An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta

Department of Education and Science

   

Subject Inspection of Home Economics

REPORT

 

Saint Angela’s College

Saint Patrick’s Hill, Cork

Roll number: 62640M

   

Date of inspection: 1 March 2006

Date of issue of report: 26 October 2006

 

 

This Subject Inspection report

Subject Provision and Whole School Support

Planning and Preparation

Teaching and Learning

Assessment and Achievement

Summary of Main Findings and Recommendations

 

 

Report on the Quality of Learning and Teaching in Home Economics

 

 

This Subject Inspection report

 

This report has been written following a subject inspection in Saint Angela’s College.  It presents the findings of an evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning in Home Economics and makes recommendations for the further development of the teaching of this subject in the school.  The evaluation was conducted over one day 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 was given an opportunity to comment in writing on the findings and recommendations of the report; a response was not received from the board.

 

Subject Provision and Whole School Support

 

Home Economics is well established on the curriculum in Saint Angela’s College and on the whole is a vibrant subject which is a popular choice amongst many of the students attending the school.  It is an optional subject on the curriculum of both junior and senior cycle, with the exception of TY where it is good to note that all students are required to complete a module of Home Economics.    

 

Uptake levels in junior cycle are very strong, with a substantial percentage of the student cohort opting to study the subject for the Junior Certificate examination.  The strength of the uptake is even more significant considering students are required to choose the subjects they wish to study for the Junior Certificate examination, prior to their entry to the school in first year.  Uptake in senior cycle is in a state of flux, as is the case nationally and at present is significantly lower than that observed at junior cycle.  It is recommended therefore, that consideration be given to the design and implementation of strategies intended to further encourage the senior student cohort to study the subject to Leaving Certificate level.

 

Management operates a very fair and student-friendly system of subject choice.  The system is to be commended for the unrestricted student access to subjects, such as Home Economics, that such an approach more or less guarantees.  Classes are organised on a mixed-ability basis and the Home Economics department is very pro-active in encouraging all students to aim for high academic standards.  This is substantiated by the notable percentage of students who successfully take higher-level papers in the subject in both of the State examinations.  Considering the excellent results also being achieved by a percentage of students opting to take the ordinary-level paper in Home Economics, in both examinations, consideration ought to be given to judiciously encouraging even more candidates to consider opting for the higher-level paper in the subject. 

 

On the whole, the subject benefits from a good level of whole-school support and provision for the subject is also generally good.  Time-tabled provision for Home Economics is very good and is in accordance with the syllabus requirements.  Management is to be praised for the facilitation of collaborative, departmental subject-planning, both at the beginning and end of the school year.  Currently, under the School Development Planning Initiative (SDPI), subject-department meetings are also provided by management, with additional time over the course of each term for the purpose of team planning and this approach is welcomed and fully encouraged.  Management is highly supportive of teacher attendance at in-service and is to be commended for encouraging and financing teacher membership of the Association of Teachers of Home Economics (ATHE).  Management oversees the prompt dissemination of the relevant subject-documentation to each of the subject teachers.   

 

The Home Economics department is allocated a budget each year for the purchase of materials and resources.  It is good to note that in recent times the subject has benefited from the provision of some new large appliances but immediate and ongoing investment, in both the kitchen and its facilities and equipment, is urgently required.  The lack of very basic equipment is a hindrance to students’ progress in the subject, impacts on their sense of achievement in individual classes, is an obvious source of frustration for the teachers and is undoubtedly damaging the subject’s profile in the school.  The immediate resource requirements for the required practical-work should be identified by the teachers and management should plan for the early provision of these resources so that the department is further assisted and supported in the effective and efficient delivery of the curriculum. The refurbishment of the kitchen is also pertinent not only in light of the practical-work that is now required at both junior and senior levels, but also because of the current potential risks posed to the health and safety of the students and teachers who are required to operate in the room.  It is also important to note that the room layout is not congruent with current curricular requirements to prepare students for the food and culinary skills examination, for example, working in pairs.  The seriousness of the situation is underlined by the fact that students’ access to the practical component of the subject was greatly restricted for a period of time in the last term.  A long and frustrating road has been travelled by management in an attempt to rectify this situation and so they are encouraged to maintain the exploration of every possible avenue with a view to accessing the assistance and means required so that the current situation as outlined can be resolved.   

 

The plan to network the individual classrooms to the internet to facilitate the use of laptops is very commendable, as such technologies are extremely supportive of independent student research, which is a key focus of both of the Home Economics syllabuses. 

 

A strong interest in planning for the provision of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities was noted over the course of the discussions held with the Home Economics department and this is very positive as it reflects the emphasis of both syllabuses on extending student learning beyond the classroom.  It is important therefore that the department is supported by management in the planning & provision of these activities.  It is important to highlight here also, that the poor condition of the facilities, as outlined previously, is dampening the departments’ motivation and enthusiasm for the organisation of certain additional activities, such as entering students in competitions. 

 

It is commendable that a school-specific safety statement has been devised but it is recommended that the Home Economics kitchen be audited in a fashion similar to that applied to the Science laboratory and that the results of same be housed, both in the school’s safety statement and in the room in question.  It is essential that the department assists and advises in the compilation of this statement.

 

 

Planning and Preparation

 

The Home Economics department readily engages, both on a formal and informal basis, in the very desirable and recommended practice of collaborative planning.  The organisation and co-ordination of the department’s work is the primary responsibility of a subject co-ordinator, who is appointed on a rotational basis. The good practice of providing a focus for the formal departmental meetings, through the provision of an agenda, was observed and in order to reap the full benefit of such practice it is recommended that the Home Economics department minute and systematically file the outcomes of each of these meetings along with any key decisions taken on an informal basis. 

 

It is good to note that the department is in the process of developing a subject-specific planning document.  In order to enhance and develop this work, it is recommended that consideration be given to the incorporation of the planning material provided by the Home Economics Support Service at one of their recently organised network-meetings.  This is available on the support service’s website at www.homeeconomics.ie., along with some additional planning material.

 

Commendably, schemes of work have been devised for each year group.  These are in line with curricular requirements and illustrate early preparation of students for all components of the examination i.e. practical work, project work, craft work and the written examination.  In order to enhance this good work, it is recommended that the schemes be further developed in time.  Suggested content includes: topics to be covered on a term-by-term basis, suitable methodologies, appropriate and available resources, topic-specific assignments and homework, assessment modes, links between theory and practical work, integration of subject matter, as well as exam preparation and revision, when and where appropriate.  This is quite an involved process and so it is recommended that it be implemented on a phased basis taking, for example, one junior and one senior year group per annum.  Course syllabuses and Guidelines for Teachers should provide the basis for such detailed planning.  Such plans, as is current practice in the department, should be monitored, reviewed and evaluated on a regular basis.  Furthermore, it is recommended that consideration be given to a review of the programme of work devised for first-year students, with a view to increasing the number of topics planned for delivery.

 

The department has forged links with the school’s resource teacher, in an attempt to ascertain the support required for students with special educational needs (SENs) and to discuss practical ways of assisting these students.  The department also reports that a series of worksheets have been devised for use with students experiencing difficulty with facets of the course.  This differentiated planning is very creditable.        

 

The benefit of utilising past and sample, State examination marking schemes, when planning and delivering the curriculum has been recognised by the subject department and so it is further recommended that consideration be given to exploring the contribution that the Chief Examiner’s reports can also make to this area.  Efforts to establish cross-curricular links with subjects such as Biology and Business were also recorded in the department’s planning documentation and such practice is fully praised and further encouraged. 

 

Consideration should be given to the development of a room-based resource library which could be readily accessed during class by students and teachers alike and would be a very beneficial support to students as they engage in the required independent research for particular elements of both courses.

 

Teaching and Learning

 

There was evidence of good quality short-term planning and preparation in each of the lessons observed.  In all lessons a very methodical, organised and well-thought out approach was adopted to the delivery of the planned content and on the whole each lesson was appropriately paced.     

 

Some excellent lesson introductions were observed, which were notable for the way in which they heightened students’ curiosity and whetted their appetite for information.  Some of these took the form of picture presentations followed by brain-storming exercises designed to involve as many students as possible.  Opportunities to present visual stimuli, which supported and enhanced lesson content, were recognised and effectively availed of in the majority of lessons.  This very visual approach to teaching is to be commended for its effectiveness in motivating students at the outset of lessons, in maintaining student interest and engagement and in assisting student understanding and learning of the topic being explored. 

 

Instruction was both clear and accurate and significant efforts were made to contextualise the subject matter for students, thereby ensuring student comprehension of teacher-explanation.  Textbooks were used appropriately but not excessively to reinforce topic introductions and to highlight the key concepts being presented over the course of lessons.  The very good practices of integrating new information being presented with other relevant facets of the course, as well as the revision of related work previously covered by students, were observed in most classes.  Periodically, over the course of some lessons key concepts already presented and explained to students were re-visited and students’ understanding of them was checked.  Lessons contained appropriate references to strategies, approaches and practices that were intended to prepare students for the State examinations.   

 

Lessons, on the whole, incorporated a good range of methodologies which were very effective in changing the momentum of the lesson and keeping students focused on and interested in the topics being explored.  This approach is commended and fully encouraged.  In some lessons there was an over-reliance on one or two methodologies and while such lessons are to be praised for their student-centred nature, additional approaches, if employed, would offer more variety to lesson content thereby enhancing student engagement.  It was good to observe also the inclusion in most lessons of some of the more active methodologies which partially transferred the responsibility for learning back to the students themselves and allowed for greater student participation in lesson content. The incorporation of this approach is further encouraged over the course of lessons.  Students were well managed, guided and directed in all activities required of them and their work was monitored carefully by teachers in a very supportive, encouraging and helpful manner.

 

Questioning was used effectively throughout each lesson.  There was a tendency in some lessons to accept ‘chorus answering’ from students, so it is recommended that in these instances the practice of directing questions to individual students be strengthened.  Some very good examples of higher-order questioning were also apparent in the delivery of a number of lessons.  This style of questioning which focuses on the ‘why’ end of the questioning spectrum is further encouraged in all lessons.  While all lessons were summarised, it is recommended that the approach to lesson summary incorporate the checking of student learning and understanding of the content delivered. 

 

There was evidence of established systems and procedures when students engaged in practical work.  A good focus on hygiene and safety and the development of proper skills was also evident. Students’ progress in tasks set was assisted through the provision of whole-class instruction, on-spot demonstrations, individual one-to-one instruction and a series of time-bound goals.  Such an approach is to be commended, as it supports independent student activity and learning.  Students’ culinary skills were well developed but would be enhanced by the grounding of these in the relevant and appropriate theory.  The practice of using opportunities in practical classes to link theory and practice is very important and so such an approach is strongly encouraged, as is the utilisation of opportunities to engage in evaluative exercises of either product, process or practice.

 

A firm and purposeful approach was adopted by all teachers but their relations with students were also very good-natured and an air of mutual respect was discernible in all classes.  Students were at ease contributing to lesson content and on the whole their input was encouraged, welcomed and readily affirmed.  Students were most attentive, were willing and eager to participate in any activity required of them and demonstrated an interest in and enthusiasm for the subject matter of each of the lessons.  The physical environment of each of the Home Economics rooms could be further enhanced through the greater display of stimulating material such as posters, newspaper articles, photographs and student work. 

 

Assessment and Achievement

 

A range of assessment modes is utilised to determine student progress and achievement in the subject, including oral questioning in class, class-based topic tests as required and the assessment of student project work.  In tandem with the noted desirable practice of grading student project and craft work and including a percentage of this result in the overall grade awarded to students at key times in the year, it is recommended that in the long term, student practical food-studies work also be assessed and included.

 

The outcomes of all student assessments between September and Christmas, which are recorded and systematically filed by the individual teachers, provide the basis for the result issued in students’ Christmas reports.  All non-examination classes are required to sit formal, house examinations prior to the summer vacation, following which another report is issued.  Pre-examinations are arranged for all State-examination students after Christmas.  Parents of first-year students are provided with four reports on their daughter’s progress and achievement in each subject, which are issued in October, at Christmas, in February and finally following the summer house examinations.  Parents are also kept informed of their daughter’s advancement and attainment through the organisation of a parent-teacher meeting once per annum for each class group.        

 

It is good to note that a subject-specific homework policy has been devised for junior cycle students and so a similar approach is recommended at senior cycle.  In the main, homework is regularly set and monitored.  Some very good examples of comment-only marking were observed in students’ copybooks, which provided detailed individual feedback on approaches to answering questions, including constructive comments and individual affirmation.  This method of monitoring student work reflects the principles of assessment for learning (afl) which is an approach to assessment that is greatly encouraged.  Further information on this method can be accessed on the website of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment at www.ncca.ie.  In addition, it is recommended that periodically, particularly in State-examination classes, homework also be graded.

 

 

Summary of Main Findings and Recommendations

 

The following are the main strengths and areas for development 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 principal and with the teachers of Home Economics at the conclusion of the evaluation at which the draft findings and recommendations of the evaluation were presented and discussed.