DROGHEDA,DUBLÍN

Today, we were welcomed at the school at 8:45 a.m. We had the opportunity to observe how the students arrive at school in small buses. The primary school pupils then gather in the hall to greet each other and take part in a Catholic prayer led by Rohna, the Primary School Coordinator.

Afterwards, we visited three Middle School classrooms. In all three cases, the classes consisted of groups around 10 to 12 students aged between 12 and 14.

In each class, students were divided into Group 1 and Group 2 according to their ability level. In some classrooms, this division was easy to notice just by looking at the room layout, as the students were seated in two separate groups of tables. However, in one of the classrooms, both groups were integrated and seated together in a semi-circle.

It was interesting to observe the different ways of organising students according to their learning levels and classroom dynamics.

In one of the groups, we also had the opportunity to observe how they break up their lessons with short movement and music activities. The students followed the actions shown on the screen, doing jumps, arm movements and turns, while singing along to the songs.

During the second part of the day, we visited the students aged between 14 and 16, who are based in a different part of the school, in a separate building just a few streets away from the main school.

We also had the opportunity to visit The Nest, a dedicated space designed to support students with self-regulation and help them calm down when they feel overwhelmed.

During this part of the day, we had the opportunity to observe several different lessons: a Physical Education session, a Maths lesson focused on Geometry and an Emotions class.

We ended the school day by joining in a birthday celebration, where everyone sang Happy Birthday using sign language.

Throughout the whole school, there is a common project aimed at introducing and developing three different ways of communication, so that all students can express themselves and interact with others using different methods: spoken language, pictograms and images, and sign language.

Today was packed with professional takeaways, some of them directly tied to day-to-day teaching, others about our role as teachers and also some about projects like this Erasmus on its one.

We started the day with a relaxed chat with the principal and two section coordinators. We shared organizational stuff like how the school closed yesterday for a whole staff training day that included everyone from teachers to caretakers and transport staff (they’re doing six of those this school year!)—to the importance of workshops for the older students. We all agreed that subjects like Cookery, Art, Gardening and Wellbeing end up being the main issues of functional learning for these kids.

We also got to sit in on a sign language class, where sign language isn't just a language—it’s an incredible tool for bringing the group together. 

To wrap up the day, we discovered a platform that works as a comms tool between staff and families, but also as a place where students (and teachers, in the case of the younger ones) upload assessment evidence of their work. Throughout our stay, it’s been crystal clear that assessment indicators are something the whole school community has really mastered.

Today was head-back-home day for Mar, a primary school day for Núria and the final wrap-up of our job shadowing experience.

As the last day of observation, me Nuria, spent the day in primary school and had the opportunity to see how one of the classes makes extensive use of a visual timetable with tangible objects. However, the other classes do not use this approach. 

I would also like to highlight that, with one of the primary school groups, I had the opportunity to observe how the school shop, ran by the older students, works. Even though I spent the day in the primary section, when the announcement came over the microphone that the tuck shop was open, I couldn't miss it—I headed straight over to grab myself a good breakfast! It is a small shop where they sell different sweets at very affordable prices. The students bring money from home and can buy a chocolate bar, which they are allowed to eat after lunch. I think this is a very interesting initiative, as it encourages students to develop their independence and autonomy.

One more thing I noticed going around is that every single classroom has a calm corner to balance out the individual and group workspaces. 

 It’s been a really beautiful and interesting journey.