All teachers of English in second-level schools have now been sent draft guidelines on the revised Leaving Cert English syllabus. Most will get down to reading them on their return to staff rooms early this term. The guidelines are produced by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the Department of Education and Science's in-career development unit.
The 120-page publication was sent to second-level schools last month, but it's not expected that teachers will have had time to examine it yet. The revised syllabus will be introduced in schools next September and the first exams will be in 2001.
A support programme will kick off early in the new year and is expected to continue over the current and throughout the following school year.
"English will be much livelier," says John White, assistant general secretary of the ASTI. "The course will concentrate on competence with the language which is being used in everyday life."
The new course, he explains, will deal with issues such as the language of persuasion, the language of argument, the language of information and the role of the media. "There's a lot of interesting stuff," he says. "Pupils will be encouraged to form a critical intelligence with regard to all of life's meanings through language. No piece of language is innocent. In other words, all language must be judged in its context, with regard to its audience, with regard to its purpose."
Pat Larkin, an executive member of the Teachers' Association for Media Education (TAME), says teachers are looking forward to the new syllabus. "It will put a newness into the subject," he says. However, he warns, a lot of new work will be involved. "We would be concerned that the resources are put in place to help prepare teachers for the new course."
The in-service preparation, according to a Department circular, says that cluster meetings or seminars will be held over the current and next school years with one full-day and one half-day training provided for teachers in each of the two school years. A 12-member support team has been put together, with its headquarters at Laois Education Centre. These trainers will arrange events in their own areas, in conjunction with local education centres. They will also advise schools on details and will visit schools individually.
The 12 teachers seconded to the support team are: Hal O'Neill, Fiona de Buis, Lorna Gault, Eilis Leddy, Marjorie Kinsella, Deirdre Henchy, Carmel Hinchion, Della Meade, Alec MacAlister, Sean Conlon, Pauline Kelly and Kevin McDermot.
