9.13 Looking forward

9.13 Looking forward

■As indicated in the recent commitment to slowing the pace of some curricular changes in light of the

pandemic context, the Department needs to reconsider the number and range of national priority areas, and to revise current expectations about the pace and nature of these reforms.

■Schools should ensure full compliance with record-keeping procedures related to child protection.

■The commitments to date to provide support for Gaeltacht education and Irish-medium education

outside the Gaeltacht will need to be sustained. There should be active exploration of the opportunities for extending Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as an approach to promoting the use of Irish among children attending English-medium primary schools in light of the pilot study that has commenced.

■The experience of COVID-19 has highlighted more than ever the important role of schools in the

promotion of wellbeing. It is important that schools continue, as outlined in the Department’s Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice 2018-2023, to promote wellbeing through the provision of a whole-school, multi-component and preventative approach. It is also important that they avail of the considerable supports and resources provided to support this important work.

Implications for teaching

■Schools need to be supported to further incorporate STEM education methodologies into their

practice, and encouraged to implement innovative approaches to STEM.

■A key challenge for the system is to build upon the progress that schools made during the periods of

school closure, in order to fully harness the potential of digital technologies to enhance teaching, learning and assessment.

■Policy guidance on the age-appropriate engagement of young children with digital learning, that

clarifies expectations for the use of digital technologies, should be developed and implemented across ELC settings.

Implications for curriculum

■There is need for early years educators and teachers to deepen their understanding of the

educational power of creativity, critical thinking and innovation, and the multiple ways in which creativity can be promoted in teaching and learning.

■Early years educators and teachers need to be given clearer guidance about how to implement

ESD through the various curriculum areas, so that they can help children and young people develop knowledge, skills, competences and values around sustainability.

■The ongoing review of SPHE curricula provides an opportunity to strengthen an integrated approach

to SPHE from primary through to Senior Cycle.

Figure from page 286

of COVID-19