The Further Education Support Service has put together a calendar of events for Spring/Summer 2023 to support those working in the FET environment for SOLAS and DES funded providers. We have focused on offering on-line webinars and workshops across a range of topics. Those who register for a place on one of the on-line events will receive a link, via e-mail, that will allow them access the event on the given date and time.
The following is a list of the current series and themes on the PD calendar - please click on the highlighted headings below for further information:
Jigsaw “RALLYing Around Young People” – Supporting Young People’s Mental Health
Assessment - A series for those interested in locally devised assessment
This is a series of five online sessions that will deal with the following:
- An Introduction to Locally Devised Assessment
- Devising Assessment Briefs and Examination Questions (Locally Devised Assessment)
- Devising Marking Schemes (Locally Devised Assessment)
- Marking Learner Assessment Evidence
- Feedback to Learners on Summative Assessment Tasks
Pillars of Wellbeing – A series for FET staff
FESS is offering a series of three monthly online workshops, facilitated by Caroline Martin, with a specific focus on 3 of her 5 pillars of wellbeing.
- Social Wellbeing
- Relationship Wellbeing
- Professional Wellbeing
Building Capacity for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in FET
Series of Three Active Teaching and Learning Sessions
FESS is offering a series of three interactive standalone online workshops in the thematic area of Active Teaching and Learning:
- Mind Mapping
- Creative Reflection Toolkit
- Think like deBono
Communities of Practice: Bridging the known, the unknown and the yet-to-know
Supporting Adult Literacy Needs in Your Work
Unlocking the Potential of Rubrics in Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Building a Competency Framework for Soft Skills / Transversal Skills in FET - This event has been postponed until Autumn 2023
In addition, the following PD courses continue to be available:
- Reimagining your Course - the Move to Blended Learning - FET practitioners including course co-ordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the delivery of blended programmes.
- Reimagining your Assessment for Remote Learners - FET practitioners including course coordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the assessment of learners.
Please note: If you would like further information about a PD event, please contact FESS at cpdbookings@fess.ie. If you would like to cancel a place at a PD event, please contact FESS at cpdcancellations@fess.ie. To ensure that the maximum number of people get the opportunity to attend a FESS PD event, please give a minimum of four working days notice when cancelling attendance.
Please also note: In response to the fact that a number of people previously booked an online place at a PD event that they subsequently didn't log into, FESS took the decision to allow more people book a place at an event than there are places for. Those who log in first at the designated time for a live online event will be those who will be accommodated with a place. We hope that by taking this action, we will be able to maximise the number of people who are getting to log in to our PD events.
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Jigsaw “RALLYing Around Young People” – Supporting Young People’s Mental Health |
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Jigsaw is a youth mental health charity which offers a range of mental health supports and services to both young people (aged 12-25 years) and those around them in the settings where they live, learn, work and play. Jigsaw’s interactive “RALLYing around Young People” workshop follows on from Jigsaw’s session in October 2022 called “An Introduction to Jigsaw’s Youth Mental Health Promotion Team for FET Settings”. At the end of the “RALLYing around Young People” workshop, participants will: *Note that while Jigsaw focuses on supporting the mental health of young people aged between 12-25, the strategies and approaches from this workshop can be applied to all age groups* The target audience for this session is: FET staff including management, teachers, tutors, trainers, programme coordinators, guidance counsellors, learning support staff and wellbeing officers. Facilitation: This session will be facilitated by Carrie Budds. Carrie is Youth Mental Health Coordinator with Jigsaw, working in the FET and Higher Education team. She has worked in health and wellbeing for the last 8+ years and is qualified in health promotion, specialising in workplace settings. 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. |
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Tuesday 21st February 10.00 am – 11.30 am A link to this online workshop will be emailed in advance. |
Assessment |
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Please note that this is a repeat of the Assessment suite of events that were offered in Autumn/Winter 2022. This is a series of five weekly online sessions that will deal with the following:
Participants are welcome to attend any or all of the sessions in this series. However, ideally participants would attend all five sessions to maximise their learning about local assessment. The target audience for this series is: Assessors new to the area of FET and engaged in a locally devised assessment process. However, the sessions may also appeal to those who wish to refresh their understanding of assessment and/or those tasked with supporting/informing the assessment process locally. Please see further information on the target audience for each of the five sessions below. Facilitation: This series will be facilitated by FESS. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto an event 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. |
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| To register please click on the link below |
Further Information, Dates and Time |
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An Introduction to Locally Devised Assessment Please note: Some of the detail in this session is a repeat of the detail covered in a previous FESS PD session ‘An Introduction to Local Assessment for New Assessors’
The target audience for this session is: those assessing learners for the first time, using locally devised assessment instruments. A link to this online session will be emailed in advance. |
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Devising Assessment Briefs and Examination Questions (Locally Devised Assessment) Please note: Some of the detail in this session is a repeat of the detail covered in a previous FESS PD session ‘An Introduction to Local Assessment for New Assessors’ A link to this online session will be emailed in advance. |
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Devising Marking Schemes (Locally Devised Assessment) Please note: Some of the detail in this session is a repeat of the detail covered in a previous FESS PD session on ‘Marking’, first delivered online in Spring 2022. The focus of this online session is on devising marking schemes and outline solutions, as part of local assessment, at NFQ levels 4 – 6, for both assessment briefs and examination papers. The target audience for this event is: those assessing learners for the first time, using local assessment. A link to this online session will be emailed in advance. |
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Marking Learner Assessment Evidence Please note: Some of the detail in this session is a repeat of the detail covered in a previous FESS PD session on ‘Marking’, first delivered online in Spring 2022. This online session will focus on:
The target audience for this session is: those marking learners’ summative assessment evidence. In addition, this event is targeted at those who have a role in A link to this online session will be emailed in advance. |
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Feedback to Learners on Summative Assessment Tasks Please note: This session is a repeat of the previous FESS PD session ‘Feedback to Learners on Summative Assessment Tasks’ delivered online in 2020 - 2022. A link to this online session will be emailed in advance. |
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Follow-up Assessment Clinic This one hour online clinic is designed as a follow-up support to complement the recently delivered suite of 5 PD sessions focusing on locally devised assessment. This clinic will provide an opportunity for FET practitioners to pose any locally-devised assessment questions and queries that they may have. An informal approach will be adopted for this session which will also allow for the sharing and discussion of ideas. These clinics will be hosted on Zoom and the link will be emailed to participants in advance of the event. Wednesday 29 March 202316.00 - 17.00 |
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Follow-up Assessment Clinic This one hour online clinic is designed as a follow-up support to complement the recently delivered suite of 5 PD sessions focusing on locally devised assessment. This clinic will provide an opportunity for FET practitioners to pose any locally-devised assessment questions and queries that they may have. An informal approach will be adopted for this session which will also allow for the sharing and discussion of ideas. These clinics will be hosted on Zoom and the link will be emailed to participants in advance of the event. Wednesday 19 April 2023 16.00 - 17.00 |
Integration of Programme Delivery and Assessment of Learners |
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Please note: This event is a repeat of a previous FESS PD event on ‘Integration of Programme Delivery and Assessment of Learners’ delivered online in Autumn/Winter 2021 and 2022. This online event will introduce integration for the delivery of FET programmes and assessment of learners. Breakout rooms will be used to facilitate those logged in to share ideas and opinions with each other. In addition, the following content will be covered:
The target audience for this event is: those wishing to integrate the delivery of FET programmes and/or the assessment of learners. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this event 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. |
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Date and Time |
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Tuesday, 28th February 2023 - 10.00 to 12.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
Building Capacity for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in FET |
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This Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) online professional development event will build on the RPL event delivered as part of the FESS PD calendar in September 2022. However, it is not necessary to have attended this previous event. This event will commence with a very brief outline of the RPL process. We will then explore the two key roles of This practical and interactive event will: During this session we will make reference to the SOLAS – funded FET RPL Toolkit for Education and Training Providers developed by Donegal ETB and Limerick & Clare ETB The target audience for this event is: FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, programme co-ordinators who have a role or interest in implementing RPL. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by Martina Needham. Martina has worked in Adult and Further Education for more than 20 years. She was Adult Education Officer and Basic Education Coordinator with Donegal Education and Training Board until her recent retirement. She has significant experience in programme development and recognition of prior learning. She has delivered workshops in Ireland and Europe and has recently completed a Level 9 Special Purpose Award in Recognition of Prior Learning. Martina is an RPL practitioner and was a member of the RPL Practitioner Network National Steering Group. Martina is a strong advocate of lifelong learning and social inclusion. 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.
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| To register please click on the link below |
Further Information, Dates and Times |
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Building Capacity for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in FET A link to this online session will be emailed in advance. |
Series of Three Active Teaching and Learning Sessions |
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FESS is offering a series of three interactive standalone online workshops in the thematic area of Active Teaching and Learning. Participants may attend one or more of these sessions. |
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Further Information, Dates and Times |
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Active Teaching and Learning (1) Mind Mapping Monday 13th March 2023 - 14.00 to 16.00 Mind Mapping is a thinking tool that represents and organises ideas and information on a theme or topic in a visual and colourful way. Mind Maps show connections and relationships between ideas and information making them an excellent tool for supporting mental literacy and improving memory and recall. This hands-on practical workshop will introduce, step by step, the easy and accessible method of Mind-Mapping created by Tony Buzan, the original inventor of Mind Mapping. Miriam O Donoghue the trainer for this workshop was trained by Tony Buzan and is a Tony Buzan Licensed Instructor https://tonybuzan.com/trainers_ireland
During the workshop we will:
Materials needed: Participants need to bring large sheets of paper, pen, coloured pencils/markers to the session. 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 Miriam O’Donoghue. Miriam is an independent facilitator, trainer and consultant with a strong background and experience of working in Education both nationally and internationally that includes teaching, lecturing and training roles at Primary, Post-primary, Further Education and Training, and Higher Education (Teacher Education) levels. Miriam has also held senior management roles in Curriculum Development, Professional Development and Education Support Services. 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. A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
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Active Teaching and Learning (2) Creative Reflection Toolkit Tuesday 21st March 2023 - 14.00 to 16.00 We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience John Dewey Even though there is no one way when it comes to reflection, many students find the process quite challenging when required to reflect or evaluate as part of their course or assessment work. This workshop explores some creative reflection models, tools and activities that can help students engage with the reflective process so that it is more manageable, accessible and enjoyable.
During the workshop we will:
Materials needed: Participants need to bring paper and pen to the session. The target audience for this event is: FET teachers, tutors, trainers. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by Miriam O’Donoghue. Miriam is an independent facilitator, trainer and consultant with a strong background and experience of working in Education both nationally and internationally that includes teaching, lecturing and training roles at Primary, Post-primary, Further Education and Training, and Higher Education (Teacher Education) levels. Miriam has also held senior management roles in Curriculum Development, Professional Development and Education Support Services. 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. A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
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Active Teaching and Learning (3) Think like deBono Wednesday 29th March 2023 - 14.00 to 16.00 Edward deBono, the originator of the term Lateral Thinking, dedicated his life to inspiring, encouraging and enabling others to be better and more creative thinkers by breaking old patterns and creating new ones. This workshop explores some of Edward de Bonos quick and easy to use thinking tools called the CoRT tools. These help to direct thinking, support creative thinking and structure evaluative thinking. The easy-to-use tools can support thinking in any situation or context with minimal set up e.g., in the classroom with students, in staff meetings, consultations etc.
Materials needed: Participants need to bring a few sheets of paper and pen to the session. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by Miriam O’Donoghue. Miriam is an independent facilitator, trainer and consultant with a strong background and experience of working in Education both nationally and internationally that includes teaching, lecturing and training roles at Primary, Post-primary, Further Education and Training, and Higher Education (Teacher Education) levels. Miriam has also held senior management roles in Curriculum Development, Professional Development and Education Support Services. 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. A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
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Communities of Practice: Bridging the known, the unknown and the yet-to-know |
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| In this 2-hour workshop we will explore Communities of Practice, what they are and how they can support you in your role. This interactive and hands on session will prompt you to explore the potential of connecting with others who share similar areas of interest and passion and how we can learn with and from each other. We will delve into understanding better how working as a community can support not only our own professional and personal learning, but improve the outcomes for our learners in the process.
The target audience for this event is: All FET staff members, including teachers, tutors, trainers, instructors and those in leadership, management and administrative roles. Facilitation: This session will be facilitated by Carrie Archer. Carrie's pronouns are she/her. She has been working in Further Education and Training for 15 years and is the Professional Learning and Development Coordinator with CDETB. Carrie’s interests are coaching, leadership, Communities of Practice, Universal Design for Learning and championing equity, inclusion, and diversity. She is passionate about the representation and visibility of LGBTQI learners and staff and is currently specialising as an ADHD coach. She facilitates a Professional Learning Network for support teachers in FET colleges and mentors in Technology Enhanced Learning and inclusive pedagogy in CDETB. She is part of the design team on a collaboration between CDETB and TCD for the first L9 PGC cert in Diversity and Inclusion for FET. 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. |
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Tuesday 28th March 2023 - 10.00 – 12.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
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NALA is the National Adult Literacy Agency. In Ireland, over 500,000 adults have unmet literacy, numeracy and digital literacy needs. This means many will find it difficult to get information about the courses you offer or lack the confidence to apply for one. If they are on a course, the learners will have different strengths and needs in the particular language, literacy, numeracy and digital literacy used in the centre and course. This can also affect their confidence and motivation to complete a course.There are lots of things you can do to remove these barriers and ensure your services are accessible to everyone. It requires taking a ‘whole-organisation’ literacy friendly approach. This means that you are aware of the barriers facing learners with unmet literacy needs and work towards removing as many of them as possible. You are probably doing this already in your work without even thinking about it, but if you want to learn more, the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) is providing a two-hour information session for any staff interested in this important area.The information session has four parts that cover: You will learn the practical steps you can take to ensure that your education and training programmes are: The target audience for this event is: Administrators, centre managers, FET directors, tutors, vocational and subject specific teachers. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by the NALA Team . 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. |
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Tuesday 25th April 2023 - 14.00 to 16.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
Unlocking the Potential of Rubrics in Teaching, Learning and Assessment |
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Please note: This event is a repeat of a previous FESS PD event on 'Unlocking the Potential of Rubrics in Teaching, Learning and Assessment' first delivered online in Spring 2022 and Autumn/Winter 2022. This online event aims to assist FET staff in the development and use of rubrics to support teaching, learning and assessment activities. This is an interactive event where participants will be provided with information, have the opportunity to engage in discussion and participate in a rubric development workshop. This event will:
Learning together in this event will help us to consider the range of possibilities rubrics can bring to teaching, learning and assessment. The target audience for this event is: FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, programme co-ordinators and QA staff. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by FESS. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this event 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. |
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Date and Time |
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Wednesday, 26 April 2023 - 10.00 to 12.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
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Building a Competency Framework for Soft Skills / Transversal Skills in FET |
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This session is a follow-on from a previous session introducing the importance of soft skills/transversal skills for the future world of work and the key position that FET holds in the delivery of these skills. The target audience for this event is: FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by Marie Cleary. Marie is founder and director at ThirdSpace Consultants. She has extensive experience working with senior management and their teams to deliver strategic management interventions, facilitate change, develop leaders and build high performance teams. Before moving into Consulting, Marie was a teacher of Music and English at second level for 10 years. Her 20+ years Consulting career has spanned both public and private sector internationally. Her qualifications in Business, Education, Finance and Psychology, coupled with her previous roles in management of EU funding, gives her an expansive skillset to work in a variety of settings. She is currently completing Doctoral Studies on Future Skills. Marie is a coaching psychologist with extensive experience as an executive coach and has worked at a senior level to assist clients resolve challenging issues, build resilience and enhance leadership capability. Marie is passionate about intercultural education and is closely connected to the work of Leargas across the fields of Youth, Further Education and School Education. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this event 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. |
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This event has been postponed until Autumn 2023 Wednesday 3rd May 2023 - 14.00 to 16.00 A link to this online event will be emailed in advance. |
