“WE have won! We have won! We are going to represent our county at the national finals in Dublin”, my daughter Audrey screamed as her team from St Anne’s Community College in Killaloe, Ireland emerged champions of the Student Enterprise Awards at the regional level.
They had created Starling Records, an Irish independent record label to promote up-and-coming, local young talent. All the hard work has paid off but deep inside I knew the transition year has taught her more than hard work.
One of the projects in transition year is to form mini companies which emphasise entrepreneurship and teamwork. Students come up with creative ideas, product packaging and marketing.
Starling Records managing director Sean Hayes has this to say: “In my time working on mini-company projects, and dealing with different people, classmates and teachers, I feel my teamwork skills have improved.
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“I have learned to compromise, something which I would never have been able to do before! I also learned how valuable it is to talk to people, alert them to what you’re doing, and always be polite and mannerly, as they will always be willing to help you in any way they can.
“My musical and production skills also improved considerably. As I was executive producer of recordings, I learned a lot about music and its technical side. It turns out... it’s not just singing along like karaoke!”
Transition year is an interesting concept that needs to be explored. Every year, we see scores of schoolchildren sitting Penilaian Menengah Rendah and they are then thrust into the Science or Arts stream in Form Four.
It is not surprising that many are clueless about the new subjects in Form Four and herd mentality seems to dictate their academic life. By the time they reach tertiary level, it is not unusual to find those who would have excelled in the Arts on a path towards a career in the Science discipline and vice versa.
In Ireland, transition year bridges the gap between Junior and Leaving Certificates. A report by the Education Social Research Institute showed that students who attend the year tend to score higher points in the Leaving Certificate.
Transition year aims to prepare students to face the real world by developing transferable skills needed for adult life and the workplace. Interestingly, much learning takes place outside the classroom as students go on field trips and experience work and community placements, and outdoor activities such as rock climbing or canoeing. The emphasis is on social and personal development.
Classroom work is both traditional teaching and learning as well as project assignments. Students learn to run a mini company, start a school bank, make videos, do metal works, design computer graphics and even record songs. If anything, it is a good break from exams and students are not confined to the classroom. Just under half of all students at Irish second-level schools attend transition year, and it is now available in 75 per cent of schools.
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Transition year focuses on education for maturity with priority on personal development, including social awareness and social competence. It promotes general, technical and academic skills, which stresses on interdisciplinary and self-directed learning. Basically, it is education through experience of adult and working life.
It is a year of raising awareness: consciousness of the surroundings, how to work with others and where you are heading. Students get to experience two weeks of work experience, which can be in an office, hair salon or school.
Jade Hoynes also from St. Anne’s Community College in Killaloe says: “During transition year, I did my work experience at a Montessori school in Scariff and it was the best. I am now considering it as my future career. I supervised the children, gave them their lunch, played educational games with them and read stories to them. At the end of the week, I thought this would be a great career to pursue. As I am now selecting my subjects for my Leaving Certificate, I am prepared in my choices as I know what I will be doing when I set off for college.”
The downside of transition year is the quality of programmes run by the school. There are some schools with excellent courses headed by dedicated teachers.
Some students are afraid that they will lose their friends who opt out of transition year. Others fear that they may not be able to get back to an academic routine after a year of projects and skills training. Perhaps the most challenging of all is the spectrum of students in transition year.
Committed students are stressed out by those who are laid-back.
Some parents may feel that transition year is a waste of time. Both good academic learning and other qualities such as communication skills, problem-solving and teamwork are vital for the workplace. Therefore, transition year is just the ticket to grab.
• The writer, who lectured at Universiti Teknologi Mara, now spends her days enjoying life as it is. Email her at kohslhoward@gmail.com
Source NST
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