject. 

 

Planning and preparation

 

The Classical Studies teachers meet regularly, formally and informally. Minutes of formal meetings are kept. The team has a strong collaborative ethos. A subject plan is in place and the team is congratulated on the thoroughness of the documentation. In addition to the subject plan, individual team members had long-term schemes for their classes. Choice of syllabus topics is agreed and it is reported that there is a commitment to ongoing evaluation. In this context, the number of topics covered for the examinations should be reviewed. At present, the rationale for choosing more than the number required for examination purposes is unsound since it is based on a perceived need for additional choice. There is already a good level of choice built into the individual topics prescribed for examination purposes. By studying additional topics, there is a risk of placing an excessive load on students, particularly those who find the subject challenging, and this may also make it difficult to focus on syllabus aims and objectives.

 

The current Transition Year Classical Studies programme is stimulating and varied and is commended in this regard. However, it may be over-ambitious for the time slot allotted to it particularly given the possibility of interruption as a result of other valuable Transition Year activities. The subject is very conducive to an interdisciplinary approach and the department should actively develop cross-curricular themes. Areas such as Art, History, English, Engineering, Construction Studies, Home Economics, Physical Education and games are ideal for cross-curricular projects. Independent learning opportunities such as a research assignment should be an integral element of the Classical Studies Transition Year programme. It is reported that projects are assigned however these are not documented in the plan nor is it clear how these are assessed.

 

Teaching and learning

 

Topics such as the career of Alexander the Great, the Persian wars, the role of women in Greek society, Homer’s Iliad and Plato’s Republic were covered in the lessons visited, and these were appropriate to syllabus and programme. Lessons were well planned. Resources such as film clips and handouts were readily to hand. Good quality notes were supplied to senior students although consideration could be given to having these typed. Class time was efficiently used so that a great deal of material was covered in the lessons visited. Links were made with earlier learning when new material was being introduced and this represents good practice. The pace of some lessons was somewhat rapid. As classes are taught in a mixed-ability setting, it is recommended that the pace be adjusted to accommodate those students who learn at a slower rate. A review period should be built into the end of every lesson to consolidate learning.

 

Thorough question and answer sessions were used to check understanding and knowledge of texts read in lessons, and to diagnose difficulties in homework answering. Questions were both global and targeted at individuals and this helped to keep students on task. However, more use could be made of open questions in order to encourage higher-order thinking skills. In one instance, students were encouraged to compare and contrast two characters and this activity is commended as it helps to develop evaluative skills.

 

A good range of methodologies was used. The board was used for illustrative diagrams and useful mnemonics and these were very helpful as learning aids. Teacher demonstration, for example through the use of concrete objects, helped to clarify meaning. Students’ attention was directed to a wall map. Such aids are valuable and therefore should have a more central position in the classroom when they are relevant to a lesson, and should be of sufficient size and quality to be readily seen and understood. Slides would also be useful in this context. Students read from texts and there was regular teacher intervention to offer explanatory comment and interpretation. Very good practice was noted in a lesson visited when students were issued with a questionnaire before watching a film clip. This encouraged concentration and observation. Afterwards, answers were teased out and documented on the board. 

 

A lively style of delivery characterised the lessons observed so that students were engaged and challenged. However, there was a high level of teacher input in many of the lessons. In general, a stronger emphasis should be placed on student autonomy, and students should be encouraged and be given the time to find answers themselves so that they become independent learners. It is recommended that greater emphasis be placed on syllabus skills, such as the ability to communicate orally. In a lesson visited, some space for discussion was generated and students’ views were solicited. This good practice should be extended further. Consideration should be given to debates, pair and group work, role-play, drama techniques, oral presentations and computer based learning. In some cases, the reconfiguration of the existing conventional seating arrangements would be necessary.  Opportunities for independent learning should be created through research, demonstrations, practical work and projects,

 

Student engagement was good in the lessons evaluated. Interactions between students and teachers were, in most cases, lively. Students asked questions that were thoughtful and probing. Students’ questions were welcomed and treated with interest and sensitivity. Written work reveals that a great deal of syllabus material has been covered. During interaction with students, it was evident that students had achieved a good level of learning.

 

There was a very good rapport between students and teachers in all lessons.  Humour enlivened some lessons.  Particularly commendable is the affirmation students received both in the lessons visited and in their written work where effort was acknowledged.  The atmosphere in the lessons visited was warm and supportive. While the wall space was used to a limited extent, there is scope for development. It is recommended that more by way of attractive posters and good quality maps be displayed to stimulate student interest in the subject and to create a print-rich environment. The space should also be used to mount displays of students’ work and projects in order to give them ownership of their learning and to generate discussion. Discipline was firm yet relaxed and student behaviour was generally exemplary in the lessons visited.

 

Assessment

 

Homework is set regularly, dated, and conscientiously corrected and this is highly commended. Records of assessment are scrupulously maintained. Good practice was particularly noted in copybooks where there was an emphasis on assessment for learning. Assignments were annotated with helpful advice and affirming comments and this provided useful feedback to students. Oral feedback was also constructive during the course of lessons. Of note in one junior cycle class, was the assignment of an imaginative homework task.

 

There is a strong emphasis on summative assessment. There are regular class tests. Formal in-house examinations occur twice a year. Mock examinations for third and fifth years are held in the spring term. Reports are sent home to parents after all formal examinations. An assessment policy is in place and this is praiseworthy. The range of assessment modes should be extended to include, for example, continuous assessment, self-assessment and peer assessment. Advice is available at www.ncca.ie. The Classical Studies teachers should also revisit some of the existing School Development Planning Initiative (SDPI) documentation that is available in the department folder where there is reference to a variety of assessment modes. 

 

Parents are informed of student progress though reports sent home after the in-house examinations, through the student journal and parent-teacher meetings. 

 

Summary of main findings and recommendations

 

The following are the main strengths identified in the evaluation:

 

 

As a means of building on these strengths and to address areas for development, the following key recommendations are made:

 

Post-evaluation meetings were held with the teachers of Classical Studies and with the principal at the conclusion of the evaluation when the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.