In Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School our students study a broad range of subjects at Junior level:
60 Minute Classes
All of our classes are 1 hour long which supports our active learning model. We take a team based, ICT mediated approach to learning, with an emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving as opposed to rote learning for exams.
Key Skills
Our courses are carefully planned around the Key Skills and Statements of Learning of the New Junior Cycle.
Microsoft Surface Devices
All of our students and teachers have Microsoft Surface devices. While we do have a specific Digital Literacy module, ICT is used throughout the curriculum to allow students to develop their skills in a more interactive, organic way.
The Surfaces are purchased from and managed by Wriggle. This ensures that the students get the maximum educational value from their device and that they learn how to use technology safely and ethically.
Visit Wriggle.ie
Office 365
In Stepaside ETSS we use the Microsoft Office 365 suite. When students use Office 365 Education in the classroom, they learn a suite of skills and applications that employers value most. Whether it’s Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Teams or OneNote, it prepares students for their futures today.
Some of the benefits of using Office 365
- Greater and easier communication between teachers and students
- Instant feedback on home learning, projects, assignments submitted
- Calendar to tell students what work is due and when it needs to be submitted
- Resources teacher uses in class can be accessed by students to promote independent learning at home
- Password protected for privacy and security
- Similarity to major networking sites makes it very intuitive and easy to use
Mindfulness
The term mindfulness refers to the ability to direct the attention to experience as it unfolds, moment by moment, with open-minded curiosity and acceptance (Kabat-Zinn, 1996). It enables those who have learned it go on to practice it to be more able to be with their present experience, and respond more skilfully to whatever is actually happening.
Researchers find that young people who practice mindfulness reported fewer depressive symptoms, lower stress and greater wellbeing. Wellbeing is a priority in Stepaside ETSS.
Ethical Education
Ethical Education involves exploring different worldviews and beliefs, considering ethical dilemmas and the process of ethical decision making. Ethical Education invites students and teachers to engage with issues and problems facing society and aims to develop the skills of critical thinking, discussion and debate.
Ethical Education allows students:
- To explore and extend their understanding and ability to engage with moral and ethical issues and dilemmas
- To interrogate their own beliefs and values and those of others
- To come to a sense of understanding of how their own beliefs and values have been shaped
- To engage critically with principles and values in moral and ethical issues
- To make sense of their lives in a human search for meaning.
Ethical Education embodies the values of an Educate Together second-level school that promotes democracy, respect and equality. Following on from the Learn Together Ethical Education Curriculum at primary level, it allows students to “Learn Together to Live Together”.