UP to 500 second-level teachers from schools all over Ireland will come together on April 2 in Wexford’s Clayton Whites Hotel for the ASTI’s three-day Annual Convention.
In 2023, the OECD report Education at a Glance ranked Ireland in last place out of 36 countries in terms of government expenditure on second-level education as a percentage of GDP.
In Ireland, the chronic and on-going lack of investment in schools has resulted in large classes, lack of access to specialist services, skeleton management structures in schools, high teacher workload and teacher shortages. It therefore comes as no surprise that these are some of the key issues which will be discussed at our Annual Convention.
Student wellbeing must be supported by adequate investment in schools and school communities.
A motion at our Annual Convention on student wellbeing calls for properly resourced psychological support services for students and schools, so that students can access appropriate and timely clinical and therapeutic interventions.
A number of motions at this year’s ASTI Convention reflect teachers’ concerns that workload and work intensity are impacting negatively on teaching and learning. The work of teachers has changed significantly over the past 15 years. The role and workload of the teacher has expanded. This has been exacerbated by initiative overload in education and by Government policies that tie teachers into bureaucratic processes which do nothing to improve students’ education.
Despite our underfunded schools, Ireland has a high-performing and trusted second-level education system as shown by the OECD PISA 2022 report. The results show that 15-year-olds in Ireland rank first out of 37 OECD countries for reading literacy. Ireland ranks 7th out of 37 OECD countries when it comes to performance in maths, and is in 8th place for performance in science.
ASTI Annual Convention will hear that curricular and assessment policy changes can have significant unintended negative consequences for students and the education system.
Teachers’ voice is essential to the development and implementation of curriculum policy so as to ensure students can continue to access a quality education, that fairness and equity for students are protected, and that trust and transparency are maintained.
AI and Exams
A key motion at Annual Convention will explore the potential impact of AI on Leaving Cert additional components (such as project work) and their assessment. This is particularly relevant given the Minister for Education’s proposal that 40% of Leaving Cert subject grades be allocated to additional components in the redeveloped Senior Cycle.
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on teaching and learning will also be considered. While AI brings many unknowns, one thing is clear: AI is evolving much faster than the education sector’s ability to fully comprehend its impact on teaching, learning and education. The Department of Education must play a proactive role in ensuring that there is a plan in place for the development and use of AI in schools. This plan must include consideration of all potential consequences for students: their development as human beings, their right to safety and privacy, and more. The impact on teachers must also be considered including protecting the relational nature of teaching, workload and work intensity, access to quality CPD, the right to safety and privacy, and the safeguarding of intellectual property created by teachers for and in the classroom.
Teacher shortages
Finally, teacher shortages will once again feature prominently at ASTI Annual Convention. Schools continue to experience a shortage of teachers which is impacting on students; this issue is at crisis point.
Our most recent research on teacher shortages found that 81% of principals surveyed said they had to employ at least one unqualified teacher during the year.
Delegates will demand actions to make teaching more attractive:
· Addressing the cost of entry to teaching – most teachers spend six years in higher education including completing a 2-year Professional Master of Education.
· Making it easier for teachers to return from teaching abroad, including the recognition of all teaching service abroad.
The topics debated at ASTI Annual Convention are dictated by motions which are submitted by ASTI branches all over the country. This ensures that the voice and experience of the ordinary classroom teachers can be heard.
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Key issues up for discussion as 500 secondary school teachers set to meet for ASTI Convention
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27.03.2024
UP to 500 second-level teachers from schools all over Ireland will come together on April 2 in Wexford’s Clayton Whites Hotel for the ASTI’s three-day Annual Convention.
In 2023, the OECD report Education at a Glance ranked Ireland in last place out of 36 countries in terms of government expenditure on second-level education as a percentage of GDP.
In Ireland, the chronic and on-going lack of investment in schools has resulted in large classes, lack of access to specialist services, skeleton management structures in schools, high teacher workload and teacher shortages. It therefore comes as no surprise that these are some of the key issues which will be discussed at our Annual Convention.
Student wellbeing must be supported by adequate investment in schools and school communities.
A motion at our Annual Convention on student wellbeing calls for properly resourced psychological support services for students and schools, so that students can access appropriate and timely clinical and therapeutic interventions.
A number of motions at this year’s ASTI Convention reflect teachers’ concerns that workload........
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