Leaving Cert textbook author resigns from curriculum reform group amid ‘dumbing down' concerns
A
university
lecturer and author of
Leaving Cert
textbooks on construction studies has resigned from a group tasked with redeveloping the subject over claims that the new syllabus is being 'dumbed down'.
Trevor Hickey, associate professor and course director of the teacher education programme for construction studies at
University of Limerick
, was a member of the
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment
's (NCCA) subject development group.
Construction studies, studied by more than 10,000 Leaving Certificate students each year, has not been updated since it was introduced in 1983. A new curriculum is being developed and scheduled to roll out for fifth-year students from September 2026.
Mr Hickey told the NCCA that he was 'very concerned' that while the current syllabus had a significant amount of applied science content, the latest draft was 'hardly recognisable to me as a Stem [science, technology, maths and engineering] subject.
READ MORE
'If the current draft proceeds as is, in future some third-level courses may not accept construction studies for matriculation on to third-level Stem programmes,' he said.
The original construction studies syllabus, he said, included references to 'fundamental scientific concepts and knowledge that underpin the design of buildings', such as heat and thermal effects.
This original vision of construction studies as a Stem subject has been 'all but abandoned in the proposed draft', he said.
A significant majority of the subject development group, Mr Hickey said, wished the subject to become a 'Leaving Cert version of Junior Cycle wood technology'.
Yet, trainee teachers were coming through the University of Limerick on 'very high points' and 'more than capable of delivering a scientific and technological version of construction studies that reflects the latest advances in the industry,' he said.
'If action is not taken now the future of version of this subject will be a missed opportunity; one we have been waiting for since 1983,' Mr Hickey said. 'Let us not forget that Ireland is in the midst of a housing crisis.'
The industry had been rocked 'in recent memory by boom and bust cycles', he said, and by 'building scandals' such as defective apartments.
'We have here a unique opportunity to educate the next generation of young people on how to design and build homes'
In response to his concerns, the NCCA's chief executive Arlene Forster told Mr Hickey by letter last December that the council worked closely with 'teachers, students and school leaders to gather their experiences of working with [construction studies], and their hopes and aspirations for a redeveloped specification.'
She said further consultation and engagement with schools and the wider public was planned during 2025 to allow others to share their perspectives and contribute to updating the subject.
[
Leaving Cert reforms to press ahead this year despite union opposition
Opens in new window
]
Ms Forster's letter also states that while many students use their Leaving Cert results for matriculation purposes, subject specifications are not designed specifically for matriculation.
'They are designed for broader educational purposes and the decision to allow a specific subject or not to be used for matriculation purposes for Stem programmes rests with higher education institutions,' she wrote.
Each post-primary subject development group working on senior cycle education includes nominees from the teachers' unions, school management bodies, the Department of Education, the State Examinations Commission, and further and higher education interests.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Carl O'Brien: ‘Take a deep breath - the weekend is a time to recharge'
Phew – that was intense. The first few days of the exams really are the hardest. The weekend, thankfully, offers the chance of some much-needed respite for everyone. Leaving Cert students who sat maths paper one on Friday afternoon may well feel deflated . But remember: if it was hard for them, it was hard for lots of others too. Our live coverage of the exams on Friday includes lots of comments from students who really struggled with the content and questions. Examiners tend to mark 'hard' exams easier in order to keep the same proportion of grades from year to year. It's also know as the bell curve . So, there is every chance the marking scheme will take account of this. READ MORE Students Why not take a deep breath – the weekend is an opportunity to recharge. It may be tempting to spend every moment revising, but rest is just as important. Brian Mooney, our guidance counsellor, recommends a balanced approach : review upcoming exams in manageable sessions, and then step away from the books. Take a walk, get exercise, meet up with friends or watch your favourite show: it can do wonders for your focus and mood. Parents For parents, supporting your child can simply involve a calm presence and encouraging downtime. Try to keep the atmosphere relaxed and remind them that it's normal to feel nervous or tired. A favourite meal, a listening ear or a quiet space to work can make all the difference. With balance, support and rest, your child can face the week ahead with greater energy and clarity. Keep going – you're doing great!
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Irish Times
Leaving Cert maths: Some students left deflated by ‘off-putting' higher-level exam
Many higher-level Leaving Cert maths students were left deflated by paper one, but it had many manageable elements and was less wordy than in previous years, teachers have said. Eoghan O'Leary, a teacher at Hamilton High School in Cork and head of maths at , said students welcomed a return to more maths and less writing. In recent years, teachers and dyslexic students have repeatedly raised the wordiness of the maths paper, saying that it disadvantages them and is unnecessary. 'The paper was dominated by calculus, sequences & series and algebra,' said Mr O'Leary. READ MORE 'Students who hadn't revised sequences were in trouble because they featured in two long questions, so therefore could not be avoided.' Louise Boylan, a maths teacher at the Institute of Education, said that paper had an off-putting appearance, but was approachable. 'Students likely won't feel triumphant as they leave the exam hall, but they shouldn't feel defeated,' she said, adding that there were many novel elements on the paper. 'While there was a lot that was out of the box – logic puzzle style questions, material that hasn't appeared since the course's overhaul – there was much that would be welcome. Algebraic skills, rates of change, differential calculus, and sequence and series would all have fallen into the familiar,' Ms Boylan said. Stephen Begley, subject expert and head of maths at Dundalk Grammar School, said that the paper was more prompted and scaffolded than usual, and didn't appear as dense as it had in the past. 'While the short questions were rather delightful in ways, the long questions were a little light in parts and were heavily scaffolded,' Mr Begley said. 'Beneficial in ways, the examiner was generous throughout in pointing out what methods and techniques students should use to approach a question, for example by indicating to use a certain formula or technique.' This view was echoed by other teachers, including Ms Boylan. 'Later in the paper, question seven's wall of text will have caused some to pause, but once that was parsed, the underlying sequences and series were familiar,' she said. Overall, Ms Boylan said it was a challenging paper for everyone sitting it as the question setter continues the trend of drawing from all corners of the course. 'As such there was material examined on the paper that simply wasn't present in past exams and some students will rightly feel that they were pushed beyond their comfort zone. However, with much that will earn them marks, they shouldn't focus solely on the negative – the marking will reflect the challenge,' she said. Mr O'Leary said that some students were concerned that, with some students finding it too easy, there was concern that it would be harshly marked. 'I hope there will be fairness there,' Mr O'Leary said. On the ordinary level paper, Mr Begley said that it was a fair paper spanning the usual suspects of financial maths, complex numbers, algebra, calculus, functions, patterns and area. 'While parts were certainly not without challenge, the short questions in section A were quite nice and students could play to their strengths answering any five of the six,' he said. 'Those who prepared using past papers would have benefitted from the familiarity of question styles from years gone by. 'The long questions in Section B had students answer any three of the four. The topics covered here were functions, differentiation, financial maths, number patterns and area. 'Topic wise it followed suit with previous exams and students were well prompted and guided in parts. Overall, a good start to the ordinary level maths exams and all eyes will be on paper two on Monday, for which I advise students to take a look at their statistics, trigonometry, coordinate geometry of the line and circle and probability over the weekend, as these are always the main players,' Mr Begley said. Try this one at home: Leaving Cert maths, higher level, Q6(a) Write down, in descending powers of 𝑝𝑝, the first 3 terms in the binomial expansion of: (2𝑝𝑝 +3)7 Give each term in its simplest form. For example, the first term should be of the form ap 7, where a is a constant.
Irish Examiner
19 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Teachers praise Leaving Cert geography, but slam Junior Cycle history as 'illogical and unfair'
This year's Leaving Certificate geography exam contained no major surprises, offering students a "lovely" and well-balanced paper with reliable and current questions. However, the unfamiliar 'donut' graph format may have caused some stress for students, teachers who reviewed the paper said. On the third day of the 2025 State exams, Leaving Cert students sat geography on Friday morning, while Junior Cycle students took their history paper. The Junior Cycle history exam once again faced criticism from teachers, who say the continued absence of mark allocations and limited time remain significant challenges for students. The 2025 Ordinary Level geography paper was described as fair by Laura O'Sullivan, a teacher at Bantry Community School and secretary of the Cork Geography Teachers' Association. 'The short questions were really well scaffolded with images, which is really good for candidates, and the longer questions were very accessible," Ms O'Sullivan said. At Higher Level, she added, the short answer section was more balanced than in previous years. 'In previous years, they were looked for loads of answers for small marks whereas I think this year they were more realistic about what can be achieved in a short amount of time which is fantastic.' One graph question may have presented difficulty for some Higher Level students, she noted. 'It was just a different kind of graph than they would have come across before.' 'Your more able candidates would have been fine but the weaker candidates might struggle with it.' 'They just won't be used to having seen it, but if they treat it like they treat other graphs, and don't panic, then they'll be fine.' Students also needed to read a question on rock types and landscapes carefully, she said, as it required more than one example. 'If they only did one rock type, and one landscape, then they'll probably only get half the marks.' Overall, she described the paper as very fair and said she was 'very happy' with its structure and content. Margaret Fitzpatrick, a teacher at Midleton CBS, also praised the 2025 geography paper. 'The biggest challenge was actually completing it because they would have so much knowledge." "It was a lovely, lovely paper with each section nicer than the other.' 'If students had worked off their exam papers, they should have been well able for it. The only challenge would be getting it done in the time allowed.' Junior Cycle Meanwhile, Junior Cycle history continues to pose a major challenge, according to Studyclix subject expert Jamie Dockery, a teacher at Tyndall College, Carlow. Students are expected to answer eight questions across a wide range of topics within a strict two-hour limit. 'Not accounting for the time needed to pre-read the paper and review answers, practices teachers actively encourage, students are left with roughly fifteen minutes per question." "That's a demanding pace, even for the most capable candidates." 'This year, the difficulty was compounded yet again by the continued absence of mark allocations on the exam paper. Each of the eight questions carried different marks, yet students were given no indication of this during the exam." Mr Dockery added that under time pressure, students should have the option to prioritise higher-value questions. "A basic exam strategy they are taught in every other subject. Denying them this opportunity in History is both illogical and unfair," he added. 'It risks disadvantaging students in their results and may even deter some from continuing with History into Senior Cycle." Read More Junior Cycle English short story question sparks criticism from teachers
