Mission

“To promote the personal, social, educational and vocational development of pupils and to prepare them for their role as autonomous, participative and responsible members of society.”

(Department of Education Guidelines)

This programme sets out the general content of the Transition Year course at Oatlands College and represents both the academic and non-academic aspects of the year.

The purpose of Transition Year is to offer students space to learn, mature and develop. Throughout T.Y., teachers endeavour to promote activity-based learning, research skills and self-directed learning. Students are encouraged to see T.Y. as providing opportunities to discover personal strengths and to develop their potential. In addition to traditional style homework, T.Y. students are also asked to undertake group projects of an interdisciplinary nature, assignments, interviews, research and other demanding tasks. The Transition Year programme assists the students in connecting with adult and working life through the provision of work experience and career guidance modules. Students are provided with the opportunity to pursue aspects of personal development, enabling them to be better prepared for their further education. It is hoped that they will develop a sense of personal responsibility and maturity in relation to their studies, a greater awareness of their role in society and a clearer vision of their path in life.

Aims
(The following aims are interrelated and interdependent)

1        The provision of opportunities to discover and develop their own individual gifts and strengths, helping them to become more independent;

2        To provide students with the skills and supports necessary to cope successfully with their particular stage of development;

3        To experience a year where the emphasis will be on individual responsibility and the nurturing of thinking, caring, articulate and self-confident people;

4        Education for maturity with the emphasis on personal development including social awareness and increased social competence;

5        The promotion of general, technical and academic skills with an  emphasis on interdisciplinary and self-directed learning;

6        Education through experience of adult and working life as a basis for personal development and maturity.

Objectives

Having completed a diverse programme of academic and non-academic pursuits, the students will:

• Be able to make more informed subject choices for the Leaving Certificate course having sampled a wide range of subjects;
• Have discovered personal likes/dislikes and strengths/weaknesses;
• Have personally developed and matured;
• Have seen how many of the subjects studied at school connect to real life;
• Have experienced cross-curricular activities;
• Have a greater awareness of society and the adult and working world;
• Have developed better time management skills by learning to meet deadlines and targets;
• Have C.V. preparation skills, interview skills and research skills;
• Have developed skills of self assessment and peer assessment;
• Have developed better study skills by experiencing more independent and activity-based learning;
• Have developed in self-esteem and assertiveness;
• Have developed better relationships with students and teachers;
• Have developed in multiple intelligences (Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory):

Assessment and Evaluation

While T.Y. presents opportunities to learn without the pressure of external examinations, assessment is an essential part of the programme. Students are assessed in a variety of ways and forms [such as written, practical, oral and aural, portfolios or folders, project displays, exhibitions of work, personal logs, etc.]. In addition, students will be encouraged to develop skills of self-assessment.

Oatlands College will award Transition Year Certificates to students on successful completion of the year. These certificates are local rather than national, allowing Oatlands to highlight the distinct features of its programme as well as individual student achievements.

Oatlands evaluates how well it has run the T.Y. programme. Teachers, parents and students are involved in the evaluation process. 

General Description of Course

In ‘Section B’, the academic content of the various subjects/modules is outlined together with the activities to be undertaken by the students as part of a broader educational experience during the year. Students will have continuity in academic subjects central to the ‘Leaving Certificate’. Both class sets will have core academic subjects – English, Irish and Mathematics. These classes extend throughout the year along with programmes in Physical Education, French, German, Religious Studies and Computer Studies. Modules will also be taken in many other subject areas, allowing the students the opportunity to gain insights into subjects that they may opt to take in fifth year. A number of activities will be organised over the course of the year to complement school-based experiences. These may include a trip to Dephi Adventure Centre, visits to places of interest in and around Dublin, a foreign trip, a ‘Farm Studies’ Module etc. School based programmes may include First Aid, Gaelic Coaching and Refereeing Courses, Law Module, Film Production Module, Copperwork Course and more.

Students will undertake an outreach programme. It is hoped that this will give the students a deeper understanding of the problems faced by many people in our society and help them develop into caring people. Each student in Transition year will also undertake work experience for two full weeks, one in the first term and one in the second term. This work experience will be monitored and a follow-up evaluation undertaken that includes consideration of the employer’s report. Possible career options will be explored in the light of this experience and this may provide a focus for subject choice towards the end of Transition Year.

Colm Kehoe,                                                                                                      

T.Y. Co-Ordinator.