Over the last week or two we’ve put up on our website a few useful things. Just in case you missed them, here they are:
Grade examination poetry suggestions
Examination day guidelines for teachers
Category: Blog
D15 Children’s Performing Arts Festival
Closing date (18 November 2011) fast approaching for entries to this Festival to be held in Blanchardstown the weekend after next.
See www.d15festival.ie for details
The Lir: Roadshow
The Lir, National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin, is embarking on a regional tour providing audition and interview tips and techniques: November 2011-January 2012
The Lir, National Academy of Dramatic Art at Trinity College Dublin, which opened last month, is offering an exciting opportunity to hone audition and application skills with a series of Public Q&A Sessions and Audition Workshops throughout Ireland. Aspiring actors and stage technicians will get a unique opportunity to find out all about training at The Lir, and will get top industry tips on how to perfect audition and interview techniques that will help them long into their careers.
Click HERE for details
Speech and Drama Teachers of Ireland Workshop
The Speech and Drama Teachers of Ireland are running two workshops on 20 November in the Stillorgan Park Hotel, entitled FAVOURITE CLASSROOM MATERIAL with Kathryn Coffey and Breda Sweeney Carroll. For more information/bookings, contact Oorla Rafter at oorla.rafter(at)ireland.com.
Lady Lazarus
DIPLOMA EXAMS: FINAL REMINDER of closing date
This is the FINAL REMINDER that the closing date for the receipt of entry forms for new and continuing candidates for the November Diploma exams is TUESDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2011. Remember that new candidates for the Diplomas of Associate (Teaching) and Licentiate (Teaching), need to supply documentary evidence of their eligibility.
See Diploma Examinations Eligibility Criteria (PDF) for details.
Submission to NCCA/HEA
A few weeks ago, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) organised a conference called ‘Transition or Transaction?’ to open a debate about the CAO system and whether it still fitted the purpose for which it was set up.
We have long held the view that, as happens in Britain, certain out-of-school or in-school extra curricular activities that provide young people with useful skills and certification should be valued and recognised by the State in the context of college entry. In other words, that points or credits should be awarded through the CAO system or any future college selection process for, for example, senior speech and drama Grade exams.
We tweeted this view during the conference and we believe that the idea was well received. We have now followed up with a short written submission to the NCCA and the HEA, and have asked for a meeting to discuss our proposal in more detail. Please click on the link below to read our submission.
Classroom Management
As we all know, a reasonable amount of control and order in the classroom is essential for learning to take place. Most speech and drama teachers have classroom management down to a fine art. Sometimes it’s useful, however, to have a look at some new ideas, or old ideas presented in a different way.
Here’s something helpful I found the other day: 11 Techniques for Better Classroom Discipline
Feiseanna happening soon
Here’s some dates and information about a few feiseanna coming up in the next couple of months. Click on the titles for more information.
Kilcoole Music Festival: 11-13 November. The closing date has passed but they may allow late entries.
D15 Performing Arts Festival: 26 November. Closing date is 17 November.
North Kildare Feis: 27 November. Closing date is 28 October.
Have a good weekend.