Bridie Corkery/St Mary's Secondary School, Nenagh: "I love teaching transition-year English, because it gives me the chance to explore with the students areas of the language that they would not have time for in an exam year.

At the beginning of the year I sit down with the English team and draw up a plan. We make a rough timetable, but we have the freedom to change direction at any time: that's the beauty of transition year.

"Current affairs and media form a large part of our transition-year English 'syllabus'. The Irish Times is our textbook for most of the year. The students are invited to engage with journalistic writing and to try it out for themselves. It helps them to develop their creative-writing ability as well as learning more about national and international events. The next logical step is debating. The process of researching, writing, and delivering debates is a rich learning experience for students of English.

"Each year we focus on a timely literary topic. Last \ year I introduced the students to James Joyce \. It was the centenary of Ulysses, so there was plenty of material around to study. We went to Dublin to visit the Joyce museum and to experience the city where Leopold Bloom lived out his famous day.

"I think it's important to use transition year to engage the students through their own interests. Each year we look at what the students themselves are reading - the novels of popular young Irish writers - and try to draw parallels between these stories and the classics. The students really enjoy these comparative studies, which lead them to authors they might not otherwise have read.

"If something of literary interest crops up in the news, if a new film prompts discussion or if the students themselves have an interest they want to follow we are open to that. Transition year is a free and fluid time. I get so much enjoyment from teaching in that environment."

Send your thoughts on teaching in transition year to lholden@irish-times.ie