Subject Inspection of Geography REPORT. Coláiste Muire Cobh, County Cork Roll number: 62180E

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1 An Roinn Oideachais agus Scileanna Department of Education and Skills Subject Inspection of Geography REPORT Coláiste Muire Cobh, County Cork Roll number: 62180E Date of inspection: 10 April 2014

2 REPORT ON THE QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING IN GEOGRAPHY INFORMATION ON THE INSPECTION Dates of inspection 9 and 10 April 2014 Inspection activities undertaken Review of relevant documents Discussion with principal and teachers Interaction with students Observation of teaching and learning during five class periods Examination of students work Feedback to principal and teachers MAIN FINDINGS The quality of teaching and learning observed was consistently very good with some examples of excellent practice. Students were actively engaged in their learning and were comfortable and enthusiastic when opportunities to work together in groups were presented. The geography department has developed both literacy and numeracy strategies for use in geography lessons and these have had an observable impact on teaching and learning. Provision for information and communications technology (ICT) within the department is very good. Both individual and collaborative planning are of a high quality across the department. The department has developed a comprehensive and varied fieldwork programme across all year groups. MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS The department should consolidate its homework policy and practices within the context of a broader student assessment model which could increase the amount of formative comment and feedback given to students. The department should review the content and time allocated to the Transition Year (TY) geography programme to ensure that TY students have an appropriate skill-set and knowledge-base to bridge the study of Geography at junior cycle and senior cycle levels. The department should create an ICT plan for the subject which would consolidate the hardware and software resources currently available and which would develop strategies to build on the potential of the Learning Hub as a learning platform for Geography in the school. 2

3 INTRODUCTION Coláiste Muire is a co-educational, voluntary secondary school with a current enrolment of 586 students. The school provides the Junior Certificate programme, an optional Transition Year (TY) programme, the Leaving Cert Vocational Programme (LCVP) and the established Leaving Certificate programme. The school is under the trusteeship of the Presentation Brothers Schools Trust. TEACHING AND LEARNING The quality of teaching and learning observed was consistently very good, with some examples of excellent practice. Learning intentions were made clear to students at the beginning of each lesson and relevant links were made to previous learning. Teachers regularly used local examples and case-studies in their geography teaching, which contributed to a deeper student understanding of the application of geographical concepts and content to their everyday lives. Students were challenged and motivated in their learning. Teachers used praise effectively to create a positive learning atmosphere and context which was shared by both students and teachers. Students were actively engaged in their learning and were comfortable and enthusiastic when opportunities to work together in groups were presented. The department has an inclusive special needs policy in place and teachers, special needs assistants (SNA) and other support staff work well together to create a differentiated and inclusive learning experience for all students. The department has an agreed homework policy and homework is regularly set and monitored. Geography teachers regularly use effective questioning strategies to assess students learning and peer assessment was sometimes facilitated by the use of a classroom visualiser. The department should consolidate its homework policy and practices within the context of a broader student assessment model which could increase the amount of formative comment and feedback given to students and which, in turn, would guide learning in a more structured way. The potential of the school s innovative digital Learning Hub to support any such student assessment model should be explored. As part of a whole-school strategy, the geography department has developed both literacy and numeracy strategies for use in geography lessons and these have had an observable impact on teaching and learning. Information and communication technology (ICT) resources were used effectively during lessons, with each classroom equipped with a computer, data projector and wireless keyboard. A visualiser was also available to geography teachers. The department has engaged with the scoilnet maps resource and further continuing professional development (CPD) in this area would be appropriate. SUBJECT PROVISION AND WHOLE SCHOOL SUPPORT Subject provision and timetabling for Geography is in line with syllabus recommendations, with four periods per week in first year, three periods per week in second and third years of junior cycle and five periods per week in senior cycle. Geography is an obligatory core subject at junior cycle while the majority of students study Geography at senior cycle. Almost all students choose the Transition Year (TY) programme where Geography is a core subject, with an allocation of sixteen periods over 3

4 one term. The TY geography programme is based on a cross-curricular project with the history department, is well-planned and investigates the erosional and depositional processes on Spike Island. The department should review the content and time allocated to the TY geography programme to ensure that TY students have an appropriate skill-set and knowledge-base with which to bridge the study of Geography at junior cycle and senior cycle levels. Students are taught in mixed-ability classes and levels of achievement in Geography in certificate examinations are consistently good. The department has two specialist rooms available for subject teaching. As part of a whole-school initiative, the department has engaged in the self-evaluation process and has prioritised a number of short-term and long-term objectives for teaching and learning in the subject. School management has supported continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for geography teachers and there is a culture of sharing resources and expertise among geography teachers at the school. Teachers in the department work well together as a team. There is a good support network for new staff and for Professional Diploma in Education (PDE) student teachers in the department. Members of staff are affiliated to the local branch of the professional subject association which is becoming increasingly important in terms of keeping up with changes and future developments in the subject. Provision for information and communications technology (ICT) within the department is very good and geography teachers have started to use the Learning Hub facility which the school is developing. Geography teachers have the potential to create and share resources, collaborate with each other and with their students and provide a digital focus for the subject. The department is already very advanced in their use of ICT and geography teachers should now create an ICT plan for the subject which would consolidate the hardware and software resources currently available and which would develop strategies to build on the potential of the Learning Hub as a learning platform for Geography in the school. PLANNING AND PREPARATION Both individual and collaborative planning are of a high quality across the department. Teachers review both their own teaching and students learning at regular intervals throughout the school year and compare their actual outcomes with their initial planning. The subject plan for each year group is based on a scheme of work with content headings. The department should consider a more dynamic planning format, linked to the Learning Hub, where the subject plan could be regularly reviewed and information shared among geography teachers. The department is taking a lead role in cross-curricular planning across a number of subject departments in the school. A recent project with Brittany and a possible project based on the theme of water are good examples of this approach. Subject meetings are scheduled on a regular basis and agendas cover both administrative and pedagogic themes with appropriate target setting and achievable objectives agreed for the department. Department co-ordination is shared between two colleagues and the co-ordination role is well defined and relevant to the needs of the department. Various sub-groups of geography teachers take responsibility for particular areas, for example, the Learning Hub, fieldwork planning and cross-curricular development. Fieldwork has traditionally been very important in Coláiste Muire and the department has developed a comprehensive and varied fieldwork programme, across all year groups, 4

5 which focuses on local and regional sites. This positive fieldwork experience has encouraged students to apply their understanding of geographical concepts which they have learned about in the classroom, to their local area and beyond. The draft findings and recommendations arising out of this evaluation were discussed with the principal, deputy principal and subject teachers at the conclusion of the evaluation. 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. Published December