Junior Cycle Reform Reflection

Stephen Duffy
To begin I would like to outline that I agree with the proposed changes for the junior cycle as It
places the student at the centre of the learning process and envisages a modernised curriculum
across all subjects. It allows for new ways of learning and a broader range of skills to be properly
assessed(Sullivan, 2015). The new educational approach also places emphasis on student wellbeing
and reduce unnecessary stress caused by the current junior certificate examination. The
introduction of new short courses also allow students to study areas which would not have been
possible in the past.

Teacher arguments may also arise as there is also feared that this form of continuous assessment
will be add to the workload of an educator. Although the department has stated that time to
complete this work will be timetabled for teachers to complete corrections of these assessments
and to carry out calibration work with other educators, I find myself questioning if this can be
achieved without additional teachers jobs being awarded in each school. Others may argue that this
may come down to reductions in teacher pay in the past number of years. For example as part of
Budget 2011 the Government has applied a 10% reduction in the pay of new entrants to the public
service (Education, 2011). Therefore it is difficult to argue with the teachers frustration as they
would be give reduced pay and be expected to carry out added work.

From my own personal experiences as a student I would agree that summative assessments such as
the leaving and the junior certificate can cause a lot of unnecessary stress. I feel that exams of this
nature can sometimes lead to students not achieving the grades that they deserve. As the junior cert
is a day exam it test the student knowledge and ability only on the day of this exam. This means
illness and stress can have a detrimental impact on student results. This is why I believe that the
introduction of continuous assessment will provide a better indication of a students knowledge of a
given subject while also rewarding effort made by the student through a three year period.

On the other hand I understand the argument that some teachers have with marking their own
students project work. As part of the reform teachers will be required to grade one of the two
contentious assessments carried out by students. This could cause problems as favouritism in the
class could influence students grades. Although favouritism should never be present in the
classroom I real it is quite naive to state that it never occurs. For example two students could
produce the same quality of work, but one student could have worked considerably harder in class
so a teacher may decide to give the harder working student a slightly better grade.

One section of the reform that Im quite intrigued by is the shot courses that will be introduced as
part of the reform. I feel that these courses will be quite beneficial for students as they will provided
skill more applicable to modern life. They have suggested courses on subjects such as coding,
physical education and Chinese culture to name but a few. I feel that coding will have huge interest
as:

Computers are an everyday part of modern society. Software systems allow us to communicate,
calculate, create, design, learn and play. Through gaining an understanding of how these digital
systems work students will build up a bank of knowledge for use in the creation of their own
programs (Curriculumonline, 2015).
In conclusion I feel that the reform will be very beneficial form students so therefore Im keenly
waiting in anticipation to see how it will effect student life in the following school terms. By
introducing continuous assessment we will receive a clear portal of student knowledge and
participation over a three year period, if this system is not corrupted by favouritism in the classroom.
While short courses will educate students in areas of importance in the modern world which would
be unable to occur if these changes didnt take place. However I feel that it is important that this
new system is kept under surveillance over the upcoming years as it may be a case of trial an error.

Bibliography
Curriculumonline. (2015). Coding. Retrieved from curriculumonline.ie:
http://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-cycle/Short-Courses/Coding

Education, D. o. (2011). Circular 0041/2011 . Dyblin.

Sullivan, J. O. (2015). Framework for Junior Cycle. Retrieved from Juinor Cycle.ie:
http://www.juniorcycle.ie/NCCA_JuniorCycle/media/NCCA/Documents/Framework-for-
Junior-Cycle-2015-2.pdf