Transition Year
Co-Ordinator: Ms. Joyce Byrne
Transition Year is a compulsory one-year programme in which all students in this school take part. It is designed as and intended to provide a bridge to help students make the transition from a highly structured and exam-orientated environment to one where they will take greater responsibility for their own learning and decision-making.
Preparation for further education and the adult working life is a major consideration in the Transition Year Programme. The promotion of life skills, including social and Christian awareness and increased social competence is made possible by extending learning experiences beyond the classroom. The overall aims of Transition Year are:
- Education for maturity, with an emphasis on social awareness and increased social competence.
- Education through experience of adult and working life as a basis for personal development and maturity.
- Promotion of general, technical and academic skills with an emphasis on inter-disciplinary and self-directed learning.
A normal timetable of 44 class periods per week continues in Transition Year. Subjects taken in Transition Year come under three categories:
1. Core subjects – These are taken by all students as a full year programme. Although a strong academic emphasis is placed on these as well as the option subjects, teachers aim to utilise a wide variety of approaches to teaching and learning, including activity-based learning, group work, project work and educational trips:
2. Option Subjects - These are taken by all students as a 7/8 week programme and are designed to aid the students in making their subjects choices for the Leaving Certificate at the end of the year.
- Chemistry
- Geography
- Music
- Art
- Business Studies
- Economics
- Physics
- Biology
- Home Economics
- History
- Pharmacology
- Field Studies
- Art & Craft or Culinary Arts or Enterprise Education
3. Module subjects – These are again taken by all students. Programmes vary in length from a single afternoon taster session to a ten week course. These modular subjects allow students to experience a wide variety of extracurricular activities which, as well as teaching them many life skills, also help them to develop their ‘multiple intelligences’. Modules typically taken by students in the course of a year are:
- Aromatherapy
- Health and Lifestyles
- Personal Development
- Reflexology
- Fashion Studies
- Samba Drumming
- Disability Awareness
- Singing
- Drama
- Dance
- Beginners Spanish
- Self Defence
- Kardio kickboxing
- Public Speaking
- Media Studies
- Computers (ECDL)
Joseph Byrne
Ciarán Hartigan
Jillian Ryan
The English courses in St. Joseph of Cluny are focused on meeting the requirements of the Junior and Leaving Certificate programmes. Students in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Transition Year are placed in mixed ability classes. It is a policy of our subject Department to avoid streaming. Students with reading or learning difficulties are catered for within the class context and supported by the Learning Support team. All the Senior Cycle students are offered and taught the Higher Level Leaving Certificate Course. A very small minority - after guidance from parents and teachers - opt for the Ordinary Level.
The English Department is conscious that our programmes should not be limited to merely preparing our students for the Junior and Leaving Certificates. Our aims are to consolidate and develop the students' literary skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students are introduced to a wide range of literature on themes appropriate and relevant to their stages of development, with an emphasis on exposure to a range of texts rather than an intensive examination of a few. As a result we encourage intellectual curiosity and foster the students’ oral and literary creativity. A sound basis for literary judgement is laid down.
In addition to the required programmes, the English Department supplements and enhances our students experience of the subject by organising a wide range of relevant activities such as visits to the theatre, guest writers, encouraging students to enter literary competitions (Young Journalist of the Year, One Act Play Competition, Poetry Aloud, etc.)
Under the aegis of the English Department a very strong debating culture is fostered. All years are catered for through a Junior Debating Society and a Senior Debating Society. Our School sends representatives to the Model European Parliament and European Youth Parliament, they also participate in the European Youth Forum - this gives our students an opportunity to have their voice and views heard at home and abroad. In order to raise social consciousness we enter students in the Concern Debates and the Know your World Quiz; students also participate in the Mental Health Ireland Public Speaking Competition as well as the Soroptomists Ireland Competitions. To cater for the Junior Cycle we enter three teams in the Inter-Schools U-15 debating competitions and teams in the Women’s Graduate Association Public Speaking for Girls. Members of the English Department are enthusiastically involved in the aforementioned activities.
The NCCA syllabus states that "We live in the midst of language". In English classes in Cluny, teachers foster and encourage an awareness of the power, potential and rewards of the spoken and written word. "Language most shows a man: speak that I may see thee".
Iníon Gráinne Ní Mhuirí
Ms. Rosemary Molloy
Mrs. Catherine Hackett
Iníon Iris Ní Aoghagáin
In Roinn na Gaeilge we follow the Department of Education and Science Syllabus which aims to:
- Help our students to learn Irish to the best of their ability and to promote a positive attitude towards the language.
- Develop their language skills i.e. listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- Give students an insight into Gaelic culture through use of the language, music, history, literature etc.
- Promote self-respect and self-confidence by giving students an understanding of their own cultural identity and heritage and as a result promote in them a positive attitude towards learning other languages and respect for other cultures. (ó An Roinn Oideachais agus Eolaíochta - An Ardteistiméireacht - Gaeilge – na siollabais agus an córas measúnachta – Oifig an tSoláthair)
Students are re-divided into higher and ordinary level groups after the Junior Cert results. During Term 1 we concentrate on developing oral skills which culminates in an oral exam before Christmas. In Term 2 we include a module on Irish culture e.g. song, dance and drama and also in-house debating with the higher level students. In Term 3 we study literature, using the resources of our School Library, as preparation for the Senior Cycle.
Gníomhaíochtaí lasmuigh den Seomra Ranga / Extra-Curricular Activities:
- We bring students to films, plays and other events as Gaeilge, as they occur during the school year.
- We encourage students to watch programmes on TG4 e.g. Aifric, Ros na Rún, Nuacht TG4.
- Activities as Gaeilge (tráth na gceist, díospóireachtaí, céilí) are organised during Seachtain na Gaeilge in March.
- We also encourage students to improve their language skills by attending summer courses in the many Coláistí Gaeilge (Irish Colleges) inside and outside An Ghaeltacht.
- Over the years we have participated in the Gael-Linn Debating Competition reaching the Regional Final in 1995 and achieving the runners-up position in the All-Ireland Final in 2007.
It is intended that mathematics education within St. Joseph of Cluny should:
- Contribute to the personal development of the student. This aim is chiefly concerned with the students’ feeling of worth as a result of finding meaning and interest, as well as achieving success in mathematics.
- Help to provide the students with the mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding needed for continuing their education, and eventually for life and work. This aim focuses on what the students will be able to do with their mathematics in the future: hence, on their ability to recognise the power of mathematics and to apply it appropriately.
General objectives:
- Students should be able to recall basic facts as it can support and enhance the understanding and aid the application of the subject.
- Students should be able to perform basic skills and carry out routine algorithms, and be able to use appropriate equipment.
- Students should be able to apply their mathematical knowledge and recognise its uses, seeing it as a powerful tool with many areas of applicability.
- Students should have an overall understanding of mathematical concepts
- Students should be able to analyse information
Higher and Ordinary Level classes will be set at the beginning of 4th Year. Students will be put in classes based on the 3rd Year Junior Certificate results. These results are usually a clear indication of the student’s mathematical ability. Students are facilitated and are actively encouraged to enter mathematics competitions. To date students of St. Joseph of Cluny have participated in the Senior Olympiad Competition, the Prism Mathematics Competition and the IMTA (Irish Mathematics Teachers Association) table quiz.
Higher and Ordinary Level classes will be set at the beginning of 2nd Year. Students will be put in classes based on the 1st Year results. The Christmas and summer results are usually a clear indication of the student’s mathematical ability and capacity to amalgamate all the pre learned topics. Students are facilitated and are actively encouraged to enter mathematics competitions. To date students of St. Joseph of Cluny have participated in the Junior Olympiad Competition.
The use of I.T. features in the teaching of mathematics. Slideshow presentations and interactive computer simulations are all used to enhance the learning experience of the student.
Elizabeth Cassidy
Celine Carney
Ciarán Twomey
Jacinta Joy
Jillian Ryan
Rosemary Molloy
French culture and French language have traditionally played an important role in St. Joseph of Cluny. The Cluny Order was, in fact, founded in Cluny, in the Bourgogne region of France. In Cluny, we want students to develop a love for the language and all things French, that will last long after their days here are over.
French is taught in every year. We aim for a warm classroom atmosphere, using a variety of methodologies. Classes are conducted as much as is practical, through French with plenty of student participation in the language. We work with each student so that she can reach her full potential. This is reflected in our excellent results and our recent department inspection (2007).
Students are helped to develop the four key skill areas i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening. At the same time students explore French culture and civilisation. 1st to 3rd year classes are taught according to the Junior Certificate syllabus. Students in these year groups develop the 4 key skill areas from an early age - reading, writing, speaking and listening. At the same time students explore French culture and civilisation.
Transition Year Pupils also take part in:
- French theatre
- French film
- French cuisine
- French breakfast mornings
- Fashion Studies
- French songs
- Table quizzes
- Library sessions
- French Debating
- Modules: e.g. French–speaking countries
There also plans afoot to set up links with a French school, travel to Paris as part of a school tour and this year we will be playing the French sport of ‘ Pétanque’ as part of Transition Year!
Joyce Byrne
Jacinta Joy
Und los geht’s! German (Deutsch) is offered on alternate years as a language to First Years. Most students opting to study German do so as one of their core subjects up to Leaving Cert level but students may opt to study German as a second language with an option to continue the study of the subject until Sixth Year.
Over 100 million people speak German as their native language. Germany is Ireland’s third largest trading partner – 70% of Irish exporters to Germany use the German language in their business dealings. With over 250 German companies operating in Ireland (employing approximately 15,000 people) an ability to speak German is an invaluable tool in the marketplace.
Students are encouraged to participate in exchanges and trips to Germany, Austria and Switzerland - not only do these opportunities improve the students’ language skills, they also serve as culturally enriching experiences, bringing the classroom to life and needless to say are great fun. Students are brought on trips to films, concerts and exhibitions at the IFI and elsewhere to keep them up to date with the latest in culture in the German-speaking countries.
In keeping with the syllabi of the DES the German Department at Cluny uses an integrated approach to teaching involving as many aspects of the communicative approach to language teaching as possible. Classroom activities are conducted in German to give students confidence to participate in normal everyday transactions and activities in the classroom and in those countries where German is spoken.
Astrid Coleman
Cleo McFarland
Spanish, along with French and German, is one of the Modern Languages offered in Cluny. As the first language of more than 400 million people in over 21 countries, it is a major global language. It is also the second language of the United States and a very strong Hispanic influence is found in many major American cities. For students who choose to study Spanish, both short-term and long-term employment opportunities are enhanced for those who intend travelling to North and South America. Clearly, knowledge of the language also increases the enjoyment for those students who travel to Spain and its islands either for a short break or when staying at a holiday home.
At Cluny, Spanish is offered from First Year through to Sixth Year. At Junior Cert level (in line with the Syllabus as set down by the Department of Education and Science) the course aims to develop aural, oral, written and comprehension skills. Knowledge of Spanish/Hispanic culture is considered to be very important and this is developed progressively through the years at Cluny. Videos, DVDs, magazines etc. are all used to aid this progress and food tasting à la Espanola is very popular as a term event.
For Transition Year Spanish, the emphasis is very much on developing knowledge of the cultural aspects of Spanish/Hispanic life as well as consolidating and building on the language skills already acquired. For students who have not studied Spanish at Junior Cycle, a beginners’ module is frequently offered at Transition Year in order to develop basic language competency along with an overview of Spanish culture.
Leaving Certificate Spanish (again in line with the DES Syllabus) aims to consolidate and develop oral, aural, comprehension and written skills in preparation for the Leaving Cert itself. It is anticipated that a student at this state would be proficient in all of these areas. Students at all levels, but particularly from 4th to 6th Year, are encouraged to avail of one of the many exchange programmes. In Ireland, there are now a number of residential summer courses available also for students of Spanish. Senior Cluny students regularly participate in the Annual Inter-Schools Spanish Quiz and all students are encouraged to participate in suitable competitions/events.
At Cluny, while the majority of students go on to take Higher Level papers at State exam level, it is viewed by the Spanish Department that enjoyment of the subject is most important and that each student (in consultation with their teacher) eventually finds the level most suitable to them. For students who have studied Spanish at Cluny, many go on to incorporate continued study of the language at 3rd Level through Humanities or Business Degrees such as International Commerce. The demand for 3rd level graduates with Spanish very often exceeds the supply.
Knowledge of Spanish like all languages is an invaluable life skill. Apart from the ever-increasing importance of the language globally, Cluny aims to facilitate each student to achieve their potential within the language.
Pat Larkin
Brenda McNulty
Patricia Higgins
Dympna Smith
Jillian Ryan
"It is not sufficient to have taught them how to work and satisfy this purely material needs, they must also know how to live with others and themselves and to realize what they owe to God and their brethren" - Blessed Anne Marie Javouhey
Religious Education in St. Joseph of Cluny, Killiney is an integral part of the school ethos. It manifests itself on many levels within the school and in all subjects, particularly art and music. During Transition year we aim to foster an awareness that the human search for meaning is common to all peoples, of all ages and at all times. We encourage students to identify how understandings of God, religious traditions, and in particular the Christian tradition, have contributed to the culture in which we live, and, continue to have an impact on personal life-style, relationships and community. During this year an emphasis is placed on learning about and understanding other Great World religions and traditions and Students are brought to visit places of worship of other Religions within the vicinity.
Maura Seymour
Ed Randolph
Physical Education is a core subject at both Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle in St. Joseph of Cluny and is a compulsory part of the programme here. All students have 80 minutes of Physical Education a week where efforts are made to ensure that the student is exposed to a comprehensive and balanced range of activities. Our Physical Education facilities include a modern sports hall which contains markings for a full size basketball court, four badminton courts, a volleyball court as well as an indoor tennis court. It also contains three changing rooms with shower facilities and an upstairs viewing area. Other facilities include an all-weather hockey pitch and vast green areas which are used for athletics, Gaelic football and soccer. During fine weather the outdoor facilities are used as much as possible.
As part of our Physical Education programme, students take part in activities including Athletics, Dance, Games, Gymnastics, Health Related Activities and Outdoor Education. Transition Year students spend three nights at an Outdoor Education Centre in the West of Ireland where they take part in activities like Hill walking, Rock-climbing, Abseiling, Canoeing and Surfing.
Other features of the programme include the following modules which take place in Transition Year: Yoga, Self-Defence, Cardio Kick-Boxing and Dance with experts in those areas coming to the school to teach the students. Transition Year students also avail of the gym in Westwood for a fitness module.
While it is obligatory that all students take part in Physical Education there is also a comprehensive extra curricular sports programme for those students interested in competitive sport. Teams are entered in Leinster League competitions in Badminton, Basketball, Hockey, Tennis and Gaelic Football. Our athletes enter the East Leinster and Leinster Competitions and Soccer is also catered for in local leagues. Some of our notable successes to date include two All-Ireland victories in Basketball, Leinster Senior Cup Winners in Hockey, Leinster Champions in Badminton, while some of our students have represented Ireland in Athletics, Badminton, Basketball and Hockey.
Patricia Higgins
Siobhan O’Dwyer
During transition and 5th years all students are given the opportunity to sit 4 ECDL modules with a view to gaining the European Computer Driver’s Licence. The ECDL establishes a standard for everyone who uses a computer in either a professional or personal capacity. It is a certificate that verifies competence in computer use, making the holder readily mobile within Ireland and internationally. Employers and job seekers all agree on the importance of this standard definition of practical competence in Information Technology.
Models covered during Transition Year are:
- Theory
- File management
- Word processing
- Excel Spreadsheets
These skills are valuable in learning and presentation across the curriculum and also aid in students’ engagement in extra-curricular events and charities. Students present typed projects, make posters for events such as cake sales and use spreadsheets to present information on charts.
Chemistry is the study of substances; their properties, structure, and the changes they undergo. It begins with looking at nature and breaking this matter down into the atoms and molecules of which it is composed. It is not seeing the wood from the trees, but seeing the molecules and atoms from the trees! It is all around us and this course allows us to see the world differently through experimentation, theory and laws. A Student Completes a flame experiment! Chemistry forms some part of all courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, Engineering and in most Science courses.
The chemistry syllabus is practical and experimentally based. All students will carry out the 28 experiments on the syllabus including flame tests, distillation and even the making of soap. The syllabus has the following components:
- Pure chemistry, 70%
- Applications of chemistry, 22.5%
- Chemistry for citizens, 7.5%
Chemistry is taught through the use of practical applications and exemplars relevant to students own lives which are included whenever possible. The inclusion of the applications of chemistry will emphasise the vocational aspects of the subject and will enable students to see where it applies in the world of work. The chemistry laboratory is well equipped with all the necessary apparatus and state of the art IT equipment including the ceiling mounted data projector. Students are given full recognition for carrying out the mandatory experiments using computer interfacing and other modern methods of computer aided technology. This subject aims to provide students with the skills necessary to analyse and investigate the chemical world and approach problems with a deeper understanding of how the world works. It also provides a foundation course for those who will continue to study Chemistry or related subjects.
Transition Year Chemistry is an eight to nine week module. The module allows for research and investigation, interpretation of results and development of practical skills. In this module the students study a wide variety of topics, such as:
- Volumetric Analysis
- Acids and Bases
- Environmental Chemistry – Water
- The Periodic Table
- Organic Chemistry
During Senior Cycle Geography and Transition Year we avail of our coastal and accessible location by participating in various field studies in order to teach the students geographical research skills in physical, social and human geography. These skills range from map interpretation, figure interpretation, statistical analysis, figure drawing and information technology. Over the senior cycle we endeavour to take the students out on four separate field trips. These may range from:
- A coastal study of deposition in North Bull Island
- A comparative study of coastal erosion at White Rock Beach and Shanganagh Beach
- An urban study in Dalkey village
- A Geology study of Killiney Hill and White Rock Beach
- A River study in Glendalough.
This allows us to cover various aspects of the subject and give the students an appreciation of their local landscape and surroundings.
John O’Farrell
Patricia Higgins
Music at St. Joseph of Cluny Secondary School enjoys a strong social, religious and academic tradition. The department is a lively one, with ongoing events throughout the school year. Through various classroom based and extra curricular activities at Junior and Senior cycle, each student has the opportunity to gain valuable music experiences, be it through choir classes offered at Junior Cycle or involvement in the fifth year musical.
Music at transition year takes the form of a modular system, which takes into account all musical experiences. Performance skills are encouraged and developed from Junior Cycle and students are introduced to a range of aspects of music, including 20th Century composition, an introduction to Music Technology for Leaving Certificate, Irish music and singing, as well as lessons in basic music theory and principles.
The School Orchestra comprises students from all years, and all levels of instruments are welcome to join. The orchestra prepare each year for Department of Education and Science Examinations, and perform regularly at events throughout the school year, including the annual Carol Service.
Brenda McNulty
Art has a high profile within the school. Frequent displays in the Foyer allow fellow staff and students to enjoy the creativity emanating from the art rooms. We also work with the R.E Department in providing art works for various important dates in the Liturgical calendar and with S.P.H.E classes.
In the art room we endeavour to promote the ethos of the School by our participation in projects and competitions that promote an awareness of social and community issues. Projects undertaken include Positive Mental Health, Social Inclusion, Credit Union, Drug, Alcohol and Smoking Prevention, Healthy Lifestyles, DSPCA, Environmental issues and thinking ‘Green’. The school has been very successful winning at both regional and national levels.
Transition students work on a project to provide visual aids for education room in the DSPC
Dympna Smith
Carolyn Marren
Joanne Whelan
The Business Department provides:
- Junior Cycle Business Studies
- Transition year modules in Enterprise Education, Business and Economics
- Senior Cycle Business
- Senior Cycle Economics
In transition year students study Enterprise Education, Business and Economics on a modular basis.
Dympna Smith
Carolyn Marren
Joanne Whelan
This subject is divided into:
Micro Economics – dealing with individual consumers and producers and Supply and Demand in the market place
Macro Economics - examines the major economic variables, national income, exchange rates, taxation and inflation.
This subject is offered as an option for Leaving Cert in St. Joseph of Cluny. The majority of students are encouraged and supported to take the subject at Higher Level whenever possible, by the Physics Department. There is a strong tradition of Physics in the school and almost all students take their chosen Senior Science subjects at Higher Level.
- Leaving Certificate Physics is actively a ‘hands on’ subject in St. Joseph of Cluny.
- Over the past few years we’ve entered lots of different types of competitions, with good success!
- Our Physics highlight has to be our winning global entry to the NASA/AMES Space Centre, Florida. The brief was to design a space settlement which would house 10,000 human beings, which once launched would never return to Earth. We entered the competition with three boys from Blackrock College. They took ‘First’ place and won a fabulous trip to NASA where they briefed NASA employees including astronauts on their design.
- Other successes included our winning entry in the ‘Life in the Universe’ Competition, organised by the European Commission for Nuclear Research. Sara Byrne and Aisling Deasy won a week at the CERN Science Facility in Geneva as part of their prize.
- We were runners up in the Science for Life Competition organised by BAYER and were highly commended by the Guinness Living Dublin Awards for our science board game. We were also highly commended for our Paper Clip Physics entry.
Hilary Gale
Robert Browne
Naomi Torpey
Biology is the study of life, in all its weird and wonderful forms, and all of life’s essential processes. The subject incorporates zoology (the study of animals), botany (the study of plants), microbiology (the study of micro-organisms), genetics (the study of inheritance and variation among living organisms), ecology (the study of how living organisms interact with one another and with their environment) and biochemistry (the study of chemical processes that take place in living organisms).
In St. Joseph of Cluny Secondary School, Biology is sampled by all students in modular format during Transition Year, and is taught as an option subject in Fifth and Sixth Year in preparation for Leaving Certificate. There are typically three Biology classes in each Senior Cycle year. The approach to teaching this diverse and fascinating subject is very much investigative.
The Biology teaching team use a variety of I.T. based methods to bring the subject alive in the classroom including slideshow presentations, animations and interactive computer simulations. A number of other audio-visual resources are incorporated into Biology classes, including models, demonstration exercises and DVD excerpts. With Killiney Hill right on our doorstep and Sandycove or Dalkey beaches within easy walking distance, students are able to conduct a number of outdoor fieldwork activities to investigate the ecology of local woodland or seashore ecosystems. The Transition Year programme involves a trip to Dublin Zoo for an Animal Conservation and Extinction module.
Visits from external speakers and demonstrators are organised for the various Senior Cycle years to introduce students to real world uses and applications of Biological science, including a full-day workshop for Transition Year students on Forensics. The school’s well-equipped Biology laboratory allows students to carry out a wide variety of prescribed and non-prescribed practical activities including dissections, growing moulds and bacteria, working with antibiotics, isolating DNA (including their own), fermenting sugars to produce alcohol, examining very tiny cells under the microscope and using hormones to speed up the growth of plant seeds. Students are required to maintain a laboratory notebook in which they record all of the mandatory practical activities prescribed for the Leaving Certificate programme. These notebooks are assessed on an ongoing basis throughout the Senior Cycle.
Breda Wolohan
Deirdre Fahey
There are two newly refurbished, modern Home Economics kitchens in the school. Each one is designed so that there are ten, well equipped units. There is also a Textiles room for sewing and crafts.
In Transition year all students take Home Economics for a number of weeks. During this time the students get a taster of home Economics at senior cycle. To keep within the Ethos of transition year these classes encourage students to develop skills of research, group work and project work. Typical topics during this module are Special Diets, Consumer reports, Roles and Responsibilities in the Family Unit etc. Transition Year students can choose to take Culinary Arts as an option subject for the year. This class consists of learning to cook many different dishes such as Jams and Chutneys, Vegetarian Food, International Dishes and Seasonal recipes, for example a Christmas Cake. Occasionally, displays and demonstrations take place in the school where students can proudly showcase their culinary delights.
Astrid Coleman
Joyce Byrne
Pauline Rooney
We study History to learn how we became who we are today – studying the lives of people in the past helps us to understand how other cultures and countries have developed and what our place is within the world. History is a compulsory subject for Junior Cycle. All Transition Year students do a seven week module in History and the subject is offered as an option subject in the senior cycle. Students are brought on at outings at both Junior and Senior Levels and visiting guest speakers help to bring the subject to life for students.
The study of History enables students to develop invaluable skills such as a capacity for independent thought, organisation of ideas and an ability to reach balanced conclusions, all of which are highly sought after in many careers. The Leaving Cert History syllabus was redrafted and was first examined in 2006 – the new course and its wide and diverse choice of topics for study coupled with the freedom each student has to select a research topic from any historical period, has meant that Leaving Cert History has become increasingly more relevant to today’s world and has been greeted with great enthusiasm by teachers and students alike.
Both courses facilitate a variety of approaches to the teaching of History and a wide range of sources (written, pictorial, audio-visual and digital) are used.
Students in Transition Year complete an eight week module in Pharmacology. This subject, combining elements of Leaving Certificate Biology and Chemistry, deals with the way chemicals (drugs) alter how living cells function. Using group discussion and self-directed internet-based research, students explore the wide variety of chemicals that are used to influence the human body, both for therapeutic and recreational purposes. Common drugs of abuse and misuse are included in this discussion.
The Pharmacology module also includes a study of infectious disease. Students look at a wide range of both common and rare bacterial, viral and fungal illnesses, including reference to their potential use as biological weapons. This leads into a detailed study of the pharmacology of antibiotics – the main drugs used to manage bacterial disease. With the Transition Year programme’s emphasis on practical work and activity-based learning, students (over a number of weeks) are shown how to safely cultivate bacteria and then expose them to antibiotics to compare the effectiveness of different antibiotics against different bacteria. It is hoped that this will give students a familiarity with the procedures and precautions associated with practical microbiology.
Through the use of audio-visual media, interactive computer simulations and dissection work, students examine the structure and function of the human heart before looking at the use of drugs to treat various illnesses that affect the hear and blood pressure.
The aims of the Transition Year Programme in Field Studies are that the student would have:
- Acquired a knowledge of the processes of erosion and deposition which affect the Irish landscape
- Developed an ability to identify these processes through observation in the field
- Examined the geology of Ireland, and in particular of the Dublin Bay area, we focus on Dalkey, Killiney and Shanganagh.
- * Used fieldwork techniques to gather primary geographical data in the field.
- Developed the skills necessary to analyse data and draw conclusions about the areas examined.
Field studies is an option for Transition Year students in Cluny. During this programme they acquire a knowledge of their local area and of the processes of erosion and deposition which affect the Irish landscape. They also develop an ability to identify these processes through observation in the Dalkey, Killiney and Shanganagh areas. The students learn to use fieldwork techniques to gather primary geographical data in the field and to record this data using worksheets, observation, drawing and annotating sketches. During the course of this they also develop the skills necessary to analyse data and draw conclusions about the areas examined and how to present their findings and conclusions in suitable media, and further to explain findings and conclusions to their peers.
Art and Craft or Culinary Arts or Enterprise Education
Art and Craft:
As part of the TY programme, an 8 week art module is completed by all students. The purpose of this art module is to give students who may not have studied art at Junior Cycle a chance to experience the creative process involved in making a piece of art from the initial concept through to completed piece. It also gives both students who have and have not studied art to Junior Cycle an insight into art at senior level. Many will begin to consider studying art as one of their leaving certificate subjects. The focus of the art module programme is on three main areas (a) skills development (b) idea growth and development (c) appreciation and history of art. An 8 week project is set for the class that engages these three main elements. The projects set are pitched at an open level that engages and develops the abilities of students who have and have not studied art and are aimed at building the confidence of both student types. Sample art projects:
- Book Binding/ Book making
- Creative Embroidery
- Large scale group paintings/portraits
- Batik
- Mask making
- Calligraphy/Illustration
- Mural painting
- Jewellery making
- Hat and headpieces
These projects are also theme based so for example - a self portrait project, using mixed media would be set looking at the work of contemporary illustrators as an inspiration. Perhaps the mixed media items used to create the project would be items of personal interest to the student therefore exploring the theme of the self/ personality. Often there is outside involvement where the TY art module is concerned, most notably last year a project was undertaken with the DSPCA where the module students designed and redecorated the education room at the DSPCA. This was a great achievement for the students involved as their beautiful and functional work is on location at the DSPCA for all visitors to appreciate. TY art module aims to develop the artistic abilities of students who have and have not studied art in the past. It also aims to get students thinking about the place of art in our world opening up the area of art in an accessible, fun and productive way.
Culinary Arts
This programme is designed to encourage Transition Year students to research recipes and up to date information on the variety of ingredients that are now available. The emphasis is on the development of practical skills while fostering a sense of creativity and endorsing a healthy approach to diet and food preparation. Some of the themes include Jams and Preserves, Bread Making, Seasonal Baking (Icing of Christmas Cake being a particular favourite), Vegetarian Cookery, Fish Cookery etc. This subject is of great value to those students who have a flair for cookery and the practical element helps in comprehending the food science aspect of the Leaving Certificate Syllabus.
Enterprise Education
Enterprise Education is a 10 week module in Transition Year. The course highlights the importance of Enterprise to the Economy, in terms of job creation, wealth creation and the provision of a wide variety of goods and services, but also its importance in the home, in school, in the community and in public life. The module also deals with current developments in the Economy. Junior Achievement Ireland provide each module group with a guest speaker from the Business world.