SSE
School Self Evaluation
Background:
SSE was introduced into the Irish education system in 2012 to improve teaching and learning. From 2012 -2016 there was a focus on three strands; Literacy, Numeracy and one other strand. From 2016- 2020 schools continued the next cycle of SSE whereby they will continue to focus on their first three strands and select a minimum of two and a maximum of four new strands aspects of teaching and learning.
SSE in Loreto College Cavan
In Loreto College Cavan we endeavour to practice highly effective teaching and learning. We aim to engage students to become active learners and achieve to the best of their abilities.
Strand 1- Attendance
Strand 2- Literacy
Strand 3- Numeracy
Strand 4- Critical Thinking
Tab 1 – Green – Attendance
“School Success Starts with Attendance”
| Attendance Statement Attendance at this school is the fundamental to the rounded and holistic education which is provided in Loreto College. In particular, attendance is a very important factor in achieving academic success. A class missed is an opportunity for leaning missed. Attendance is also a significant factor in the social and personal development of the student. We seek to promote an excellent attendance record for all students while at the same time recognising genuine illness, bereavement and other exceptional circumstances may result in a student being unable to attend school. |
Tab 2- Pink – Literacy
“Literacy is the most basic currency of the currency knowledge”.
The definition of literacy from the Department of Education is “the capacity to read, understand and critically appreciate various forms of communication including spoken language, printed text, broadcast media and digital media”.
|
Literacy Statement |
| Actions Used to Promote Literacy in Our School | |
| Targeting 1st Year Students | Library/ Reading Corner |
| Regular Use of Assessment | D.E.A.R |
| Paired Reading | Oral Language Development with Debates and Presentations |
| Mentoring | Extra-Curricular Literary Competitions |
| Provide Frequent Opportunities to practice reading | A Literacy Week coinciding with World Book Day |
| Regular use of IT | Book Club |
| Word Banks | Semantic Mapping |
| Pre-Writing Exercises | Dictionary and Thesaurus Use |
| ‘Back to Basics’/ ‘Write in Right’ | Digital Tools; Padlet, iNote etc. |
| Keyword Notebooks/ Wall Charts | Bloom’s Taxonomy/ Prompt Questions |
| Graphic Organisers | Group Writing Tasks |
| Reading Initiatives | Test Percentages Awarded for Literacy Competence. |
| 1st Year, 2nd Year and TY Libraries | KWL Charts |
| Provide Literary Experiences Relevant to Student’s Lives | Marking for Literacy Codes |
| 1st Year Spelling Bee | Memes for Literacy |
| Reading Programmes in the English Classroom | Read / Red Wall |
| Thesaurus / Synonyms | |
Tab 3- Blue – Numeracy
“The only way to learn mathematics is to do mathematics” – Paul Halmos
The definition of Numeracy from the Department of Education is “Numeracy is not limited to the ability to use numbers, to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Numeracy encompasses the ability to use mathematical understanding and skills to solve problems and meet the demands of day-to-day living in complex social settings. To have this ability, a young person needs to be able to think and communicate quantitatively, to make sense of data, to have a spatial awareness, to understand patterns and sequences, and to recognise situations where mathematical reasoning can be applied to solve problems.”
In Loreto College Cavan, we want to promote a positivity to maths.
| Numeracy Statement Numeracy in Loreto College Cavan is not limited to the ability to use numbers, to add, subtract, multiply and divide. It encompasses all subjects and the ability to use mathematical understanding and skills to solve problems and meet the demands of day to day living and social settings. |
| Actions Used to Promote Numeracy in Our School | |
| Identifying Patterns | Timelines |
| Connections | Working out percentages |
| “Show Me” Cards | Geometrical keywords (shapes/ symmetry etc.) |
| Estimation | Puzzles |
| Mental Arithmetic | Charts/ Pie Charts/ Bar Charts |
| Computational Clocks | Chess / Darts |
| Partitioning and Deconstruction | Clock in every room |
| Keyword Approach | Orienteering |
| Thematic Approach | Date Parameters |
| “Fast-fire Maths” | Rounding |
| DARTs in Numeracy (directed activities related to text) | Average scores |
| Fingers Numeracy | Trial and Error Approach |
| Using bar charts/ line plots for a recording the amount of books read in a subject/ scores obtained in tests/Number of minutes spent reading etc. | |
Tab 4- Yellow- Critical Thinking
Critical thinking was identified as our fourth strand to engage our students and promote active independent learning. Surveys were completed by staff, students and parents to identify effective learning strategies.
- Critical thinking is about independent thinking. It means formulating your own opinions and drawing your own conclusions.
- Knowledge & Understanding is not gained from memorisation. Knowledge is constructed from critically thinking.
|
Methodologies Used to Promote Critical Thinking |
|
| Less teacher talk time | Directed Reading- Thinking Activity |
| Effective Questioning – Explore Discuss | Brainstorming |
| Socratic Questioning – questions designed to enhance critical thinking (please find enclosed) | Research / Projects |
| More thinking time/ wait time | Station Learning |
| Open-Ended Questions / Assignments | KWL |
| Group Work/ Peer Work/ Teamwork and Collaboration | Prompts |
| Problem Solving | Visual Aids / Video Clip Prompts |
| Role-plays | 3-2-1 Processor (3 Recall 2 Insights, 1 Q) |
| Presentations | Information Fluency |
| Success Criteria | |