Officer Blog: OBESSU General Assembly 2016
Ellen O'Rourke, ISSU International Officer
Blog: Transition Year Work Experience
Saoirse reviews her Transition Year Work Experience in the ISSU Office.
Every Wednesday from April 6th to May 11th this year I worked in the ISSU office in Liberty Hall as part of my Transition Year work experience. During my time in the ISSU office I got to do a wide range of administration and secretarial work which I found very interesting and beneficial. I worked closely with the ISSU's General Secretary, Rebecca Dempsey, along with members of the NSE (National Student Executive).Walking up to Liberty Hall on the first day I was unsure of what to expect. I didn't know a lot about the work that the ISSU and National Student Executive did on a daily basis. I signed in at the front desk of Liberty Hall and was told to go to the 9th floor where the ISSU office is located. As I opened up the door to the office, I was greeted with a friendly and welcoming hello from Rebecca. I was first brought to the desk that I would be working at for the following few weeks, then I got a tour of the office and was given a brief but informative overview of what work was done in the ISSU and the type of work that I would be involved in.From the first day I completed many different types of office work and I personally found that my computer skills were developed greatly. I developed my computer skills by using the various databases, using Excel to make tables, and using Microsoft word to write blogs and creating lists. Other work included typing, printing and sending letters out to Student Councils throughout the country, and proof reading letters and documents. One of my main tasks whilst working in the ISSU was writing a blog piece. I really enjoyed writing my blog piece on the topic of the Junior Certificate as it was something different that I had never done before and I also enjoyed hearing feedback from people who had read my blog and had taken something useful from it.Writing the blog was one of them things that I only expected to be a small project but it turned out to be something much more. The blog was not only on the ISSU website but SpunOut.ie posted it on their page and have asked me to write for them again. In addition to that, my school uploaded it onto the school website where it got lots of attention from exam students. Because of this, I have been asked to tutor many Junior Cert students in a number of different subjects. If I wasn't asked by Rebecca to write the blog piece, none of these opportunities would have been opened up to me. That's why I think Transition Year is a great course to take part in, so many opportunities are opened up to you that you never thought would be.I learned so much from working in the ISSU and out of all the places I did my work experience in this year, the ISSU was no doubt one of my favourites. The people involved in the ISSU are some of the nicest people I have ever met, especially Rebecca who I worked closely with. I felt so comfortable working and talking with them. I was only in the ISSU for 6 weeks but in that short space of time I learned so much and developed as a person.I would definitely recommend working in or with the ISSU for work experience next year or any year after that to Transition Year students. You'll learn a lot of valuable skills and get to work in a new environment with lovely people. It was sad to leave the ISSU as I finished my work experience module but I've gained so much from it and would definitely work with them again if the if the opportunity came up.Note: Saoirse attends Ashbourne School in Ashbourne Co. Meath. You can read her article on getting through the Junior Cert here: http://issu.ie/2016/05/one-year-junior-cert/Please note: blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union. Blogs are updated daily by 6.30 pm on scheduled examination dates.Zeminar is an event for Generation Z, particularly those aged between 15 and 19, and their parents, teachers, mentors and coaches. It will take place from 11th - 13th of October 2016. For more information see www.zeminar.ie
Officer Blog: OBESSU Convention on Education and Work
Joanna reviews her trip to Brussels for the Convention on Education & Work.
Thank you to the Organising Bureau of Student Unions for organising this convention!
OBESSU - What is it again?The Organising Bureau for European School Student Unions (OBESSU) is an organisation which connects and supports student voice on a European level. It was set up in Dublin 30 years ago and today OBESSU is a 22 member strong body, which works tirelessly to advocate for student rights and bring European student unions together for training's, conventions and study sessions to discuss various topics relevant to them. OBESSU is best defined by its political platform, a document which sets out the main objectives and stands of the Bureau, available on their website. It’s a vibrant and super engaging organisation which does amazing work for students. Find out more here - http://www.obessu.org/ #EduWork 
The OBESSU convention on Education and Work ran from the 24th to the 28th of May in Brussels. This convention brought participants from countries such as Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia, Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to name a few. I represented Ireland through the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU).We came together to discuss recent developments and reports regarding the discourse and actions that EU institutions are adopting on the topic of education and work… Basically we brainstormed and explained situations in our own countries, what we believed in and what we wanted to see happen. Then we investigated what EU bodies are saying on these topics and how we want to respond to them.These conventions are brilliant for really getting to understand a topic and for me, it showed me how EU debates and decisions influence Irish politics on the topic of education and its’ links to work. So, what did we do in Brussels? 
The week began with getting to know each other and getting to know statistical information from different countries, as well as chatting about our experiences and attitudes towards education and work in our countries. There was an online phase before the convention, and some of the research that we carried out there was used to make a map of youth unemployment and NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) young people.To be honest, I found it difficult to focus just on the unemployed group of young people and their experiences of education, when in my opinion NEETs are a group with much bigger issues. Also, it quickly became evident that when it comes to living in poverty and difficulties in accessing both education and work, there are particular groups in society who face this problem more than others. Migrants, and especially migrants from non-EU countries are the most vulnerable group. But, this convention dealt with education and work on a European level and national level within our countries and organisations. So from day two, we focused on this theme. Some of the highlights :) 
It was great that during the week we got to talk to a panel of MEPs and a panel of stakeholders, representing EU institutions, trade unions, youth and corporations. Both panel debates were very interesting and gave us a real chance to engage with the European discourses and get good insights into the topic.We had sessions on work of national institutions, OBESSU and other youth organisations who lobby on a European level, discussing skills for the labour market and many discussions on links of vocational education to work and shaping curricula and attitudes in schools towards providing pupils with skills needed for work.Different student unions had very different things to say about how vocational education is regarded in their countries and how curricula are either incredibly outdated or re-designed in favour of the needs of the labour market. I also found it interesting how much emphasis the EU is putting on the ‘skills agenda’ or what’s called ‘skills mismatch’. These terms are used to explain why our schools need to change how they teach in order to prepare students for the labour market, because currently the ‘mismatch’ occurs for some graduates from school/college and it means that students have skills that don’t suit the needs of the labour market… Which I 100% disagree with!!Education is for life, not for labour markets. Skills should be adaptable. School should focus on producing creative, critical and healthy individuals who have the abilities necessary to face challenges of life. Students should be taught to manage and organise themselves and most importantly, engage in life-long learning beyond formal education. This ‘mismatch’ is not an issue of student knowledge and skills, it’s an issue of the labour markets adaptability and being able to make the most out of the potential of the graduates that we have. And, it’s also an issue of some school systems still being based on an old-style industrial model of learning material off by heart, without any continuous assessment or critical thinking skills. We need education reform and for labour markets to adapt for students, not for students to adapt for labour markets.It drove me crazy to look over the EU research in this field! But what’s important to remember, is that at OBESSU trips I am representing the students of Ireland, not my personal beliefs, so I tried my best to focus on the discourse in Ireland and what we have been hearing from students at various events and our AGM on this topic. OMCs and other interesting things to research! 
For anyone interested in how EU education policies are formed and how they influence national agendas, I highly recommend looking up the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) group on Education. These groups don’t make binding laws, but their discussions influence politicians from around Europe, who then bring what they discussed and learned in the OMC back to their home countries to continue the conversation. The conversations around education and work are based on different perspectives in the OMC - not just education to fill labour gaps, but also education as something that is our human right and that is necessary for life, not for work.So, after many discussions, which went on long past the dedicated session times and really opened my eyes to the topic of education and work, it was time for conclusions and drafting plans for our home organisations!I brainstormed a bit with friends from the Czech student union and got a lot of inspiration from the Finnish reps. I then sat down to write my plan. There was a ‘local phase’ aspect to the convention. This means that all of the participants will try to incorporate the topic of education and work and the learning that they have gathered over the week into the work plans of their organisations. This is a bit tricky, because as a representative of ISSU I couldn’t make decisions on behalf of the whole union. However, I could brainstorm ideas and learn from the other organisations and form a proposal to the National Student Executive (NSE).I thought that a blog outlining the event was a must, but I also considered actions such as writing letters to the minister for jobs, commenting on the skills-agenda in Ireland and encouraging education for life discourse, and not education for work language; for example there is a lot of incentivising done to Irish students to take STEM subjects, not because there is a boom in interest among young people in maths, science and technology subjects, but because there are jobs in them. This encouragement to get an education with the goal of getting a job in a field is not right. Education should be for life. When students are making choices about what fields of study to go into, they should have the freedom to chose the topics that they feel most passionate or concerned about and which they enjoy. We want students to be happy and fulfilled by their studies, not to get caught in a course because they feel forced into it, or like it is the only option in order to make money some day. We can see the negative effects of this in the high dropout rates of students who took up STEM, when it wasn’t right for them.Effective guidance counselling, work experience programmes and tasters/shadow opportunities to experience what different education paths and fields are like are so important for students to help them make the right choices for themselves. And most importantly, students must have the freedom to chose what will make them happy and fulfilled as a person. No one should be setting an agenda for education. Human rights are not debatable.I feel strongly about this topic and I would be more than happy to work with the NSE on designing workshops on this topic for use in student council meet ups and our Regional Councils in September/October. It would help us reach out to students with this topic and make them aware of it, as well as empowering them and our organisation in order to take an active part in the discussions with Irish politicians about it.My plans are drafted in my learning notebook from the week and ready for proposal at the upcoming student executive meeting. Also, if anything in my blog sparked your interest or you have any questions and the link between education and work, about OBESSU or how ISSU engages with other second-level students’ unions and then with our own grass root members in order to shape policies and action plans - drop us an email at info@issu.ie or joanna@issu.ie :) I’d be happy to answer!Then it ended… Time for the next project! The week in Brussels ended super emotional, as always. But, I was lucky because less than 48 hours later I was back in the European capital! I am currently a part of the 6-person prep team for OBESSU's Summer School ‘Democracy and Active Participation’ which will take place in Kosovo this July! The prep team met for 2 days and it was a very intense yet interesting experience. For more updates on the summer school and what I learned while sitting on the prep team, keep an eye out on the ISSU social media and follow myself and our President Jane on Snapchat from July 2nd, and see for yourself what the summer school will be like! Snapchat @issu4u Photo Credits: OBESSU http://www.obessu.org :)Please note: blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union. Blogs are updated daily by 6.30 pm on scheduled examination dates.Zeminar is an event for Generation Z, particularly those aged between 15 and 19, and their parents, teachers, mentors and coaches. It will take place from 11th - 13th of October 2016. For more information see www.zeminar.ie
Blog: ISSU Oifigeach na Gaelige
Dia duit ann,Tá ISSU ar son na hathruithe atá i ndán don Teastas Shoisearaigh. Tá na leasuithe pléite again go minic le blianta beage anuas. De réir tuairisc ESRI ón mbliain 1997, nil an Teastas Shóisearaigh éifeachtach go leor agus beigh na measúnún leanúnach san JCSA níos fear. Sin é an fáth leis na leasiuthe conspóideach seo agus an fáth go befuilifimid ar aon intinn leis an Rialtas ar an ábhar.Is oth liom a rá, nach bhfuil na múinteoirí sásta leis na leasuithe seo. Níl na lá stailc seo go maith in aon chor, go hAirithe dom agus gach duine eile atá ag ullmhú le haghaidh na triailscrúduithe. Tá go leor brú orm torthai maithe a fháil, gan lá scoile a chaill coicís roimh mo thriailscrúduithe. Tá súil agam nacj leanfaidh na laethanta stailc ar aghaidh, ar mhaithe le me hArdteist agus go bhfillfidh na muinteoirí ar ais go dtí na cainteanna chun réiteach níos sáisiúla a fháil ar an bhfadhb gan lá stailc eile.Is mise le meas,Dáire MurrayOifigeach na Gaelige
Blog: International Continuous Assessment Perspective
Many of the critics of the proposed Junior Certificate reform have stated that its implementation would be somewhat a replicate of the “failing systems” abroad.How about a challenge to this argument, let’s look at this differently. Over the past nine months, I have met hundreds of students from across Europe who loves the idea of continuous assessment. The conversations that have erupted following my statement that some stakeholders in Ireland’s education system don’t support the entirety of these reforms have been somewhat entertaining.Let’s get one thing clear. The TUI and ASTI (the teaching unions who are striking tomorrow) are not against the entire idea of continuous assessment – they are against the internal assessment element and are worried that the JCSA could be a diluted version of our current Junior Certificate programme. Perhaps they think this may damage Ireland’s second-level education system or that the credibility of the Junior Certificate award could be affected. This blog is focused on international situations and is in no way to be directed at the striking teacher unions. This is an opportunity for those watching this debate to see just how continuous assessment works in countries outside of Ireland.Let’s look at England for example. The majority of education stakeholders are in support of continuous assessment. I spoke to a previous student officer of Student Voice, the English equivalent to ISSU, so to understand their views and so to get a clearer perspective on this. I was told that;“The ongoing qualification reforms in England and Wales were started by Secretary of State Michael Gove. This took place between 2010 -2014. In response to so-called 'grade inflation', the Department for Education decided to 'toughen-up' GCSE and A-Level exams resulting in abolishing coursework (continuous assessment) and reintroducing 100% terminal assessment. The new courses are in the process of being introduced, with teaching due to start in September 2015, for assessment in Summer 2017. Gove's reforms were opposed by the majority of the educational community, including teaching unions and academics, but that didn't change his mind. Gove isn't one known to listen. One of the main criticisms advanced was that terminal exams are a poor assessment of learning outcomes, benefiting only a specific kind of learner who can memorise and regurgitate facts, rather than testing true learning. Teachers complained it would cause teaching to the test, curtailing their academic freedom in the classroom and putting extra pressure on them to achieve exam results at the expense of pursuing quality learning and students' development. Some also said that complete focus on terminal assessment demeans education, making qualifications (and exam grades) a commodity to be secured at the end of education, with the learning gained along the way being only an incidental benefit, if achieved at all”.But what about further afield? Students don’t like the idea of standardised tests and terminal assessment without any form of continuous assessment. Last June I travelled to Rome on behalf of ISSU for the event “Education In Crisis” which was built around the fact that education has been hit hard and was ultimately in a dire state following the austerity budgets that Europe had to inflict on its people. Many of the arguments there said that they feared terminal assessment making a comeback so to drive down costs and others couldn’t stop expressing their sheer hatred for the international exam – PISA.The situation is clear further afield – students like continuous assessment as they feel engaged and motivated. It provides them with the education they need and deserve, in an interesting and productive way.We have been engaged in this reform for many years. We have had the conversations internationally and we have taken all points on board for these reforms and we can say that the studies that we’ve been involved with point to a solid conclusion – internationally continuous assessment works so why can’t it work within our Junior Certificate curriculum?
Blog: ISSU Education Officer
Hi! My name is Joanna Siewierska and I am the Education Officer for the Irish Second-Level Students' Union. As the ISSU Education Officer, my term in office has consisted of having to do a lot of research about the JCSA. From training days and chats at conferences, to reading news articles and press statements, having studied the reforms and different opinions about them, I have become a passionate advocate in their favour. I do realise that they are not perfect, but I really believe that they will be better for second-level students in Ireland.However, keeping up with the debate about the reforms has become tiresome for me recently. You see, the teaching unions initial threats and then real industrial action have switched the conversation about the reforms to addressing their concerns, namely, it has switched to assessment related discussion and it's been like this for quite a while now. I do think that this is very important because any reforms to the education system will essentially be brought in by teachers to the classroom. However, I feel like the media have continually focused on one aspect of the Junior Certificate reforms, and that is assessment. This has taken people's attention from the rest of the changes, and people who aren't aware of the full picture have now focused their views on internal assessment instead of giving each aspect of the changes their time.I can understand the concerns around assessment. Honestly, upon hearing about exams being graded by class teachers I too was slightly concerned. But now, I can see that my initial reaction didn't take into account the circumstances which caused the Department of Education and Skills to propose these changes in the first place. It took a lot of time and research for me to finally understand exactly why internal assessment is an absolutely crucial part of the reforms, and I really wish that more people were able to spend this amount of time getting to understand the JCSA.It seems like I'm part of a minority. Strikes and issues over assessment are pretty newsworthy and this sometimes makes me a feel a bit isolated with my views. I love reading interviews with Dr Pasi Sahlberg, such as this one http://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/refusal-by-teachers-to-assess-students-is-a-step-back-says-finnish-expert-1.2062095. Sahlberg's views and suggestions are very interesting. In the above article, he comments that the whole concept of assessment needs to change, even beyond internal and external assessment models, so to suit Irish needs. There are more interesting comments made later by Ms Salmon, general secretary of Community and Comprehensive schools which support ISSU's stance that without changing assessment the reforms will become 'redundant'.So the students have spoken, the Principals have spoken, parents and other partners in education have spoken. We are all in favour of the JCSA reforms and in favour of changing the assessment structure for the benefit of our second-level students.So what is the problem? Why haven't we moved forward in relation to the JCSA? I do not want to condemn teachers or anyone who disagrees with just one aspect of change. I want to listen to their concerns and the Department of Education and Skills to address them too. However, there are now barriers in place so we as the ISSU cannot meet with the teacher unions to discuss our differences. Something has to happen to address this.If this blog has left you questioning your own opinion of the JCSA reforms or has drawn your attention to them and you would like some more information about them, in particular something designed for second-level students, then check out the JCSA Document that ISSU has written up and/or request our JCSA toolkit for member schools. They will explain to you in more detail what our union's stance on this topic is, how it is so and why. Hopefully that will help you in shaping your own opinion of these reforms and understanding the different opinions of various partners in education.And remember, we are always keen on hearing back from students, so if you have any comments or questions drop an email to me (joanna@issu.ie) or our secretariat (info@issu.ie) and we'd be delighted to get back to you.All the best,Joanna SiewierskaISSU Education Officer