Latest news with #AssociationofSecondaryTeachersinIreland
RTÉ News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
ASTI: 'Exponential growth' in misogynistic comments from students
The General Secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland has warned that female teachers are facing misogynistic comments and harassment from students in schools to an extent that is becoming increasingly "unmanageable." In an interview ahead of a special Prime Time programme tonight, Kieran Christie said "there is quite a growth in the extent to which online content is having a negative influence on young males' perception of women and of girls. And it's very pervasive, unfortunately, in the end, very regrettable." "Certainly in the last five years, it has grown exponentially as a problem," he said, "and it's becoming more and more unmanageable in schools." He said ASTI members have raised concerns involving gestures, use of online accounts by students to harass teachers, and "in the more extreme cases, it involves things like videos and sexual comments and all the rest of it." Mr Christie's comments were echoed by the Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputies (NAPD) Paul Crone. He told Prime Time that "there are huge issues in relation to the online content that students, and particularly young males, are experiencing and the consequent attitude that they have towards girls and even female teachers. "The worrying part for us of all of that is that these behaviors are seen as normal by a cohort of young males. They don't see anything wrong with it because it's what they're experiencing online. It's what they're being told." In recent weeks the ASTI and NAPD circulated to their members a Prime Time survey on perceptions about the impact of related social media content in schools. Results from that survey show more than 85% of respondents said they believe online content about gender roles and masculinity is negatively influencing teenagers' perceptions of women and girls. The anonymous survey was sent to members at the request of Prime Time by the four main teaching unions, the aforementioned ASTI and NAPD, as well as the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) and Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO). 1,200 responses were received in the week after it was published, in which more than 1,100 respondents described themselves as either secondary school teachers or principals. The others said they worked in primary schools. Through the survey and interviews with teachers, union officials, and experts, Prime Time sought to ascertain whether there has been a real-world impact on the views of young people from the emergence of social media trends and influencers who promote negative forms of masculinity. Despite many positive forms of masculinity, certain online influencers who have come to prominence in recent years argue that men's role within modern society has been unfairly suppressed, and that women should be submissive and men dominant in both personal relationships and wider society. Respondents were provided with a short description of the views held by such influencers and asked a series of multiple-choice questions about whether they believe such views are shaping young people's perceptions of gender roles, masculinity, or misogyny. Respondents had the option to agree or disagree, or say anything from 'not concerned' to 'very concerned' on all questions. As with all online anonymous surveys, there are limitations in how the results can be interpreted, and they should be considered more indicative than definitive. Asked 'how concerned are you about the influence of individuals and content covered by this survey upon students or pupils?- 56% said 'very concerned' and a further 31% said 'somewhat concerned'. Some 5% said 'not very concerned', while 2% responded 'not concerned at all'. The survey also attempted to understand if respondents perceived that views about gender roles and masculinity held by such influencers were becoming more prevalent. When asked 'Over the last five years, have you begun to see or hear more concerning discussions or comments linked to the topics covered in this survey within your school environment?' some 78% of respondents said 'yes, much more', or 'yes, somewhat more'. Almost half – 48% - of respondents said they frequently or occasionally witness comments or behaviour directed specifically towards young women or female students which they perceive to be linked to such online content. A further 21% said 'yes but rarely'. Many respondents - some 47% - said they have personally been subjected to concerning behaviour or related comments from students in the classroom or the school environment. The most common behaviours identified by respondents in the survey were disrespectful language, gender stereotyping, and bullying and harassment. When asked about the prevalence of the views in the school environment, a third (34%) said the issue was limited to a small number of students, 31% said it spanned several year groups, and nearly one in five (19%) said it affected the entire school. The results of the survey echo similar conclusions in academic and other research conducted in the Ireland, the UK, and elsewhere. A survey published last month by UK teaching union NASUWT found that female teachers were more likely to regularly receive verbal abuse than their male counterparts. The union noted that dozens of teachers had referenced the influencer Andrew Tate as directly influencing male pupils' behaviour. A 2024 study by University College London (UCL) and Kent University also found through interviews with young people and school leaders that "misogynist ideologies" that young people are exposed to online have become embedded in youth culture, "creating new challenges for schools". Researchers at Dublin City University (DCU) last year also focused on the role of social media companies in pushing related content to male teenagers, and noted through the use of test accounts that algorithms consistently recommended what the study defined as "male supremacist influencers" to young men on TikTok and YouTube. In the Prime Time survey, respondents were provided with space to add comments if they wished. Several respondents highlighted the role of algorithms and the time spent on devices by students as concerns, saying these were key drivers of the issue and that social media companies and regulators should act on them. "Students have said how hard it is to navigate or get away from this messaging," one respondent said, "even if they report it, it comes back in their algorithm." "As access to pornographic material is so easy for young males, it is having a major influence in how they perceive women and how they speak about women and treat them," wrote another respondent, "social media are exposing young men to vile pornographic/violent/misogynistic content on a daily basis." "Male misogyny amongst students isn't new. It has been brewing for years. But is now more mainstream due to the Tates... etc," said another. "They believe everything they see online… boys increasingly view women as objects or individuals who should 'obey' them," another added. Others provided examples of incidents in which male students made concerning remarks to other female students. One said a male student asked a female student if she would "carry a knife to protect herself on 'World Rape Day'", referencing a TikTok hoax claiming that rape would be legal for a day on 24 April. "I often hear male students making sexualised comments to female students," another said "we had to remove a female student from the school after targeted harassment by boys." Kieran Christie of the ASTI says social media companies, government and regulators should work to address the problem. "It is the experience of our members that the vast majority of young people are great people," he said, "and we can be very thankful that we have a whole new generation coming forward of wonderful young people. "They're growing up in an online world and they need to be protected to some extent, but guided also in relation to navigating that whole world. "Certainly government have a major role to play, in particular working with the various social media companies in bringing forward measures that safeguard young people. "We are aware that the bulk of the major social media companies are here in Ireland. So we have a natural platform there to work with these companies, to ask them to regulate, and perhaps enforce their regulation, in relation to what they provide - and allow to be accessible - to young people," Mr Christie told Prime Time. Paul Crone of the NAPD said it "takes a whole system response to be able to tackle this" but that "the focus does need to be on regulation." He added that the "new SPHE curriculum, which some people have objected to, is a really important part of the school's response to this." The Teachers' Union of Ireland also echoed calls for stronger social media regulation saying there is now an "urgent need for significantly stronger legislation and proper Government regulation in the area of social media." "The Department of Education must also ensure that the required policies and safeguards are in place in school communities to protect students and teachers from such attitudes and behaviours."
Irish Times
23-04-2025
- Irish Times
‘It has great benefits, but it's difficult for us to assess pupils' understanding': what teachers think of AI
The annual conference of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) in Killarney, Co Kerry, heard concerns that the potential use of generative artificial intelligence – which could write detailed essays on behalf of pupils, for example – could diminish the standard of education. But what do teachers think? Natalie Doyle Bradley, a special-education teacher at Chanel College, Coolock, north Dublin, said: 'I use AI for lots of things. I use it for planning. I use it for teaching and my students use it for learning. 'We don't really have any textbooks in special education. READ MORE 'So I've developed an app called History Quest, and what I can do is use it if they're doing the Renaissance, for example, in their history class. 'I can write down Renaissance and the student's age. And we're actually brought on an interactive adventure in the Renaissance, where the students can choose their own adventure as well. So they can choose to be a painter, an apprentice, and the app actually will talk them through that. 'And also we can lower the age. So if they find it challenging, we can say, make that a reading age of 10 or make it a reading age of eight. We can also have the app read out the information so it's a story. 'The student is in charge. They are discovering the same key facts that they would through a textbook. Natalie Doyle Bradley: 'For teachers, for planning, AI is absolutely brilliant.' Photograph: Don MacMonagle 'Sometimes students find it hard to visualise what is happening. But we can ask the app to show pictures of what we are talking about. And they will say, 'Now I get it'. 'We're still in the very early stages [of this technology]. And for teachers, for planning, it is absolutely brilliant. 'For bespoke apps like I'm making and I'm teaching other people to make, it's perfect, because it's a tool for learning. It can be an impetus, it can help. 'But for assessment, absolutely not. We have to be really careful on using it for assessment.' Maria Markey Greene, of Rosmini Community School in Drumcondra, north Dublin, is a member of Asti standing committee 'I have concerns about the use of AI in education and especially in the area of assessment. Generative AI is working at a pace that is faster than the people who check these things can keep up to date with,' she said. 'I was asked in September to look at a piece of homework of a 12-year-old and to check whether the student had used AI or not. I could, at that stage in September 2024, check and find that verbatim she had used ChatGPT. 'I kept the piece of homework just for myself as a reference point and in March I went to look it up again. I could not find it because the technology, the algorithms had decided that the words I was putting in meant something else and it generated something else. This meant that I could not trace her [work] back to the original source. Maria Markey Greene: 'AI can do an entire essay or assessment. And we can't check it.' Photograph: Don MacMonagle 'A month later and I have AI embedded in my Google, in my Microsoft Edge, in my email and in my school email. AI is now directing me without me asking it to, to write down certain words and phrases and to give me counter arguments. 'So a student who was looking to put down a piece of work where they are critically analysing anything, and they need to find facts and put together their knowledge, the information and critically analyse that, AI has done that for it – for the entire essay or assessment. And we can't check it. ' Riain O'Cianaigh teaches history, CSP and law and politics at Magh Éne College in Bundoran, Co Donegal. 'AI has great benefits, but at the same time there are drawbacks. But at the end of the day AI will not replace the teacher in the classroom,' the teacher said. 'The benefits include personalised learning and teacher supports in terms of creating differentiated resources. You have engagement and accessibility so it is great for students with educational needs. 'You can create multimodal content, audio, video, et cetera, and real-time feedback that can help students before high-stakes examinations.' 'But then in terms of challenges, you have equity and access [issues]. Not all students have equal access to devices or internet. 'You have another challenge in terms of plagiarism and integrity. AI tools can write essays and solve problems, but it is more difficult for teachers to assess genuine student understanding. 'And then you have teacher training and confidence. Many teachers have not been trained in using AI, so you have a risk of relying on it too heavily or avoiding it altogether.' 'It is a tool, not a teacher.'
Irish Examiner
23-04-2025
- Irish Examiner
ASTI to partner with social media platform TikTok to combat cyberbullying of teachers
A teachers' union has set up an escalation process with a social media company to report the cyberbullying of teachers. Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) general secretary Kieran Christie announced the new process at the teachers' conference in Killarney as he spoke about the danger of cyberbullying. Mr Christie told delegates a sub-committee was working on combating the cyberbullying of teachers, including engagement with the social media short-form video site TikTok. He said a "community partner channel" had been established with the social media site, allowing the ASTI to escalate any issues. "The ASTI is now able to highlight/report content that could be considered harmful or in violation of TikTok's community guidelines via TikTok's community partner channel. "This community partner channel gives the ASTI access to an escalation process in the event that the normal TikTok reporting channel has not resolved an issue for an ASTI member, and once ASTI head office deems that the issue is of a threshold that requires urgent and immediate attention. "Once a report is submitted by ASTI head office, TikTok will process the report. This is just one aspect of the modern world that teachers live in and I can assure you that anything ASTI can do to support members in such circumstances will always be done. Mr Christie said the union was also engaging with various bodies, including Coimisiún na Meán and the gardaí, in relation to cyberbullying. "An initial poster and associated guidance on prevention will be in schools for September, while work continues on the production of detailed information on what members should do in the event of being targeted online." At last year's ASTI convention in Wexford, a motion was carried unanimously by 500 delegates to tackle cyberbullying. According to a RedC survey, almost a fifth of Irish secondary-level teachers have experienced cyberbullying, with the majority of that behaviour coming from their own students. Read More ASTI calls for protective measures as teachers' concerns around AI grow
Irish Times
22-04-2025
- Science
- Irish Times
‘It's impossible': Will teachers be able to stop cheating for new Leaving Cert coursework?
John Conneely, a physics teacher at St Flannan's College in Ennis, Co Clare , is alarmed. He is, he stresses, not against reform or reimagining how we assess students. It's that he feels plans for the Leaving Cert risk undermining education standards, eroding fairness for students and placing teachers in an 'impossible' position. Under reforms due to roll out for fifth years in September, students will be required to complete research projects worth 40 per cent during the school year, while the traditional written exams in June will be worth the remaining 60 per cent. These senior cycle reforms are aimed at easing the stress facing students nd providing a broader assessment of students' skills and competencies. READ MORE Biology, physics and chemistry are among the first subjects to be reformed, while others will follow over the coming years. In an era when artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT can generate convincing-looking essays and reports within minutes, is there a way to guarantee these projects will really be the work of students? 'It will be practically impossible for teachers to authenticate the work of each student,' says Conneely. 'There are no legal protections or supports provided for teachers – or principals – who may have suspicions about the authenticity of the work and [this] leaves them open to litigation should they make a claim. [ Leaving Cert 2025 students will lose out due to grade deflation, but by how much? Opens in new window ] 'We won't be able to police this, it's impossible. We feel we're thrown under a bus because we're being asked to do something we can't ... We live in small school communities. If a teacher suspects a student is cheating it's very difficult for them to prove it. The burden of responsibility is huge.' Concerns among teachers over senior cycle changes – the most ambitious in half a century – look set to dominate the annual gatherings of second level teachers' unions this week. The Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) want 'accelerated' changes due to come into force for fifth year students in September to be paused amid wider concerns over equity and exam integrity. Imagine a student being asked to demonstrate how to play their guitar through a written report? It would be ridiculous and useless from an educational point of view — Teacher Adrienne Healy They say more time is needed to consult them over changes, properly resource science labs and address concerns over how to authenticate students' work. Among the motions to be debated are calls for an indemnity for teachers from any resulting legal actions as well as calls for union members to cease co-operation with the introduction of the reforms. Minster for Education Helen McEntee, however, has pledged to push ahead with the changes on the basis that students should not have to wait longer for the planned changes which she says have been in the works for up to decade. 'The Leaving Cert has served students well but this is about making sure we support students and reduce the amount of pressure they are under,' she told the Dáil recently. 'Currently, the focus is on one exam at the end that can often go wrong for students. We need to take away that significant pressure and make sure there is an additional focus on critical and creative thinking and other types of skills. Leaving Cert reform is central to how we do this.' [ Leaving Cert reforms to press ahead this year despite union opposition Opens in new window ] McEntee says she is working with schools, teachers and students to introduce the changes supported by a comprehensive package of support. Training, she says, has already been taken up by 26,000 teachers, while a total of €12 million has been provided to schools to support the introduction of new science subjects. Other preparation has involved the State Examinations Commission which recently published sample exam papers for each of the new subjects, while sample briefs for new research projects or additional assessment components worth 40 per cent will be provided by the commission at the start of the next school year. In relation to concerns over the use of AI, the SEC says students' coursework must be completed under the supervision of a teacher and authenticated as the candidate's own work by the teacher and school principal. [ First look: Sample Leaving Cert exam papers for brand new subjects Opens in new window ] Under rules in place since 2023, students have been warned that use of tools such as ChatGPT in their project work must be disclosed and failure to do so could result in candidates losing marks, having their results withheld or being debarred from entering State exams. The SEC and the Department of Education, meanwhile, are working on high-level guidance on the use of AI in teaching and learning. These assurances, however, are doing little to allay the concerns of some teachers. Adrienne Healy, who teaches biology, science and maths at St Dominic's College, Cabra, in Dublin, feels a written research project ignores key stills. While subjects such as languages and music involve a 'direct assessment' – such as an oral exam or performance – the research projects will be 'indirect' and will not involve students' practical skills. Original plans for assessing students, she says, involved examiners going into school labs to assess these skills. 'Imagine a student being asked to demonstrate how to play their guitar through a written report? It would be ridiculous and useless from an educational point of view. It's the same for assessing practical skills in biology, chemistry and physics. Just writing or describing a skill makes no educational sense.' The 40 per cent weighting for the research project mark is also a source of debate. Many see it as too much given the 20 class hours allocated to complete it, based on official guidelines. Some teachers say this will simply incentivise cheating for a high-stakes exam. Conneely also feels the volume of projects and burden of responsibility placed on science teachers to manage the procurement of materials, safety and validity of the assessments is too much. 'The guideline documents place a disproportionate burden of responsibility on the teacher in the implementation of the research investigations,' he says. 'Teachers are expected to help each student in the planning process, discuss safety considerations, be present when the investigations are being carried out, monitor the data analysis and provide authentication for the work completed. Many teachers may have two or more Leaving Certificate classes, potentially in multiple subjects, meaning they could be asked to manage up to 72 individual student investigations, monitor their progress and validate their work. This is unreasonable.' What's changing: students face reformed senior cycle over coming years Under the changes, all redeveloped and revised Leaving Cert subjects will include at least one additional assessment – such as a research project, practical, demonstration or oral – worth a minimum of 40 per cent. The process of rolling out the reforms (see below) will take place on an annual basis. By 2029, all subjects will be revised. It means all those entering fifth year as a Leaving Cert student in 2029 will be following revised curricula and assessment arrangements in all subjects. September 2025: Biology; physics; chemistry; business; ancient Greek; Arabic; Latin. In addition, some schools will trial two new subjects: climate action and sustainability; and drama, film and theatre studies September 2026: Fifth year students will begin studying the revised curriculum for accounting; construction studies; engineering; English; geography; PE; and LCVP (Leaving Cert Vocational Programme) link modules. September 2027 : Agricultural science; computer science; design and communications graphics; history; home economics; maths; music; physics and chemistry September 2028: Art; economics; French; Gaeilge; German; Italian; politics and society; Spanish; technology. September 2029: Applied maths; classical studies; Japanese; Lithuanian; Mandarin Chinese; Polish; Portuguese; religious education; Russian.
