Reflective, personal insights illustrate the intricate webs of relations and responsibilities that teachers manage constantly as they teach.

Education Centre courses are designed to provide both theoretical and practical insights, into the inner world of teachers and students and show how skillful teachers manage to create effective learning environments at the intersections of these worlds (world of the student and that of the teacher).

Changing landscapes for Continuing Professional Development, have led to new and emerging relationships. Clearly defined Education Centre catchment areas have been arrived at. Each Education Centre has a database of identified schools within its catchment area.

All national programmes deploy personnel throughout the Education Centre Network. Education Centres ensure co-ordinated and comprehensive provision, locally, regionally and nationally.

THE PLANNING CYCLE

• Continuous Review by way of monthly Committee meetings, Sub-committee meetings.
• Each Management Committee member is a critical agent of feed-back, through participating in and availing of Education Centre Services. Through dialogue with one’s own colleagues in school, on school Boards of Management, Boards of Trusteeship and through membership of various broad educational arenas. Each Management Committee member brings a wealth of experience to influence and shape the Management of the Education Centre, e.g.
• Director’s Reports to Management Committee are central to the planning process and to the review process.
• Principles of democratic society underpin the management and work of the Education Centre. We continue to evolve, learning from our experiences; following the cycle of plan, Do, Check, Act.
• Central to planning, is our consideration/regard for the deployment of resources both human and fiscal.
• Implementation – Considerations of support and the beneficial role that affirmative action plays in the provision of support, contribute to on-going reflection, dialogue and acts of inquiry.
• Committee meetings provide the forum for sharing insights gleaned from research, best practice and innovative thinking.
• Evaluation – A range of methodologies and critical insights provide ongoing feedback. This provides for the complexities and wide range of possibilities that are part of this qualitative aspect of the planning process. Data collection, data analysis and interpretation.

Key Considerations

• Changing landscape in which the Centre finds itself – part of A.T.E.C.I. region 2 (Kildare, Dublin-West and Blackrock Education Centres).
• Fiscal prudence – less funding.
• Composition of Management Committee – re-assess.
• Administrative staffing of Education Centre.
• Need for Deputy Director.
• Multi-culturalism.
• International picture (E.U. projects etc.)
• Quality service – quality relationships – quality provision.
• Linkages necessary for growth, enrichment and survival of Centre.
• Celebrate and promote our work and achievements.
• Professional and personal development of Educators.
• Understanding of Education Support Centre, as per the Education Act.
• Research.
• Curriculum Development.
• Consolidation and development.

Recommendations

• Capacity building
• Staff Development.
• Whole School development.
• Subject – Department training.
• Subject Association.
• Induction.
• Mixed ability teaching.
• Self-assessment by students.
• Portfolios.
• Journalising.
• Integration of Special Needs Provision
• Individual
• Whole Staff
• Whole School
• Community.
• Facilitation Training.
• Enterprise.
• T.Y.O.
• Support Subject Associations.
• Year Heads
• Post-Holders.
• Management Teams within schools.
• Teachers of Travellers
• Resource Teachers.
• Learning Support Teachers.
• Rural Development.
• Breaking the Cycle.
• Early Start.
• H.S.L.
• Principals and Deputy Principals.
• Teacher Morale.

Target Audiences/Partners.

• Teachers
• Principals.
  Teacher Unions.
• V.E.C.
• Trustees.
• Boards of Management.
• Area Partnerships.
• County Development Board.
• N.C.C.A.
• National Support Programmes.
• In-Career Development Unit, Dept. of Education & Science.
• Kildare County Council.
• Kildare County Library.
  County Librarian and Arts Officer.
• Education Centre Network
• * Regional Structure.
• Area Health Boards.
• Area Partnerships (A.S.K., O.A.K., K.E.L.P.)
• Kildare Community & Education Partnership.
• Inspectorate.
• Poetry Ireland.

Also

• Composition of Management Committee – need to increase number to full cohort of twelve, while maintaining primary and post-primary balance. Need to consider parents and wider community representation on Management Committee.
• In-depth analysis of Education Act and what it says with regard to Education Support Centres.
• Maintenance of International dimension e.g. E.N.I.R.D.E.M. and E.U. project on Languages teaching.
• Develop niche area – heritage and the environment. Centre is leader and partners on Co. Development Board Strategies – Education, Special Needs Heritage, Co. Childcare.
• Need for Centre Administrator to administer day-to-day running of Centre.
• Need for provision of Deputy Director, due to increased cohort, which Centre caters for, and to ensure Director can envision and lead the overall expansion/development of the Centre. All the aforementioned is predicated upon increased D.E.S. finance provision.