Respecting parents’ view on TY cont…
continued
… well the positive stories
dominate. Parents love to
recount stories of TY’s impact on
their own sons and daughters.
They warm to their children’s
new-found confidence, their
fresh excitement in learning, the
discovery of hidden talents, the
enthusiastic responses to new
opportunities. Parents also show
an appreciation of what terms
like ‘independent-learner’,
‘decision-making skills’ and
‘more democratic classrooms’
mean in practice.
Greater links between schools
and parents in relation to
Transition Year seems like ‘win-
win’ situations. Yet, the evidence
suggests a reluctance on the part
of many schools to engage in
‘real’ partnership with parents.
Culturally, many Irish schools
have preferred to keep parents at
a ‘safe’ distance; for example,
school reports and parent-
teacher meetings often convey
limited information. A challenge
for many schools is to show
genuine respect for parents as
legitimate stakeholders, working
in partnership with school
personnel. Conversations about
TY is a very good place to start.
Parents who sit on school boards
of management might usefully
encourage such initiatives.
Parents’ Associations seem
obvious fora for sharing ideas
about how TY might be
developed. But, critically, school
leaders, including TY co-
ordinators, should be
encouraging parents to take part
in meaningful conversations
about TY and, indeed, all school
programmes.
References
• Department of Education (1993) Transition Year Programme: Guidelines for Schools,
Dublin: DE. Available at https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/
Curriculum-and-Syllabus/Transition-Year-/ty_transition_year_school_guidelines.pdf
• Jeffers, G (2007) Attitudes to Transition Year, Summary of a Report to the Department
of Education and Science, Maynooth: NUI Maynooth Education Department. Available at
http://eprints.maynoothuniversity.ie/1228/
• Jeffers, G (2015) Transition Year in Action, Dublin: Liffey Press.
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