These hands-on workshops will focus on active teaching and learning approaches that will help to support enjoyable and interactive learning in the classroom. This should help to engage and motivate learners and encourage lateral thinking, group work, critical analysis and reflection. The session will introduce teachers/tutors to a range of different activities that are quick and easy to implement in their classrooms and learning contexts.

The facilitator for these sessions is Miriam O' Donoghue, Deputy Director of the CDETB Curriculum Development Unit and National Manager of the Further Education Support Service (FESS).

The target audience for these workshops is teachers and tutors working in FET.

This interactive workshop is aimed at developing insight into the challenges facing learners with mental health difficulties and the potential importance of education in mental health recovery. Issues relating to policy will be covered and discussed, including the relevance of equality legislation, disclosure and confidentiality guidelines and admission and interview procedures. A range of possible supports for learners will be presented and some challenging case studies/scenarios will be discussed.

This training will support development of equality policy and procedures, and will be beneficial for work with all learners because good practice in supporting learners with mental health difficulties is good education practice.

Facilitator: Dr. Marie Rooney, Education Consultant

The target audience for this workshop is those with a management role within their provider, for example, principals, deputy principals, centre managers, QA officers and co-ordinators.

RPL practical Workshop for providers/practitioners

This practical workshop is for practitioners who already have a fundamental knowledge of the principles of RPL. The session will include the following:

• Recap: What is RPL (including RPEL and RPCL)?
• The four stages of RPL and the practitioner skills required for each stage
• Quality Assuring the RPL process
• Designing RPL assessment briefs
• Introduction to rubrics and creating RPL grading rubrics
• Mapping of learning outcomes.

The focus of the session is on the practical skills required to be an RPL Mentor and/or Assessor and is also an opportunity to connect with colleagues who are developing their skills in this area.

The target audience for this event is: All FET staff members, including teachers, tutors, trainers, instructors and those in a co-ordination and/or quality assurance role.

Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by:

Patsy Hogan, Quality Assurance Officer, Limerick and Clare ETB. Patsy has been actively involved in the RPL space for a number of years. She has been instrumental in placing Limerick and Clare ETB at the forefront of RPL practice in Ireland. Patsy has developed a RPL professional development course which is run internally in her ETB and has also been attended by colleagues from other ETBs. She has also taken a lead role in RPL policy development, promotion, support and awareness both in her own ETB and in national and European projects.

Anne Higgins, Independent Consultant. Anne has worked across Further Education and Higher Education for many years, in both teaching and managerial roles. Her most recent role was Quality Assurance Co-ordinator with Galway and Roscommon ETB. She has extensive experience in the delivery and assessment of programmes, and as an External Authenticator. Anne is a former Convenor, of the RPL Practitioner Network National Steering Group and continues to be active in the implementation of RPL initiatives regionally and nationally.

Caroline Goode, RPL Support Officer, Limerick and Clare ETB. Caroline joined Limerick and Clare ETB as the first person to be employed in a full-time RPL role in the organisation. She initially acted as RPL Mentor for the National Hairdressing Apprenticeship and successfully mentored eight applicants through RPL for certification of the Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Hairdressing major award. Caroline is now working in a developmental capacity supporting Provision in the ETB in their RPL practice.

Siobhan Magee, FESS

Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows, we can offer your booked place to another person.

Working in the Further Education and Training (FET) sector presents teachers/tutors/trainers with a broad range of challenges. These include the wide diversity of abilities and experiences of the learner cohort and various levels of motivation. Social, emotional and behavioural issues amongst this learner cohort add to the complexity of the learning context within which FET staff practise. This session will offer practical strategies to help equip teachers/tutors/trainers to respond to the challenging behaviours encountered daily. It will also give teachers/tutors/trainers an opportunity to share and learn from each other.

Facilitator: Harry Freeman, Education Consultant

The target audience for these workshops is teachers/tutors/trainers working in FET.

This workshop will support the role of the assessor in the FET learning environment. It will cover:
• Overview of the assessment process, including key milestones
• Ensuring an understanding of the standard associated with levels 1 – 6 of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ)
• Devising assessment instruments (briefs and examination papers), marking schemes and outline solutions
• Making assessment judgements/decisions

Facilitator: FESS

The target audience for these workshops is new teachers/tutors/trainers in FET OR those with a role in supporting teachers/tutors/trainers in assessment activities within their provider

AHEAD is a centre for inclusive practice in education. We know how diverse and complex classrooms have become in terms of culture and ability and that FET educators have to pay attention to how inclusive their opportunities are for learners with disabilities and other disadvantages.
This workshop will provide a theoretical background to Universal Design for Learning which is a framework to manage diversity and to include all learners. It will explore a range of issues for consideration when supporting learners with disabilities and it will identify practical tools and strategies that benefit not only learners with a disability, but all learners.

The target audience for this workshop is those with a management role, within their provider, in FET. Also for those tasked with supporting learners with a disability in FET

This practical workshop will explore different aspects of the role of the facilitator and will include the use of a range of tools and techniques to help FET staff in leadership roles to facilitate groups and teams to have meaningful conversations/discussions, and work towards consensus and decision making. 

Programme Development