Issues of Interest to Parents
The following has been taken from the Dept. of Education & Science Guidelines for Parents.
Textbooks
The function of textbooks
The function of textbooks is to help children's learning and to assist teachers in reaching the learning goals of the curriculum. The curriculum places great emphasis on oral work and on learning by doing. Parents will, therefore, see a new relationship between textbooks and learning. Both the content of textbooks and the way they are used will change. Textbooks will be used as a resource to support the many different approaches to learning that the curriculum recommends. Rather than relying on a single textbook in a particular curriculum area, the teacher may use a range of books from the class library.
The Approach to Reading
The approach to the teaching of reading, for example, will be based on
a lot of oral language work
experiencing a print-rich environment that includes plenty of signs, labels, pictures with captions and books
acquiring a basic sight vocabulary - common words children need for reading
developing a knowledge of the conventions of print
reading large-format books (big books with big print) with the teacher in a group
In line with this approach, children will normally begin to use a formal reading scheme some time in senior infant class.
Other Curriculum Areas
Irish reading will not begin before second class. In mathematics, because of the emphasis on practical work, much less use will be made of textbooks generally but especially in the junior classes.
In history, geography and science the emphasis in the curriculum is on exploring the environment and on developing skills such as observing, investigating, looking at evidence, measuring and recording. This will involve children in learning through activity rather than learning from textbooks. Because of this, textbooks in SESE and the way they are used will change.
It is important that parents are aware of this new relationship between textbooks and the curriculum and also that they are familiar with school policy in relation to textbooks